7. EMMA
When we were in high school, Zoe, Mia, and I made it a point to get together once a week. We”d meet at one of our houses or at the lake and spend the day chatting, sunbathing, or playing board games. As we got older, the board games stopped, but we found other ways to entertain ourselves.
We”re best friends, and even after I moved away to go to college in the city, we kept the tradition alive via video calls. This is the first time we”ve had our Friday night get-together in person in ages, and to say I”m excited is an understatement.
They ordered pizza and Mia made her famous sweet iced tea. The girls are already giggling away as I stroll into Zoe”s place. Zoe”s a real estate agent in town. She has dark hair and eyes that sparkle. With her long legs, she stands significantly taller than me so I”m always balancing on my tip toes to hug her. She was an excellent athlete in high school, and her personality lights up every room she enters.
Zoe bought this cute little house with a backyard, just around the corner from my hotel. It”s a little older, but she”s managed to spruce it up and make it cozy and warm.
Even with the smell of the pizza, I catch a whiff of Mia”s blueberry scones. Mia has the most amazing long red hair and blue eyes that delight in making people happy with her creations.
She owns a bakery downtown, and she sometimes brings a treat with her for girls’ nights. I”m just thrilled I get to eat them this time instead of just watching them stuff their faces over the computer screen. Since I just had dinner, dessert is likely all I”ll have room for so I”m glad she brought one of my favorites.
”Emma, there you are! You disappeared on us at the festival. What happened?” Mia demands, arching a perfectly manicured eyebrow as I approach.
I take a seat between them, feeling a bit guilty for not giving them a heads up. ”Sorry, I got caught up with something. A stray dog knocked Sterling and me over. And then we saw that the poor thing was hurt, so we brought him back to his clinic to check for a chip. There wasn”t one, but Sterling did some x-rays. It was this whole thing.”
”Uh, huh,” Mia says, her eyebrows rising again.
The two exchange skeptical glances. I roll my eyes, anticipating their teasing.
”A stray dog, huh? Knocked both of you over?” Zoe says with a smirk. ”Interesting choice of excuses. Did Sterling also rescue the damsel in distress? It’s amazing how you two keep “falling” on each other.”
She uses air quotes when she says falling. I playfully nudge her. ”Oh, hush. It was just the dog.”
”Mia says you were at his parents” house when she called you,” Zoe comments as she pulls her ankle up underneath herself and sits. ”Care to explain?”
I glance at Mia, and her blue eyes look full of curiosity. ”It was nothing. It was his dad’s birthday, and since we were already out, he asked if I wanted to stop by for a bit, you know, catch up and all that.”
”Uh, huh,” Mia says with a cluck of her tongue. She only seems to have one response tonight.
”It wasn”t a big deal, okay? They”re really nice, and his mom made this delicious pot roast dinner,” I explain. ”You both know how much I adore them.”
”But that”s not why you went,” Mia insists.
I cover my burning face with my palms and shake my head. ”Guys, come on.”
Mia leans forward and taps my knee. ”Emma. We”ve known you forever. You always had a soft spot for Sterling.”
I feel my cheeks flush even more, and I try to steer the conversation away from its current topic. ”It”s not like that between us. Sterling is just my brother”s best friend. We”re friends, too, but nothing else.”
Zoe smirks. ”That”s what they all say.”
I shake my head, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration. ”Seriously, guys, I”m not looking for anything right now, especially after the mess with Dean.”
”I don”t blame you,” Zoe relents. ”If I were you, I”d want to avoid the dating scene for a while, too.”
”Exactly,” I agree.
”Have you heard from Dean since the wedding?” Mia asks.
I shake my head. ”No, and I haven”t reached out to him, obviously. It was just so awkward. Can you believe he accused Sterling of gawking at me during the ceremony? What was he thinking? That was the most embarrassing part of it.”
”Well...” Zoe trails off, biting her lower lip.
”What?” I challenge.
”He kind of was,” Mia points out. ”And you were staring at him pretty hard, too.”
”Was not.”
”Okay, sure,” Mia says with a nod. ”If you say so.”
”It”s true. We”re just friends. He sees me like a little sister, guys.”
”Nope. Pretty sure no one looks at their sister that way,” Zoe adds, grinning.
I give her a playful shove. ”What”s that supposed to mean?”
”You”ve always had a thing for him.” Zoe flips her hair over her shoulder. ”You never acted on it back in high school because of your brother. But let me tell you, Em, at the wedding, sparks were flying between you. Like, fire hazard kind of sparks. You two were practically burning a hole in the carpet with all that intensity.”
”You”re exaggerating,” I scoff.
”Are we?” Mia asks.
”All right, fine. I’ll concede that he’s handsome. And yes, I may have stolen a few glances at him, but that’s it. It was a childhood crush. We’re adults now.”
”Got it, stolen glances mean nothing.” Mia says with a thumbs up.
”I just told you guys that I”m not interested in pursuing anything with anyone. Least of all Sterling. That would complicate things way too much. He”s been way too good to me through everything. I don’t want to screw up our friendship.”
