Page 132 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

“All right Ms. Sour Puss. It’s been over a week. Aren’t you over this yet?”

Emma watched the swirls the creamer made in her coffee and felt like she was diving down into those swirly depths of dark herself.

“I’m fine.”

“Like hell you are.”

Peeking up over her cup, she caught Annie’s stare, then looked back down again. There was a small crowd gathering at Sugar High, so she kept her voice low. “Look,”

she said finally.

“if the reason you asked me to coffee this morning is to verbally beat the crap out of me over this entire incident, well, you can stop now, because I assure you, I have beaten my own self up enough for the two of us.”

Annie responded with an outstretched hand placed over hers on the table.

“Emma, look at me.”

It took her a moment, but she did look up and connect with Annie. “What?”

Annie sighed.

“Forget it all. You have your job and that is the important thing.”

“Well, only because Will refuses to let me out of my contract in the middle of the year, and only because there are no positions open anywhere else in the district. Or so they say. That sixth-grade position was suddenly filled. He’s stuck, so I stay.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”

Emma huffed.

“You don’t? Well, I have news for you. That man wants nothing to do with me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Give it some time. Perhaps things could work out.”

“Really? Then why hasn’t he contacted me in the past week? Looks like he would have, you know.”

“Have you tried to contact him?”

Emma shot her a look.

“No! And why would I?’

Annie gave her a look back.

“Well, to try to talk this thing through? To discuss while you both are rational, rather than angry? To try and get some closure? Come to a resolution?”

She shook her head.

“No. Not happening. It is his place to apologize to me.”

Annie sighed.

“Well look. He’s under some stress here, Emma. You know that. He’s trying to finish his dissertation on top of all of this. Perhaps he needed some days to distance himself and throw himself into the writing. Give him time, for God’s sake!”

But Emma wasn’t convinced.

“No. No amount of time…”

Her words trailed off, and she really didn’t want to think or talk about this anymore. Her stomach hurt.

“Besides, I’m really mad at him. He acted like an ass. What does he think, a few kisses and he owns me? Um, no.”

She glanced off and sighed.

“Well, there is that…”

“Hey girls, what are you doing up so early in the morning?”

Both Emma and Annie lifted their heads toward the voice. A bright and smiling Suzie approached their table.

“Fancy seeing you two here early this morning. Have you tried Sydney’s latest scone? Champagne mint. Oh, man…”

“We just had one. They rock.”

There was not one iota of enthusiasm in Emma’s voice.

Suzie shrugged and stepped closer.

“Emma, I’m really glad I caught you. Wear the black dress tonight. If you don’t want to come to dinner, just come to the after-dinner party in the suite at the Lodge. It will be so much fun, and I’m sure you will enjoy getting to know this guy I want to introduce you to.”

Shit. She had forgotten all about that. Looking to Annie, she said.

“Is today New Year’s Eve?”

Annie nodded.

Where have my days gone?

Emma shook her head.

“I’m really not feeling up to it, Suzie.”

A huge frown crossed the woman’s face.

“You’re not backing out on me.”

Had I ever really confirmed? She couldn’t remember. No, she hadn’t. She’d told her she would think about it.

Suzie started in again.

“You do have the dress, right?”

“I do, but…”

“No excuses.”

She leaned over to peer into her face.

“Don’t make me get ugly, Emma Jo. My reputation is at stake. I have not failed in my matchmaking attempts and I’ll be damned if I am going to let you wallow around in self-indulgent pity while my skills are on the line. Now, I’ll forgive the dinner if you are not up to that, but I want you knocking on the door to the Black Bear suite at eight o’clock sharp tonight for the party. You got that?”

It was very difficult to ignore the intensity of Suzie’s stare. Even more, Annie’s gaze was trained straight on her as well.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been set up? Again?”

Both women stared.

“Because you have been,”

they said in unison.

“It’s not Will, is it? Promise me it’s not Will.”

She glowered at both women who gazed back in silence.

“Please, say it’s not Will.”

Suzie did a quick shake of her head. “No.”

Then Suzie glanced quickly to Annie and back to Emma.

“You’re sure?”

“No.”

“You’re not sure, or it’s not Will?”

Annie exhaled and broke into the conversation.

“Heck, Emma. It’s a blind date! Don’t go overthinking this. Just do it.”

Emma pushed out a quick breath.

“Oh, Hell’s Christmas Bells. All right.”

****

Mistake. With a capital M. That’s what this was.

Will paced the living room of the Black Bear suite. He’d arrived at a quarter before eight as Suzie had suggested. He knew what was coming down, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it, but he was going to do it because some things had to be settled between him and Emma.

Perhaps Suzie was right, and this was the best way.

Element of surprise and all. Face it head-on.

Still, he wasn’t so sure. It felt an awful lot like trickery.

He had a lot of talking to do, apologies to make, and he just wasn’t convinced that Emma Jo Baker would stick around long enough to listen.

There. A small rap on the door.

Show time.

With a deep inhale, followed by a cleansing, lengthy exhale, he crossed the room and wrapped his hand around the cold doorknob.

****

The door swung open and the first thing Emma registered was the lack of sound. She had expected a party but there was no party clatter happening in the background. Almost simultaneously, she realized it was Will holding the door.

A hand went to her throat.

“Will? Oh, God…”

He grasped her hand and tugged a little.

“It’s all right, Emma. Come on in.”

Not sure this is a good idea, her brain screamed.

Move it, sister, her heart said.

