Chapter 23
Jake jogged up his parents’ steps the following morning. He’d hoped to find Emily’s Jeep in their driveway, but it wasn’t
there. His shoulders sagged with more disappointment.
Throughout the night, he’d searched for Emily while trying to call and text her. He drove past Seth and Andi’s house, but
when he didn’t find her Jeep there, he kept going. He checked the park and their favorite restaurants, and he even went to
the mini-golf course they loved when they were kids, but Emily was nowhere to be found.
After running out of places to visit, Jake finally retreated to his house after midnight, where he tossed and turned in bed.
He’d slept in short spurts, during which he dreamed about finding Emily, explaining everything, and sealing his love for her
with a kiss.
Every time he woke, he checked his phone, hoping he’d missed a call or text, but he hadn’t heard a peep from her.
Jake was running out of options. All that was left to do was wait, but his worry was getting the best of him. He feared she’d been in an accident and was lying injured in a ditch or under an overpass.
Now your imagination is getting the best of you!
With a sigh, he wrenched open the door and hurried into the kitchen, where his mother was washing dishes. “Have you seen or
heard from Emily?” he asked.
“She was here earlier.” Mom swiveled to face him. “I told her that you were worried about her last night.”
His pulse jumped, and he leaned on the back of a kitchen chair. “What’d she say?”
“She said she got in late and she had to run because she had a lot to do today.”
“Like what?”
Mom shrugged. “I don’t know, but I assumed it had to do with the orchard.”
“Was she carrying her suitcase?”
“No, but she had that big bag she always uses for her art supplies.”
Well, that seemed like a good sign. Maybe she was working in the orchard.
“Thanks.” He turned to go.
“Hold on a minute. You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” Mom tossed the dish towel on the counter and made
a beeline toward him. She touched his arm. “Talk to me.”
Jake rubbed his collarbone. It was time to tell her the truth, no matter how painful it might be for her. He took in a deep
breath. “There isn’t going to be a wedding. I never proposed to Claire.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s complicated, but Claire made it all up as a way to trap me into staying with her. I broke up with her more than a month
ago, but she can’t seem to accept it.”
Mom’s mouth opened and then closed, and he waited for her to burst into tears.
Instead, she just looked sad, but it tore him up just the same. “Why didn’t you say something last night?”
“I tried to. But every time I attempted to talk, my words were cut off.” He moved his fingers over the doorframe. “Plus, you
seemed so excited, and you kept saying that this was what you and Dad needed. I didn’t know how to tell you the whole thing
was fake. Not right then.”
He hesitated. “I’m sorry I didn’t admit the truth last night, but I was overwhelmed. I was furious with Claire, and I was
worried sick about Emily. She hurried out of there, and when I tried to stop her, Claire blocked me, and I didn’t want to
make a scene. I tried to call and text Emily all evening, but she never responded,” he said. “And I wanted to wait until the
right time to explain what was going on. Claire was determined to keep her lie going, and it ended up getting out of control.
I figured it was best to tell you the truth in private and deal with her later.”
Mom searched his eyes. “You should know that you can tell me anything,” she said. “I mean that. Always.”
He ran his hands down his face. He needed to tell her everything. His mom deserved the whole truth. “I’ve been seeing Emily. We’ve been keeping it private for now,
but after what happened last night, I think I may have lost her.”
“You and Emily?”
Mom cupped her hands to her mouth as he nodded.
“That’s . . . Oh, I can’t believe it. That’s so sweet. You two grew up together.” She clicked her tongue and smiled. “How
romantic.”
“I’m not sure how romantic it is when she won’t return my calls or texts.”
“She hasn’t left town, and Splendid Lake is only so big. You’ll find her.” Mom touched his arm. “I’ve known that she was in love with you for a long time.”
“You have?” He could hear the thread of hope in his voice.
“Yeah, it’s obvious.” She pointed toward the door. “Now, go find her and tell her how you feel.”
“Thanks. I will.” He hugged his mother while his chest swelled with hope. Then he rushed out the door and down the path toward
the barn.
“Jake!” Vince sprinted over to him. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Have you seen the mural?”
“What mural?”
Vince pointed to the barn. “On the barn. You’ve got to see it. She’s amazing.”
“She?” Jake asked as he picked up the pace.
“Yeah, Emily. Who else?” Vince grinned.
Emily!