Mia places a comforting hand on my shoulder. ”We get it, Emma. Dean was a jerk, and you”re still healing. But you can”t close yourself off forever. Life goes on, and sometimes, unexpected things happen. You never know what might be waiting around the corner.”
I sip on my iced tea, contemplating their words. They don”t understand the complexity of my relationship with Sterling. He”s practically family like he said. My brother”s best friend. The thought of anything romantic actually happening between us feels like crossing an invisible line.
Zoe nudges me. ”You know, I just have to say one last thing, then I”m done. We saw the way Sterling looked at you at the festival, too. It was more than just concern for a friend. There”s something there, Emma. And maybe you”re not ready, but that doesn”t change the electricity in the air.”
I sigh, ”I can”t risk ruining our friendship.”
Mia raises an eyebrow. ”And what if he wants more than friendship? Are you willing to risk not finding out?”
The question hangs in the air, making me uneasy. Mia and Zoe are right. Life is short. But can I really take that leap, especially with someone so intertwined with my past?
Mia leans back, her expression serious. ”You can”t live your life in ”what ifs,” Emma. Sometimes, you need to take a chance. Sterling clearly cares about you, and maybe he sees some kind of future between you two.”
Zoe adds with a knowing smile, ”And maybe you do, too. You can”t deny the connection you have with him. It”s obvious to anybody with eyeballs. In the end, we only regret the chances we don”t take.”
I look down, tracing the rim of my empty glass with my fingertip. ”I just don”t want to mess things up, you know? Sterling is important to me.”
Mia nudges me playfully. ”Well, if it doesn”t work out, at least you won”t spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been. Have you ever noticed how may country songs they write on that subject?”
Geez, she”s right. I can think of a few right now. I don”t want my life to turn into a country song that”s for sure.
I”m feeling torn between the safety of what I know and the uncertainty of what could be.
”Let”s talk about something else, guys,” I say, shaking my head. ”I can”t deal with this right now. Mia, how”s the bakery doing? It”s been ages since you opened it. I”ve been meaning to get down there and check it out.”
”It”s doing really well, thanks for asking,” she beams. ”Business has picked up, and I”m considering expanding. Maybe a new location in another town, or maybe even a franchise.”
”Oh, that would be so cool.” Buddy crosses my mind, and I ask, ”Have you ever thought about making some dog treats?”
”Actually, yes,” she says, her eyes lighting up. ”I”ve been wanting to try it. I have a lot of customers who come in with their dogs. I was thinking of going for a granola mix with peanut butter, but maybe there”s a healthier option. Maybe even a turkey and chicken mixture.”
”I bet Sterling would sell some for you at his clinic,” I tell her. ”Plus, he”s talking about opening up a second shelter.”
Zoe laughs. ”You can’t go thirty seconds without mentioning his name. I thought we weren”t talking about Sterling.”
My cheeks grow warm again, and Mia pokes my shoulder. ”Okay, okay, fine. No more talking about Sterling.”
I can”t help but think that Mia and Zoe are right. There”s definitely a spark between us. It”s something I”ve always wanted to be there... But I wasn’t sure that it was and I never acted on my feelings in any way.
It”s confusing and complicated, and I”m not sure where I”d even begin. Sterling is a good friend, and a good friend is exactly what I need right now.
”So, what else have you two been up to lately?” I ask.
”The usual,” Mia says. ”Baking, baking and more baking. No social life to speak of. But ask Zoe about what”s going on with her new man.”
Zoe”s cheeks flush. ”Mia! I”ve only been dating him for a few weeks. Don”t tell her that. I just... I like him. I think he”s a good guy. He”s cute, and kind, and he”s a total gentleman.”
”But?”
”But, I don”t know if he”s a permanent fixture,” Zoe admits. ”We”ve only been dating a short time, and we”ve both got a lot going on. Still, we”re having a great time.”
”Do you want him to be a permanent fixture?” I ask.
Zoe glances at her empty glass, swirling the ice cubes around with her straw. ”I”m not sure. We”re only just getting to know each other. I”m really focused on my career, and he just started a new job in town. Plus, there”s my mom. She”s not well. If things get serious, we”re going to have a lot to consider.”
”What”s going on with your mom?”
”She had a heart attack a few months ago,” Zoe explains, her eyes misting. ”I thought I was going to lose her. She made it through, but the recovery has been slow. She’s really needed me the last few weeks because my brothers have been swamped at work.”
”I”m so sorry, Zoe. Why didn”t you tell me? I would”ve come by.”
”There”s nothing you could do, Em. Besides, I”m okay. It”s just hard to see her this way. She’s always been the strength of our family.”
”What can I do? Do you need anything?”
Zoe shakes her head. ”Thanks, but no. Right now what she needs is her family around her. She”s a tough cookie, but she”s still my mom. The worst part is having to drive all the way to Asheville for her doctor.”
I sit back on the sofa, running a hand through my hair. This really drives their point home about life being too short.
Could Sterling really care about me? Or does he still see me as Peter’s little sister?
Maybe my friends are right.
I can”t live my life in what ifs.
And maybe, just maybe, it”s time for me to take a chance on him.