"I actually have a fireplace in my house," he said to Arden. "And you know I don't drink, but you can have all the wine you want. I'll buy a big-ass box of it. Red or white. Your choice. Real classy shit. And I've never in my life listened to anything that had a cello in it, but I'd sure as hell be willing to give it a try."
Arden's eyes brimmed with tears and she was smiling bigger than Emma had ever seen her smile. "You sure know how to sweet talk a girl," she said. Emma thought she was going for sarcastic, but the joy radiating from her was too sincere.
Travis suddenly looked slightly tense, which was out of character for him. He opened his mouth to speak.
Arden shook her head. "Don't do it," she said.
He slammed his mouth shut and looked away.
"I want to be friends," she said, touching his arm.
He nodded, still not looking at her.
"But you can't use that to try to get me to leave Nick."
Travis scoffed and looked down at his feet. Then he looked up at Arden and Emma caught her breath at the raw emotion on his face. "Whatever you want," he said softly. "Anything. Just tell me the rules and I'll follow them. I just want to be near you."
Arden smiled, clearly pleased with herself. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek and then told him goodbye. Travis left, then, and Arden forcibly schooled her features. Alice, Shannon and Emma exchanged excited looks, clearly anticipating a good, post-luncheon debrief of Arden's five snowbound days with Travis. Arden avoided meeting anyone's eyes and soon a half-dozen ladies from church trickled in and they sat around the table and broke into various conversations.
It was a lovely tea as usual, but Emma was glad when the last of the guests left around one. She hustled clearing the table and noticed Shannon and Alice doing the same. They reached the kitchen, their arms full of dishes. Emma emptied hers into the sink and turned to pounce on Arden, but Alice beat her to it.
"I demand to know what went on with Travis Lanier. Spill it," said Alice, short, blond and antagonistic. She stumbled back onto a stool, orange juice sloshing out of her cup. Her voice was louder than it needed to be.
Emma grinned at Shannon. The nearly empty vodka bottle sat on a shelf under the sink and Shannon nudged it further back with the toe of her shoe.
Arden leaned against the butcher block work table and daintily pulled off a bite of cinnamon roll. "Honestly, Alice, nothing went on, okay? The last thing I need is people speculating and ruining my relationship with Nick."
Too late for that, thought Emma, after that little display earlier.
"Okay, Arden," Emma said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "We completely understand. But we would never spread this around. So just tell us what happened." She stepped forward, closing up their little circle.
Arden gaped at her. "Nothing happened! Why are we assuming that something happened?"
They all laughed. "You've turned him into a love sick puppy," Emma said. "In five days time. That's gotta be a record or something."
"Yeah," Alice said loudly. "So what was that conversation about?" She punctuated her question with a hiccup.
"Just an argument we had yesterday. It was nothing."
"Well then if nothing happened, make something up," Alice said. "I'm dying to hear a good story." She hiccuped again and looked confused.
Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head. Alice was abrasive in the best of situations and not generally well-liked around town. For that reason, Emma knew that Alice valued her friendships.
"Why don't you tell us a story, Alice," Arden said, still peeling off bites of her cinnamon roll and looking bored.
"Okay," Alice said. "So last night Vince came home drunk. Again. Usually Russell brings him home, but it wasn't Russell's car. I didn't recognize it, or the woman driving. When I asked Vince who the whore was who drove him home he said, 'Nobody,' and he refused to answer. Instead, he acted like he didn't know where the coffee was so I would get up and fix it for him. Which I did. Next time I won't though. I'm done fixing coffee for him. So there. Now don't you wish you'd told me a good story, Arden?"
Emma looked away. Alice's marriage had been on a slow crumble for two years now and she ached with compassion for both Alice and Vince.
Shannon, who was Alice's best friend, was less patient. "You're sabotaging your marriage, Alice, so don't expect us to feel sorry for you."
"Why can't you be supportive for once?" Alice asked. "My husband is cheating on me and you blame me for it."
"Vince isn't cheating on you. At worst, he's a little boy acting out for attention. He would never sleep with another woman."