15. Emma
Iwaited until I heard the door to the suite close, and then I let the tears fall. Despite wallowing in my tumultuous emotions all night, I kept the tears at bay, holding onto my anger and fixating on all the ugly words my father had said to me.
Jaime wasn’t wrong, but I didn”t need to hear it again. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my dad didn’t care about my wellbeing or honoring my mother’s wishes. Deep down I’d known all along, but the confirmation was staring me in the face and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I felt like I was losing another parent—and was an orphan now.
I glimpsed myself in the mirror and bit back a groan at the raccoon eyes and the tear-streaked redness.
I needed to get out of here and get some air. It”s what I should have done first thing instead of moping around my hotel room all morning, avoiding talking to Jaime or Caroline and Abby.
I would have to deal with this situation soon, but I needed some time to clear my head.
Nothing in haste, my love.
The words flitted through my head, clear and concise, and from a voice I hadn”t heard in far too long.
”Mom?”
There was no response, but my brain replayed the words, ”Nothing in haste, my love.”
That”s what she used to tell me when I was younger and I was torn up about making a decision. I always felt pressure to make the right decision. I had never wanted to disappoint my dad, but my mom had been a big fan of taking your time. She believed you could never be too late for an opportunity because you’d be just on time for the thing that was meant for you.
I’d been up all night worrying about how to best tell my father to fuck off without losing what I’d worked so hard for and protecting what was my mother”s. But I suddenly realized I didn”t need to run myself ragged trying to figure this out. It was time to take a page from Lydia Carter”s book and take my time.
With that in mind, I got dressed and left the resort. I didn’t look over to the bar to see Jaime watching me as I exited the lobby. I drove my rental car to Rainbow Lake, where I stored my rowing scull and oars.
It had been way too long since I”d been on the water, but soon I was in the zone. Calm washed over me and my mind no longer raced. The rhythmic click of the oar in the oarlock, the roll of the seat, the controlled breaths required with each stroke. I was too busy focusing on my technique to overthink the mess I found myself in.
I left everything on the water—my anger, my frustration, my sadness. As I coasted into the dock, I felt more at peace about what I needed to do.
It was time to round up the troops.
***
”Do you know why she called this meeting?” I heard Caroline say quietly to Abby through the screen of the laptop.
”No, but I figure it”s huge if she”s doing it in the middle of the day. What exactly are we waiting for?” Abby asked.
”We,” I broke in, ”are waiting for room service. Abby, are you someplace where you can get an enormous glass of wine?”
Abby”s eyes widened. ”Does cooking sherry count?”
Caroline made a face at the suggestion, but then Abby”s eyes brightened and she said, ”Oh, wait, we do have some bourbon for our Kentucky bourbon cake in the pantry. Hold on a second. I”ll be right back.”
Caroline looked over her shoulder at me. ”Encouraging her to drink on the job, are you? You”re really starting to worry me, Emma.”
I settled down next to my best friend of many years. ”No need to fret. Today is the day I put all of your worries to rest—with your help, of course.”
”And we need to be tipsy for that?”
I shrugged, smiling. ”How do we hatch our best plans? It”s usually over a glass of wine or margaritas. Sue me for wanting to remain authentic.”
There was a knock at the door and the call of ”room service.”
I hurried over to the door to greet the server with our bottle of red. I gave him a generous tip and thanked him before shutting the door behind me and popping the cork. When I returned to Caroline with our glasses, Abby had settled in and poured herself a small tumbler of bourbon. ”What are we drinking to, Emma?” she asked.
”We are drinking to getting my life back once and for all.”
”I’m intrigued, but what exactly does that mean?” Caroline asked.
”It means that I finally see my father for who he is, and…” emotions immediately clogged my throat, and my friends rushed to comfort me as I heard Abby say ”Oh Emma” while Caroline put an arm around my shoulder, squeezing it gently.
I cleared my throat, willing myself to get through this. ”It”s taken me a long time to accept that he”s not capable of being the parent I need him to be. I’ve held on to hope for too long and it’s time to let it go.”
My friends looked at me sympathetically. After a long pause, Caroline declared, ”Well, it’s about damn time. Here’s to your independence,” she said, clinking glasses with mine as Abby held hers up to the screen, and we all took a drink.
”So what’s the plan now that daddy dearest is no longer calling the shots?” Abby asked.
