Getting by (A Knight's Tale) (8 page)

A pang of loneliness hit me. These were the moments I wished life had a different outcome. In a perfect world, Mom would’ve been helping Tina in the kitchen, and Dad would be flipping hamburgers with John. Chloe might come from New York—or not. And I’d be arriving from France, with my boyfriend who I hoped was close to proposing because we loved each other very much. We met in Europe—love at first sight. It was him, my personal hero and stalker. Serendipity sent him my way, forever. But when I opened my eyes, I was standing alone looking at a stranger’s backyard—Mom and Dad weren’t there.

Hello, real world, you suck!

Chapter 9

Jake

“NO, NO. I’LL smile. See, pearly white smile, no sad face.” I heard the pretty girl talking to Gaby. Who was I kidding, I had stalked her since the moment she arrived and Mrs. Clement yelled to John and Gavin that little Emma was home.

Mitchel gave me a look, while Liam walked inside the house to “check up on things,” as he said. The confirmation of what we already knew, their Emma was the same as my Emma. From that point on, I observed far enough away to avoid contact, but close enough to…be called a stalker. Mrs. Clement bombarded her with overwhelming subjects, and her stiffened body and lost eyes begged for a hug, a hero to rescue her, or at least some mercy from whatever torture she was going through. Emma met Mom, and the thankful smile she gave her brought a smile to my own face; the meddler had done something worthy of it. My girl didn’t award those loosely. Then Emma headed upstairs, where she spent about an hour locked in one of the rooms.

Once she descended and came to the backyard, the internal fight she had going on became a war with lots of casualties. Not only her body but her face was begging for sympathy and understanding. She wanted to run away and never look back—I saw that face three months ago. The difference with today was that she stayed and faced her problems. Emma’s tears made an appearance twice in one day; a miracle for the insensitive girl. Rewind…that sounded wrong. She was sensitive, but chose to hide any kind of feelings from the world—including me; no, especially me.

“Your mom went a little overboard with her memory lane trip, but I’m good.” Emma sobered up and straightened up her body. “I swear it was the first time I’ve cried since forever. Maid of honor, perfect, just for you. No need to draw attention, Gabriela.”

“Okay.” Gaby twisted her mouth and narrowed her eyes. “Let’s go with Cade, you need to meet his cousins and brothers.” I caught a devilish smirk as she paused. “One of them is the best man.”

“Don’t you start, Gabriela.”

Careful, she’s going to bite your head off.

Emma came to a halt and placed her fists on her waist. I seconded the motion. My girl wouldn’t be sleeping with Mitch–over my dead body. Correction, I’d kill him if he dared to look at her, other than like a brother. Which, of course he’d never be. We were over, and we were never serious. “You promised, no pimping this week. I’m so not sleeping with the best man, or groomsmen or anyone. Capisce?” Wise last words. I convoked to a standing ovation, but nobody joined me.

“Loosen up, you need to get laid.”

I’ll help, I wanted to say, but kept my mouth shut. Emma was about to claw someone and I didn’t want to volunteer for the position. Yet, I also noticed the shift in her body, it slumped even more, her eyes turned greener and her gaze lower.

Do you miss me, baby? I doubt it; you’re the one who called it off.
She had no right to be sad, I wanted to tell her. She looked beautiful; though, I didn’t care much for her flat hair. I liked it when she wore it wavy and wild and showing her reddish streaks.

“I got laid,” Emma defended herself from Gaby. “Last time was about three months ago.” The period she mentioned gave me some macho-power-trip that made me want to bump my chest with my fists, because she was mine. “I’m not lying.”

I can testify.
Stopping my stalkerish ways, I noticed that Cade watched the exchange between the friends, while Liam and Mitch observed me. Was my face showing the multiple emotions I felt on the inside? Pain, anger, lust, but the most was the need to stop Gaby’s torture. Under that armor, Emma was fragile.

“Yeah, your imaginary friend, silly me. How can I forget? Emma, you need someone real.” My pretty girl frowned at her, because of course I was real, and every time we were together it was an earth-shattering experience. Though the only person who knew we had a thing was Liam, and Emma was happy to leave it that way.
Light and uncomplicated.

“Imaginary boy appeared when I needed him, and guess what Gabs, he didn’t hurt me. No complications, just clean and neat.” I heard Mitch snorting, and Liam shook his head. “Just like everything in my life. Dad’s motto of self-reliance. If I was real to him, he wouldn’t give a shit about someone like me.”

