No More Than This

Emma woke up with a groan at the light shining through the window. ‘Happy birthday to me,’ she thought wryly, not really looking forward to what the day would bring. Not yet, anyway.

It was March 21st and she was 29 years old, but it didn’t feel right. She had a job she loved, a house she adored, and great friends, but she felt incomplete. Emma was one year closer to thirty, and she wanted to fall in love, more than anything. She hated being single, and yet she had been since she had graduated from vet school almost four years ago, and even before that.

Emma was a full time associate in a prestigious small animal hospital, located in the beautiful Seacoast region of New Hampshire, a five minute walk to the ocean. She hadn’t been able to take the whole day off today, but had arranged to work a half shift, until two.

After that, her friends were taking her out for a birthday celebration. Husbands and boyfriends were being left at home, making it a long overdue girl’s night out.

She was looking forward to it, but she knew the only reason it was a girls night out was because she didn’t have a “significant other.”

Glancing over at the clock, she realized she’d be late for work if she didn’t hurry.

She ran downstairs to feed the dogs, and dug around the laundry room until she found a clean pair of scrubs. She had forgotten—again—to fold her laundry, leaving all her clothes a wrinkled mess, but they were only scrubs, which didn’t wrinkle very easily, and she was in surgery today anyway and wouldn’t be seeing clients.

Emma took a quick shower and pulled her hair back in a wet knot before heading downstairs. She let the dogs out. Usually, they’d come to work with her, but she was leaving for dinner straight from work. She’d arranged for her landlord to feed them and let them out later, which made things easier. Grabbing the bag she had packed a few days ago, Emma threw it in the back of her truck and made the fifteen minute drive to the office.

Lacie was already there when she walked in. “Emmaline!” she squealed excitedly. “Happy birthday!”

“Thanks!” Emma replied, suddenly feeling more cheerful as she and her friend embraced.

Lacie Davis was another associate at Hampton Beach Animal Hospital. She and Emma had met in vet school at Tufts, and had been friends ever since.

If Emma had to choose someone to live with, it would have been Lacie. She got lonely living alone sometimes. The dogs were great at listening, but not so great when it came to talking and giving her advice. The only problem with that plan of course, was Eliot, Lacie’s boyfriend of thirteen years. They’d been engaged for the past four years and were planning on getting married within the next year.

“Are you looking forward to dinner?”

“Of course,” Emma replied with a laugh. “Where are we going anyway?”

“Some fancy shmancy place down near Boston. You know how Anna gets.”

Anna, the newest and youngest member of their group of friends, was from a rich family. Since New Hampshire wasn’t exactly the center of the socialite world, they often ended up in Boston or Portland when they were going out for dinner on “special occasions.”

“Dr. Mitchells,” Emma’s boss said in greeting. Arturius Connors was about forty-five, and a well known veterinarian in the area. “Happy birthday.”

She smiled happily at her boss. “Thanks for letting me and Lacie cut out early today.”

He shook his head at her with a frown. “I just can’t believe you’re worried about turning 29. 29! Thirty’s still young, kid, trust me.” Still shaking his head, he wandered off towards his desk, which was tucked into a back corner near the surgery room.

Emma found herself unable to stop smiling while she worked. She practically danced her way through surgery—two spays and a lump removal, the music from the surgery radio playing softly as she hummed along. Carla, one of the technicians, danced right along side of her, making the surgeries go by much more quickly than they normally would.

At two on the dot, she and Lacie clocked out, and, in Emma’s car, made their way to Anna’s house, where they were all meeting.

Group hugs began as soon as Emma stepped out of her car. “Ah!” she cried out as three pairs of arms surrounded her all at once. There were squeals and happy birthdays as they hugged her excitedly.

Annabel Carlton-Smith, Georgia Thompson, and Samantha Lyzer were three of her four best friends, Lacie being the fourth.

Georgia had been Emma’s college roommate, at the University of New Hampshire. She was married with two kids, and didn’t work. She and her family lived about fifteen minutes away, in Durham. Her husband was a chemistry professor at the University there.

