Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
So much for their last-minute egg-stuffing plans.
Emma sat at the long table in the dining room of the McGuires’ resort, slipping small pieces of candy and toys into colorful plastic eggs.
She should’ve had help, but Lainey had rushed off when her stepdad fell and needed to be checked out at the ER.
And Abbie had texted earlier that her daughter and her husband had come down with a stomach bug.
Thankfully, a few other families in town had agreed to help, so she only had to prep twelve dozen.
Alone. Well, mostly alone. She glanced around the room.
The place was like a time capsule with wood-paneled walls and a taxidermied bear and a moose holding court.
Wagon-wheel style chandeliers and lanterns with candles in the center of each table added to the rustic charm.
The long rectangular tables stretched out around her.
Sturdy wood bore the scars of generations of skiers and hikers who’d dined here.
Luke moved methodically through the quiet room, carrying a tub of antibacterial wipes and cleaning every chair. His flannel sleeves were rolled up, revealing muscular forearms and a faint grease smear—probably from trying to fix the snowmobile again.
He looked over and met her gaze. “How’s it going?”
“I feel like I’ve filled a thousand of these things.” She snapped another egg shut, then leaned back and stretched, rubbing her aching wrist. She’d grabbed a splint from the drugstore, and the pain had subsided, but maybe opening and closing the eggs had irritated her injury.
“As soon as I’m finished cleaning up, I’ll help you.” Luke tossed a wipe into the trash can nearby. “I only have about ten more chairs to go.”
“Cool.” She reached for another plastic egg from the pile on the table. “Your mom wanted to add stickers or temporary tattoos or something. Any idea where those are?”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” Luke set the container of wipes on the table, then nudged a chair out of his way. “Let me go check the cabinet in the office.”
He paused beside her, offering a half smile, the kind that had always made her heart do a little flip. “You’re not going to sneak out of here and leave me with a pile of empty eggs, are you?”
She laughed. “Tempting suggestion, but no. I’m sticking around until the last egg is filled.”
Luke’s expression grew serious as his eyes held hers. “Good to know.”
She quickly looked away as her phone lit up with a new notification. Her stomach tightened when she saw Nathan’s name.
Nathan
Call me. We need to talk.
Sighing, she squeezed her eyes shut. Harmless words, but something about the phrasing made her scalp prickle. She could interpret his subtext. Nathan didn’t like to be kept waiting.
“Everything okay?” Luke’s voice pulled her back. She opened her eyes. He stood a few feet away, his brow furrowed.
“Yeah,” she said, locking the screen and flipping the phone face down. “Just Nathan, checking in.”
Luke glared at the phone, then gave a small nod.
The silence stretched between them, no longer as easy as it had been a few minutes ago.
She tried to focus on her project, but Nathan’s text hovered, demanding her attention.
It was only a matter of time before he followed up with a call.
And right on cue, her phone buzzed again.
Emma glanced at it, vibrating on the table.
“It’s him,” she said, more to herself than to Luke.
“You can take it,” Luke said. “I’ll give you some space and go look for the stickers.”
“I’ll step outside for a few minutes.” She grabbed her coat and her phone, then headed for the door, her boots echoing against the wooden floor.
The cold air hit her as she stepped onto the porch.
Silhouettes of evergreen trees stood like soldiers, their tips pointing toward a velvety night sky dotted with millions of stars.
She swiped her finger across the screen, then pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, Nathan.”
“Finally,” he said, clearly annoyed. “I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me.”
She winced. “Sorry, I’ve been busy.”
“I figured as much.” He paused. In the background she heard the muffled voice of a woman speaking on the intercom. Was he still at work? She pulled her phone away from her ear and checked the time. It was after one in the morning on the East Coast. Weird.
“I know this trip is important to you, but it’s been over a week. You left your job, and you still haven’t told me when you’re coming back. We have things to do.”
“Nathan, I—”
“Let me finish,” he snapped. “Please. We have plans to finalize. My mother’s waiting on you to go over the seating chart next week. If you keep dragging your feet—”
“I’m not dragging my feet,” she said.
“Okay, then you’re distracted. My mother and I are concerned that you’re going to drop the ball and then this wedding will be a disaster.”
