twenty-two | emberly
TWENTY-TWOEmberly
I imagined a different reaction when I jumped out from behind the curtain and greeted my three best friends.
Surprise? Yes. Squeals of excitement? Also, yes. Not the absolute silence that follows Rachelle’s question.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here?” I’m momentarily distracted by the diamond ring on Olivia’s hand. She and Grant have been seeing each other for six months, but I had no idea things were getting serious. “This is beautiful, Liv! I’m so happy for you … and I told you I was coming.”
“No.” Rachelle shakes her head. “You said you had to go to Nashville for a last-minute business trip and that you’d try to get here.”
When it comes to the Sixteens, “try” means “do.” Don’t they know that about me by now?
“On time.” And now I’m having a flashback of the very brief but memorable consultation with my newest client.
I have to be very careful now. The first thing I’d had to sign was an NDA.
“I wasn’t planning to stay so long, but there was a hiccup in my client’s schedule.
” I’m still not sure what that hiccup was, but I’m guessing it had something to do with the actress (no names, remember?) lounging by the pool.
“But there was no way I was going to miss our reunion. I booked a flight with Skylar and got here on Monday. There was a bear—”
“You’ve been here since Monday?” Whitney interrupts. “Where are you staying?”
I’m not expecting this question, either.
“Here. At the resort. There was a slight mix-up when I tried to check in. I couldn’t move into the cabin because my name wasn’t on the reservation, but there’s a small apartment above the garage. I’ve been staying there until you got back. I brought my things over a little while ago.”
After I was banished from said apartment.
Regret washes over me. I’d ripped back the curtain (or, in this instance, opened the door) and forced Will to confront a painful memory.
Whitney and Rachelle exchange a look.
“You must have been bored out of your mind,” Whitney finally says.
“Not a bit.” It’s the truth, but my friends are looking at me skeptically so I decide to tease them a little.
“I wasn’t quite roughing it the way you three were, but I had to sleep on a couch in the apartment, too.”
“This was the only cabin they had available when I called.” Olivia sounds a little defensive, which surprises me.
Liv has the most easygoing personality in our group. But she’s also the one who loves going to the spa. Now, her sunburned nose is peeling and her bangs are clumped together with a sticky residue that I doubt is mousse, so I don’t blame her for being a little out of sorts.
“I don’t mind.” The sofa sleeper in the living room has to be more comfortable than the fainting couch.
“Are you sure?” Rachelle is frowning. “This cabin is pretty small.”
Here’s my chance to tell them there’s another option. One phone call to Sky Chauffer and we’d be waking up to the sound of the ocean.
But I promised Samantha we’d chat. And told Iris that I would give her one of the charms the boutique owner had promised to send over by the weekend. After a lengthy discussion, we’d decided to go with the tiny charm that looks like a pine tree. The bear would be for me.
Then there’s Will …
It sounds crazy, but I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.
“I can’t move back into the apartment.” I link my arm through Olivia’s and shut down thoughts about Will.
At least for now. “I’m not going to miss another minute with you guys.
I ordered fresh fruit and a charcuterie tray from the grocery store in town and then I’m going to treat you all to a local delicacy known as the pudgy pie.
Which, I happened to have mastered while you were gone.
” I squeeze Olivia’s arm. “I want to hear everything, starting with Grant’s proposal.
Let the Suite Sixteen 2.0 reunion begin! ”
“Um, we don’t want to hang around the cabin tonight, Emberly,” Rachelle says. “We’ve been in the wilderness with the Nature Ninja for three days.”
“We want to go out,” Whitney chimes in. “There’s a band playing at some outdoor venue and it sounds like fun.”
I thought the fun part would be hanging out after we hadn’t seen each other face-to-face for a year, but I get that they want to be part of civilization again.
“Oh. Sure. It does sound like fun.” I force a smile. “We can take the convertible.”
No one seems to have a problem with that.
“I call first shower.” Rachelle pivots toward the door.
“Second!” Whitney leaps in front of Olivia, who sighs.
“I’ll unpack the car.”
I pat her arm. “I can help.”
And maybe get a glimpse of Will.
Olivia glances at my luggage behind the chair. “I’m sorry there isn’t another bedroom,” she murmurs.