Samantha was a pediatric surgeon at John Greenleaf Whittier Memorial Hospital. She had performed an appendectomy on Georgia’s son three years ago, and had been friends with her, Emma, and Lacie since then.

Anna had come into the group just over a year ago. She and Lacie had met when Anna had brought her dog into the hospital. She was a trust fund baby, living on her own for the first time, and had decided she wanted a puppy. Technically, she was a writer, but didn’t really do much in the way of work. Occasionally, she put a byline in a regional magazine, but never tried for anything more. She had a spacious beach front house, spent most of her time reading, laying on the beach, and shopping but she was still down to earth and friendly once one got to know her. At twenty four, she was also very into the male species, and she didn’t care who knew it.

The five of them always had a great time together, and were incredibly close. They got together as a group as often as possible, which was often difficult with one doctor, two vets, a married mother, and a ‘rich Hamptonite,’ as they affectionately called Anna.

Maybe Emma wasn’t entirely happy with her life, but she couldn’t complain about her friends, even if they were the people who were currently stripping her down as they dragged her inside.

A Victoria’s Secret bag was pushed in her face, and she ran into the bathroom to change into the new underwear. As soon as she opened the door, they were attacking her again, pulling a dress down over her head, and applying makeup, and doing her hair. An hour later, she was in a new, gorgeous but still relatively casual white dress, with three inch wedge heels. The shoes had white ribbon that wrapped around her ankles before tying.

Emma twirled happily, loving her look. This was a tradition with all of them, dressing up the birthday girl.

“You know,” Anna commented, tilting her head as she looked Emma up and down. “We probably shouldn’t have gone with white. It’s too innocent for picking up guys at the bar.”

“All she needs is pigtails,” Georgia added with a laugh.

“Come on, guys love the innocent look, you all know it. Besides, Anna, you shouldn’t be talking, Miss-I’m-Not-Even-25-yet.” That of course was Sam.

Lacie was sitting there grinning at all of them, going crazy with her camera. “Emma’s gonna get laaaaaid,” she cackled, snapping a few more pictures before pocketing the camera. “Come on, guys, enough preening, the car is here!” Emma laughed and smiled, and let her friends continue thinking that, even though she knew it probably wasn’t all that likely. She liked to meet people, but one night stands weren’t really her thing, not with people she didn’t even know.

They were planning on hitting up at least one bar tonight, so a car and driver were a must.

Just six months ago, Anna had tried to drive home after drinking. She had been alone, and she had been lucky.

She had rear ended the car in front of her at a stop light. She had only been going about ten miles an hour, and had caused a slight dent to the car in front of her, and a crack in her front bumper, and that had been it. No damage, no police reports. She really had been lucky, but that had served as a lesson to all of them, that even if they didn’t think they were drunk, it was just easier to take a cab. They all had too much to lose.

Dinner, as expected, was fancy and very Italian. The food wasn’t what mattered though, Emma would have been just as happy in a McDonald’s, as long as her friends were there.

Sitting at the table around her were the four people she could not live without. Since she rarely saw her family, who all lived at least six hours away, Emma had found herself a new family in these women, and she wouldn’t change that for the world.

“Oh my God,” Sam announced about halfway through their meal. “I completely forgot to tell you guys. We have a new residency director at the hospital, and man, is he gorgeous!”

Anna squealed excitedly. “What’s he look like? How old is he?”

Sam grinned. “His name is Dr. James Luka, he’s 37, I think. He doesn’t look like a doctor. More like a football player, or maybe a hockey player. He’s about six three, and solid. Really muscular. Absolutely beautiful man. Dirty blond hair, hazel eyes. They seem go back and forth between brown and green.” She sighed dreamily. “His body is basically to die for. Come visit me, I’ll introduce you all,” she added with a smirk.

