Hope Flames

Chapter 9

EMMA WAS RIDICULOUSLY nervous about having Luke over for dinner at her parents’ house. The last time she’d done this, she’d been a teenager. The boy had been Henry Mayer, a gawky, rail-thin type more interested in science and video games than Emma. She hadn’t realized it at the time, of course. But she’d had a serious crush on Henry’s blond hair, dark glasses, and serious eyes. They’d been lab partners in chemistry, had gone to see old movies at the discount theater together, and had a shared love of Mel Brooks films. Henry could be so funny when you got him alone.

He was a terrible kisser, but Emma had overlooked that for his other fine qualities. Ah, young love.

Her father had been sorely disappointed in Henry’s lack of enthusiasm about baseball. Her mother had talked his ear off, and poor, shy Henry couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.

She expected much the same from Luke. She fully expected it to be a short evening, with Luke coming up with some excuse to flee.

She’d arrived an hour early to help her mother with dinner, which, of course, was totally unnecessary because her mother was an advance planner.

“Tonight your father is grilling steaks. I’m making asparagus and potatoes au gratin and a new salad recipe I’ve been dying to try out. Oh, and I made two pies for dessert.”

“Of course you did. And when did you find time for that?”

“Silly girl. I have Saturdays off to grocery shop and cook.”

“Mom, I can only hope to have your energy level when I’m your age.”

Her mother smiled. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

“Please do. Now, is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can open the wine.”

“That part I can handle.”

“So how are things with you and the hot cop?”

She knew it was going to come up—the grilling before Luke arrived. “He’s fine. I actually haven’t seen him this week. We’ve both been very busy.”

“Which means you have been seeing him. That’s great, Emma.”

Crap. Her mother was so crafty. She was going to have to get better at wording her answers. “We’ve hung out. I told you, we’re friends.”

Her mom paused and leaned against the counter. “Emma. I’m hardly old and blind, and I’m very adept at reading chemistry when I see it. You and Luke have loads of it.”

“I think you’d like me to be in a relationship.”

“You’re right. I would. You deserve to be happy.” Emma had no response to that, and fortunately, the doorbell rang. She went to answer it and smiled at Luke, who looked amazing in a navy blue button-down shirt and dress jeans.

“Wow, you look nice.”

“So do you. I like you in a dress.”

She felt ridiculously complimented, especially by the way he looked at her. “Thank you. Come on in.”

“Are you sure it’s okay that I brought Boomer?”

“My mother would be disappointed if you hadn’t. They have a huge yard and a dog, Pokey. And Daisy and Annie are out back with Pokey. Come on.”

He’d brought flowers. And wine. God, the man was such a gentleman.

“Oh, Luke, how are you?” Her mom had come into the living room.

“Mrs. Burnett. I’m great, thanks. These are for you.” Her mom took the flowers and wine, then kissed Luke on the cheek. “Thank you so much for these. Aren’t you just the sweetest man? And call me Georgia, please.”

“Okay, Georgia.”

“Emmett is out back with the dogs. Emma, show him the way while I put these flowers in a vase.”

She led him out back, where her dad was sitting in a chair on the shady porch while the dogs all frolicked in the oversized yard.

He stood when Luke came out with Boomer.

“Hi, Luke.”

“Mr. Burnett.”

“You can call me Emmett. It’s nice to have you here for dinner today. I don’t get male conversation at the dinner table all that often. Even when Emma comes over, it’s all girl talk, all the time.”

“Hey, Dad. I talk sports.”

“That’s true, sweetie. You do. I taught you well.”

Emma turned to Luke. “Can I get you something to drink? There’s beer, wine, or iced tea.”

“An iced tea sounds great.”

“I’ll have one, too, honey.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

She went inside to fix the drinks. “How’s it going out there?”

“Just fine, Mom. Dad and Luke are deciding on what tuxes they’re going to wear for our wedding.”

“Very funny. Tell your dad I’m ready for him to start grilling the steaks. We’ll be ready to eat in about thirty minutes.”

She grabbed the iced teas. “Will do.”

She stepped outside with the tea.

“Dad, Mom’s ready for you to start grilling the steaks.”

“Okay.” He went inside.

“I like your dad,” Luke said.

“Thanks. Me, too.”

“This is a nice place. Have they lived here long?”

“My whole life. They remodeled several years ago. Dad said he’d buy mom a new house if she wanted something different, but she said this is home and always will be.”