I didn’t care for those words. Emma was real. Explosive, witty, loyal, reliable to a fault, lovely, tender, and I gave more than a shit.
Where did that come from?
My wide eyes matched Mitch’s, and I chose to stop doing a play by play on her conversation, trying to fit myself into it and mostly overthinking.

“The only real person allowed in my world is you, though you’re on probation for trying to pimp me—again. You might get your visa revoked.”

Gaby puffed with resignation at the tough crazy cookie she dealt with. Tell me about it. Cade and Gavin gave us the heads up; we didn’t want to deal with psycho. They insisted we take her off the menu. Gavin said three scary words, Chloe’s little sister, which gave us a huge rash. Gavin’s psycho-ex made his life hell. My brothers and I had a front row seat, and we had lived the ordeal on a daily basis. Mitch, Liam and I didn’t argue with their logic.

I heard the story of the last guy Gaby tried to hook her up with—it ended with an icepack on his crotch. Cade’s friend swore she had a loose screw, because the only thing he had said was
‘yumm, I could eat you’.
The tacky line had a ring to it when you’re seventeen and not in control of your mouth, or hormones. But past your twentieth birthday, it’s unacceptable. He’s lucky, if I had heard him say the line to her, he’d need a dick transplant.

“Emma, meet Mitch, Jake and Liam. They’re Cade’s cousins, more like brothers.” Gaby pointed at each of us. Emma had magical eyes; they changed color with her mood, and when she realized I was in front of her, they changed from brownish to green—pain, anger? She closed them to gather her wits back and showed us a light brown color again. Though, I detected the green wanted to overpower it. “Guys, this is the famous Emma Anderson, the maid of honor.” What happened to friend or best friend? I wanted to ask, but let it go.

“Pleasure to finally meet you,” Mitch said, looking from Emma to me and shaking her hand. “I feel like we know each other pretty well.” She reclaimed her hand and put both of them behind her back. A strange move I didn’t understand.

The girl didn’t know Mitch, my twin, only Liam. Knowing the girl, there were a few possibilities on how she’d react. Ignore us and pretend we never met. Not likely, since her boss was in front of her. Smile and walk away, a thing she liked to do when the social situation called for it. Liam grew accustomed to the woman. Ignore me personally and pretend for a minute I had invisible powers—most likely.

“Liam,” she sighed, scratched the tip of her nose and crinkled it. “And here I thought you’d give me the full seven days off.” That un-humorous laugh I had learned to hate made an appearance. She needed me, my body sensed it. The entire situation was hard for her to handle.

“Wait,” Gaby said. “You two know each other?” She looked at Emma, then at Liam, who nodded. “Weird.”

“He’s my boss,” Emma responded, and then turned her attention to Liam. She wanted something. “I was going to call you,” she said to my brother.

“I spotted you yesterday, after you checked in.” He acted casual. “What are the odds? I didn’t know you’d be coming or I would’ve offered you a ride from New York.”

Emma shook her head, and I noticed she gazed at me and Mitch once before taking her attention back to Liam. “I read your email.” She ignored the ride comment, aware she’d ride with me—and my family—on one of our private jets. Also, her insistence on Liam’s email proved me right, the woman married her job long ago. This explained why she hadn’t avoided us or walked out. I chuckled and glanced at Liam—I had told him she’d respond before the rest.

Not acknowledging me, but flaring her nose, she continued selling her abilities to Liam. “Earthybabies isn’t a good name. Can we change it? Eco-baby sounds catchier, Natural Beginnings, Nature-starts, Nate’s.” She pulled a paper out of her back pocket and tried to hand it over to Liam. Instead, I grabbed it from her tight grip. Our fingers slightly touched sending the usual electric current through my entire body.

Emma’s nostrils flared—was she going to breathe fire? I ignored the glare she un-tenderly gifted me, and risking my life I pulled it harder from her.

“Bunnies are overused.” She used the professional voice that informed me she was pissed at someone—today it was me—or the situation. I thought both would apply, and I hated her attitude. “Lion cub or a puppy with a couple of simple flowers would be perfect, adding a couple of grass patches.”

“Why not Earthybabies?” A valid question, since it took me a long time to come up with the name, why would she change it? I examined the logos and names. She crossed her arms with a defying stare. Emma hated to be questioned when things were obvious. Not that they were to me.

