What The Heart Wants

Chapter 29

Hanna got home as promised, at ten past five. Emily had dinner all ready.

She spoke to Hanna about how things would go. "If possible. I would like to put off talking about what happened today until after dinner. If you would take the kids upstairs as soon as we're through eating. I'll talk to Alison privately in her office."

"Works for me. Then if she wants to yell at me, you take over with the kids and she and I can go a few rounds somewhere they can't hear us fighting."

Emily chided, "Don't go planning for trouble."

"I don't need to plan. Trouble between me and Alison happen naturally, no matter what we do."

Alison came in at five thirty. Emily had worried that Sinuhe would track her down and confront her, too – that she might call DiLaurentis Real Estate or show up at the office unannounced. But if she had, Alison gave no sign of it. Which was great. Perfect. Emily didn't want to get into it with her until Hanna took the kids upstairs.

Hanna put the twins in their high chair while Alison filled the water glasses and Emily brought the food to the table.

Neither Emily nor Hanna felt much like conversation, but the twins kept up a steady chatter, partly English, partly twinspeak. Their bright voices filled up what might have been uncomfortable silence.

Alison asked Hanna how she liked working for Pam.

Hanna put on a bright voice and talked about the job itself. "Already I love working there. Lots of variety. I painted woodwork, ran errands and helped Pam rearrange her office in back. We experimented with a couple of possible signature cocktails, and she taught me the POS system she's going to be using."

"I'm glad it's working out." Alison sounded sincere.

"Yeah," Said Hanna, both awkward and strangely hopeful at once. "Me, too."

The meal ground on, with Ellie waxing poetic over her love of peas. "Peas! Yummy, yum, yummy, in my tummy!" And Jake chortled maniacally at intervals. Beating his spoon on his chair tray, sending food flying.

When it was finally over, Hanna wiped up the kids and swept them off upstairs. Alison cleared the table as Emily loaded the dishwasher.

She'd just set the cycle and pushed the dishwasher door shut, when Alison said, "Okay. What's going on?"

Her heart kind of stuttered in her chest and then became a warm little ache, that she had noticed something was off. That she loved her so and she really had no idea how she would take all that had gone down that day – with Hanna, with Sinuhe and with two of the tests under the bed.

"Emily." She moved in closer, smelling of vanilla and a sweet soap and everything good. Gently cupping Emily's chin, she brushed the sweetest, softest kiss across her mouth.

"Tell me, baby. What's wrong?"

"Let's go into your study?"

Alison ran a slow finger down her cheek to her chin, stirring up sweet sensations, causing the ache in her heart to deepen. "Sure." Her fingers tailed along the side of her throat, out to her shoulder and down her arm. Alison took her hand and guided her.

In her study, Emily eased free of her grip and shut the door.

Alison went to the sofa against the inside wall and plopped down onto the cushion and patted the space beside her. "Come on. Whatever it is, tell me everything."

Emily approached with caution, hardly knowing where to begin. Alison reached up a hand to her. She took it but stiffened her knees to stay on her feet when Alison tried to pull her down onto her lap.