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“You can send that too,” he said, trying to sound indifferent. “But the stipend gives you options. We talked about you going back to school. Or you can pick something else. It’s up to you.”
He stopped before telling her the world was her oyster.
“Are you done freaking out?” he asked after a minute. “Because we can get Meowmus one of those tiny service animal vests. He can be your emotional support animal.”
Emma’s face transformed, anxiety shifting to mild irritation. She balled up a napkin and threw it at him. “Smart aleck.”
He grinned. “Do you want me to swing by and pick you up after work? There’s a good steakhouse a block down from the kiosk I’ve been wanting to try.”
“Oh…” Emma blinked. “Okay.”
“Great. I’ve been craving beef Wellington all week.”
Still affecting disinterest, he checked the time on his phone. “I better run to the office. I’ll meet you at the kiosk around closing. See you then.”
Quitting while he was ahead, he said goodbye, running into Rainer on his way out. They discussed a few last-minute pre-wedding plans.
Tomorrow night was the stag party.
“Make sure Ian doesn’t get his way about the strippers,” Rainer told him as they boarded the elevator. “Else, George will have my balls.”
Once upon a time, having a stripper at a stag party would have made the night complete. But that stage of his life had come and gone before Emma came back into his life. Nevertheless, his nose wrinkled, wondering how she would react if Ian got his way.
She probably wouldn’t care. Which, if he was being honest, would be disappointing.
“I’ll make sure,” he promised.
It didn’t matter that they weren’t a couple. Not partying with strippers was Garrett being considerate to his roommate, a woman legally bound to him for insurance reasons.
The fact he was taking Emma to a highly acclaimed restaurant whose reviews never failed to mention the dim and romantic lighting… Well, that was something he wouldn’t be mentioning to any of his friends.
Chapter Thirty
EMMA
Bethany nudged her so hard, Emma nearly fell off the bucket.
“Hey,” she protested. But it was weak, her heart not in it.
“What’s eating you?” the other barista asked.
Emma pressed her lips together, wishing Kyle hadn’t traded with the other woman because of a last-minute dental appointment.
Damn, I’m going to regret this. “I’m having dinner with Garrett tonight.”
Bethany put her hands on her hips. “If you are about to complain about that hot piece of ass?—”
She held up a hand to forestall a diatribe. “It’s not that. We… got married.”
Bethany’s mouth dropped open. Nothing came out.
“I should write this down in my calendar.” Emma smiled despite herself. She took out her phone and pretended to make a note. “Bethany is speechless.”
“Holy shit!” the other woman burst out.
“Don’t get excited,” Emma warned. “It’s a platonic arrangement. I was going to lose my health insurance, remember? That’s how he fixed it.”
“By marrying you?” Bethany screeched, the piercing sound scaring away a customer who’d just walked up to the window.