Free Love Like You've Never Been Hurt by SJ McCoy

problem?”
    “She was married,” said Pete, deciding Jack deserved
to know at least the basic story. “She fell head over heels in
love with a guy in the early years in LA. He swept her off her feet
and she bought into all the romance and flowers shit. Trouble was,
after they got married the guy kept the romance and flowers going on
with a couple of actresses and a couple of models too. He married Em
and kept sleeping with the rest of them anyway. You probably know
him, he’s a director, Rob Rivera.”
    “Shit! I do know him, by reputation at least. The guy’s
well known for it.”
    “Yeah, he’s an asshole of the first order. Em was
young and naïve, she wanted her own fairytale. Now though, she
doesn’t believe in fairytales anymore and she doesn’t
trust her own judgment. She thinks if she likes a guy then he’ll
turn out to be another jackass and break her heart, so it’s
simply easier for her not to go there.”
    “Oh, man.”
    “The only positive I can offer is that if she’s scared
you’ll hurt her it can only be because she likes you, a lot.”
    “Well that’s great, but how do I show her I won’t
hurt her if she will only be my friend?”
    “Give her time. Be a real friend and maybe she’ll come
around.”
    “Looks like the only option I have.”

Chapter Six
    On Wednesday evening Emma was baking again as she waited for Holly
to arrive. They’d only caught up last week, but since she was
leaving for Summer Lake on Friday she didn’t know when they’d
get chance again, though she did plan to get Holly up there soon. She
hadn’t forgotten her plan to get her together with Pete that
would be lovely. Holly was happy and healthy and, unlike herself,
free from emotional damage. Emma was sure that the two of them would
get along well, perhaps much more than that. She smiled; they would
make a lovely couple. Hmm, a lovely couple. Oh, well. That was for
other people, not for her. She thought of Jack, as she had so often
this week.
    What would it be like to make a lovely couple with him?
    “ Oh, stop it, Em,”
she chided herself. He was gorgeous, a successful, self-made man who
was funny and smart. He traveled all over the country designing
beautiful, beautiful buildings – yes she’d checked out
his work online and loved what he did. Even the Phoenix Headquarters,
Pete’s building as she’d always thought of it, was
actually Jack’s building; he was the architect. But really, a
man like that could have any woman he wanted, and as many as he
wanted! She wasn’t stupid; he might want her right now, but for
how long? If she were fool enough to start anything with him she’d
be falling for him and dreaming about happily ever afters right
around the time he was moving on to an actress in LA or a model in
New York. No, it was much more sensible to stay friends with a man
like that. They could hang out and have fun, and he really was fun to
be with. He’d be one of the gang at the lake and there’d
be none of the pain or heartbreak. It was a much better idea. So why
didn’t it feel like it?
    The doorbell chimed and she went to let Holly in.
    “Oh, no. I smell goodies. I’ve warned you about this.”
Holly took off her jacket and came through to the kitchen, “Uh-oh.”
She was now serious. “What’s wrong, Em?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, I smell chocolate cake, which you usually make to go
with bad news and sad times. And you look like you lost a dollar and
found a penny.”
    “Humph! How do you know me better than I know myself?”
    “Because, my dear, I am able to observe from the outside
while you are so caught up in the inner turmoil you can’t see
beyond it. So spit it out, who peed on your parade? I thought you’d
be full of beans and eager to get up to your lake. Was Carla mean to
you?”
    “ No, Carla was
surprisingly understanding.” She’d called her agent first
thing on Monday morning to cancel the Geraldine’s
Way meeting and to
tell her she’d decided to take