Page 34 of Trouble Me
“Hold on. My computer is still being a pain in the ass. Let me write this down.” How the hell long did an update take, for God’s sake? The rainbow ball was working her last nerve.
“If we work an extra Saturday or two and don’t have any more bad weather, we can finish within about two days of the proposed completion date.” Staring down at the device in his lap, he rubbed a hand along his jaw. A frown line appeared between his denim-blue eyes, and his lips were situated in a hard, flat line. “That’s within the margin of error, but it pisses me off.”
Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes. Noah was a perfectionist of epic proportions. “I know there was an issue with the stone for the restaurant fireplace. Did that get straightened out with the vendor?” she asked.
“Yeah, thank God.” Noah shook his head. “It’s going to be a beautiful focal point, but damn, this vendor has been a pain in the ass. Unfortunately, they were the only ones that had the stone we needed.”
Emma smiled absently at her cousin. “I wasn’t worried about it. I knew you’d get it taken care of. You always do. But I knew it was an issue and something Shane will probably ask about,” she said, making a notation.
When she finished writing, she leaned forward on her desk and dropped her chin to her palm, studying him. After years of being in her own boozy haze, she hadn’t taken the time to really see the people she loved the most. Noah Reynolds was a great man, but he carried everyone’s burden with him. He always had, even before his father’s unexpected death at the age of forty-eight. Being the firstborn, Noah had taken the role of provider to the next level after his father died.
“Noah, why are you here?”
His head popped up, and confusion crossed his strong, masculine features. “What are you talking about? I told you why I was here. The weekly status meeting.”
She tossed her pen down on the blotter covering her desk. “First of all, you could’ve sent an email to cover what we just talked about. Second of all, my guess is you knew Shane wasn’t going to be here. He isn’t the type of guy to flip the script without telling you.”At least not professionallyran through her mind, and she shoved the thought away.
Noah had the grace to wince slightly and avert his gaze. Busted.
She pointed at him. “You could have rescheduled with Shane if you needed a face-to-face. So, what’s the real reason?”
Noah half sighed, half groaned, and laid the tablet on the edge of the desk. “Okay. When I heard that you were working here, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” When she opened her mouth, he raised a brow and a hand, silencing her. “You’re doing so well, Emma. But I know you’re under a lot of stress right now financially, and taking on this new job is a big deal. Your position in the company is high profile, I can tell. Plus, you’re in the business of producing something that is a deadly weakness for you.”
“That’s why I say the Serenity Prayer every morning, Noah. Every day is a fight with the demon, but for the last two years, he hasn’t won. Today is one of those days that I would have gone home and drank a bottle or two of wine. Or made a pitcher of margaritas by myself. Hell, near the end, I wouldn’t have waited until I got home to drink my stress away.”
Emma looked down at her hands as she twisted her fingers together. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, not picking up the bottle when things get tough, when I feel like everything will be right if I have just one drink. But then I remember everything wasn’t alright when I drank.” She shook her head and blinked tears away before looking up at Noah. “I lost years of my life. Years with my parents and your family, the friends I no longer have, my business I’ll never get back. I may not have much anymore, but what I do have left, I need to salvage.”
Emma leaned back in her chair and swung it toward the window that overlooked the vineyards. “And to get my life back and do something I love requires me to test myself every day. It sucks, but I’m making my peace with it.” She paused and was grateful when her cousin stayed silent. “You know, when I look out over the land here, I concentrate on the beauty of it. The whole picture. The mountains in the background and the sky that kind of completes the package. It’s...peaceful actually.”
It hit her at that moment that what she said was true, and that she wasn’t placating Noah. Pride swelled in her chest as she felt more of the burden lift from her shoulders. “The more I look at it that way, the less I look at these vines and think about how they can produce my weakness.” She turned the chair back to face Noah. “And that’s how I get through the day.”
His gaze was steady on her. “I promised my mother I would keep an eye on you. So, here I am.”
Emma was touched he was still looking out for her. Even if it was a bit heavy-handed. “Using your mother now, Noah? That’s just sad,” she teased.
“Maybe. But it’s also true. We look out for our own, Emmaline. You know that. And you’re a Reynolds. You’re one of us.”
She raised a brow when he used her whole name, something he rarely did. Out of respect for the family and Noah, she nodded once. “I know. But please understand that I have to save myself. No one can do it for me. I can’t be locked away or shielded from being around alcohol by anyone else to keep me from relapsing. That’s something I have to do for myself. You know that, right?”
Noah sighed heavily before he stood. Emma figured he knew she was right, but not happy about it. Couldn’t blame the guy, really. He was in the business of fixing things. “Yeah, I know that. But it’s hard, Em.”
She stood and came around the desk. He wrapped her in a bear hug that soothed her and went a long way to making her day better. “Yes, it is. But you can report back to Stella that things are going well.”
There was a knock on her door, followed by Lindsey sticking her head in. “Emma, there’s something here you need to sign for.”
“Okay, thanks.” Her brow furrowed as she pulled away from Noah. “Were we expecting any materials today?” she asked him. He shook his head and followed Emma out to the front of the building.
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Sitting in the front driveway was her old SUV. Except it didn’t look old anymore. It shone, looking like it had just rolled off the showroom floor.
“Ms. Reynolds?”
Stunned, she turned to the young man standing in front of her. “Yes?”
“I need you to sign here.” He held out a clipboard, a large X on the bottom of the yellow paper clipped to it.
“Sure.” She scribbled her name and he handed over her keys with an envelope.
The delivery guy touched the brim of his baseball cap. “Have a good weekend.”