“Yeah, I know what’s that like. There’s just something about home.”

She looked out over the backyard where she and Molly used to play as kids. There used to be a sandbox and a swing set, which were now long gone, but it was still the same place it had always been. “Yes. There’s nothing like knowing you have a place to call home, even if you don’t live there anymore.”

Her dad came out with the steaks.

“Can I help you with that, Emmett?”

“Nah. I got it. So as I was saying earlier about Kansas City . . .”

Apparently, her father and Luke had been deeply embroiled in a baseball discussion. Her father was a Kansas City fan, and Luke a St. Louis fan, so their discussion was on topic about last season’s playoffs.

Emma took a seat and listened to the passion both of them displayed about the sport, her gaze occasionally flitting to the dogs. Boomer and Daisy were wrestling over a stick they’d found. Annie ran circles around them, and Pokey had found a nice quiet spot under one of the tall trees, observing the action.

She loved watching the dogs. Boomer and Daisy got along well. There was no aggression from either of them. It was a natural, fun sort of play. She was glad. And Annie had a great time barking and wagging her tail, trying to get in on the action. Even Pokey eventually got up to join in, which Emma was happy about, since he needed the exercise.

“What do you think, Emma?” her father asked.

She shifted her focus to her dad. “What do I think about what?”

“We were talking about football.”

“You were? I thought it was baseball.”

“Subject change,” Luke offered with a smile.

“Oh. I missed that. Sorry. I was watching the dogs play. Pokey’s looking like he’s lost a little weight, Dad. That’s good.”

“I’ve been taking him for walks like you told me, too. Every night after dinner.”

“Thank you. It’s good for him.”

Her mom came to the door. “Dinner’s ready. How about those steaks?”

Her dad nodded. “These are done, too.”

“Perfect. Y’all come in.”

They went in and washed up for dinner. Her mother set an elegant dining room, centered by the flowers Luke had brought, and of course all the wonderful food. Emma’s stomach had been growling, smelling the steaks cooking, and she couldn’t wait to dive in.

And so far, Luke was still there and hadn’t gone running out the front door.

A promising sign.

LUKE WAS STARVING. The steaks smelled great, and he really liked Emma’s dad. He was a sports nut, so they had a lot in common. And Emmett hadn’t grilled him about Emma, thankfully. Luke figured that as Emma’s dad he might want to know what his intentions were, but so far . . . nothing.

“So, Luke, how’s police work going?” Emma’s mom asked.

“Good. I stay busy, which I like. It’s not high crime, but there’s enough going on that it’s interesting, even for a small town like Hope.”

“I’m sure you’re busy with those drug thefts. Like the one at Emma’s place,” her dad said.

Luke nodded. “Yes, sir. And we’re working diligently on catching the person who did that.”

“Scared the life out of me when that happened,” Georgia said. “Especially since Emma was there at the time.”

“But I’m fine, Mom. And Luke said they probably would have never hit the vet clinic if they’d known someone was there. I just happened to be parked across the street.”

“That’s true,” Luke said. “Someone looking to burglarize, especially after drugs, isn’t going to want potential witnesses. If Emma’s car had been in the parking lot, they wouldn’t have bothered. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

“Luke got there in a hurry, thankfully.”

Luke looked at her. “And, fortunately, you did all the right things, so you were safe.”

“Thanks.”

“Sooner or later, they’ll screw up, and we’ll catch them.”

“Hopefully sooner, rather than later,” Emmett said, then went back to eating his steak. “The last thing we need in Hope is someone out stealing drugs from businesses. Who knows what they’ll do next.”

“It makes me feel a little less safe,” Georgia said. “Even though he isn’t breaking into homes.”

Luke nodded. “I know. And we’ll catch him. That’s a promise.”

Georgia squeezed his hand. “I know you will. We’re confident in you.”

“Well,” Emma said. “Enough about that. I have exciting news. I got to assist the birth of a litter of the sweetest golden retrievers yesterday.”

Her mom’s eyes widened. “Oh, I love goldens. How many?”

Emma was obviously going for a change in subject. Luke grinned at her.

She smiled back before turning her attention to her mom. “Eight of them. Just the cutest little things.”

“Oh, Emmett. Wouldn’t it be great to have a golden retriever again?”

“No. Pokey is enough for now.”

“The owner is going to sell some of the puppies,” Emma offered.