”Well, that”s where I could use your help. I”m assuming Elizabeth has some connections to some pretty powerful attorneys?” I asked and watched Abby”s eyes widened with delight.
Abby”s mother, Elizabeth, was a political maven. She”d spent most of her life campaigning and playing the role of a ”doting mother” to Abby, all the while kicking ass and taking names to climb the ranks. Of course, her public and private personas didn’t always match up, but she did the best she could with Abby.
Abby laughed. ”Oh yeah. The real question is, how broken do you want the old man to be in the end?”
I looked at her solemnly. ”I’m going for the jugular.”
”Oh, shit, Emma didn”t come to play,” Caroline pronounced, clapping her hands.
I filled them in on the all the details—the surveyors, the weird comments Andrew Jr. made about the land and my father’s determination to see the merger through. Then I sucked in a deep breath and told them about the night before when Jr. made his move.
”That son of a bitch,” Abby hissed.
Caroline looked at me with a furrowed brow. ”Why am I just now hearing about this and how is that man still walking around with his head on?”
”Because I played it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but then Jaime confronted me about it, and we got into a big fight.”
”Wait a minute, backup,” Abby said, ”Jaime confronted you about this as in he was holding you responsible?”
I was quick to defend Jaime. ”Oh, God no. As soon as he found out, he came to my room to make sure I was okay, and he encouraged me to not to see him again, or at the very least not be alone with him.”
”That”s reasonable,” Caroline chimed in.
”It is, but I didn”t take it well. I couldn”t sleep last night after the incident with Andrew, and when I called my dad to tell him what happened, things got ugly. After that conversation, I knew I couldn’t make excuses for him anymore, but wasn”t quite ready to face it. Then Jaime reminded me of all the horrible things my dad had done. I got overwhelmed and snapped at him. Told him I could take care of myself, and I didn”t need his help.”
My friends looked at me warmly, but Caroline spoke first and her words surprised me, considering how intensely independent Caroline was. ”Everybody needs help, Emma. You are fiercely capable, and anyone who knows you knows that, but you don’t have to shoulder everything yourself. That’s what friends are for—and well-meaning boy toys,” she said, referring to Jaime.
”He”s not a boy toy…” I whispered.
”And the plot thickens,” Abby teased.
I shook my head. ”I should”ve known I wouldn”t be able to keep it casual with him, you know?”
”No, I couldn”t possibly know. Please explain it to me like I”m five,” Abby insisted with a smile.
”I love him… I think, maybe, I’ve always loved him?”
”Tell us something we don”t know,” Caroline groused.
”I guess I always felt that deep down, I just never imagined he would feel the same way.”
”And you know for sure he loves you too?” Abby asked with eyebrows raised, then added quickly, ”He”d be an idiot not to. What I mean is, has he said it?”
I could feel myself blush.
”That”s a yes,” Caroline stated.
”I just don”t want to imagine life without him again. I was feeling like I’d have to choose between carrying on the family legacy or Jaime. It should be a no-brainer, but since my mom”s gone, I feel responsible for carrying on what she started.”
”Emma,” Abby murmured, ”You carry on her legacy every day just by being your amazing self. I know your mom loved the resort, and she loved that land, but she loved you more.”
Tears fell from my eyes as I smiled at Abby and squeezed Caroline”s hand. ”I don”t know what I would do without you two.”
”I don”t either,” Caroline said, pulling me into her arms and giving me a big hug. ”Here, that”s from Abby too.”
”Yes, it is,” Abby agreed. ”And I hope you work things out with Jaime. I know you had a fight but—”
”But he seems pretty great for you,” Caroline added.
”I haven”t even gotten to meet the guy,” Abby said, ”but Caroline has filled me in, and if she approves, I know he”s good for you.”
I looked over at Caroline, shocked. She shrugged nonchalantly. ”What? I know what”s good for my friends. I can’t pick out a decent guy for myself, but for you two, it’s easy,” she laughed.
”You”ll meet your guy soon, Caroline. I have a good feeling,” Abby announced. ”And I think I know the right attorney for the job. Do you really think it will come to that?”
I shook my head, unsure. ”This trip has been full of surprises, so I want to be prepared for anything my father may throw at me. I may have to give up the resort and my stake in the company, but my mom left that land to me and I’ll do anything to protect it. So far he’s been unmoved by my pleas, and I’ve realized if he”s going to play nasty, then I need to fight fire with fire.”
Abby grinned. ”I’ll make the call.”