Two Times the Charm (Clara and Emmett) novel Chapter 466

Emmett couldn't stomach the fact that his first shot at love had crashed and burned, especially to someone like Elio.

...

The appointed hour had arrived.

Elio, toting a bottle of fine wine, headed straight for their meeting.

After a considerable wait in the restaurant, Newell sauntered in, looking a bit under the weather with a palpable weariness in his eyes.

"What's up with you? You look beat."

"It's nothing," Newell waved dismissively. "Just had a late night with some buddies. I got wrapped up in a poker game and skipped sleep. I saw the time and realized it was time to meet you, so I came straight here."

"You didn't drive, did you?"

"Nope, had my driver bring me."

Elio nodded in relief. "Good to hear. I was worried you might be driving tired! If you were that beat, you should've just called to cancel, man. No biggie. We could meet up tomorrow, or the day after."

"Ah, that would be such a letdown! You rarely ask me out, and if I had said no, it'd be like slapping your hospitality in the face." Newell plunked down in a chair, his gaze quickly drawn to the bottle in Elio's hand, a sly smile forming. "Well, look at you bringing out the big guns! That's some pricey wine, huh?"

Elio set the wine on the table. "Sure, it's a treasure. But next to our friendship, it's pocket change!"

"Oh?" Newell raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling you're buttering me up for a favor?"

"What could I possibly need from you?"

"Ha, don't remind me! All this talk of legacy and whatnot, and I'm just a doc, not exactly earning much. Plus, patients are getting tougher to handle these days. My job's no cakewalk! You're the one making the big bucks, with your fancy hospital gig, meeting all sorts of folks. I'm just cooped up in a pharmacy, going stir-crazy!"

"Nonsense! If you're crazy, what does that make the rest of us? You were Grandpa's pride and joy. He always rode me hardest, said I was too unruly to handle!"

Newell just shook his head. "You weren't useless, and Grandpa didn't really mean that. He saw from early on that you weren't cut out for medicine formulas. He figured you'd be more into foreign stuff."

"Wow, was Grandpa's insight that sharp? He even saw that coming."

Newell nodded, grabbing his glass and downing the wine in one go.

"Back then, he'd talk to me about it. I did suggest maybe giving you the formulas, because you know, whoever holds those formulas lives in fear. But Grandpa was convinced you'd refuse, at least refuse to be the kind of doc who spends his life brewing herbs!"