Click - A Novella Read Free

now.

 
    Chapter Two
     
    Can my day get any worse? Emily asked herself as she stepped outside the main doors to find it pouring. Tony held her umbrella for her. The wind nearly ripped it away from him and threatened to turn it inside out. At least this time her raincoat was buttoned, so she wasn’t instantly soaked. The storm not only hadn’t abated, it had gotten worse. It took her neatly brushed hair and turned it into a nearly blinding mass of russet curls.
    She sighed. At least I’ll be home soon , she thought.
    “Go back inside, Emily,” Tony said. “I’ll hail you a cab, first.”
    A hand reached out from behind them to catch Tony’s arm.
    “That’s not necessary,” a familiar voice said, as a limo rolled up in front of the building. “I’ll take her home.”
    It seemed her day could indeed get worse. Of all people, she didn’t want him to see her like this.
    Emily looked back over her shoulder to see Robert Halloran standing behind her.
    As always, her first thought was, God, he’s gorgeous . Those eyes were just incredible up close. With those strong features and high cheekbones, he could look so severe. When he frowned or scowled she could understand how people could be intimidated by him, but his firm, full mouth gave all the rest the lie. Once or twice as they’d talked in the elevator or at some function, he’d let his guard down enough to reveal a wicked grin, and then he looked like an entirely different man. He’d been approachable, even mischievous, his eyes twinkling. She wished he’d let that side of himself show more often.
    “That’s not necessary, it would be out of your way,” she said, suddenly flustered at the idea of being alone with him in the limo. How it would be different from the elevator, she didn’t know. It just was. She also didn’t know where he lived, but she had a pretty good guess it was uptown. “But thank you anyway.”
     “Emily,” he said with one of his rare grins, “Trust me, I’m not going to eat you. I’m just offering you a ride home. How often do you get to travel in one of these?”
    He gestured at the limo.
    It would be plush and comfy, already warm. Much better than a taxi.
    Tony was already taking her luggage off her hands and passing them to the limousine driver. It was clear Tony approved of the arrangement. Did he know about Dan and Annalise, too? Was that why he was being so nice?
    Her cheeks flushed with color at the thought.
    The sudden kindness from both men after the long day of traveling, her disappointment at the result, and Dan’s announcement almost broke her control. Her traitorous chin trembled a moment and her eyes burned before she mastered herself again.
    “Thank you,” she said, and hoped neither man caught the quiver in her voice. She cleared her throat of unshed tears.
    *****
     
    The shine in Emily’s eyes and the slight quiver of her chin caught Robert off-guard. Her smile was dimmer, too, by quite a bit. That was unusual.
    What was that about? he wondered.
    Emily was almost always cheerful, natural, in a way so many people in this city weren’t. That was how they’d first met. She hadn’t known who he was and clearly didn’t care, smiling and saying hello as she stepped onto the elevator. She’d ask how he was, gradually wearing him down until he’d answered her in words of more than two syllables. Once she realized who he was it hadn’t changed a thing, she’d greeted him the same way she always had.
    Until the day his father had died.
    They’d been close, he and his father. His father had been the guiding force in his life, keeping him grounded.
    Robert hadn’t wanted to talk about it – there weren’t many people he trusted that much.
    Somehow Emily had sensed something different, turning to look at him as they rode down in the elevator.
    He’d been numb, still trying to accept the reality of the news. A heart attack, just like his mother. Robert hadn’t been there for either. He hadn’t even known