“Dammit, why can’t he be younger?” Anna whined. She was adamant about not dating anyone more than ten years older than her. The way she put it, older men were starting to look into settling down, and that wasn’t what Anna wanted, at least not for a few more years.

Lacie gave Emma a dancing look, and Emma knew exactly what she was thinking.

“We’ve got you beat there,” she said to Sam. “New technician. Twenty six. Black hair, green eyes, about six foot. Nicest washboard abs I’ve ever seen. I love when the new people don’t know about the faulty hose in the kennel. His name—get this!—is Dallas. Dallas Rydaine. Anna, you’d love him.”

“Bad boy or good boy?”

“Total sweetheart, but he gives off the bad boy vibe. Harley and everything. Couple small tats, one ear pierced.”

“Aww, sounds just like her type,” Georgia laughed. “I miss being single.”

Lacie shrugged. “I do sometimes. I’m so excited about the wedding though, it’s hard to miss anything.”

“Bitch, you’ve been single for less time in your life than anyone I know,” Anna snapped with a smile.

They all had to laugh. Lacie and Eliot had been together since high school.

“Maybe I will bring Brady in. He’s been looking…uh…tired lately. Yes, he’s been much too tired lately, time to see the nice doctor in her office. Lace, if he has to go in the back for blood work, can I go with him? Pretty please?” She flashed Lacie her best pair of puppy dog eyes and pouted.

“We’ll see. I think Dallas likes working with Emma better, but I’m sure I can drag him in.”

Anna giggled in excitement as she sipped the last of her wine.

When they had finished eating, Georgia pulled out a small gift wrapped box and a card, and handed it to Emma.

“From all of us,” Anna told her. “Open it!”

Obediently, Emma opened the card. It didn’t take much convincing at all.

“To the best girl we could ever meet—We’ll always be five by five! Have a great 29th birthday, Em, we love you!” They had all signed it, and Emma smiled as she set it aside.

She tore into the present to find a small velvet box, and inside that, there was a “circle of eternity” white gold and diamond necklace.

With a gasp, Emma lifted it up. “Oh my god, you guys…It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, immediately holding it out for someone to fasten behind her neck. She had always admired the necklace on other people, but more than that, the idea of it suited their group perfectly. Eternity.

It wasn’t much longer before they piled into the cab, ready to head back into New Hampshire for some quality bar-time. They had decided on a place in Portsmouth, not too far from home.

On first glance, the bar didn’t seem to hold anyone promising, but it was still early in the night.

With a toss of her hair and a seductive smile, Anna convinced two college aged guys to give up their big table. They seemed completely in awe from her, and Emma had to laugh as she fell into the booth. Sam was at the bar ordering large quantities of booze, leaving the other four to scope out the place for possibilities.

After a few shots and a couple beers, Emma was feeling tipsy. Anna was off with the guys she had convinced to give up the table, Georgia was outside on her cell phone, Sam was dancing and Lacie was so drunk she was incoherent and nearly asleep.

Knowing Lacie wouldn’t notice, Emma took a seat at the bar, waiting for the bartender to turn around so she could order another drink.

Before she could open her mouth however, a deep voice came from behind her.

“I’ll have a Coors, and a Corona for the lady here, hold the lime.” He knew her favorite drink. His voice sent shivers up her spine, and she felt a hand brush against her arm as the bartender accepted his money.

She half turned to see who had spoken.

Emma smiled shyly when she saw the man standing behind her. He was a couple inches taller than her, maybe an inch or two shy of six feet, but he had a broad muscular body that fit his height well.

“Hi. I noticed you over there with your friends and I’ve been waiting to catch you alone. What’s your name, pretty lady?”

“Emmaline. Emma.”

“Emma. I like that.” He grinned widely. “I’m Barrett. Tate Barrett, actually, but only my momma calls me that.”

“Nice to meet you, Barrett,”’ she replied, offering him her hand. Rather than shake it as she expected, he instead turned it over and pressed his lips to the back before releasing it. “Where are you from?”

