“See you, Wade.”
Both the words and their attitudes were quite casual, implying nothing beyond friendly acquaintance. Emily couldn’t imagine why the older women were suddenly smiling at her with such indulgent approval.
7
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL Sunday evening. Crisp. Clear. Fragrant.
Emily sat on her porch swing after dark, sipping a steaming mug of instant cappuccino and enjoying the weather. She wasn’t expecting company, so she was surprised when a vehicle suddenly turned into her driveway.
Her pulse accelerated when she recognized Wade Davenport’s Jeep. What was he doing here? She’d only seen him a few hours ago.
She waited on the swing while he climbed out of his Jeep and ambled toward her with his usual, unhurried stride. “Evening, Miz Emily,” he drawled, tugging at his forelock.
She couldn’t help smiling at his clowning. “Evening, Chief Davenport,” she replied in the same lazy, Southern drawl that came so naturally to them. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
“I wanted to talk to you, if you’ve got a minute.”
“I’ve got several minutes. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Iced tea?”
“No, thanks. I just had dinner.”
Emily set her empty coffee mug on the porch and scooted all the way to one side of the small swing, allowing room for Wade to sit beside her. He practically filled up the remaining space, leaving only an inch or so between them. Close enough to make her skin tingle.
She spoke quickly, needing to fill the silence between them. “What did you want to talk to me about, Wade?”
He pulled one knee slightly upward, and wrapped his hands around it, using his other foot to set the swing into gentle motion. “I’m planning to make an offer for your house tomorrow.”
Did he want to discuss the price? She moistened her lips, wondering what to say. She’d never handled a sale like this before, and wasn’t certain of the protocol. She remembered her uncle’s warning for her to get a fair market price—but she’d trusted Mary Kay to help her determine that. “What about it?”
“Emily, are you really sure you want to sell?”
She sighed. “You’ve been thinking about what Marvella said at lunch, haven’t you?”
“I couldn’t help thinking about it. She’s the one who pointed out that the place has been in your family for a very long time. You’ve got a nice house here and a lot of good land. What if you decide in a few months that you’ve made a terrible mistake?”
“Wade, I’ve been thinking about this for years. I’ve talked to you about this already. The whole time Dad was ill, when I had no choice but to remain here, I told myself that as soon as I was free, I wanted to get away. This house, this town, are all I’ve known all my life. I feel almost as though I’ve been caged here while all my cousins and most of my childhood friends were free to fly off to exciting new places.”
“I’ve been to a lot of other places. They aren’t as exciting as you might think.”
“I’d like to find that out for myself,” she insisted.
“Where will you go when you move out? What will you do?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll have the money from the sale to live on for a while. The house is paid for, so I don’t owe anything. Combined with Dad’s insurance, I’ll have enough to tide me over until I decide where I want to settle down and what I want to do.”
“Where will you go first?”
“I was thinking about New York. I’ve never been to New York, though I’ve always wanted to visit there. I want to see some Broadway shows, and go through the Metropolitan Museum and eat at the Tavern on the Green. Maybe even go to the top of the Empire State Building. All the things I’ve heard about in movies and on television.”
“Alone?”
She nodded. “Sure. Why not?”
“You want a list of reasons? I’ve been to New York, Emily. And, while it’s an exciting and fascinating city, it can be a dangerous place for a young woman alone. Especially a woman who has little experience with big cities.”
She refused to be discouraged by his warning. “I’ll be fine. There are plenty of single women my age who live and work in the city. We only hear so much about the bad things on the news because it makes good copy.”
“That may be true, but remember that I’m a cop. I spent some time training in one of the precincts in New York. I know the kind of crime that goes on there. It’s a hell of a lot worse than the few break-ins and petty vandalism we’ve had around here.”