Paper hearts and plot tw.., p.20
Paper Hearts and Plot Twists, page 20
Emily nodded her head.
“Emily, that wasn’t what it looked like.”
Emily scowled. “Then what was it, because it looked like you were smacking lips with your ex-girlfriend after having sex with me.”
Miles brushed a strand of hair from Emily’s face, pushing it behind her ear. “I know that’s what it looked like,” he said. “But that’s not what happened. She came up behind me and surprised me. She kissed me without any prompting or warning. It lasted a second before I pushed her away. I wasn’t a willing participant in that scenario.”
“You’re not lying to me?”
“Of course I’m not lying to you. I could never spend this time with you and go back to Vanessa. She’s not on my radar. No one else is on my radar. She came on to me. She means nothing to me. Let me prove it to you. Let me show you how serious I am about us.”
“I know we didn’t talk about what the sex meant, but it meant a lot to me,” Emily admitted, looking down at her hands.
“Emily, that wasn’t me trying to fill a need. It meant, and still means, a lot to me as well.” Miles lifted Emily’s chin, and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. He leaned his forehead against hers, lips a breath away from each other. “Somehow you’ve wormed your way into my heart in no time at all, and I’m not ready nor willing to give up that connection.”
“I don’t want to give it up either,” Emily admitted. “But what does this mean for us?”
“It means that we do what we need to do to make this work. We text each other. We call each other. We FaceTime each other. I visit you. You visit me.”
“You really mean that?”
“I do.”
Chapter 43
“You don’t have to go to the airport with me so early,” Emily said, biting her lip.
Miles continued packing his belongings, carefully folding clothing and placing books back into totes. “Of course I do. You need someone to see you off, and I’m the only person for the job. A few hours more in the airport is worth being with you for the extra time.”
“It’s awful waiting in the airport, though,” Emily said. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want you to have to do that, just to spend a couple extra hours with me.”
“Good thing it’s not up to you to decide then. I can decide for myself if I want to wait in the airport, and I happen to want to. Besides, after your flight departs I’ll have a perfect opportunity to get some good writing time in before my flight. No harm done.”
“I suppose,” Emily conceded.
Miles finished packing and they made their way down to the lobby, bags in tow. They met other people doing the same along the way. Four people were lined up to the right of the check-out counter in front of a table with a neon sign that said Scavenger Hunt Entries, their scavenger hunt booklets ready to be scanned.
“Shoot, I never turned in my entry,” Emily said. She stared at the table longingly.
“Let’s make a quick stop,” Miles said. He didn’t wait for agreement, simply pulled her along to the line.
“It’s not really worth it,” Emily hedged. “I probably won’t win, especially since I missed a few of the items.”
“Get your book out,” Miles said with a pointed stare. Emily shifted and followed the command. She noticed he was also digging through his bag. When she looked up with her book in hand, Miles was also holding a scavenger hunt book.
“You’re missing the Rockies Marketplace and the Old Hickory Steakhouse, right?”
“Yes,” Emily responded, confused.
“Perfect, I can fill in the gap for you there,” he said. “What else are you missing?”
“I didn’t go to three of the shopping locations,” Emily admitted.
“I didn’t think you had time to go to those. I had Ben fill in some spaces in my book, so I have all six of those locations in mine.”
“You’re going to give me your stamps?”
“Of course I am.”
“You got scavenger hunt stamps specifically for m-me?” Emily asked, her voice breaking at the end of her question.
“It was important to you.”
Emily lunged for Miles and wrapped her arms around his chest. “Thank you. Joel and Leo do nice things for me all the time, but other than them nobody has ever done anything like this for me.”
“You’re important to me,” Miles whispered in her ear. He kissed her temple and handed over his scavenger hunt book. Combined, she’d completed the entire hunt.
Emily bounced on her toes as she reached the front of the line. She passed the book over for inspection, and filled out the contest entry. There were separate winner pools for complete and incomplete hunts. Combining the two books, Emily was able to enter the more robust completed entry prize pool.
Once she was entered they went outside where Miles hailed a cab for them, loaded their bags into the trunk, and got the door for Emily. He scooted in beside her, gave quick directions to the driver, then held her hand as they made small talk about Denver and the surroundings outside.
Fortunately they left early, because the airport was crowded. Not only had Denver hosted the book conference, but there was an NBA game with high-profile celebrities in attendance, drawing their fans to the city as well, all returning home now.
Miles grabbed their bags from the trunk and they made their way to the counter to check their bags. Twenty minutes later they were in line at security, Emily leaning into Miles’s side and soaking up every last second she had with him.
Security took thirty minutes, leaving them over an hour before her flight. Miles flashed some cash at a restaurant to get them a quick table so she could get lunch before her flight.
They chatted over Italian pasta and wine, taking turns dismissing thoughts of their impending separation, trying to avoid that reality for now.
“What now?” Miles asked as they left the restaurant and were back on the concourse.