“Texas, grew up on a workin’ ranch down there. How I ended up here, I still don’t know,” he drawled.

“We have our share of horses up here, you know. Just not as much space for them,” she informed him.

“You into horses?”

“Well, I rent a house on a horse farm. I love horses, don’t ride much, but I deal with the ones on the farm. I work in a small animal hospital.”

“You’re a vet?”

“Yes.”

“That’s great. I thought about vet school but don’t think I got the brains for it.”

Emma shrugged, not sure how to respond, and took a sip of her beer.

“So…your hospital…dogs, cats? Hamsters?”

“Dogs and cats mostly, but my boss does exotics and hamsters and things like that. I’m FEI licensed for horses. What do you do?”

“Real estate. Buy and sell, fix up houses. My job is pretty much my life and I get to see the country and travel. That’s why I’m up here. Got a nice place for dirt cheap, should be able to make a nice profit off of it. I’ve got a dog, Aussie cattle dog named Janie.”

“They’re nice dogs. Energetic. Red or blue?”

“Blue. I was hoping for red, but I got her as a pup and she was still white then.”

“Personally, I like the blues.”

“I like you. Can I steal a dance when you’re done with that?” he asked bluntly, gesturing towards the bottle that was dangling loosely from her hand.

Emma giggled and nodded, setting the bottle aside. “I’m done,” she informed him. She stumbled slightly as she stood, the alcohol rushing to her head, but he caught her elbow and supported her.

She giggled and pressed her body against his. “Oopsies,” she said, gazing up into his eyes. “I tripped.”

“Yeah, I see that,” he drawled as he led her out into the dance floor and put his arms around her. God, his voice was sexy, and he was an animal person too.

Slow dance? She hadn’t agreed to a slow dance.

She tensed for a minute and then realized that chances were, he hadn’t paid the DJ to play a slow one at that exact moment.

He was big and strong and handsome and…

Emma tripped and lost her train of thought, snickering to herself when she realized that maybe she was drunk after all.

At least, she thought she was snickering to herself. When Barrett chuckled in response, she realized that maybe it had been out loud after all.

“You’re a really good dancer,” she told him, gazing upwards as she plastered her body against his.

“You’re a really beautiful woman,” he responded charmingly and she giggled again. His head dipped down slightly, but he hesitated.

“Y’can kiss me, you know.”

“Can I?” he asked and she tilted her head, confused at his tone of voice.

“Uh huh. You’re pretty and you can dance and it’s my birthday, so I’ll let you kiss me.”

“Let me, huh?” he said huskily as his hand flew to the back of her neck and steadied her head as his lips descended. “Get this straight, Emma…” he muttered between tantalizing kisses. “Girls don’t let me. You don’t let me do anything. You want me to, and since I’m a nice guy…I’ll give in without a fight. I’m in charge here. You like it like that?” His mouth began to plunder hers before she could answer.

“Mmm, I told you I’d let you kiss me.” She couldn’t keep her thoughts straight. Whether it was from the alcohol or his mouth, she did not know. The man could certainly kiss. She felt her knees going weak, and she lost all awareness of the people around her.

Maybe he wasn’t her ideal, but he was a good kisser and he was cute and his voice gave her the shivers. He liked animals, which was a big plus. And who knows, maybe she’d even see him after tonight. She smiled against his mouth.

“You coming home with me?” he asked as his lips played with hers. He pulled back and stared impatiently, waiting for her to answer.

Were men this age always so blunt? Come to think of it, Emma didn’t even know how old he was. He looked to be about her age, possibly a few years older, but there didn’t seem to be that great of an age difference. And yet, in all her years of going to bars with her friends, not once had she encountered a man who was so blunt in his desires.

“Well?” he urged, sliding one hand down to squeeze her bottom.

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AN: New story! Hope everyone enjoys this introduction to Emma and her friends!

Let me know what you think of this first chapter, and there is certainly more to come! I hope some of my loyal Finding Alaska readers have followed me here!

Enjoy,

Ashley