Her father glared at her. “You are not helping, Em.”

Emma shrugged, then smiled. “Think of all the exercise Pokey would get with a pup running after him.”

“So you think it’s a good idea?”

“I think Pokey likes it when Daisy and Annie are here. He doesn’t object to other dogs. And yes, he’s older and set in his ways, but a companion is a good thing.”

“Dammit,” Emmett said, scooping potatoes onto his fork. “I already know I’m going to lose this argument.”

Georgia looked over at Emma and smiled.

Yeah, Luke didn’t think Emmett was going to win that one, either.

After dinner, they all cleared dishes into the kitchen. Emmett and Luke rinsed and loaded stuff into the dishwasher while Emma and her mom put the leftovers away. With four people in the kitchen, cleanup was done in no time. Then everyone headed out back to hang out with the dogs.

Luke listened in while Emma chatted with her mom about some of her mom’s work-related stuff. Georgia was a very accomplished businesswoman. He could see where Emma had picked up her drive and ambition.

“Next week we’re launching a marketing campaign for the chamber of commerce,” Georgia said. “We designed a new website for them, because, oh, Lord, theirs was antiquated. It’s a wonder anyone even knew where Hope was or what services were offered in this town before.”

“I’m excited to see it, Mom. I know it’s going to be awesome.”

“All the businesses in town will be highlighted. Including yours, Emma. And information on all of Hope’s municipal agencies, too, including the police station.”

“That’s great, Georgia,” Luke said. “It’s an update that’s been desperately needed for a while now.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty thrilled about it. It’s taken us about two years to get it off the ground. A long process, but worth it.”

“I’m very proud of you, honey,” Emmett said. “I know how hard you’ve worked on this one.”

Georgia cast Emmett a glowing smile. “Thank you, Emmett. And thank you for building me an office. It’s my sanctuary here at home. You’re my hero.”

Luke loved the way they supported each other. And the way they looked at each other. Even after all these years together, they were still in love.

It was so unlike what he had grown up with.

That’s what he wanted. Someday.

He looked over at Emma, who was watching her parents with a goofy smile on her face. She shifted her glance over at him, and something elemental sizzled between them.

Yeah.

When it got dark, Luke stood. “I should be going. Thank you both for having me over today.”

“We’re so glad you came, Luke,” Georgia said. “You’re welcome anytime.”

Emmett shook his hand. “What Georgia said. And Kansas City is still the better team.”

Luke laughed. “Well, we’ll see about that during the course of the baseball season. I enjoyed myself today. Thanks.”

He called Boomer, who came to his side right away.

“I’ll walk you out,” Emma said.

They headed out to the driveway. This was the first chance he’d had to be alone with her the whole day.

She looked pretty in her black-and-white sundress, and he’d wanted to touch her. And kiss her. But she’d kept her distance.

He understood that. She hadn’t wanted to give her parents the impression there was anything between them.

“Thanks for having me over.”

“You can thank my mom for that. She can be a little relentless. I hope it wasn’t too painful for you.”

The wind had picked up, blowing Emma’s hair this way and that. He swept it away from her face. “Emma. You have really nice parents. It’s obvious they care a lot about you.”

She smiled. “Thanks. And yes, they do. I probably worry too much. I just didn’t want you to feel . . . obligated.”

“I never do what I don’t want to do, so stop worrying about me.”

“Okay. I will.”

Dammit. He knew he shouldn’t do it, but the words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.

“How about a run by the lake with the dogs after work tomorrow?”

The reward was the bright smile she gave him. “Sure. I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll give you a call.”

“Thanks again for coming today.”

“No problem.”

He walked out to his truck, and she headed to the door.

He wondered what the hell he’d been thinking, inviting her to go out with him again. They’d gone out. They’d had sex. Monumental, mind-blowing sex.

Now he’d come to her parents’ for dinner.

He never saw a woman over and over again. It went against his code. And he sure as hell didn’t go to a woman’s parents’ house for dinner.

Then again, he wasn’t really even dating Emma. They were friends, and that was all. The sex thing had been impromptu. Letting off some steam.

So maybe they could just go back to the friends thing. Like running with the dogs after work.

As he climbed into his truck, he glanced up at the front door of her parents’ house. Emma was still there, watching him.

She waved, and as he backed out of the driveway, he waved back.

His gut told him Emma was way more than a friend.

And he couldn’t wait to see her again.