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a message.
    I love that place. I’ll eat you under the table.
    He was about to press ‘send’ when he realized the double meaning. He wondered with a wicked grin what her reaction would be, but decided it was too early. He played it safe instead.
    I love that place. See you then.
    He turned back to his depositions, finding it was easier to concentrate on work now that he had plans to see her tonight.

Chapter 4
     
    “So what’s up with this guy from work?” Layla asked, peering down at the color on her toenails as the polish dried.
    “Hmm?” Emma looked up from the magazine she was reading as the salon worker scrubbed furiously at her feet. Apparently it had been too long since her last pedicure.
    “The one who texted you the other day. What’s the deal with him?”
    “Oh.” Emma stared back down at the magazine. Layla had an uncanny ability to tell when she was lying from her face. “He works on another floor. I’m having dinner with him tonight.”
    “What’s he look like?”
    “Really hot. He’s tall, with an amazing body and these blue eyes…”
    “Sounds like you really like him.” Layla smiled at something she read on her phone.
    “I’m not looking for anything serious.”
    “Guess what Mom told me?” Layla said excitedly. “Cole’s coming to their Labor Day party. And he’s single! I was trying to pry and figure it out when we saw him the other day, but he never gave me a straight answer.”
    Emma stopped breathing for what seemed like a long time. This was her chance to come clean to Layla about running into Cole. But that wasn’t what was really bothering her. The pit in her stomach was from knowing they would see each other again. Layla would work her magic, and Cole wouldn’t be able to resist it. He would look right past Emma, the quirky artist, and see only her sister, the beautiful attorney. She still couldn’t believe it hadn’t happened the other day.
    “Maybe you should just wait and see if he asks you out ,” Emma said, trying to keep her voice nonchalant as she flipped through the magazine pages.
    “You know that’s not my style. We’re perfect for each other. It would be romantic if we ended up together after all these years apart.”
    Emma shoved down the stabbing jealousy that rose within her. Layla wasn’t trying to hurt her; sh e didn’t even know Emma had been seeing Cole. And they weren’t dating, anyway.
    “Maybe we can all go out,” Layla said, her eyes shining. “Me and Cole and you and the guy from work.”
    “Sure,” Emma said, smiling to herself at the mental picture conjured by the thought.
     
    *****
     
    When her gaze landed on Cole perched at the bar in a dark t-shirt and faded jeans, Emma realized he looked every bit as good casual as he did in a suit. The t-shirt emphasized the lines of his wide shoulders and muscular back. She imagined pulling it off and running her fingers over his bare skin … sinking her nails into his back.
    Wonder what he sounds like in bed? Hot. I’m sure he sounds hot.
    “Hey there,” she said as she approached.
    “Hi,” he said, getting up to greet her. She grinned when he gave her another kiss on the cheek. “This place smells great, let’s get a table.”
    She had chosen a casual barbeque restaurant that was one of her Dad’s favorite places to go when just the two of them were having lunch.
    “I’ve been thinking about this art exhibit we’re going to, and I need some advice,” Cole said as they waited for their food to arrive. “Help me out with some things I can say to people there to make me sound like I know what I’m talking about. Something besides, ‘That’s my favorite color’.”
    Emma laughed at his grin.
    “You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy art,” she said. “ Just say what you feel.”
    “Do you always say what you feel?” he asked. Emma’s pulse quickened at t he low tone of his voice and his meaningful expression.
    “Um … I do when it comes to art,” she said. A