Page 39 of Second to None
The caller ID said V-Chem Industries, so she hurried into an empty study room and closed the door before she answered.
But it wasn’t Max. “Ms. Wade? This is Pauline Bennett, Mr. Varela’s administrative assistant.”
The one Emily had shoved past to get into Max’s office. She nearly groaned out loud. “Thank you for calling me, Pauline.”
“Mr. Varela asked me to tell you that he’s been able to locate the item you requested, and it will arrive at one o’clock today.”
Emily nearly dropped the phone. “Oh my God, thank you so much! I can’t believe it. This is fantastic news.”
“A crew will be coming at the same time to install it.”
Emily thanked Pauline a few more times and then danced a jig in the corner of the room. As the relief and excitement died down, desolation rolled over her. Max wanted to avoid her so badly that he wouldn’t even call to relay the good news himself. That was a kick in the gut.
Such a kick that she actually put her hand on her stomach, because it physically hurt.
A clean break indeed.
*
At one o’clock, Emily and Coleman stood on the sidewalk in front of the Carver Center, both of them shivering despite being bundled up in down coats, wool scarves, and ski mittens. She and Coleman had blocked off several empty parking spaces with orange cones so the delivery truck would be able to pull up right in front of the center.
“Maybe they got stuck in traffic,” Emily said, peering down the street to see nothing but a few cars.
“Ms. Emily, it’s barely one now. Why don’t you go back inside and wait?”
“Why? It’s not much warmer in there,” she said. She’d turned off most of the space heaters since right now the kids were in school buildings where the heat worked, thank goodness.
Coleman chuckled. “You got me there.”
Five minutes passed. The thought of the space heater in her office was beginning to tempt her as her nose and fingers went numb. But the deep growl of a heavy truck’s engine vibrated in her ear, and she spotted a big platform hauler turning onto their street. Behind it came a van marked Pisano Brothers Heating and Cooling Systems. And then another van and another, until five matching vehicles were trundling down the street behind the truck.
“Oh my God, there’s not going to be enough parking,” Emily said, laughter bubbling up in her throat as worry slid off her shoulders. Max might not want to talk to her, but he didn’t hate her so much that he wouldn’t send in the cavalry. She stepped out into the street to wave like a madwoman.
“Pays to know a billionaire,” Coleman said, moving the cones. As the truck drew closer, he whistled. “Ms. Emily, there are two units on that hauler. You’re gonna get a dual-zone system.”
Dismay halted her waving. “That’s going to be more expensive, isn’t it?”
“Not if your billionaire foots the bill.”
“I can’t let him do that.” Returning to the sidewalk, she resigned herself to cutting back on the wish-list items once again.
The truck pulled into the parking space, and the driver’s door swung open. A man wearing a black ski jacket and jeans leaped down and turned.
“Max?” Emily stared, feeling that kick in the gut in a different way. “Why are you driving the truck?”
His face was lit with satisfaction. “I used to drive the big military vehicles at Lejeune. Illicitly, of course. I wanted to see if I still remembered how. But now I have to let someone who knows what he’s doing work the crane.”
“I don’t understand. Your assistant called me. Not you.”
He grimaced. “I was still working out some details.”
Two men were attaching steel cables to an HVAC unit while the crane swung into place over it. A third man was deep in conversation with Coleman.
“I didn’t expect you to come.” She looked into the face that was even more dazzling in person than in her dreams.
He took her shoulders. “Nothing could have kept me away,” he said. “Wait for me.” His hands fell away, and he was striding over to the clot of men around Coleman. The circle opened instantly to include him.
Emily just stared at his profile while he talked, her emotions spinning like a tornado.
