For Love or Music Page 3
"It is going to be an interesting summer."
Chapter 6
Emily and Meghan were pleasantly surprised that Mr. Wade Owens went to work that first Monday. It had not taken him long before he appeared at ease in the kitchen. The customers were happy, the lunchtime crowd now went smoothly, and for once in quite a while, Emily and Meghan were not overwhelmed with the lunch rush. These past two weeks with Wade taking over the kitchen had been a blessing. Emily had done her best to remain polite and keep her distance after developing a crush on the younger man. Emily feared each day when he walked into work; he had discovered her secret.
The restaurant needed his help for as long as he planned on staying, not wanting her wayward feelings to deter him from the job at hand. Emily melted each time he smiled in her direction, enough so that others had taken notice. Meghan elbowed her any chance she got taking the opportunity to tease her about the growing crush. There had been plenty of after work conversations about the sexy new cook, and the ever-increasing flirtation between him and one of the owners.
Emily felt each smile, and blush of the cheeks as Meghan’s relentless teasing only served to heighten the mood after Wade’s smile, or conversation left her tingling from head to toe. Most of them were Meghan speculating on things like boxer or briefs. Emily tried her best only to imagine him in her dreams, which, unfortunately lately, was every night. Awakening each morning frustrated, hot and damp from the explicit fantasies tantalizing her even when she opened her eyes.
To make matters worse, he would saunter into the diner, sexy as sin without any knowledge of what he does to her from a smile or simple word. It was all she could do not to push him into the supply room and find out for herself, boxers or briefs.
This Friday was no exception, Wade had been working for them for more than a month now and the dream last night had taken her over the edge leaving her heaving with excitement. "Ugh. I need a real boyfriend." She was once again, hot, bothered and irritable, and being at the diner only made matters worse. The lunch tables were clean and reset for the dinner service, walking into the kitchen meeting the cause of her fire head-on as she noticed Wade cleaning the grill. Emily's mouth went dry as her lips parted in amazement as his muscles tugged against the worn fabric of the sleeve of t-shirt. She tried desperately to find some words that made sense Emily muttered. "Thank you, Wade, for another successful lunch. Things are going well. It is obvious you have done this before." Mesmerized, she continued to monitor as he finished his cleaning task, then giving the counter one last wipe down.
She could not help but continue to ogle his strong, defined arms. Thoughts tumbled through her mind, causing her pause as she stepped to the large refrigerator filling herself a glass of iced water.
When her eyes darted back towards the sexy man, his eyes met hers as he dropped the rag to the counter. Silence filled the air as he shortened the distance between them. Locked into her gaze, as Emily softly released a deep breath, unaware she had been withholding. He lifted his hand to meet the strand of wayward lock that had slipped from her ponytail, tucking the blond strand safely behind her ear. She was near enough to take him in, all of him, his scent, his essence. Finally, he spoke.
"I am happy to help." The voice low, silky smooth, she breathed him in as the low timbre of his voice zinged through-out her body absorbing into every cell.
#
There had to be less than a few inches between their bodies; Lincoln knew all he had to do was to take a half of a step, and she would be in his arms. The overwhelming urge to pull her close and kiss that question off her lips proceeded to drive him quietly insane. He knew he had no right; he was not free and clear, not without demands on him both personally, and professionally. He had fought the urges since the second time he had seen her in person, and with each day, the restraint was growing more and more challenging to manage. He had touched her as often as he dared, usually a brush of the fingers when handing her a plate. But then, he had grown braver, brushing up behind her, close enough for the barest of touch. He had fought with himself and now was no different. His ongoing debate continued to do the right thing. "You are the only one who can take control of your life. You were brought to this moment by something other than yourself. If you had your way, you would be licking your wounds in North Carolina."
Lincoln stopped his internal monologue, knowing his conversations with Emily each day while his time ran out in this small town would never be enough. "Screw the right thing." Emily's brows arched in confusion. Gently he reached up with the pad of his fingers, tipping Emily's chin.
"Wade?" She murmured in question when he pulled her close until their bodies touched, whispering.
"I am going to kiss you now, okay?" He didn't wait long for an answer, receiving a slight nod as he claimed her lips into his, beginning gently with a soft brush of his to hers. Pulling Emily tighter against the hard wall of his chest, his hands roamed over the slight curve of her back to the gentle slope of her hips. Her arms hesitated briefly then shifted to around his neck. He had every intention of stopping and pulling away, but then she went and rocked his remaining sense of responsibility.
"Mmmm, Wade." She moaned, and that was all it took for Lincoln to open her mouth with his lips, as his tongue pressed in, exploring until it tangled with hers in a dance of fire and heat. Emily gave back all that he took, as images danced through his head of lifting her to the counter and continuing with this burning heat. Reality stepped in and he knew that he wanted so much more than a quick attack with Emily. Lincoln wanted the real thing, and if this kiss was any indication, it confirmed all that he had been feeling.
"This is fate."