“I think we should go to the gate. I’m a little anxious about missing my flight, as silly as that is,” Emily replied with a shrug.
“Not silly at all,” Miles said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led them in that direction.
Emily spent equal amounts of time staring at Miles’s face trying to burn every single detail into memory, and staring at the shops and sights around her. The airport was so different during the day. It was packed, and all of the shops were open, bright, and lively.
Her steps faltered as she looked into one of the convenience shops. The snack food was calling her name, but that would be a frivolous purchase she couldn’t afford at the moment.
“You want to stop for some snacks?” Miles asked.
“No, I’m okay,” Emily said quickly.
“Well, I want to stop for snacks. What do you want?”
“I don’t want anything, I’m okay.”
“Then help me pick some snacks,” Miles responded. “What candy should I get?”
They grabbed more snacks than four people should eat in a weak. Miles winked at Emily before he turned back to the cashier and paid for the haul.
“Here’s your snacks, m’lady,” Miles said, as he held out the plastic bag filled with treats.
“You said they were for you,” Emily protested. Miles kissed her, and when she opened her mouth to continue protesting, he kissed that protest away too.
“Let me do this for you,” he whispered. “Please.”
She felt her fight fade away. How could she say no to that?
“Fine,” Emily agreed, taking the offered bag of goodies from Miles’s hand. “Thank you.”
“Airports and flights suck. The least I can do is make it slightly less sucky with some goodies.”
“What about goodies for yourself? You can have anything from this haul that you want. There’s no way I’ll make it through even half of it.”
“I can worry about myself once your flight takes off,” Miles said. He pressed a chaste kiss to Emily’s lips then wrapped an arm around her waist to continue the walk to her gate. They walked in silence until she worked up the courage to ask a question that had been on her mind.
“What’s your plan once you’re back to your normal life?”
“Besides calling, texting, and FaceTiming with you?”
“Yes, besides those things,” Emily said with a roll of her eyes, though she couldn’t prevent the pleased flush that covered her cheeks.
“It’s back to the work grind for me,” Miles responded with a crinkle to his nose. Ben had scheduled a daunting schedule of podcasts, signings, and more. Between that and actually writing, Miles didn’t think there would be time to sleep. “I have a new book releasing in six weeks and a lot goes into marketing that. What will your life be like once you get home?”
Emily bit her lip. “I got an email back from a job I applied for before this trip, and they want to interview me.” Sharing this bit of news felt terrifying. No one knew she’d been applying for jobs, and sharing felt like a sure-fire way to have karma knock her with a setback.
“That’s great, Emily. You commented that you hate your current job, so something new is just what you need. What kind of job is it? Something involving writing?”
“I wish,” Emily said. “It’s a secretary position at an auto shop. I applied for a couple writing gigs, but I don’t have the right experience and credentials.”
“That’s their loss,” Miles said. “You’re going to rock your interview. Let me know when they hire you so I can be the first to congratulate you.”
At Emily’s gate they found two seats in the corner. Emily snuggled into Miles’s side. “I wish we lived closer to each other,” she whispered. “New York is so far away.”
Miles snuggled into Emily, placing his head over hers. “It’s not ideal, but it’s not forever. We’ll be reunited, and it will be like we never left in the first place.”
“I hope you’re right,” Emily said as a feeling of foreboding settled over her.
They continued to snuggle. Sometimes they were silent, basking in the comforting presence of being together, and sometimes they whispered whatever came to mind until the airport worker announced last call.
“I have to go,” Emily whispered. She closed her eyes and blinked the tears away.
“This isn’t forever,” Miles reminded her. He pulled her into one last crushing embrace and kissed her, trying to convey all the love, yearning, and passion he felt. “I’ll call, I’ll text, and I’ll see you soon,” he promised.
Chapter 44
Emily dragged her feet down the ramp as she moved farther away from Miles and closer to reality. She glanced over her shoulder for one last look at him, but the flight attendant had closed the door behind her.
She moved on autopilot once inside, following the others until she reached row ten and squeezed past a woman wearing a Golden State Warriors jersey to get to her window seat.
Everything felt like a fever dream, snippets and clips here and there. The doors closed and the flight attendants did a safety briefing before the plane took to the air. Emily twisted her clasped hands to and fro, her mind a million miles away. She contemplated the absolutely perfect book conference she was leaving behind.
Once the plane settled, Emily reached beneath her seat and pulled out her laptop and a book. This was a perfect time to get some reading and writing done. She set her book aside, placed her laptop on the table in front of her, and opened her document to a blank page.
And stared.
And stared.
And stared.
After several minutes, Emily closed and put away the laptop, before she grabbed her book. She wasn’t in the right mindset to write, but that was okay, she could escape into a book world.
Except she couldn’t. Her brain wasn’t processing anything she read. Reading the same line at least ten times, she was no closer to understanding it than when she started. Miles and this situation had her all flustered and she didn’t know what to do.
