“We’re home!” Mom’s singsong voice carried over the line. “Dinner at our place tonight, no excuses. Callie’s on board, and while I was in the diner, I ran into that pretty woman who’s visiting for the holidays and convinced her to come too.”
Emmett sat forward in his chair, the legs hitting the floor with a thunk. “Do you mean Regina?” Not like there was another woman in town who was visiting for the holidays, but he craved confirmation.
“Everyone’s said such nice things about her, and I heard all about how her wedding went kaput, poor thing. I also heard that you two have been cozying up, so I figured I better get to know her.”
Emmett scrubbed a hand over his face. “Mom, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Not only would it possibly tiptoe into scaring-Regina-off territory, but Mom fell for people in two seconds flat. She’d also been trying to marry him off forever. Callie too.
“You want me to call and uninvite her? That would be rude, Emmett.”
“I’m sure she only accepted because she felt obligated.”
“I’ll have you know we had a lovely conversation. I offered up all sorts of facts about you—don’t worry, I made you sound good, which isn’t hard …”
This just kept getting worse and worse. Mom continued prattling on about Florida and dinner, and Emmett regretted not taking the opportunity to take Regina out at least once more before his parents arrived back in town.
There’d be no peace after this.
In fact, he predicted that come tomorrow morning, Regina would be fleeing back the way she came, never to return again.
Regina’s nerves did jumping jacks in her gut as she approached the front door of the Haywoods’. She’d tried politely saying no to dinner, but Emmett’s mom wasn’t deterred, and when pushed, she couldn’t come up with a fast enough excuse.
After all, rehashing the weird voice mail message left by your ex-fiancé wasn’t exactly a normal way to spend a night, and more than that, it wasn’t how she wanted to spend one of the few precious nights she had left in town.
Emmett was either busy or giving her space. Or taking space? She wasn’t sure, but she’d wanted to call a dozen times. Wanted to forget about complications and do what he’d said—focus on the now.
Although meeting his parents …? Oh, jeez.
The noise of an engine caught her attention, and Emmett’s truck pulled up to the curb. He climbed out and she watched, mesmerized by the way his long legs ate up the space between them.
“Your mom invited me,” Regina said, juggling the bottle of wine she’d brought to her other hand.
“She told me. If you want to run, here’s your chance. I’ll even cover you.”
“Do you want me to go?” she asked, insecurity rising.
He stepped closer and cupped her cheek. “No. I’m glad to see you. Is it weird that it seems like it’s been forever?”
“I’m experiencing the same feeling, so maybe, but at least I’m not alone.”
“I think I’d better get your number before you meet my parents. That way, I’ll have it even if they scare you off.”
“Not exactly helping the nerves here,” she said with a laugh, but when he gestured for her phone, she handed it over.
He sent a text to himself. “Now you have my number, and you should definitely use it.”
She opened her mouth, hoping something clever would come out despite the way her brain went blank in his presence. Luckily—or unluckily?—the door swung open.
“What are you two doing out here in the cold?” Mrs. Haywood ushered them inside. “Come on in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Over the next few minutes, Regina received a tour and a glass of wine. Then she crowded around the computer with everyone else to watch a slideshow of pictures from Florida. She also received a couple of smiles from Emmett—still closed-lip, but the impact sent her emotions reeling all the same.
“Now where are you from again?” Mrs. Haywood asked as they settled around the dining table.
“Cambridge, Maryland. It’s definitely warmer than here, with a lot less snow, but luckily the people in Friendship have supplied me with a coat, gloves, and a scarf.”
“Oh, you got a Marge scarf?” Mr. Haywood asked, and Regina nodded—Marge had told her it was no longer a borrowed accessory but a gift, and wouldn’t hear of Regina paying for it either. “I think everyone in town has one. We all claim we don’t wear them much because we don’t want to ruin them, but really it’s because we need to see and walk. Not sure why she only makes them ten feet long.”
Regina laughed. “Well, during the tree lighting ceremony, I decided being warm was better than either of those things.”