"Well those two ladies did a wonderful job with you then," said Emily pointing to the picture she had admired before. With that the smile returned to Parker's face and Emily noticed that her hand was still on the tall woman's arm. "You mentioned something about eating?"
Parker looked down at Emily and laughed. The night before Emily had eaten twice what she had and had been eyeing the piece of fish Parker had left on her plate. Only after the second piece of cheesecake Parker had brought out for dessert did she looked satisfied. "I did indeed, but you are going to have to wait until I make one stop." There was a pout on Emily's face for that and Parker almost laughed again. The woman before her was a little older than she was, but looking at her in the sundress she had put on, they looked the same age.
"Can't it wait?"
"No my book dealer found a first edition "Confederacy of Dunces" and I want to go and pick it up. If you're patient with me, I promise to make it worth your while." Parker held her hand out in invitation and gave Emily a pout of her own.
"You are an enigma, Parker King. I would have thought that jocks only read sports magazines and watched ESPN on television." Emily took the hand that was being offered to her hoping her palms weren't sweating. She was a little nervous being here with Parker having Gail so close to them. Emily was sure Gail would have found the note by now and started her search for her. Her one wish was that her soon to be ex-lover would get help and get interested in someone else before they ran across each other again. For Emily it was over, she wasn't willing to be Gail's support system and excuse maker anymore.
"I only read sports magazines when I'm on the cover, and ESPN when they are showing highlights of me." Parker said it as serious as she could pull off wanting to make Emily smile.
"Ah, the Parker King I know and love." The last part came out before she could sensor it and the smile on Parker's face matched the blush on Emily's.
Parker squeezed her hand letting the comment slide without further embarrassing her. "The truth is I read more books than sports magazines and I only watch television on occasion. That doesn't fit the tabloid image of me, but then again I never have been one to conform to what other people want to define me as."
Emily followed Parker to the back of the house as the tennis player gently pulled her toward the door of the garage. "And what about what all those tabloids say about your nights of wine, women and song?"
"Well there's no enigma there, Emily. I like women, I like to have a good time and I don't apologize for that. The day will soon come when people will say 'Parker King who', when my name is mentioned and that doesn't bother me as much as it has others who have come before me. I will be replaced by some other bad boy or girl who will make better press, and when that day comes the girls who are calling me now for a night on the town will move on." Parker reached for her keys and opened the door to the garage. Emily noticed there was a black Mercedes parked next to the SUV she had seen Parker in before. With a quick press of a button the lights on the car flashed once and the doors unlocked.
"And when they do, what will you do?"
"When they do, I will live my life pretty much the way I do now. I play tennis, I read books and I teach my old dog some new tricks. I know that the way we met hasn't made the best impression with you, but I'm not all that bad. At least I don't think so. Would it surprise you to know that no woman that you have ever read about in connection to me has ever stepped foot in my house? Hell they don't even know where my house is. You do realize I'm only twenty-two, hardly enough time to have earned the reputation that I've been saddled with." Parker opened the car door for Emily and helped her into the passenger seat. Emily smiled as she watched Parker cross in front of the car thinking about what she had just said.
"Why am I here then?" She looked at the chiseled profile next to her and put her hand on Parker's arm. Parker was quiet for so long that Emily didn't think she would answer, or was trying to find her answer written on the wall of gardening equipment hanging in front of the car.
"You looked like you could use a safe haven, and this is what this house is to me. It's not completely secluded but it's close enough. Tomorrow you will move on and I may never get to see you again if that's what you want, so I guess I wanted to spend just the one night with you. It sounds cliché, my dear Emily, but there is something about you that I find, well I don't know what I find about it but it makes me want to know more about you. So tonight I will buy a book, take you to dinner then drop you off at your bedroom door and wish you good night. Tomorrow I will drive you to the airport and hope that I have made your bad time a little easier for you." When she finished, Parker pressed the garage door opener and started the car. Before she pulled out after putting the car in gear she looked toward Emily and added, "I did forget one thing."
"What's that?"
"I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight." Emily self-consciously smoothed down the sundress she had put on. The bright yellow cotton garment had thin straps holding it up and looked good with her hair and the sun she had gotten. Emily hadn't been fishing for compliments, but had been a little disappointed when Parker hadn't said anything. This is not a date, Em, why would she say anything? Emily smiled even though she was mentally chastising herself. The only thing she hadn't planned on was wearing a light sweater over the dress, but when she had gotten out of the shower the bruise that was a perfect imprint of Gail's fingers was visible on her arm. A reminder of just how out of control Gail had gotten.
"Thanks." When Parker put the car in drive and pulled out onto the highway Emily took back possession of Parker's hand. If it was only going to be one night she was going to make the most of it. She didn't feel guilty about wanting to be happy, no matter if it was only for a few hours.
"Emily, I want you to meet Barnaby Philpot Perry." Parker stood behind Emily with her hand on the small of her back as she made the introduction. Bending down a little she whispered, "And yes, that's his real name."
The older gentleman with a full white beard and almost black eyes came from behind the counter and took Emily's hand into his and kissed it. "Parker, you've been holding out on me, this creature is simply divine."
"Thank you, Barnaby, we just met, knows all about me and still agreed to go out with me. I just ran by to pick up my book and take the divine creature out to dinner." Emily looked around the store admiring the stacks of well cared for antique and collectible books while Parker talked to the seemingly eccentric old guy.