Arlene was very persuasive on the phone. In addition, Emma would need the money in the not too distant future. When she hung up, she knew she had to decide and soon. Thankfully, Arlene gave her a bit of breathing space. She was taking a three-week cruise over the holidays.
But she made it clear that she expected to hear from Emma upon her return.
Emma got back to the decorating after lunch, and she was just hanging an evergreen wreath she’d bought at Chadwick’s on her front door when Josh drove up.
The dogs raced over to him and Winston, and Josh gave each dog their fair share of attention. “Looks terrific,” he said as he eyed the wreath.
“I thought it was about time to start decorating. I was going to set up and decorate the tree next.”
“Would you like some help?” he asked as he shrugged out of his coat in the vestibule.
With mugs of hot chocolate to warm them and Christmas music playing softly, they got to work. They had just hung the last of the decorations when the phone rang. Josh took the empty mugs into the kitchen while Emma answered.
Emma tried to ignore the chill of anxiety that slithered up her spine upon hearing Daniel’s voice and masked it with a forced cheerfulness. It wasn’t personal. She liked both Daniel and Jenna. It was simply what they were involved in. Every time Daniel called, it seemed to be bad news for her.
“How are you and Jenna?” she asked.
“We’re getting caught up in the Christmas spirit,” Daniel responded.
Emma glanced over at her beautiful tree. “Yeah. We are, too.” She was certain he hadn’t called just for small talk.
As if reading her mind, Daniel continued. “I wanted to let you know that the court date’s set for the trial,” he said and gave her the details. “With the information you provided, the senator is facing some serious charges, including criminal negligence causing death and another of causing injury. Charges have also been laid against Stewart. You having seen Stewart with the senator prior to the award of contract will add weight for the prosecution. You’ll be contacted by the prosecuting lawyers with the official notification, but I wanted to let you know personally. Thank you for all your help, Emma,” he added, sincerity ringing in his voice. “We couldn’t have accomplished what we have without you. The end is in sight now. Before spring is over, this will be behind you.”
Emma thanked Daniel and asked him to give her best wishes to Jenna for the holidays. They didn’t expect to speak again until the preparations for the trial began in earnest in the New Year.
Spring seemed very distant when the trial stretched ahead of her.
As much as she and Josh tried to recapture the festive spirit, the mood was shattered.
For the days leading up to Christmas, Emma redoubled her efforts to not think about the impending trial.
Josh was so attentive and loving it would’ve been impossible for her not to be caught up in him and the holiday season. It just made it even harder for Emma to consider the decisions she would soon have to make about the Elite partnership offer. She hadn’t been able to find the courage to discuss the mere possibility of her moving back to the city, and knowing his life was in Sanctuary Cove. How would she be able to tell him, if that’s what she decided to do?
Pushing those thoughts aside, Emma helped Josh decorate the clinic. They went for sleigh rides and caroling with Sherri and some others. Even Sheriff Chad Atkins joined in the merriment.
Josh and Emma shopped for Christmas gifts together and—for each other—separately.
They drove to New York City and went to Rockefeller Center to take part in the festivities and to watch the lighting of the huge tree, made all that much more magical by the lightly falling snow. They took a carriage ride through Central Park, bought roasted chestnuts from a street vendor and purchased all sorts of silly gifts for the dogs.
And Emma found herself falling more deeply in love with Josh.
* * *
JOSH AND EMMA decided to have their own private Christmas celebration at Emma’s the evening of December 23, before joining Josh’s family the next day. Since it was their first Christmas together, they wanted to enjoy some quiet time on their own.
It also gave Josh the opportunity to propose in private, and then be able to share the wonderful news with his family the next day.
When Josh arrived with Winston in tow, Emma led him into the kitchen so she could finish her final preparations.
She already had a bottle of champagne chilling on ice in a silver bucket.
“Should I do the honors?” Josh asked, pointing to the bottle. She nodded and he uncorked it, the loud pop causing all three dogs to scramble up and over to them.
He filled two flutes and handed one to Emma.
She rested her hand on his arm. “I’d like to propose a toast.” She raised her glass to his. “To the most wonderful man I’ve ever known.” Her voice softened and her eyes sparkled. “To the man I love.”
Josh’s heart soared as they clinked glasses and drank before she leaned forward to claim another kiss. He knew now more than ever that tonight would be the perfect time to propose to her. Just after dinner, he’d do it.
He nuzzled her ear and whispered the words back to her. They sat in the great room to enjoy the warmth of the fire and the sparkle of the Christmas tree. When Emma snuggled up next to Josh on the sofa, he was still trying to regain his balance. This was an Emma he hadn’t seen before. He liked her confidence and playfulness, but wondered about the cause.
Before he had a chance to ask her, she began to toy with her champagne flute. “I wasn’t planning on getting into this tonight, but I suppose I might as well now.”
Watching her fidget and avoid eye contact, Josh sensed he wasn’t going to like what she was going to say. With apprehension trickling through him, he waited for her to continue.