I gave in before we began to fight over something as simple as a name. Mostly because I thought she was right. “Nate’s, I like it. Simple and natural. Lion or puppy, do you have any other animal in mind? How about a giraffe?”

Her narrow glare wasn’t friendly, but I ignored it. I took this at face value, an unplanned business meeting. “Too many companies use giraffes, bunnies and puppies,” she said thickly. “The latter always sells. You can adopt it too, if you want to go that route.” Emma uncrossed her arms and her body loosened up. “Lions would bring in the whole mom lioness—protecting, cuddly and lovable—effect. You buy them because you want to protect your baby by going back to nature.”

In a matter of minutes she convinced me to rename my line and use K&W to create the image. She asked questions about my target audience, prices, distributors and other information I didn’t have on top of my head. Liam stayed with us while we spoke to add some suggestions. The organic baby line was my idea, and the business became a family thing.

“It’s a brilliant idea.” She approved the new venture. “Organic baby products, makes me want to have—” She gazed at the floor after she caught herself getting ready to blurt out something we shouldn’t know. A new business…a baby? I didn’t know how I felt about the second one.

After a deep breath, she composed her entire body, and whatever she was hiding had been stored inside that crowded mind of hers. “Tonight I can digitize the concept. I left my mobile office at the hotel.” Of course she brought her damn mobile office along. One week without work would kill her, not the flu, or the latest pandemic. “For sure, you can send it to the client first thing tomorrow.” Hopeful, she smiled at Liam and finally asked the question that would seal the deal. “Do I get the account?”

“I don’t know,” Liam answered, closed his eyes and shook his head. “Do you want it?” He opened them and lifted an eyebrow looking directly at me. I knew he was asking my input. Should I give it to her? What the hell, she’s great. I nodded. “Because that’s Jake’s new company, sweetheart. You two work it out and let me know.”

Like a good game of chess, she took her time deciding. I knew the girl’s moods, body language and thoughts, better than my own. And now I also had new facts about her. She grew up in San Francisco, California, next door to Gaby, my soon to be cousin-sister in-law. Her parents died and she moved to whatever land, where no one could cohabitate with her, from where I got deported three months ago.

Emma scratched her nose and crinkled it, not a good sign. It meant that she was uncomfortable. Not with me, I had worked so hard to gain her trust, and now, we were a couple of strangers. Yes, there were things we kept from each other, but she had been comfortable enough with me to talk about work and what accounts she wanted. Surely if we had been together, she wouldn’t have asked, only snatched it.

I took a closer look at her. Those eyes of hers had turned brownish, and I knew that work calmed her. I knew that she’d accept the job if I gave it to her. Ironic that the baby clothing line came from the boredom and loneliness she created after dumping my sorry ass. It was based on a health nut who survived on leaves, fruit, and fish; and bought everything organic. And now, she was creating the image to sell it.

“I can give the sketches to Suzy,” she said, finally speaking after her internal debate.

Liam didn’t know Emma had trouble connecting with other creative executives or directors. Who the hell was I kidding? She had trouble connecting with any human around her. The quirky personality I loved wasn’t appreciated by many, and she didn’t make an effort to show her true self either. Clients on the other hand loved her. Her politeness, professionalism and great sense of humor opened a lot of doors for her. Emma was a walking contradiction.

I tilted my head and took a step forward, and her eyes widened. “Do you want the account, Em, or do you need it?”

Emma took a deep breath. “Is there a difference?” She chewed the side of her cheeks in intervals.

I nodded. “Yes, baby, when you need it, it means you’re overworking yourself to escape reality.” She switched her gaze to the house next door she had stared at earlier, then looked at me. “If you want it, it’s just to make Sam’s life miserable. What is it, honest?”

“Need, please.” Her gaze plummeted to the floor and her shoulders followed suit. “It’s complicated, but I seriously need the work. Sam hasn’t registered this and I can work with it while I’m here.” I sighed, knowing that whatever was going on inside her was eating my girl alive. My role had changed to a spectator, who could only watch from the sidelines and had to cross his arms to keep himself from jumping into the arena. I missed being part of the action. “He’ll bitch next week that I snatched another account, and the hard time he’s having with my coworkers. But by then I’ll be away—far from here.” She waved her hands around the premises, but I also noted she lightly pointed toward my direction. Was I a problem for her? Should I remind her that she called it off, not me?