Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 02.5 - The Edge of Lies Read Free Page A

through what again?
    Emily felt the pressure of her sister’s hand on her arm and she softly let the door close.
    “Em, what are you doing?” Susan whispered. “We need to get you ready for your wedding.”

Chapter 3
    Susan helped Emily smooth a few stray hairs back into place and redo the makeup that she had all but cried off. “How did you know Evan would show up?”
    “Because he loves me.” Emily sat at the vanity and looked up at her sister. “About that, I have no doubt.”
    “I could never be with such an unpredictable man,” Susan stated matter-of-factly as she reapplied Emily’s eyeliner.
    “Unpredictable or not, Evan Parker is everything I ever wanted in a man—smart, kind, strong, and sexy.”
    “He seems a bit older than you, Em. Exactly how old is he?”
    “Thirty-four.”
    “That’s a twelve-year difference.”
    “I know, Suze, but it’s not like he’s Dad’s age or anything.”
    “I can’t argue with that, but still, you just graduated from college, not to mention the fact that you haven’t known him very long.”
    “Long enough.”
    “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Susan pursed her lips as she shook her head. “Look up.” She brushed a little more mascara on Emily’s lashes. “You never said how you two met.”
    “A few months ago, he walked into the diner in the middle of the afternoon and sat in my section. I went to the table to wait on him, and I remember thinking that if I wasn’t careful I was going to melt into a puddle right there on the vinyl floor.”
    “He is a pretty good-looking guy,” Susan said.
    “I know he isn’t handsome in that Ralph Lauren model sort of way. He’s more the James Bond kind of handsome—rugged and powerful, you know.”
    Susan nodded.
    “I loved his sandy blond hair and those piercing blue eyes, but when he spoke in that sexy British accent, I was done for.”
    “Then what happened?” Susan brushed a light rose blush on Emily’s cheeks.
    “After that, he came to the diner for a late lunch several days in a row, and it just blossomed from there.”
    Over the course of their lunch visits together, Emily had told Evan about her dream to teach high school history, and he’d said he was a consultant for a global security firm. He’d told her that he travelled a lot with his work, gone for weeks at a time to exotic faraway places, but because of the type of business he was in, he couldn’t talk about his assignments. Between that and the accent it was no wonder he reminded her of Agent 007 himself.
    He’d confided that he grew up in England, in a poor blue-collar family. A tragic accident had killed his parents and his siblings. When he turned eighteen, he came to America with hopes of a new life.
    “Emily?” Her sister was waving two silver tubes in front of Emily’s face. “Which lipstick do you prefer?”
    “You decide, Sis. The only thing I want to think about right now is how handsome my dream man looks in that tux.” Emily tilted her face up and smiled.
    ~*~
    Brian had successfully gathered the small group of guests back to the chapel. Standing silently in the vestibule behind Susan, Emily held her brother-in-law’s arm and her bouquet of red daisies once again, as they waited for the selected music to begin.
    While Susan marched down the aisle, Emily caught sight of Evan in his black tuxedo, waiting at the front of the chapel with the minister and best man. The organist began to play the wedding march, the people rose, and Brian escorted Emily in. Her gaze locked on Evan’s as she floated toward him. He flashed her that sexy crooked smile, and it made her want to rip his clothes off. She gripped Brian’s arm tighter as she felt her knees go weak at the thought.
    At that moment, she didn’t care what had happened to delay him. She was simply happy he had made it back to her.
    Throughout the vows and the reception, as they exchanged knowing glances and winks at each other, she could tell that she and Evan were