Miles said he wanted to make things work. He talked about how the end of the conference didn’t have to be the end of their relationship. Emily wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe this could work. But how? It all seemed so far-fetched. He might’ve been enamored with her at the conference, but when she wasn’t there was he still going to care and want her, especially when surrounded by beautiful and accomplished women like Vanessa? Emily couldn’t compare.
She was sure Miles had good intentions. Great intentions. But the actual follow-through of trying to keep a long-distance relationship in tact seemed like it would never actually happen. Emily felt her heart sink at the thought. She wanted it to work. She wanted this relationship more than she’d ever wanted anything before, but she didn’t see how it could happen.
She spent the rest of the flight lost in thought, getting sadder and sadder the farther the plane took her from Denver, from Miles, and from her dream of a lasting relationship with Miles, and she couldn’t put a stop to her spiraling thoughts.
When the plane landed, Emily moved into the terminal on autopilot. She followed the crowd, engulfed in a cloud of melancholy, unsure how to make it go away.
“Em!” Joel’s familiar voice shouted. Her uncle stood right outside of security with a broad smile on his face, waving like a lunatic. Emily grinned, her first real smile since she left Miles, and hurried toward him. He pulled her into a crushing hug and spun her around in a full circle.
“I’ve missed you so much. Leo keeps saying the house isn’t the same without you there.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Emily said, really meaning it. Joel and Leo were her rocks, steady in all the crazy uncertainty of life. Steadiness was what she needed right now with this whole Miles situation.
Joel grabbed Emily’s carry-on bag from her arms and threw it over his shoulder. Emily grinned and bumped against him, thankful for his easy presence and the little ways he tried to make her life easier for her.
“So tell me all about the conference,” Joel urged, as they went to baggage claim to wait for her luggage.
Emily contemplated telling Joel about Miles, but decided against it. Instead she regaled him with tales of the beautiful hotel, the many signings, and other events she’d attended.
She relaxed as she fell into easy banter with Joel and headed home to Leo. This would be hard, but she’d be okay. She always was.
Part 7
After the Conference
An excerpt from Emily Parker’s Whispers of the Heart
Quiet moments, where hearts entwine
Silent echoes, a dance so divine
Skin to skin, ecstasies plea
His embrace, sets her soul free
Explosions of intimacy, letting her be
Chapter 45
Four Days Post Conference
Life continued to flow back in the real world, except now Emily had a taste of what could be. She floated through the days, thoughts returning to Miles and the amazing weekend she’d experienced with him.
“Heading to work, dear?” Joel asked as Emily grabbed her purse on her way to the door.
“Yeah. Hopefully it’s a better setup than my last position,” Emily replied with a grimace.
“It will be a world better. Your last boss was a piece of work.”
“We’ll see.” She interviewed for this job two days ago, and they called to offer her the job that evening. Emily was surprised it happened so quickly, and started just as quickly, but she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. This was her chance to get away from her asshole boss, Jeff. Nothing could be worse than that situation.
She pulled out her phone as she walked to the bus stop and smiled when she realized Miles had sent her a text.
M: Hey Little Muse! How’s your day going?
E: Hi babe! It’s been okay, heading to work now. Missing you a lot. How are you?
M: I feel the same way. I’ve been writing like crazy. I can’t wait till I finish this draft.
E: You’ve got this! Any plans for tonight?
M: Just dinner and watching the game. Mason’s going to stop by. I wish you were here to join me. What about you?
E: Sounds cozy! I’m starting my first day at a new job and it will be a long one, but I’ll be thinking of you.
M: You got this!
E: I hope so . . .
M: You’re smart and capable and will nail this.
E: Thanks! Missing you like crazy already.
M: Same here! Until then, sending you all my love through the screen.
E: I’m catching it on the other side!
Emily grinned all the way to work, not caring about the less-than-ideal bus ride she had to take to get there. As she approached the building she drew in a deep breath and held it a moment before letting it all out in one fell swoop.
“I got this,” she mumbled to herself then pushed the door open and stepped into the space. An auto shop secretary was so different from her previous job, but she was strong, smart, and capable. She would figure it out and she would be the best secretary they ever had.
Nine Days Post Conference
Emily grinned down at her phone and the tiny image of Miles on the screen. They tried to FaceTime daily, though they’d missed two days so far this week. She was on lunch break, and thankfully Miles’s schedule lined up with hers.
“How’s it going, My Little Muse?” Miles asked. His voice crackled over the phone.
“Work’s driving me crazy today,” Emily responded. “I’m so glad I can spend some time with you on my lunch break.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“My boss has been extra awful today. I’ve been assigned extra work and feel like I’m drowning in it. I don’t think I’ll ever clear my inbox,” Emily whined.
“I’m sorry. That sounds rough. Wish I could be there to give you a hug,” Miles said.
“I could really use one right now. It’s been so frustrating. It will probably get better. A new job is always tough, but adjusting is rough.”
