Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
EMILY
As I sped down the highway, I chewed on my lip.
Some of my initial excitement at going to find Dana had worn off, replaced with worries.
What if my appearance upset Dana? I’d tried calling her a couple of times, and it kept going to voicemail.
Perhaps I could call Roz, at least see if she had any information about Dana?
If Dana was having Christmas dinner at their place, perhaps it would be better to wait until after Dana had finished, rather than interrupting everyone to declare my feelings.
I clicked the voice assistant button. “Call Roz.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t find a Chaz in your contacts.”
“Not Chaz, Roz.”
“Calling Nachos-R-Us.”
I let out an exasperated sigh and pressed the red button to hang up.
“Call Roz,” I repeated with my very best enunciation.
“Calling Roz.” Roz’s name flashed onto the screen.
Oh, thank god. Those years of voice lessons weren’t in vain.
“Emily?”
A lump formed in my throat, and I realized I hadn’t thought through exactly what to say.
“Hi, Roz, sorry to bother you—and Merry Christmas. I was just wondering if you knew what Dana was up to today. Is she having dinner with you?”
I winced. I sounded like a creepy stalker ex. I wouldn’t blame Roz if she didn’t respond.
“No, she isn’t. She just stopped in on her way out to wish us a merry Christmas.”
On her way out? I frowned. “Do you know where she was going?”
“She said she was going to her parents’. It sounded like a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
Dana was going to her parents’ for Christmas? My chest inflated. She’d decided to go, by herself. God, she was incredible.
And I’d abandoned her.
A car zoomed past as I eased off the accelerator. “Do you know where her parents live?”
Roz paused for a moment. “I’m pretty sure they’re in Westchester County, near Adlington? But I don’t have the exact address, sorry.”
“Thanks Roz. I appreciate the help. I’d better let you get back to it.”
“I hope it goes well,” Roz said.
“Thanks, Roz. I hope so too.”
I pulled over and tried to call Dana again, hoping she was in reception by now.
It went to voicemail yet again.
I typed “Adlington” into Google Maps and then mentally trawled through my past conversations with Dana, trying to think of any information she’d shared about the farm. A river. Dana and Jake had thrown pebbles across a river on the farm.
The Yardley River wove through Adlington. I changed the map to see the satellite image and zoomed in on it, following the river’s weaving path.
There were multiple farms along the way. I sighed.
I spotted a tennis court, which jolted a memory. They had a tennis court. Was that the farm? My heart sank as I realized the next farm along the river had a tennis court as well.
But Dana’s tennis court had been special… She’d said it was smaller than a normal-sized court, perfect for kids! With renewed excitement, I scanned the satellite image.
There it was.
A farm with a tennis court, at least a third the size smaller than the other courts I’d spotted, the river running behind it.
I plugged in the directions. It was fifty minutes from Sapphire Springs to the farm, and thirty-six minutes from where I was.
If Dana had only left a couple of minutes ago, I might be able to get there before she did.
The last thing I wanted to do was turn up unannounced to her family’s Christmas dinner without speaking to her, but if I could wait for her outside the farm, talk to her privately first… perhaps that would be okay?
I glanced at the present I’d brought her on the day we’d met Charles for coffee in Brooklyn. At least I could give her that, even if she sent me away. I started the engine and merged back into the traffic. I didn’t have a moment to lose if I was going to get there before Dana did.