“I was going to tell you the afternoon I came to your place and met your parents. With them there, it wasn’t the right time.”
The trickle turned into a flood. “Tell me what?”
She finally raised her gaze to his. The luminous silver of her eyes seemed to hold a question...or a plea.
“Arlene Greenberg sent me a contract. A firm offer.”
Josh had mixed feelings. He hoped that it helped her with her self-confidence, but what would it mean for them? “So you’ll have steady work?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes, I will. If I accept the offer.”
Josh’s emotions were on a roller-coaster ride. She didn’t look thrilled. “Are the terms not what you’d expected?”
“The terms are fine. Very generous, in fact...but the offer is not for a client executive position. It’s for a partnership.”
The melodious strains of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” the crackle of the fire and Winston’s soft snoring were the only sounds for long moments as Josh tried to make sense of what Emma had just said.
Finally, it was Emma who spoke again. There was pleading in her eyes now. “When I first saw the offer, I was over-the-moon happy. I couldn’t believe that the owner of such a prestigious firm would want me as a partner. It made me feel wanted. Validated. It was the opportunity I didn’t know I was needing to prove myself again. That I wasn’t the failure Richard and Morgan and even my former boss had made me believe I was.”
Josh could see the outcome as clear as day. She’d become a partner, but that meant her moving back to the city...and that equated to his losing her. He just couldn’t see himself living there.
“Josh,” she said on a whisper, laying her hand on top if his. “You do realize that without your support—your belief in me—I wouldn’t have gotten to the point of receiving such an offer, let alone considering it. As bruised as I was after everything that happened, without you I wouldn’t have thought myself worthy or capable of taking on some of
the assignments that I have been for Arlene. Certainly not a role like this.”
He turned his hand under hers and laced his fingers with hers. Good for him, he thought wryly, for having achieved his goal of helping her rebuild her confidence, but this was not the outcome he foresaw...or had hoped for. “And now? What are you thinking now?”
“I don’t know. Josh, in my initial excitement, I didn’t think about what it would mean. I was just so thrilled that she wanted me as a partner.” Her voice dropped to a whisper again. “I’d have to move back to the city, and use this place just on weekends again. When my workload allowed.”
That’s what he’d been dreading. “When do you have to give her an answer?” He couldn’t believe he was able to sit here and carry on the pretense of a normal conversation, when he felt as if a block of ice had formed around his heart and it would splinter into a million pieces if she accepted the offer...and left him.
Emma nodded. “Arlene is on a three-week cruise. She asked that I let her know when she gets back early in the New Year.”
He released her hand. “Well, whatever you decide, I’ll back you.”
“But—”
“Think about it over Christmas, and we’ll talk after. For now, let’s focus on the holiday.”
He could see she was baffled...and possibly hurt. But he just didn’t want to contemplate her leaving right now, when his mind had been on them spending the rest of their lives together. Would he be able to survive in the city, if he had to? He had some thinking to do, too.
The evening passed quietly. They finished making dinner together. They had lobster and steak, passing on the more traditional turkey, as Josh had assured Emma they would have enough of it to last them until next Christmas when they visited his family.
Josh came over again early the next morning to open their gifts to each other. He’d bought Emma a stunning pair of diamond earrings, an angora sweater the exact color of her eyes and a lovely wooden carving of a caribou for her great room. Emma gave Josh a watch, a new medical bag to replace his too-well-worn one and an original painting of an area landmark by a very talented local artist.
They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, home-fried potatoes and toast before getting ready to drive to Westchester to Josh’s parents’ house. Sherri arrived just as they were ready to go, to take care of the dogs while they were gone.
Josh had worked hard to not dwell for the time being on the decision Emma faced. He truly wanted what was best for her, and he’d decided it wasn’t fair for him to raise the prospect of marriage until she’d made her decision.
While he had to again resign himself to not asking her to marry him just now—and depending on her decision—perhaps never, he didn’t want there to be a dark cloud over their time with his family.
Large, black wrought-iron gates stood open and welcomed them at the entrance to the Whitmore property. Josh drove up the long, tree-lined drive. The grounds were covered by pristine, glistening snow, and the trees were decorated with a myriad of small white lights.
Emma craned her neck left and right to take it all in.
Josh glanced over at her with a half-smile. He was so used to his family’s home, he tended to forget how imposing the property and house could be to a first-time visitor. He reached over to take her hand and reminded himself again of his determination not to let the circumstances cast a pall over their celebrations.
They followed a bend in the drive, and the house first came into view. It was a large structure of weathered stone with copper eaves, fascia and soffits and a slate roof. Extensive gardens, the skeletons of the shrubs now shrouded in snow, flanked the drive to the front entryway. Wide stone steps led to a double-story covered portico supported by graceful columns. The front doors were massive and of a rich, deep brown wood with etched glass inserts and sidelights. Large urns, overflowing with Christmas-themed floral arrangements sat on the stairs and portico.
Josh parked his Yukon in front of the garage next to a late-model Jaguar and the blue Mercedes convertible Emma knew to be Angie’s.
