Emma: Friends and Lovers (F&L Story #1)

Emma: Part 3

The next day was Friday, and I was rudely awakened by Eve bouncing on my bed. "Wake up, sleepyhead! I have an idea to get Michael to fall in love with you."

"Go away," I groaned and covered my head with a pillow. I lifted the corner to peek at the clock - six-thirty?! - and groaned louder.

"Come on," Eve said, tugging the blanket down to the floor. "I've got this fabulous idea, and you're going to love it. Get up!"

"Coffee," I mumbled, turning my face to the mattress. "I need coffee."

"Already done. Now get up."

Fifteen minutes, I was drooping into my coffee mug as Eve pranced around the kitchen table. I hate morning people. "So, remember Justin from work? Well, he's got this lake house up on Greer's Ferry, and he was saying to me the other day that it needed a good cleaning because the maid service that he usually uses wasn't doing the job right, and I said that if he let me use it for a weekend, I'll be more than happy to make sure it got a good scrubbing before I left, and he said that sounded great and he told me where to get a key and I think this weekend will be perfect for a lake-side bash with a few friends. I mean, the place is already in a mess, so a party won't do anymore damage that it's already in, and I'll have to clean it anyway, and I think you should ask Michael to come up with you and I'll ask Chloe and Daniel, and they can bring their pontoon and we can have a party on the water...What do you think? Emma? Hey, wake up! I'm babbling here. At least you can do is nod or something so I know you're paying attention."

I peeked up at her through half-closed eyes. "You talk too much, you know that?

"That's why you love me. What do you think of my plan?"

"And how is this supposed to make Michael fall in love with me...even if I wanted that to happen?"

She sighed grumpily and stopped moving long enough to scoot back a chair and drop her perky self into it. "It's perfect. The lake is so romantic...with watching the sunset on the dock and parading around in skimpy swimsuits - speaking of which, you need to get another one. One of those mono-kini things that are so hot right now. It'll show off your good parts without being so...obvious."

I sipped my coffee, grimacing because it had turned lukewarm and said, "What makes you think Michael will even agree to go to the lake this weekend? It's very last-minute, and he may have plans already."

"From what you told me last night, he's obviously taken with you and besides he came all the way here to strike up a relationship. Now tell me he's not interested."

"Need I remind you that if he did want to strike up a relationship, he would have called me and told me he was back in town, which he did not, and what happened last night was because of creepy Keith, nothing more." I stuck my coffee in the microwave, and sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the gods of modern appliances.

"Fiddlesticks," Eve snorted. "What else are you going to do this weekend?"

"Study."

"For what? A few science classes that you don't need. It'll take you forty years to pay off your student loans as it is. You need to get a job and quit being an Eve-freeloader."

"Thanks, Mom," I retorted.

She threw her hands in the air. "Well, if you're not going to invite him, I will." And she promptly picked up my cell phone and searched for Michael's number. It was too early in the morning for this. I eased back down into my chair and listened to her.

"Hey, Michael, it's Eve...what? Yeah, I know it's seven o'clock...So? What time do you usually get up?...Oh...Well, that's just plain lazy...Don't you have a job to go to?...Oh, really? That's interesting..." She grinned at me. "So, I was thinking that Emma and me and some other friends were going to the lake this weekend...what? Yeah, I know it's April...The water isn't that cold...Oh, hush, as I was saying, we were wondering if you wanted to come along?"