20. STERLING
Whew, that was rough. Pretending I was fine when Emma said she wanted to slow things down tore me up inside. But at least we”re talking, which is more than we’ve done all week.
Maybe slowing down is the right move for her, given that she’s gone from being dumped by her long-term boyfriend to kissing her brother’s best friend who’s been off-limits for years in a span of a few weeks.
Oh, and then there’s the finding out I had a fiancée thing. I guess that really is a lot to take in at once.
So, I’ll do what I promised her. I’ll wait. But it’s not going to be easy. At least for today, I have a distraction. It’s all about selling tickets and getting one step closer to the shelter. “Right, Buddy?” I reach down to give him a scratch.
The raffle wages on until the last drop of light leaves the sky. We’ve all been on our feet for close to twelve hours at this point, with only the small break for lunch. But it’s been totally worth it. My cash box is overflowing, and the fishbowls are stuffed with tickets.
Peter and Linda were already here this morning, and they have come back again to help us clean up. “What’s up, Sterling?” Peter gives me a fist bump.
“Hey, just wrapping up here. What a day.” I point to the till.
“Nice, great work!”
Emma strolls over. How she still looks so good after baking in the sun all day I’ll never know, but she does. I won’t say anything though. No flirting. Ok, I’m gonna quickly whisper in Buddy’s ear to get it out of my system, but I’m definitely not telling her.
When she sees the cash box, she squeals and leaps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. Ok, this is not fair.
“Sterling! Can you believe it?”
Uh, yeah, but which part? The copious amounts of money thing or the you’re wrapped around my body thing, which I thought we discussed was not an option.
I must have a shocked look on my face at her positioning; something signals her brain to disembark.
“Sorry,” she says sheepishly.
“Um, no problem, I didn’t mind actually.”
Her cheeks turn a shade of red I’ve never seen on someone before. Let’s call it tomato.
Mia and Zoe rush over after hearing Emma’s squeal just in time to see her climbing down from my body.
“Oh, that’s an interesting twist on a congratulatory hug,” Zoe lets slip.
Mia smacks her on the arm. “What? It is.”
Emma cheeks deepen in color, if that’s possible.
“I think this calls for a celebration,” Peter chimes in. “Sterling, what do you think of a little swim at your house? I’ll bring the cocktails. It feels like a margaritas all around type of night, am I right everyone?”
The girls cheer, except for Emma, who still looks like she wants to crawl in a hole.
“What do you think, Emma? Should we all go grab our suits?” Mia asks.
Emma looks at me, and I give her the universal ‘why not’ shrug, and she finally smiles.
“All right, let’s get this all cleaned up quickly then meet at my house around nine. I’ll grab a few appetizers on my way home to go with the drinks, and we’ll get this party going.”
I smile at Emma, then scoop up Buddy and take him to the car to wait for me.
***
Everyone shows up within a few minutes of each other, ready to celebrate. The girls arrive first and giggle their way to the back deck. Emma seems in better spirits; her friends always know how to get her in a good mood.
All three ladies immediately throw off their cover ups and head into the water, squealing the whole way. I am distracted by Emma—as any man would be—and her adorable polka dot bikini as I bring the appetizers outside.
But a knock and yell of “Hello” from inside catches my attention. “I’m out back,” I call to Peter and soon he and Linda come out, their hands full.
Pete’s got a blender and ice and Linda has the Margarita ingredients. I grab the limes from her, just as they are trying to get away, setting them down on the table.
When the drinks are ready, I call down to the girls and they wrap up in towels and join us on the deck. We all dig into the food.
We spend the next twenty minutes or so recapping the day for Peter and Linda. I thank Mia and Zoe for their help during the week. Mia’s baked goods were a hit, and the wedding cake vouchers were very popular, just like we thought they would be.
Then I tap my glass. “None of this would have been possible without Emma, though. It was her brainchild. And her organizational skills got the project off to the best start we could ask for, with even more to come.”
“Here, here!” everyone shouts.
Emma doesn’t look like she loves the spotlight. I think she’s already had enough of it for one day. She quickly picks up Buddy. “Thank you, Sterling. But let’s not forget this little guy. If he hadn’t decided to trip us at the festival, none of this might have ever happened.”
“To Buddy.” Zoe raises her glass. “To Buddy,” we all echo.
The rest of the night is super casual, just sitting around chatting and joking with each, talking about the other events coming up. Peter and Linda eventually head down to the water, while I hang back with the dog. I don’t really want him down there in the dark. Or at least that’s the excuse I’m telling myself about why I’m staying here.
Mia makes her way up to the deck and pulls up a seat beside me. “You gonna swim?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t want to make things uncomfortable for Emma. She told me today that she wanted to slow things down, so I’m trying to give her some space.”
Mia sighs and looks down at the water. Emma and Zoe are trying to dunk each other, laughing hysterically.
“We’ve been teasing her about you since the wedding. We see the way you look at her.”
I can’t help but smile. “You noticed that, did you?”
“Just a little. But I can’t blame you. She’s amazing, always has been. She’s just got this magnetic personality that pulls you in. You almost have no choice.”
“Tell me about it.” I pick Buddy up and put him in my lap. I’m not sure I’m up for a heart to heart right now, but Mia doesn’t look like she’s in any hurry to go back down by the lake.
“She told us about the kiss.”
My head snaps in Mia’s direction. “Really? I’ll have you know she made the first move.”
“She mentioned that. Emma really does like you. She has since you were teenagers.”
“What? She’s never told me that. I thought I was the only one with a crush.”
Mia shakes her head. “This is ridiculous. So neither of you knew that you had crushes on each other back then?”
I laugh. “Nope.”
“Well, I can tell you, her crush never went away. She thought it was gone since you two hadn’t seen each other for so long, but her feelings all came rushing back. She tried to deny things at first, but Zoe and I knew better.”
I look down at the water and Emma is waving up at me to come join her. I shake my head as Mia continues.
“The way you two reconnected was just a little overwhelming. Hang in there. She’ll come around. There’s something really special about the two of you together. You’ll find your way to each other when the time is right.”
Mia turns toward the water, where Emma has recruited the rest of the crew. Now they’re all waving at me to come down.
“You realize she’s not going to stop waving until you come hang out with us, right?”
I pet Buddy on my lap. “He looks pretty comfortable, I don’t want to disturb him.”
Mia stands and snaps her fingers at Buddy, then starts walking down to the lake. “Hey, boy, wanna make Sterling come down to the water and play with the other kids?”
Buddy immediately hops off my lap and starts trotting after her. Traitor.
I’m going to have to figure out how to be around Emma and be just friends with her for now. There’s no time like the present, I guess. I jump off the deck and start sprinting toward the water. Buddy immediately starts chasing me and we leap into the lake at the same time.
I do a cannonball and soak Emma with my splash. When I get up from the water, she’s giggling, her face lighting up. I love that I can make her smile. I guess that’s going to have to be enough for right now.