CHAPTER FORTY
Rory
I s this a joke?
It must be a joke.
I’m staring at my computer screen, sitting in the lodge at Empyreal, and I think I might cry.
Friday, March 28, 2025
To: Rory.Anderson@willowtreeelopements.com
From: TylerPlum@sacramentoweddingsmag.com
Subject: Potential Partnership
Ms. Anderson,
I came across some photos you took recently for John and Bree Tanner and was incredibly impressed. They mentioned you were in the beginning stages of building a new business with a focus on elopements. To be completely honest, this is a market we at Sacramento Weddings Magazine would like to cater to and showcase more, which is where this email comes in. I think we could work together in a way that could be mutually beneficial. Would you be available for a virtual meeting on Monday where we could discuss this further? Let me know at your earliest convenience.
I’m a workaholic, so I’ll have access to my email all weekend.
Sincerely,
Tyler Plum
Marketing Director, Sacramento Weddings Magazine
I pinch my arm. Yup, I’m awake, and damn that hurt. I type out the fastest reply in the history of mankind, do a quick read-through for any typos, and hit send before I can think better of it. Then I watch my inbox with bated breath for all of a minute before Tyler’s reply pops up.
I have a ten o’clock meeting with the marketing director for a major wedding magazine on Monday. Is this real life?
My chair scrapes against the stone floor when I jump up with a little squeal. The dwindling number of people still sipping hot cocoa or drinks from the bar all turn to look at me. I give an awkward wave and sit back down, doing a little wiggle in my chair instead of a happy dance next to it.
This is huge. This is huge, right?
I grab my phone and the desire to tap on Breck’s number almost overpowers me, but I don’t give in. I’ve been avoiding that particular contact for weeks now.
Instead, I hit the name of the very first person in my favorites… Wes. It rings three times before he accepts my FaceTime request. His face is smushed against his pillow and his hair is mussed. Oh crap, it’s like six in the morning in Sydney. He groans out my name, so it sounds more like smores than Roars .
“Sorry!” I say, and he flinches. “Sorry,” I say again, quieter this time. “I forgot what time it is there.”
“It’s fine, but no more shouting. I got in late from work last night, so I’ve only been asleep for”—he finally opens one eye to look at the phone before closing it again with another groan—“four hours.”
“I’m sorry. Oh god, did I wake Joss too?”
“Nah. She’s on a trip until tonight, so it’s just me losing out on beauty rest today. Hold on a sec.” The camera pauses and when it flickers back on, he’s propping the phone against something in the kitchen. “So what is it that couldn’t wait until a tolerable hour to tell me?”
“I might be partnering with a bridal magazine in Sacramento.” The words come out fast and squeaky, but Wes doesn’t miss a beat.
“What? Seriously? That’s incredible, Rory!” The wide smile that splits his face shows all his pearly teeth and his big dimples.
“It’s not a done deal yet, but I got an email from their marketing director today about working together. Wes, this could be huge for me.”
“You deserve it, baby sis,” he says, and I cringe. “Sorry, old habits. It’s hard for me to remember sometimes that you’re this super accomplished, super impressive woman and not the kid sister I grew up with. I’m seriously so proud of you, Rory.”
I turn red at his compliments. “Thanks, Wessy.”
“Real nice,” he deadpans, and I laugh. “So, tell me what else is going on? How’s the resort? And the business? You holding up okay with both?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot, but I have so many bookings from May onward that I won’t have time for the resort. Hannah’s mostly taken over for me here anyway, and she’s so much more into the whole content creation thing than I ever was.”
“That’s what I love to hear. What about until then?”
“Well, I have whatever comes from this new contract to figure out. The meeting is on Monday, and then I’ve got a bunch of elopements scheduled for the beginning of April, but I left the last few weeks kind of open.” I look away from the screen. “I was going to call you today anyway. I want to come visit you and Joss…” I trail off, worried he’ll hear everything I’m holding back.
“Yeah?” he prompts.
“Yeah,” I say, giving him nothing.
“And?” He drags out the word, turning it into a question.
“And what?” I snap, but when I bring my eyes back to him, he’s smiling.
“And Breck and Willow?” He tilts his head and smirks.
“Yes, okay. And Breck and Willow. Are you happy?”
“You don’t have to hide that you want to see them. That you want to see him .”
My eyes widen at the emphasis and the implication, but I roll my lips.
“Did you really think I couldn’t tell there was something going on?”
“Um, yes, I did think that!” I shout, drawing the attention of the last stragglers in the lodge. I lower my voice. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You’re both adults. I knew if there was something I needed to know, you’d tell me. Of course, then it became so damn obvious with how you’ve been dancing around each other since he left.”
“But he’s your best friend. You’re not mad we—”
“Stop. I don’t need to know the details, thank you very much. And no, I’m not mad.” He runs a hand through his hair and takes a sip of the coffee I just watched him brew. “I do want to know if you’re okay though. He left, and you’re still there. I guess I want to be sure I don’t need to beat up my best friend or something.”
I laugh then put my head down on the table, too overwhelmed by this surprise turn in the conversation to make eye contact with him right now.
“I think I’m okay. He didn’t promise me anything. But…”
“You miss him.”
“I miss him.” I look up, my chin still resting on my hands. “A lot. I just got this huge opportunity that I’m over the moon about, but the person I want to tell more than anyone isn’t here.” My face falls, eyebrows scrunched together.
“So why’d you call me instead of him?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked in weeks.” Admitting it out loud makes my heart hurt, but I guess I’m done ignoring this now. “I know he’s trying to figure out his life there. I don’t want to overrun it with my stuff. I don’t know if I’m making it all up in my head—what I felt when he was here, what I thought he felt too.”
Wes sits quietly, and I appreciate that he’s such a good listener, just letting me talk.
“I thought if I could come visit and see him—in his element, see that he’s good there, that he’s where he’s supposed to be—I could let go.”
“Or you could come visit and see he misses you just as much as you miss him.”
“You think so?” I ask with too much eagerness in my voice, too much hope.
“Yeah. I do. Send me those dates and I’ll get you a flight.”
“I can get—”
“I know you can.” His lips tip up in a grin. “Or you could let your big brother do something for you for once.”
I nod, love for him filling my chest and butterflies filling my stomach.
I’m going to Sydney.
“Thank you, Wes.”