“This is my sister,” he said, stepping aside. A thin, similarly graying woman stood there, hatchet-faced and grim. “Patricia, this is Emmaline.”
“Hello,” Patricia said in a toneless voice.
“Hi,” Em said.
Crap.
But no, no, this didn’t mean anything. After all, it wasn’t weird that a guy would bring his sister on a date, right?
Fine. It was freaky. But maybe there was a good reason. Maybe her car had broken down, or she had dropped by unexpectedly. Or, from the look of her, she needed a keeper.
“She wanted to meet you,” Mason said, winking.
“No, sure. That’s...that’s great.”
Colleen came over. “Hello! What can I get you?” she asked merrily.
“I’ll have a vodka tonic,” Mason said. “And my sister will have water with a very, very thin slice of lemon, please.”
“You bet,” Colleen said, shooting Em a look. “Anything to eat?”
“No, thank you,” Mason said, as he and his sister sat down. “We’re just here for drinks.”
Emmaline wavered. On the one hand, weird already shimmered in the air. On the other, she was so hungry her stomach was growling. “I’ll have the nachos,” she said, food slut that she was. Patricia slid lower in her seat. “You can share, if you like,” Em added.
Mason smiled. Emmaline smiled. Patricia didn’t smile. Colleen walked back to the kitchen.
“So,” said Em. “This is great, meeting you both.”
“I have a small phobia about being alone with women,” he said smoothly.
“So I always come with him,” Patricia said. “Always. Every time.”
“Ah.” Dear God, where do You hide the normal people? Love, Emmaline.
Mason laughed warmly. “No, she doesn’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No. She doesn’t.” Mason smiled again. “Only the first time. I realize it’s a little strange.”
“It’s because of our mother,” Patricia said.
“Let’s not discuss it,” Mason said.
“You should tell her, Mase,” Patricia barked. “Keeping things bottled up is dangerous! It’s dangerous!”
The fire department was now staring openly. The firefighters loved this kind of thing.
“It’s fine,” Em said. “Some things are too personal to discuss with strangers.”
“He has boundary issues,” Patricia said urgently. “We both do. Boundaries become very fluid in communes.”
“Did you say commune?” Em asked.
“And the cats. Jesus.” Patricia shuddered.
“So many cats.” Mason’s voice broke. He took a steadying breath, then tried to smile at Emmaline. She tried to smile back.
“I’m more of a dog person myself,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said, reaching over to grip her hand. That was a little uncomfortable, given that he was staring intently into her eyes...and that his sister was now trying to get something out of her back molar. “You’re very kind. So! About this wedding. Difficult circumstances, I’d say.”
“You know, I’ll probably just go alone. I mean, it’s fine. But thank you.”
“He was your first love, you said in your email.”
Shit. Why did she tell him that? “Yeah.”
Patricia finished digging around in her teeth. “Mase, tell her about your first love. Do it. Tell her.”
“You don’t have to,” Em said. “Really.”
“No, no, I’d love to share the story. It’s actually quite beautiful.” He was still gripping her hand. “Lisbeth. She was so lovely, so very lovely. A friend of my grandmother’s—”
“It was the commune. We should’ve run away from there long before we did, Mase.”
“As I was saying,” Mason continued, “Lisbeth was a beautiful woman. Oh, sure, maybe a little mature for a seventeen-year-old boy, but—”
“She was seventy-four,” Patricia said, waggling a shaggy eyebrow at Emmaline. “Seventy. Four.”
“Here are your nachos!” Colleen said, setting down the veritable trough of food. Why had Em been so gluttonous and ordered them? Because now she had to at least pretend to eat.
Hang on. She was a cop. She always had an excuse.
“You know what?” she said. “I forgot to mention that I’m on call tonight. Just in case I’m needed. Patricia, I’m a police officer, and it’s such a small town that—”
“Actually, Levi’s on tonight,” Colleen said.
Dear God, could You please throw me a bone? Love, Emmaline. “No, I am.” She gave Colleen a pointed look.
“No, I’m sure of it. Faith came in for dinner because Levi’s working. So you’re off—oh.” Colleen seemed to realize she’d just bludgeoned a hole in Titanic’s last lifeboat. “Sorry.”
“No! That’s...that’s great. I thought I was on call. But I guess I’m not. Good! Fine. That’s good.”
“Eat your dinner,” Mason said with that broad, easy grin. Creepy, really. “Go ahead—enjoy while it’s still hot. We never had hot food in the commune, so I love it now.”
“Uh, would you like some? Feel free.” Do not. Do not feel free.
“We’re vegetarians,” Patricia said, taking a nacho and examining it. “Though I order ham from time to time. Did you know the French for ham is jambon? I find that fascinating.” She put the chip back on the plate. “Jambon. Jambon. Jambon.”
“Back to Lisbeth,” Mason said. “She and I were soul mates. It was so refreshing, not having to hide who I was anymore, not being blinded by what was traditionally considered beautiful. Which is one reason I think you and I will work out just fine, by the way.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. So Lisbeth’s age was no concern. You see, at the commune, we didn’t believe in aging.”
Em took a nacho. “Really. How did that work out for you?”
“She died!” Mason cried. “Lisbeth died, dropped stone-cold dead when she was weeding the basil plants!” He burst into tears. “I never saw it coming!”
“Oh, Mase,” his sister said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Don’t cry!” Apparently, her brother’s tears were too much for her, because she began sobbing, as well.
Emmaline glanced over to the bar. Colleen had her hand over her eyes, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Coll?” she called. “Can I get these to go, please?”
WHEN HADLEY WANTED something, as Jack well knew, nothing could sway her. Not the opinions of other people, not common sense, nothing. And right now, she wanted Jack.
Which was an utter waste of her time.
“Marry in haste, repent in leisure,” Jack’s grandmother had intoned when he’d told her he was getting married.
“What’s