“What?” She barked out a laugh. “Why?”
“Because you’re more worried about sea lions than our wedding. Those animals aren’t a legitimate crisis. Or your responsibility. You don’t need to play hero in a town that doesn’t even want you there.”
She flinched.
“I had Kendall look into it,” he continued. “She says if you own the house, then no one has any legal recourse against you. The town council probably just wants those seals gone.”
Her scalp prickled. “Huh. I didn’t realize Kendall was so well-versed in real-estate law. Isn’t she more focused on intellectual property? Also, it’s sea lions, not seals, and what about the property taxes? Is Kendall going to pay that bill?”
“We’re trying to help you, Emma. A little gratitude would be nice.”
“And I’m trying to do the right thing. This isn’t about being a hero. My family is still responsible for that house, and I can’t pretend we don’t owe money.”
Nathan sighed. “I’m sure you can work out a payment plan or something.”
Oh brother. Was he always this patronizing?
How had she not noticed before now? Sharp words caught in her throat.
Instead of popping off, images from the last several days spooled through her head.
Okay, sure, there had been wary glances, and the occasional snide comment from Joe and Olive.
But there had been tentative smiles, and Abbie and Lainey had been quick to welcome her back.
And Luke had been there when she needed him, even when he had a failing business to save.
“What’s this really about?” Nathan’s tone shifted. “The gold you found? Because I already checked, and our family’s financial adviser can help you sell it. I want you to come home. You’re supposed to be building a life with me. That’s what matters. Not dredging up the past in some hick town.”
Her chest tightened. She couldn’t breathe. What could she say to that? He wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Emma, did you hear me?”
She blinked back tears. “I heard you.”
“I just want what’s best. You know that, right? I’m trying to keep us on track.”
“I like it here, Nathan. And I never got to say goodbye and have closure. I need this.”
“I understand. But you can’t fix what your dad did. Besides, you weren’t involved—you were a high school kid. So say your goodbyes and come home.”
She curled her fingers into a fist in her pocket. Her throat ached with rising emotion. “I’ll call you later this week,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Don’t take too long.”
“Good night, Nathan.”
“Good night.”
The line went dead, and Emma let out a shaky breath, then stared at the phone in her hand. Nathan was partly right. She needed to close the door to this town and her past. It was time to get on with her future.
The door creaked open behind her, and Luke stepped out. “Found them.” He held up a thick mailing envelope. “Dinosaurs, emojis, butterflies, and lots of crosses and John three-sixteen tattoos. It’s an odd mix, but it works.”
She laughed, blinking back her tears. “Perfect.”
He leaned against the railing and studied her. “You okay?”
“Not really.”
His brow furrowed. “Want to talk about it?”
She hesitated, then forced a wobbly smile. “It’s just wedding stuff.”
The envelope crinkled as he held it against his chest, his breath visible in the cold air. “Not that wedding planning is my area of expertise, but if you need someone to vent to, I’m here.”
She swallowed hard. Her insides quaked, and for a hot second, the unvarnished truth nearly spilled out.
Oh, how she wanted to tell him everything.
The nagging doubts, the pressure, all the times when Nathan’s words made her feel small.
But instead, she met Luke’s gaze, surprised by his unselfish offer.
No judgment. No pressure. Just kindness.
Something shifted.
Her breath caught as she looked at him. Really looked at him. Maybe it was the way he dropped what he was doing to help her. Or the quiet strength he emitted as he stood there, waiting.
Old feelings stirred. Nathan represented stability. Security.
But Luke…he made her feel as if a long-dormant part of her might finally be waking up. Her pulse sped. She looked away. Maybe Nathan was right. Maybe she needed to leave before she wrecked the future she had been so certain she wanted.
He had to get his mind off Emma, along with his terrible longing for her to stick around.
The tiny closet under the stairs that doubled as their office and supply closet was quiet, except for the heat blasting from the metal vent nearby and the occasional creak of the wood floor. Luke pulled open a cluttered drawer in the desk and dug around for a spare printer cartridge.
“I know there’s one in here,” he mumbled, more to distract himself than anything else.