“It’s okay. Really.” We step outside and I almost trip over Juni, who’s stretched out on the porch.
Olivia yelps and jumps back.
“Her name is Juniper.” I bend down to ruffle the dog’s fur. “What are you doing here?”
Juni’s tongue swipes my hand, an ambush I should have seen coming, and I laugh. “She’s a sweetheart.”
Olivia eyes Juni nervously. “It looks like a wolf.”
“Right?”
Feeling vindicated, I want to find Will and tell him that I’m not the only one who sees the resemblance.
I scan the dock and the grounds but there’s no sign of him anywhere. Iris either, which I find odd.
“I didn’t think you liked dogs.” Olivia inches around Juni.
“Just because I don’t have a dog doesn’t mean I don’t like them.” Nona would freak though. Not even the Ficus tree in the library is allowed to shed on the carpet.
“I suppose it would be kind of hard when you’re jet-setting around the world.”
I smile. “I wouldn’t exactly call it jet-setting.” More like working. It isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, either. Whether I’m shopping for my clients in New York City, Paris, or browsing through art galleries, making sure my promise meets their expectations comes with its own amount of stress.
Olivia doesn’t smile back. She unlocks the trunk of their rental and I grab one of the bags.
“When did Grant propose?”
The upper part of Olivia’s body disappears into the trunk, but in the jumble of words, I hear “birthday.”
“He proposed on your birthday?”
That was two months ago.
Olivia pops into view again. “We’ve been pretty busy …”
“And you wanted to wait until we were all together to share the good news,” I finish. “I get it! Did you set a date yet? I’m thinking bachelorette party. Dad might let us use his condo in Sonoma.”
The trunk closes with a snap. “We haven’t had time to figure out all the details.”
I reel Olivia in for a quick hug and try not to choke. She smells like a combination of a gym locker room and the fish cleaning shed, but I don’t care.
“You’re the first of the Sixteens to get married! This is going to be great.” I’m imagining dress shopping and matching bridesmaid dresses and pouring over bridal magazines. Maybe they brought some along …
“I really need a shower.” Olivia’s nose wrinkles as she slides the strap of her bag over one shoulder. She’s probably wondering if the unpleasant odor is coming from the trunk.
Being a good friend, I don’t tell her the truth.
An hour later, they’re finally ready to leave. The girls are all wearing tank tops, miniskirts, and cowboy boots. Since I didn’t get the dress-like-a-backup-singer-for-Declan-Murphy memo, I grab the red sundress I’d worn the day I’d ridden with Will and Iris to the grocery store.
The moment I slip it on, I remember the way Will pressed his hand against my back so I wouldn’t get burned by the leather seat. It had shocked me so much that my brain shut down for a moment. And then the moment was over.
I told myself that it was an instinctive gesture on Will’s part. He’s so protective of Iris, that particular trait must be hardwired into his DNA.
Then he’d put the truck in reverse.
Because he was embarrassed? Or because he’d felt that spark of electricity, too?
Now I’m remembering something else. The way his entire body stiffened when I hugged him. The rapid thump of his heart against my cheek.
“What do you think of Pinehart?”
The image dissolves and I glance at Rachelle, who has claimed the front seat. In the rear-view mirror, I see Whit and Olivia lean forward.
“It’s not what I expected.” Actually, it was exactly what I expected. Isolated. Woodsy. It’s also beautiful. And peaceful.
“We weren’t sure you’d come after you saw the website.” Whit chuckles and Rachelle shoots her a look.
“I didn’t look at it.”
“You didn’t?” Rachelle stares at me. “Why not?”
I shrug as I put the key in the ignition. “You said you wanted a change and this is the place you picked. Whatever it was—” Or wasn’t. “—didn’t really matter.”
And if we’d gone to the Keys as planned, I wouldn’t have met Will.
We drive past the firepit and smoke rises into the air. Every Adirondack chair is taken and Mrs. Billings waves at me. I wave back, wishing I could join them, and then feel guilty.
My besties are in the car with me. I look forward to our reunion all year. We’re going to have fun …
I repeat this silently to myself as I glance at Will’s cabin and wonder what he and Iris are doing tonight.