Jake took off running down the path and stopped short when he spotted Emily perched up on scaffolding.
His breath caught as he found the most magnificent mural he’d ever seen coming to life on the side of the barn facing the
road.
The details weren’t completely colored in, but he could tell it featured his family’s orchard logo at the top. She’d sketched
out the lake, the orchard, and the barn itself. Across the top stretched the words 100th Anniversary Celebration. Then the bottom featured a message that read: Serving the Community for 100 Years.
It was Emily’s masterpiece, and she was displaying it in Jake’s orchard. She was finally sharing her talent, her gift, with
the world. A mixture of pride, love, and appreciation roared through him.
Cupping his hands around his mouth he called, “Emily!”
She turned toward him, and her gray hoodie, jeans, shoes, and face were all dotted with paint. She had never looked more beautiful.
And at that moment he felt it again: He was madly in love with her. He yearned to fix things between them—now.
She studied him with an unreadable expression. “What?”
“We need to talk.”
“I’m busy.” She pointed toward the mural and then turned her attention back to her project.
Jake sighed and shook his head. She could be so stubborn sometimes!
“Seriously, we need to talk!” he called. He waited a few moments before he growled out an impatient noise. “Fine,” he muttered.
“If you won’t talk to me, then I’ll come up there and talk to you.”
He climbed the scaffolding, but she only glanced at him before she continued painting details of the lake.
“Are you really going to ignore me while I’m standing right here?” he asked.
“I told you I’m busy.” She swiped her hand over her temples and then continued.
He watched her work, taking in her pinched forehead and serious expression.
“The mural is fantastic. Your best work yet.”
“Thanks,” she muttered.
He waited for her to speak, but only silence stretched between them. When he turned toward the ground, he spotted a group
of orchard employees watching them, along with some curious folks who had stopped along the side of the road. “You have an
audience,” he said, but she remained silent.
Emily Carmichael sure knew how to hold a grudge. It was up to him to get her talking, and the only way to do that was for him to start.
“Did you get any of my messages?” he asked. “I must have left you at least two dozen last night.”
“I got them.” She dipped her brush in blue and applied it to the lake.
“And . . . ?”
She kept her back to him.
He was ready to yell his frustration. “Please talk to me, Em. I’m begging you.” He folded his hands as if he were saying a prayer.
She spun to face him. “What’s there to talk about?” she demanded. Her face was all business, but her hands were shaking.
He reached for her, and she took a step back from him. He pulled his arms back, not wanting her to lose her balance on the
scaffolding. “I’m sorry about last night, but you should know I had nothing to do with it.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Seriously. I’m not marrying her.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” she muttered.
“What do you mean by that?”
She sighed. “I don’t have time for this.”
He groaned. “Look, I was just as blindsided as you were. I never proposed to Claire. That was all a setup. She’s been determined
to get me back ever since I told her we were done. Then she figured out that I was seeing you, and she was even more persistent.
That’s why she did it. I honestly had no idea why her parents invited us over.”
She continued painting with her back to him.
“I don’t love her.”
She froze.
“Emily, I want you, not her. My greatest fear is losing you. I drove around for hours last night looking for you.” His voice sounded thin and reedy.
“I woke up at least once every hour during the night, hoping you’d called or texted me.
I was so frantic. I worried that something had happened to you. You have to believe me.”
Emily finally turned toward him, and her golden eyes locked on his. “Then why did you kiss her?”
His heart froze. “What are you talking about?”
She set down the paintbrush. “I saw you kiss her Wednesday night.”
“When? Where?”
She pursed her lips and picked up the brush. “Forget it.”
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently turned her toward him. “I can’t stand this distance between us. What are you
talking about?” And then his mind clicked into place. “You mean Wednesday night in the driveway.”
She sniffed. “It doesn’t matter.” She spun back to the mural.
“No, it does matter. And I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me, and I pushed her away. I told her it was over, and she said, ‘That’s what you think.’ I didn’t know what she meant, but
that must’ve been when she cooked up her stupid idea to tell our parents we were engaged.” He touched her shoulder. “You have
to believe me. I’m telling you the truth.”
She shook her head. “Look, forget it. We were kidding ourselves when we thought we could make this work. You clearly belong
with Claire, and I’m okay with that.” Her voice sounded thick.
“But I’m not okay with that, because I disagree.” He touched her shoulder again. “Please look at me.”