Emma stared in disbelief at the sight before her. There stretched out on the living room sofa was a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman wearing nothing more than a scrap cloth over her abdomen.
"Who are you?" the woman asked as she slowly sat up and pulled the blanket from back of the sofa over her body.
"Emma," the shocked younger woman managed to whisper as her brain ultimately made the connection that this woman was here for Steve."
"Emma?" the woman questioned as she blinked rapidly trying to process the name. "Wait! Are you Riley's younger sister?"
"Yes," Emma said a bit more loudly than her last reply. "How do you know Riley?"
"He and Steve are friends, and we've met several times over the past few years," the woman said as she stood and wrapped the blanket around body. She crossed the living room to stand directly in front of Emma who was still standing in the doorway with the front door wide open. "I'm Catherine."
"Catherine?" Emma asked quietly. "I don't think…I mean I don't remember hearing about you."
"Well, Steve isn't exactly the kiss and tell kinda guy, if you know what I mean," the brunette said with a wink before picking up her discarded clothes. "I'm assuming that he's still at work."
"Yes," Emma said as she finally found the ability to move her body and crossed the living room towards the stairs.
"Are you staying here?" Catherine asked.
"Yes, just for a while," Emma replied before starting up the stairs.
"Would you mind telling Steve that I stopped by?" Catherine asked after she had donned her clothing.
"Sure," Emma said as she watched the other woman walk out the door. On shaky legs, Emma managed to make it to her bed before collapsing. She must have sat there for nearly an hour before she decided to get up. Needing to go somewhere to clear her head, she changed into a swimsuit and headed for the beach behind Steve's house.
An hour later, Steve walked through the front door.
"Emma!" he called as he jogged up the stairs. He was surprised to find her bedroom, and his, empty. Heading back down the stairs, he did a quick surveillance of the living room and kitchen. When he didn't find her, Steve made his way out the back door.
"Emma!" he shouted when he noticed a towel and pair of flip flops lying on the strip of beach in behind his house. He sprinted to the edge of the water. He was about to dive in when he caught a glimpse of creamy white skin, blonde hair, and a purple bathing suit swimming his way. Steve let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. He waited patiently as she swam towards the shore. Swooping down, he grabbed her towel and met her as she walked out of the water.
"Hi," she said quietly as he wrapped the towel around her shoulders.
"Hi yourself," Steve replied with a smile before bending down and pressing his lips to hers. Emma let herself get lost in his kiss for a moment before pulling back. "What's wrong?"
"You should call Catherine," Emma said as she stepped around him and headed for the house.
"What do you mean?" he asked following closely behind her.
"She was here when I got home earlier, but she decided to leave when she realized you were still working," Emma said as she stepped onto the back porch. Steve quickly caught her by the left elbow and carefully turned her around to face him.
"What did she say to you?" Steve asked.
"Just what I told you. She was very friendly, and she even remembered Riley," Emma said as she stared into Steve's eyes.
"We need to talk about this," Steve said quietly. "I need to explain some things to you."
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Steve," Emma said as she turned to walk into the house. "You had a life a before I came here and you'll have one after I leave. There's no sense in me messing up any relationship you already have."
"Emma, wait," Steve demanded as she headed towards the stairs. Not expecting the petite blonde to wheel on him, Steve had to jump back when she did just that.
"No, Steve, I won't wait. We both need to stick to the plan, which is you letting me stay here while my brother tries to find this creep that's been stalking me. Nowhere in that plan did any of us ever agree for you and me to get involved. It's just not going to work, okay?" Emma shouted before marching up the stairs and slamming the door to her room.
"Damn," Steve whispered. Back to square one he thought before picking up his phone and calling Catherine. He needed to get this cleared up ASAP so he could find a way to convince Emma that she was not just a part of a plan to him. She was his plan now, and he had no intention of just sending her back home when this was over.