Full Bloom

family, whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. They don't want him involved with me, and they'll find a way to get rid of him if I don't use those shares as a real threat. My stake in RI is all I have with which to control them."
    "How can your family put pressure on him to get him to leave you alone?"
    "They'll find a way," Emily predicted morosely. "It might be something very subtle, such as suggesting to him that he's no good for me and that if he cares for me he'll exit, stage right."
    "Hmm. Interesting approach. Think Jacob would fall for it?"
    "He might, if it was handled cleverly enough. After all, Jacob has a deep sense of loyalty to Ravenscrofts in general and to my father in particular. If Dad went to him and told him he should sacrifice his relationship with me for my sake, it's possible Jacob would believe him. Or Dad might try another tactic. Who knows? That's the whole problem."
    "So you thought you'd short-circuit your family by making it clear you'd dump the shares in RI if they made any kind of move to get rid of Jacob." Diane hesitated. "You know something, Emily, that was pretty gutsy of you. There must have been a nuclear explosion after you delivered your ultimatum."
    "I don't know. Jacob rushed me away before I had a chance to see how my family took the blackmail. They aren't accustomed to me taking a firm stand with them, though. The only other occasions I've really stood up to them were when they refused to give me a loan for this shop and when they wanted me to surrender my seat on the RI board of directors."
    "You know something, Emily?" Diane murmured. "I've always kind of wondered why you didn't give up that seal. You're not really interested in RI. Why did you take a stand on that issue?"
    Emily shrugged. "I had no choice. I made a promise."
    "To yourself?"
    Emily shook her head quickly. "No. To Grandmother. That's not important now. The important thing is, what am I going to do about the disaster I've created with Jacob?"
    "I give up. What are you going to do?"
    "I don't know." Emily fiddled with some vines she frequently used as backdrop greenery for her arrangements. "I just don't know. Maybe this is the end of it. I haven't heard from Jacob since I left yesterday morning."
    "Be fair, Emily. He hasn't heard from you, either."
    "He wants an apology for the way he thinks I used him."
    "Are you going to apologize?"
    "Diane, I didn't use him! I was trying to protect him. If he can't realize that, what hope is there for any kind of real relationship between us?"
    "What hope is there for any kind of real relationship if you don't start communicating with him?" Diane asked reasonably.
    A wave of despair and panic washed over Emily. "You're right, I guess."
    "You're dealing with a man's ego here, Emily. That is not one of nature's more rational creations."
    "Why do women always have to be the reasonable, rational ones? It's not fair," Emily protested, knowing now she was fighting a losing battle. She'd lost enough battles in her life to recognize the signs.
    "Nature is not always inclined to play fair."
    Emily picked up a handful of flowers. "Right again. I might as well bite the bullet and apologize, even though I have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You know, Diane, this really goes against the grain."
    Diane laughed. "Spoken like a true Ravenscroft. Never give an inch."
    "I wasn't planning on giving inches. I think I'll send the traditional apology."
    "What's that?"
    Emily smiled wryly and held up a rose. "The problem is," she said sadly, "even if he accepts the apology, we're still back to square one. Since he won't let me blackmail my family with those shares, I have no other way to protect our relationship. My family will start trying to wear us down as soon as they know the shares are safe. How long can a love affair last under those circumstances?"
    "You won't know until you try. First step is sending the roses."

    The two dozen yellow roses arrived just as Jacob was throwing the last pair of jockey shorts into his overnight bag. He answered the doorbell impatiently, intent only on getting rid of whoever stood on the other side. It was going to be a long drive to Seattle and he wanted to get going.
    The sight of the floral delivery boy left Jacob briefly openmouthed with astonishment.
    "You must have the wrong apartment." He started to close the door.
    "No, wait—it says Stone, apartment number 1202," the young man said quickly. "This is 1202, isn't it? Isn't your name