Emily felt his lips retreat, hearing the words he spoke. Unsure of the accuracy of what she heard, or whether she had dreamed them. And now, an hour after the kiss and what a kiss it had been. She had pulled out of his arms and thanked him again for the great help and dismissed him, to see him the next day. Emily now feared. "What if I don't see him again?" She had been beating herself up with should or should not have. Finally, exhaustion had taken its toll, sitting down at one of the tables, laying her head in her hands, where Meghan found her a short time later.
"Em, are you okay? What is wrong?" Meghan's mind raced with the speed of an Indy car racing around the track with possibilities as any mother does. When Emily finally raised her head, eyes swollen from tears, Meghan knew without a doubt. "How in the world did I miss this?" Trying for the divert tactic, Emily dodged the question.
"When what happened? I just have a headache." Meghan called her bluff.
"I call bullshit, I know you better than that. The only time you get headaches is when it is that time of the month. And I know when that is because you also eat us out of chocolate. Don't you remember last month when I made the late-night run for that double chocolate chip ice cream." Standing with her arms on her round hips, tapping her foot with her dark hair bobbing. Emily relented, knowing there is no possible way she would ever get this secret past her best friend.
"Okay, I give. He kissed me." And that was all it took as Emily burst into another round of tears. Makeup ran down her face as her eyes continued to puff from the force.
"Oh, honey, why are you crying? Isn’t this a good thing? You two have been dancing around each other for two weeks. He looks at you; you look away. You watch him walk away with drool on your lip. Why are you surprised that he finally wanted to kiss you?" Meghan stopped to ask. "Unless, he is horrible at kissing. Like a frog? Maybe a slimy tongue?" Emily continued to shake her head. "His breath was bad? Could that be it? I know there wasn't any action when you leaned up against him?" Tears continued to slip down Emily's cheeks as she restrained from laughing at her friend's attempt to cheer her depressed mood. "Well Em, I can't help if I don't know what happened?" Megan was now irritated, not knowing whether she was headed to beat up a punk who dare hurt her best friend when Emily's words left her body on each jagged sob.
"It, it was perfect. Everything was perfect. He
even said. This is fate." Emily's sobs increased. Meghan leaned back in the chair.
"Em, I am not the quickest woman on figuring things out, just ask my girls they are always trying to pull a fast one on me. I do not understand why you are balling your eyes out when you should be jumping up and down and out buying sexy underwear." Emily stopped a flicker of resignation from the words Meghan spoke, causing her to take a deep breath and relax.
#
"He was perfect, everything he said, everything he did. He was gentle, respectful. It was almost as if we were seconds away from getting naked on the countertop, and then he suddenly stopped and just told me it was a pleasure to help me out. Oh, Meg, he is ten years younger than me. I have a teenager for heaven's sake. I have stretch marks." Meghan laughed.
"Oh, give me a freaking break, stretch marks my ass. You must have forgotten I have seen you in a bikini and your underwear. I have stretch rivers, yours on are more like a slight little dimple. That on you looks sexy, so stop. If I liked girls, I would be into you, so stop." Emily laughed. She was always able to depend on her best friend.
"Oh, my!"
"What now? I thought you were okay a few minutes ago." Emily shook her head.
"I haven't down there since last summer, the last time we went to the lake. You know it is kind-of a woolly mammoth right now." Meghan burst out laughing.
"Imagine his surprise when he got attacked by the woolly mammoth on the kitchen counter." Emily covered her face with embarrassment.
"Meghan, it's not funny. I don't know how to do this. He is ten years younger than me. The girls his age have fake boobs and wear a size two."
"Girl you are acting crazy. Knock it off. You have no clue what he likes, and you don't know how he feels about you. If he were looking for a one-night stand, he would not have stopped. Think about it." Meghan stood, pulling Emily along with her towards the door. Meghan flipped the sign to closed.
"Meg, where are we going? We have work to do." Emily asked, increasing the pace of her walking to meet the short, fast stride of her friend.
"Nope, we don't we are closing early today. We have some shopping and waxing to do on your woolly mammoth." Meghan continued to laugh as they walked down the street. Emily teared up once again, this time because she had lost one love of a lifetime, but her other first love was and always will be her best friend.
Chapter 7
Emily stood in her bathroom later that night, after a long bubble bath, a luxury that doesn't usually fit into her busy life. There was always an excuse, either not enough time or the energy; her bathing of choice was a quick shower before she collapsed onto her bed. Tonight, was different; she took the time. Thanks to her best friend; Emily was smooth in places she never knew could feel as decadent. Emily giggles when she marvels at the changes since the day when she tried to look pretty for Joe. A quick razor and some baby oil were all that were required. She would have never made it past the Brazilian question if it weren't for Meghan standing next to her, giving specific instructions. With everything, they knew about each other, how she could not know that Meg came once a month and got something called the works. Emily was scared contemplating what that might insinuate.