Before she realized it, she was inside, the door was closed, and Will was leading her into the living room.

“Let’s have a seat,”

he said. She sat, looking up at him, and wondered why in the world she was behaving like a submissive little girl who had just been scolded.

Perhaps, she thought, because that’s what this felt like, and well, he was the principal and he her superior and well, there was almost something sort of naughty about the thought of all that.

She pushed that naughty thought out of her head.

Will sat and grasped one of her hands. Emma watched him run his fingers over hers, gently caressing. Then she said.

“So are you going to spank me, Mr. Craig, for my actions? Or do you have other forms of punishment you would like to explore with me?”

Shit. Shit! Why she blurted that out was beyond her.

Will dropped her hand and stood again, looking down at her, his face reddening.

“I am going to ignore that, young lady.”

Oh, that was way too much of an opening for her to ignore.

“I didn’t mean to be bad, Mr. Craig. I just thought giving away my kisses for a good cause was a great idea. You know. The hospital germ fund at all. I didn’t realize it would upset you, sir.”

Her insides twittered. Where this was coming from, she hadn’t a clue, but she liked the way that it made her twinge a little in excitement. Did she dare continue?

Still standing, he took a step closer, hands on hips, and stared down into her face.

“Your kisses are not yours to give away.”

“Really?”

That’s interesting.

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

“That’s right.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize that. I thought that since you felt it within your power to deny my transfer request, that my giving away kisses was none of your concern.”

“You didn’t know that at the time, Miss Baker. Stop screwing with the sequence of events.”

“I’m not screwing with anything, Will.”

“Look. That didn’t come out right. Emma, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? That’s it?”

“He grasped her hand.

“No, that’s not it at all. I am sorry I overreacted. I’m sorry things went haywire. I now know what you were doing and why—I actually think on some level I knew it at the time—but all I could think about was you kissing other men.”

“And that is why you were so mad?”

“Yes.”

She squinted at him.

“You possess a bit of a jealousy streak, don’t you, and perhaps you are a mite possessive.”

It was his turn to sigh.

“Guilty. Both counts. I’ll work on that.”

Emma accepted that.

“A little bit of both is okay.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep it in check.”

“You’ve not called all week.”

He peered into her eyes.

“No. I needed time. I figured you did too.”

He was right. She had needed some time to think on all of this. With the exhale of a pent-up breath, Emma said.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Good.”

She thought for a moment.

“Will, why did you deny my transfer request? It was your idea in the first place. Second thoughts?”

“No, Emma.”

He took a deep breath.

“It was because I don’t want you to leave. I can’t stand the thought of you not teaching in my school, of you giving up something you love because of me. I’ve made other arrangements. I’ve asked for a temporary transfer to the high school. The principal there is on maternity leave.”

“I think it is you who is screwing with the sequence of events, Mister.”

Emma stood. This was all well and good, but where was it going to get her? Them.

“You really transferred?”

Will looked straight into her eyes.

“Yes. Temporarily. I’ll be back at the elementary school in the fall.”

“Why?”

“So, I could perhaps salvage a little bit of us. Give us some time to be together without the backdrop of school. Time for us to figure out where we are going.”

Emma blinked.

“There is an ‘us’?”

“I’m hoping so. What do you think?”

She looked off, and as she did, his arms went around her shoulders, and he drew her closer. Feeling incased in his warmth was about the best feeling ever.

“Emma, look at me.”

She lifted her face.

“I know things have gotten out of whack. None of this was intentional, and all of it was because we are both trying to figure out what is happening, after all these years, between the two of us. It’s new and it’s foreign and it’s scary as hell but I can tell you this, I’m tired of being alone. I’m tired of not having a partner to share my life. And I’m tired of watching you day in, and day out, flounce down the halls of my school, watching you from afar. I want a chance with you, and I want a chance at your kisses. Every day. Every morning. And for the rest of my life.”

He paused and searched her face.

“That is, if you will consent to sharing your kisses with only me. Or at least, giving me half a chance to claim them for my very own?”

Emma’s heart beat faster with each word his spoke. A chance. He wanted a chance? To share a life? To wake up every morning with kisses? To be her man? Isn’t that all she ever wanted, anyway? Someone exactly like Will? And all this time, he was right under her nose.

“I will give my kisses only to you, Will Craig, on one condition.”

His brow arched.

“And what is that?”

“That if I ever do have to be punished, you will spank me thoroughly and often.”

Will just about choked on that comeback.

As he took her into his arms, and his determined mouth met with and explored hers, Emma knew she had finally found her man.

Dance into My Heart

Gracie Hart lives a quiet life in Harbor Falls, North Carolina, until the renters move in next door!

“A heartwarming emotional story.”

“Captured my attention from the beginning. It had me in laughter and tears…”

Gracie Hart is healing from the tragedy that robbed her of the two things she loved the most and will never get back—the love of her life, and ballet. The former ballerina now spends her time running a successful boutique gift shop called Romantically Yours located in the heart of downtown Harbor Falls, North Carolina.

Rick Price, seeking a new life for himself and his young daughter—is definitely not in the market for a girlfriend or a mother for Izzie. Weary of juggling a demanding, although profitable law career, and being a responsible father, he makes a bold move to leave his law position and rent a storefront property in the small town of Harbor Falls. His dream of owning a business and being in control of his own fate is appealing.

But then Gracie dances into his heart and everything spins out of control. Could she be the woman to put back the missing piece of his heart?

Can Gracie let go of her past, in order to grab on to her future?