Full Bloom

to relax. "Tell me about the flower shop."
    "Are you really interested?"
    "I'm interested in everything about you, Emily."
    So she told him about Emily's Garden. When he proved astonishingly interested, she gave him all the gory details, including how she had sold her car and taken out a loan from a bank to go into business for herself nearly two years ago. Her family had refused to help her finance the shop, so Emily had sought out her own financing. She had only recently been able to afford another vehicle.
    "You can imagine what my folks said when they found out what I'd done. They've been opposed to my decision to make a career in the florist business right from the start. They've done everything they could to discourage me. Grandmother Ravenscroft was the only one who actually encouraged me."
    "What made you think your family might be willing to finance the second shop?"
    Emily sighed. "I was hoping that the fact that I've made a success out of the first shop would alleviate some of their concerns about my business abilities. I'm turning a profit and I've proved I can run a business. It was dumb, I know, but I thought I'd give them another chance. Looks like I was wasting my time, though. I'll have to go back to the bank for the loan I need."
    "You never gave your father a chance to discuss the loan," Jacob reminded her. "You stormed out of the house before anyone ever got to that subject."
    Emily allowed herself a short, humorless laugh. "Let's just say that after having let myself get tricked into that embarrassing confrontation in the study, I didn't see much point in sticking around. I seriously doubt that my family ever had any real intention of discussing my business plans. They just let me believe they were willing to talk about the loan as a ruse to get me down to Portland. I should have know better." Emily shook her head. "One of these days I'll learn. I've gotten a lot better at handling them during the past couple of years, but once in a while I still get caught in the same old traps."
    "Is that how you see your family's concern for you? A trap?" Jacob asked disapprovingly.
    "I realize that in their own way they do love me and they honestly want what they think is best for me. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't put up with them at all. But they are basically a bunch of single-minded, arrogant, ruthless business people whose main goal in life is the perpetuation and glory of Ravenscroft International. Grandmother was right. They're natural business predators. On top of that, they all seem to think they were born with some divine right to run my life as well as the life of everyone else who gets within striking distance. You should know what I'm talking about. You've had the misfortune to work for them for several years."
    "Emily, I think you're overstating the case," Jacob said forcefully as he parked the car on the street in front of the restaurant. "I'll grant you that Gifford and Drake can be single-minded when it comes to running RI and maybe they do tend to think they know what's best for you. But let's face it, your track record—with men, at least—hasn't been exactly reassuring. Is it any wonder they get involved in your love life when you insist on falling for men like Brad Carlton and Damon Morrell?"
    Emily's smile thinned. She watched him warily as he switched off the car's engine. Then she relaxed slightly as she realized what was happening. "It's all right, Jacob," she said gently. "I understand how it is. You've been very loyal for a long time and old habits are hard to break. But there's no need to defend my family to me. I know exactly what they are and how they operate. I was a fool to think of approaching them for that loan in the first place. I should have known better. And I can understand how you got manipulated by them this time around."
    Jacob stared at her. "How I got manipulated by them?" he repeated, sounding honestly baffled.
    "It's all right." Emily patted his sleeve reassuringly as she started to open her door. "You don't have to explain it to me. We're both victims of my family, and we're both going to find a way to get completely out of their clutches one of these days. Maybe the trick is for us to stick together."
    "Emily…"
    She smiled kindly. "Do you know that I used to think of you as a sort of professional enforcer for Ravenscroft International? When my family sent you to buy off Brad Carlton, I told myself you were nothing more than a paid mercenary for RI.