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“Don carry.”
“I’m not carrying you,” he whispered.
“Def carrying.” She yawned, her lids too heavy to open and confirm. The rocking motion and warmth of strong arms weren’t helping.
“You’re dreaming.”
“Weird dream.”
“Nice dream,” dream Garrett argued as her body landed gently on the mattress of the guest room.
“Nice,” she acknowledged, deciding that opening her eyes would be counterproductive at this point. “But weird. For worst enemies.”
“Allegedworst enemies.” The door clicked closed.
Emma slept like a rock.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EMMA
She sat cross-legged next to Georgia, packing tiny custom-made die-cast cars into special acrylic cases engraved with the date of their wedding.
Georgia’s adoptive father, Ephraim, leaned over and tapped the case when she was done.
“That’s a 1949 Talbot Lago,” he said, smacking his tongue against his yellow but minty fresh teeth. “The car used to belong to my father. Georgia was restoring it as a gift to me when she met Rainer. She took a picture of it so his security folk would let her into his office so she could warn him someone wanted to kidnap him. We call it the family car now.”
“Oh my God!” Emma gasped. “That story is true? I thought Garrett was pulling my leg.”
He’d given her a brief account of the kidnapping plot while grabbing the silverware last night, but he’d been so matter of fact, she’d thought he was kidding.
George recounted the tale, starting with overhearing the kidnappers lay out their plan while cleaning the bathroom at the car dealership she used to work at. It ended when she moved in with Rainer.
“That is the most incredible story I’ve ever heard.”
“It was quite the adventure,” Ephraim said, patting George on the shoulder. “And even though I had my doubts, Rainer ended up being a very nice young man.”
Ephraim kept talking, packing a few more boxes before excusing himself for a meeting at his office across the street.
Emma leaned toward the bride-to-be. “Okay, now tell me all the good stuff you left out!”
Laughing, Georgia obliged, giving her the PG-13 version that involved hiding out in a snowbound cabin where the inevitable happened.
“I never imagined this when we first met,” she said, gesturing to the wedding fripperies around them.
“Rainer was so handsome, with all these glowing magazine articles describing his charity work. He seemed so high above me, so unattainable. It didn’t occur to me that he was a flesh and blood man who wanted love and affection like everyone else. I’m so glad I found him.”
Emma put a hand over her heart. “I bet he says the same thing about you.”
She had spent very little time in Rainer’s company, but it was enough to see his complete and utter devotion to the woman who would be his wife. “He’s obviously a smart man. Explains why he’s so eager to put a ring on it.”
Georgia’s smile lit up the room. It made Emma want to lean in and bask in the warmth of it.
“Not to change the subject,” George said with a little flash of her very white teeth. “But how are things going next door? I know you were a little weirded out that first night.”
Where did she begin?
“Well, it’s a bit weird, but not as bad as I thought it would be.”