Page 46 of Decoding Emma

“My stomach?Whose stomach has been gurgling for the last thirty minutes?”

“Point to you.”My stomach had been reminding me I’d held off on having my usual junk food snack this morning in preparation for lunch.“Let’s go.”I stood and held my hand out to her.

“We’re going to lunch together?”For a couple of seconds, she looked at my hand like it had six fingers before she took it and stood up.

“That we are.”Trust.She was trusting me, holding my hand in front of other people, and I wasn’t about to let her down.

We rode the elevator down to the first floor, and I guided her into the café.Wanda saw us and waved.

“Asher, Emma,” she said.“I have your table ready.”

“Table?”Emma glanced at me.

“Thanks, Wanda.”I rested my hand at the curve of her back and led her across the room, following Wanda around a set of wooden room dividers.

I grinned when I saw what she had done.Behind the dividers was a table for two by the windows.“This is perfect, Wanda.Thank you so much.”Emma looked confused as I pulled a chair out for her, but she sat down.

“I’ll bring your meal over,” Wanda said before she walked away.

I took my seat across from Emma.Two waters and two iced teas were already on the table.

“Asher, what is the meaning of this?”Emma waved her hand over the table.

“I wanted to take you to lunch.”I pointed to the dividers.“This way we can have a private lunch and chat.”

Emma shifted in her chair.“What do we need to have privacy for?”

For a moment, I debated with myself on what I was about to say.I wasn’t one to sugarcoat things, and I had a feeling Emma would appreciate me being up front with her.“How about the fact that you’ve rebuilt a wall between us.”

Her gaze dropped to the tabletop.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do.”She’d worked with me for over two weeks now.“Saturday morning, when you let down that brick wall and finally opened up to me, I saw a different woman.A woman I like.”

Emma ran her finger through the condensation on her iced tea glass.“That woman doesn’t exist.”

“But she does.Tell me why you’re hiding her.”

She shook her head and still wouldn’t look at me.Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.No, I was just second guessing myself.This was the best I could do while we were at work.

I blew out a breath that was a cross between a huff and a sigh then reached across the table and patted her hand.She lifted her head.“Let me tell you what I saw on Saturday.I saw a woman who’d finally relaxed and was happy.”

She frowned.“I’m happy.”

“Are you?”I was going to keep challenging her.Gently dude.Don’t mess this up.“You were open and comfortable Saturday.If I overstepped a line Saturday, tell me, and I’ll apologize.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head.

“Words, Emma.”

She was focused on the table and the patterns she drew in the water ring from her iced tea.“You didn’t overstep.”She looked up but didn’t raise her head all the way.“I gave you consent.”

Progress…sort of.

“And do you take that consent back?”

Now she had raised her head and her eyes widened.“Why would I do that?”

“Are you afraid of me?”