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“I know,” she said. “But that’s different. We’re working and we have to be together. When I got home I decided that I only had a little time before I went to bed and I wanted to spend it with you.”
Emmett’s eyes twinkled mischievously as he listened to her talk. “I hate to break it to you,” he said as he reached across the table and took her hand, “but it sounds like you might just be falling for me.”
With a sigh, Maddie rested her chin in the palm of her other hand. “I know,” she said in an exasperated tone, even as the gentle brush of his fingers against her own sent a thrill through her body. It had been a few days since they’d made love, but she couldn’t wait to do it again. Her thoughts were constantly straying back to how he’d touched her. She never expected it, but she was falling for him. Hard. “Can you imagine?”
He shook his head in dismay. “You want to know something even worse? I think I might be falling for you, too. What are we going to do?”
He said the words with a playful tone, but Maddie couldn’t help the lightness in her chest. Was he really falling for her? Crabby, stuck-up Madelyn? Fancy Pants? Part of her couldn’t believe it. She just smiled and squeezed his hand before pulling away. “For now, I think we eat our dinner and keep it to ourselves. We need to see if this infatuation can outlast our community service.”
“You’re right. You might turn out to have an obnoxious family or something. That could ruin it for me.”
Maddie laughed and stabbed some pasta salad with her fork. “I think I am my obnoxious family.”
“Speaking of family, your brother came by the bar earlier.”
“Which one?”
“Grant. He said that he and Pepper had finally finished the renovations and they were moving back into the house on Daisy Drive this weekend. They’re planning on having a housewarming party in a few weeks and he said they’d love for us to come.”
Maddie hesitated as she started to take a bite. She didn’t know why, but it seemed to strike her wrong. The lightness in her chest evaporated and was replaced with an unwelcome sinking feeling. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him it sounded fun. It might be worth closing the bar for a few hours or maybe see if Joy can cover for me so we could go.”
We? Maddie was attracted to Emmett, and she was having fun with their flirtation, but when had they turned into a “we?” She didn’t recall getting to the point in the relationship where they were doing couple’s activities, never mind committing to activities with her family without discussing it with her. He knew Grant and Pepper from the bar, but they wouldn’t be the only ones there. Would her parents come to see the house? They would probably make an appearance, even if it was just a short one.
The thought of introducing Emmett to her parents made her stomach start to ache. That was the root of the worry. She wasn’t ready for Emmett to get involved with her family. She liked the way things were. Having him interact with her family opened up the doors for so many potential issues. What if her father disapproved of Emmett? Or what if he didn’t? This would put Emmett one step closer to making those family contacts Lydia warned her about.
Maddie watched as Emmett continued to eat without concern. It wasn’t a big deal for him, so maybe it shouldn’t be for her. If he was hot to meet her family, he would’ve pushed harder. Of course, he already had some contact with her grandmother. That might be all he needed.
She shoved a potato chip into her mouth and forced herself to chew it. They continued to eat in silence for a few minutes, Maddie near squirming with discomfort about the situation, but feeling too foolish to tell him how uncomfortable it made her. It was just a party, no big thing. She needed to treat it that way.
“Oh, hey,” he said after a bit, swallowing a sip of tea. “I have something for you.”
Maddie perked up in her seat, her dark thoughts being pushed aside. “A present?” No matter how cool a woman tried to act, there was no dismissing the surge of excitement and curiosity when a man told her he had something for her.
Emmett got up from his chair. “Yeah, I made it for you, actually. I’ll be right back.” She watched him disappear through the doorway to his apartment and return a moment later. He had something hidden behind his back, but she couldn’t see much of anything from a distance. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand,” he directed.
Maddie complied, curious as to what it could be. He said he’d made her something. She’d never had a man make her something before, but most of the men she’d dated only knew how to make money.
Emmett placed the object in her hand. It was cool and smooth against her skin, but heavy.
Maddie opened her eyes and found a wooden carving in her hand. It was a figure of a swan carved out of a solid piece of smooth, dark brown wood. “It’s beautiful,” she said, running her finger along the swan’s back.
“I don’t know if you know or care much for swans, but whenever I see one, I’m reminded of you. Swans are so graceful and elegant. That’s how I see you. Watching you move around that bakery is like a ballet. Even your food is like some refined piece of art. Swans are also beautiful of course, even though they start out quite different-looking. They change as they get older, and I’ve seen that in you as well.”
Maddie couldn’t tear her gaze away from the carving. She’d been given some small tokens of affection in high school, but nothing like this. Nothing made by hand with such important meaning behind it.
“You know, swans mate for life.” Maddie blurted out the words before fully realizing how they sounded. Her cheeks blushed as she looked up at him. A moment ago, she felt like things were moving too fast and here she was talking about lifetime commitment. “I . . . I m-mean, that’s the only thing I know about swans. I’d always heard that they mate for life.”
“I think you’re right,” he said. “Male swans are smart. When you’ve got something perfect in your life, you don’t let it go.”
Maddie looked up at him, noting that his words seemed to resonate in the intensity of his gaze. She swallowed hard as emotions welled up inside her. There was a warmth in her chest, an urge that wanted her to throw herself into his arms and have him hold her. She resisted it, recognizing those same urges from her relationship with Joel. She refused to paint it with the same brush, but she was hesitant to completely trust herself in a relationship. It was too early for that. “You really carved this yourself?” she asked, trying to distract herself.
“Yeah. I’ve been working on a project and I had a really nice piece of wood left over. I thought it’d be perfect for this.”
Maddie shifted her focus to the piece, turning it over in her hands. “I don’t know why I always
forget that you’re a carpenter, too.”