Now, after her bath, and a new amazing smelling lotion applied to every inch of her body, she felt different, alive. For the first time in ages, she felt something other than a mom and a business owner. She was still a woman, and according to Meg, it was okay for her to have needs and desires. Sighing loudly, she allowed her hair to flow down over her shoulders, slipping on her new dusty pink nightie with black accents and a matching robe. The vintage appeal reminded Emily of the starlets in the old movies.
Fortunately for her, Katie was fast asleep by the time she exited the bathroom, unable to face the moment when the necessity to explain changes to her teenage daughter. Let alone the fact that the man she lusted after was ten years younger than herself.
Even though Lincoln barely slept, he was in the barn at dawn. Taking his time, he worked two young fillies as the sun began to peak over the hill. When Kevin found him, he was mucking the fourth stall, with the mares out to graze. "Dang if I would have known you were this good with horses, I would have had you hide out here years ago." Chuckling, Lincoln turned and eyed the two cups of coffee in his hands.
"I sure hope one of those is for me and not for old Charlie over there." Pointing to the aging stallion now, in full retirement. His days ahead filled with pure relaxation. Kevin shook his head.
"Nope, he doesn't like it this strong." Handing a cup to him, Lincoln took the first sip, realizing he woke this morning without any caffeine at all.
"Wow, what a feeling." Kevin eyed him suspiciously.
"Huh? It's that good?" Lincoln laughed then clarifying.
"No, not the coffee, but it is good. I just realized that I got out of bed this morning before dawn without caffeine or even craving the taste. It was pure joy to get to be out here doing this. I am enjoying my time, here. I feel so different. For the first time in a long time I feel like me." Lincoln reflected for a moment before continuing. "It has been too long while I have gotten back to my roots. I guess I just got caught up in all the hype about the music life. Once that happens, it is difficult to get back to your music." Kevin gave him a moment to let his discovery sink in before adding.
"Maybe being here will give you some time to get back to writing your own music." His surprise showed when he asked.
"You know my music?"
At first, Kevin worried about offending the young star. Who was he? Just a high school science teacher and horse breeder. At six-foot- three he was lanky and had never been the quarterback or the prom king. But he did manage to snag the high school cheer captain and what a great and beautiful life they shared. Kevin stopped worrying about pissing him off and cared more about this man, deciding to give him the same speech he would give any of his students if they needed the wisdom.
"Linc, I need to be honest with you, I am not worried about your career, I am worried about you as a man. That world that you live in is fake and tied up in a glittery bow, but once that package is all opened and the world has decided it is bored with you, well then you will have nothing left for you. I have seen a change in you over these past few weeks since you have been here. I believe this is the man that you are meant to be and your music, in the beginning, was raw and beautiful. They were your words." Lincoln tilted his head, listening. "Troy sent us copies of your original demos, to get our opinions. I see the difference from then to now. Get off the country singer robot chain. You are much better than that, be you. And if only a few people instead of millions like your music then it is okay. It is still you, and your music."
Kevin paused, worried that he had said too much as Lincoln shook his head to process the words, and at some point, the shake become a nod, filled with understanding.
"You know that is the most honest thing anyone has said to me since I went to Nashville." Lincoln reached out and shook his hand. "Thank you; I needed to hear that. I do need to make a change, now if I can have this life and continue to make music, then that would be a wonderful life."
Kevin headed out of the barn looking over his shoulder, yelling. "You can have any life you want, just takes one step in the right direction to make the change."
#
Lincoln chuckled to himself as he drove towards town, having taken Kevin's words to heart. Viewing this day as the first day of his new life, heading in the right direction and that direction went straight towards Emily.
Nervous as she glanced towards the clock for the fifth time in a matter of fifteen minutes, Emily raced towards the restroom to check herself in the mirror. Meghan walked by and could not resist teasing her best friend.
"You look the same as you did fifteen-minutes ago during your last check." Giggling, Meghan returned to the front of the diner, after she had purposely chosen to cook for the breakfast crowd to avoid Emily smelling like bacon. "On other thought, I should have let her cook the bacon."
Meghan returned to her duties as she continued to worry about her best friend, from when she looked over Wade's employment records, noting his age as ten years Emily’s junior. He travels quite a bit and is excellent with the horses, and Emily is smitten with him. "Oh, sexy trouble, here we come."
Chapter 8
Meghan was a nervous wreck anticipating Wade's arrival, Emily had to laugh that she was the calm one today. Emily half expected him to act as if nothing had happened, choosing to stay busy on purpose avoiding interaction with him when Wade walked through the front door. He didn't see her as he headed to the kitchen, grabbing his apron and pulling vegetables from the refrigerator he took stock of the supplies. Wade added some suggestions to the clipboard for Meghan's ordering, feeling completely comfortable in the kitchen. His eyes darted towards the stainless counter, the one that only twenty-four hours before he had fought the urge to lay Emily down on the top. Now it served a vicious reminder of everything he needed to sort out before he could take the next step and get to know her better.