Teacup Novellas 01 - Tea With Emma by Diane Moody

shake them just for good measure. As he squinted against the morning sun, he watched one of the shriveled, surviving leaves give up the fight and let go. It floated downward, first this way then that, finally coming to rest just beside him.
    A sign. A vivid picture.
    He’d let go too. After all these years, he’d finally let go. He was no longer a prisoner of his own making anymore.
    He was free .
    He picked up the leaf and twirled it by the stem, uttering a prayer of thanks. It had been a long, long time since he’d prayed. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time. But in his new-found freedom, he felt surprisingly close to the God he’d ignored for so many decades. As if the Almighty Himself was listening to every word he prayed. Especially the ones he eventually whispered as he invited God back into his life.
Half an hour and a phone call later, Ian Grant experienced the incomparable sweet release of complete forgiveness and a new beginning.
     

     
    Maddie and Lanie kept a cool distance in the days following their heated exchange. Maddie tried several times to apologize, but Lanie always cut her off. “We can maintain a professional partnership, Maddie, but our friendship is over. I’ll do whatever you need me to do for the grand opening. But please honor my wishes and don’t confuse our professional relationship with our former friendship.” They had slid into an odd place, one Maddie could barely tolerate. But with only four days left before they opened, it would have to do.
    Late one afternoon, Brad hung around the kitchen. “Maddie, do you have a minute?”
    “Sure,” she answered, pushing the curls out of her face and tucking them back under her bandana. “What can I do for you?”
    He leaned against the island, running his hand along the smooth granite edge. “I was just wondering if you’d consider having dinner with me sometime. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, and I thought maybe—”
    “Oh, Brad, that’s really sweet.” She turned her back to him, busying herself with the dirty stack of cookie sheets in the oversized sink. “But y’know, with the opening coming up, and everything I still have to do, I just wouldn’t possibly have time.”
    “Oh,” he said, then paused. When he didn’t say more, she turned her head to see what he was doing. He shuffled his feet then folded his arms across his chest. “Well, I can understand that. In fact, I assumed you’d need some time. Of course, I meant after the opening. I suppose I should have said that, huh? Once you’ve had some time to get used to your new routine. No rush.”
    Maddie dried her hands on her apron and turned around to face him again. “Well, uh . . . the thing is . . .” She stopped cold, her eyes glued to his lazy smile that warmed his brown eyes. She caught herself staring, studying the tiny flecks of gold in those brown eyes. What is wrong with me?! She coughed, continuing to mentally scold herself.
    He reached across the space between them, brushing the same renegade curl out of her eyes. When his fingers touched her brow, a shot of electricity bolted through her. Where did THAT come from?
    “Maddie, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you. In fact, I’ve been trying to get the nerve to ask you out for quite a while now. Guess I’m just a little slow when it comes to that sort of thing.”
    She closed her eyes and sighed. “But Brad, I just thought maybe you and Lanie—”
    “Me and Lanie? What gave you that idea?”
    She opened her eyes again. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I just fancy myself a bit of a matchmaker.” She grabbed a hand towel, absently wiping a phantom spot on the counter. “I just thought the two of you might have a lot in common. Or something. And Lanie is such a sweetheart, I just thought maybe—”
    He scratched a spot above his right eyebrow. “Wait a second. Did you . . . was that night Lanie met me at Starbucks—was that your doing? Did you put her up to