With bags of gifts in one hand, Josh draped his other arm around Emma’s shoulder as they climbed the steps. “Ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Then let’s go.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose before leading her inside.
Josh watched Emma take it all in as they stepped into the spacious marble-floored entryway. He tried to see it through her eyes. The grand furnishings. The scent of fresh-cut flowers in a large urn on a sideboard. A subtle odor of lemon he associated with furniture polish, along with the delicious aromas of cooking wafting through the open archway to the kitchen. And they heard the cheerful voices of his family, arguing, laughing, with the clatter of kitchen tools and the sound of Christmas music in the background.
Josh helped Emma out of her coat and hung it up. He then took her hand and led her in the direction of the sounds and scents, into the large, open-design kitchen-family-room combination filled with people. The room was bright, with white tile floors, white cupboards, rose-colored granite counters and enormous appliances.
Separated by a railing and a step down from the kitchen was the family room. With hardwood floors, bleached-wood paneling, spacious sofas and a good-sized flat-screen TV, it invited lounging or conversation. Both kitchen and family room were decorated for the holidays with garlands, lights and sundry trimmings. A beautifully bedecked Christmas tree dominated the corner of the family room, its base crowded with brightly wrapped presents.
Josh’s mother, Elizabeth, was adeptly slicing vegetables while carrying on a lively conversation with Angie, his brother, Ross, and Ross’s wife’s sister, Olivia. Sitting in the living room was Ross’s very pregnant wife, Gwen, Josh’s cousin, Alex, and Josh’s father. Olivia’s and Alex’s relations lived out of town and consequently they were always welcome to join the Whitmores for the holidays, if they couldn’t get home to celebrate with their own families.
Angie was the first to notice their arrival. Placing her wineglass on the kitchen counter, she rushed over and warmly embraced each of them. She cocked an eyebrow at Josh after a surreptitious glance at Emma’s ring finger. In answer, he gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Angie cast her eyes to the ceiling but didn’t miss a beat in welcoming Emma and taking the initiative to introduce her to everyone present.
Josh loved seeing Emma look so animated and relaxed, as she chatted with his parents and Angie. She seemed to immediately connect with the others, too.
Once all the fixings were placed in the oven to join the turkey, the entire group moved to the family room. When dinner was ready, they opened another bottle of wine and moved to the dining room. The dinner lasted well over two hours, but the time passed quickly. When Josh and Emma had a moment alone, she confided that she couldn’t remember feeling quite so much at home or welcomed. Josh was pleased how well she fit in with his family. He reached in his pants pocket, closed his hand over the small silver box and tamped down the regret that the ring was there, rather than on Emma’s finger.
After dinner, everyone lingered at the table, enjoying plum pudding and coffee. Emma helped Elizabeth, Angie and Olivia clean up. Eventually she and Josh made their way up to the bedrooms they’d been given for the night—for him the same bedroom he’d occupied as a child. Emma’s was a room down the hall.
“Merry Christmas, Emma,” Josh said outside her room and placed a kiss on her forehead. He thought about how much he wanted her to be his wife. To spend his life with her, building a family and making memories. As much as he wanted it, he wondered if it just wasn’t meant to be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
WITH THE HOLIDAYS behind them and Senator Morgan’s court date looming, Emma’s involvement in the preparations for the trial ramped up. She felt the pressure mounting.
As
she had innumerable times before, Emma wished again she could simply walk away from it all. Not Josh, of course. He was her rock.
Although she’d accepted a few more assignments, she’d put off Arlene again, this time using the trial as an excuse. In her heart, she was leaning toward not accepting the partnership offer. She was honored, but she couldn’t see herself back in New York City. She wanted her future to be here in Sanctuary Cove and, if she could have her wish, with Josh. The one compelling point weighing in favor of her accepting was the steady paycheck. She was running out of money, which was the only reason she couldn’t simply say no. Emma hoped that Arlene would still give her freelance work, if she turned down the partnership. If only her application for training service dogs would come through. At least she’d have some money coming in, even if not a lot. More importantly, she’d have something meaningful to do that she believed she’d truly enjoy.
Thankfully, Arlene was sending her assignments.
She was already engrossed in one by nine o’clock that morning when Daniel called with terrible news.
She tried to contact Josh but he was with a patient and couldn’t be disturbed. She left a message with Sherri and drove immediately to New York City.
Daniel met Emma in the lobby of the Lenox Hill Hospital. Jenna had been admitted early that morning with multiple fractures to her leg and hip as a consequence of being hit by a cube van on her way to work. Her condition was stable, and Emma learned it could’ve been a lot worse, if not for the quick thinking of an alert bystander, who’d pulled her back.
Due to the heavy sedation after Jenna’s surgery, the police had yet to get her statement; however, they’d interviewed several eyewitnesses.
With the information they already had, the police suspected Jenna had been targeted. The physical evidence at the site corroborated the witnesses’ statements about how the van seemed to have been heading straight for Jenna. It was white with no identifiable markings. Those who thought to check said the license plate had been obscured.