âYep,â said Benjamin. âI have the contract right here. Just bring your stamp over.â
Abel checked the time. Hm, Em needs some time to straighten herself out. âWeâll be there in an hour and a half.â
âSure thing,â said Benjamin. âIâm at Adelmarâs golf court.â
âAh, Iâm up for a match.â Abel smiled.
âItâs my honor.â Benjamin smiled as well.
And then the call ended. Emmeline heard it. She guessed it must have been from Benjamin. So the Murphys are there. She left the room and wrapped her arms around Abel. âEvelyn and her brother told him to call you?â
âMore than likely,â said Abel. âHe wouldnât have called otherwise.â
âGuess we should meet up with them, then.â Emmeline pouted. âIâd love to see the look on Evelynâs face.â
Abel turned around and hugged her. âKendraâs preparing a fresh set of clothes for you. You canât wear this dress now.â
Emmeline blushed. The dress was soiled, so of course she couldnât wear it. âIâll tell Kendra what Iâd like to wear,â she said.
âThat works too.â Abel patted her head. âIâll be waiting.â
Emmeline went back to the room and called Kendra. âGet me the tracksuit. The one with a red skirt.â
Kendra was holding her phone in one hand and rummaging through the closet with the other. âOh, got it. Iâll snap a pic.â
âThanks.â Emmeline ended the call. A moment later, Kendra sent her a picture. She clicked into it and confirmed that that was the set she wanted. Then she texted, âGet me a pair of socks and sneakers as well. Yeah, this is the set I want.â
Kendra texted back, âOf course, Ms. Louise. Iâll grab some skincare products too.â
Emmeline put down her phone, and then Luca came in holding two cups of coffee. Emmeline and Abel had forgotten about him, and Luca thought it was odd they were staring at them. âAm I late for something, sir?â
âNo,â said Abel. âWe were just about to leave.â
âGood to hear.â Luca heaved a sigh of relief. âHereâs the coffee you wanted, madam.â
âSo did you help Sam with her business?â Thatâs the whole point I sent him.
Luca had a sheepish look on his face, and he scratched his head. He didnât just help her with business;
he also gave her a bouquet, and she even kissed him. He could feel the taste of her lips on his. Yes, he hadnât wiped it off just yet. And he nodded timidly.
Ah ha. So itâs done. Emmeline smiled.
Half an hour later, Kendra came bearing clothes and skincare. Emmeline washed herself up and changed into the new clothes. She then tied her hair up into a ponytail, and it made her look younger.
Abel changed into a black tracksuit. He looked cool and lively in it. Half an hour later, they came to the golf court. Benjamin and Flynn came to welcome them.
Janie waved as well. âThe gangâs all here!â
Emmeline cocked her eyebrow and looked at Evelyn, who was fidgeting under the parasol, and she sneered.
Abel and Benjamin went for a game, while Emmeline and Janie went to get some shade. âAh, youâre here too, Ms. Murphy?â She pretended to be surprised.
Evelyn said nothing, but she looked cold and distant. She wasnât sure if Emmeline was the one bigwig she crossed. No matter how she cut it, Emmeline was just a regular woman. Still she said, âEmma, weâre friends. Can you help me out? Tell Benjamin to stop coming down on us.â
âI canât tell Benjamin what to do.â Emmeline smiled. âYouâre overestimating my power, Ms. Murphy.â
I donât care about you. I just need to use you.