Chapter 18 #2
“Kendall, do we have to do this right now?” Emma’s mother pushed back her chair and stood. “Emma flew all night, and she’s wiped out.”
“It’s absolutely necessary, Mrs. Wendel.” Kendall tucked her hair behind her ears. Empathy filled her dark eyes as she turned toward Emma. “Because you deserve to know the truth.”
“Is this about Nathan? Because he flew all the way to Alaska and asked me to come back to Boston and give him a second chance.”
“And that’s exactly why I’m here.” Kendall drew in a deep breath. “Nathan and Courtney never broke up. They’re still together. They’ve been seeing each other behind your back for months.”
Emma’s breath left her lungs in a single stunned exhale. “That can’t be.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you. And I certainly wouldn’t lie about this. I saw them myself. I can show you photos.” She pulled her phone from her purse.
Emma sank into the nearest chair and held up her trembling palm. “That won’t be…No. No, thank you.”
“Well, they weren’t exactly hiding,” Kendall said.
Emma clutched the edge of the table. “How could he be so deceptive? I—”
“Kendall, you need to go,” Emma’s mother said. “You’ve caused enough damage for one day.”
“No, please,” Emma said. “Is there anything else you want to tell me, Kendall?”
“I just wanted you to hear the truth, because I hate that you’ve been dragged back here under false pretenses. My brother doesn’t deserve you.”
“You’re right. He doesn’t.” Emma yanked the engagement ring off her finger and pressed it into Kendall’s hand. “Thank you for making the effort to find me. Please give this back to your brother.”
Kendall closed her fist around the ring. “I will.”
“And one more thing.” Emma pointed toward Kendall’s purse. “May I borrow your phone, please?”
“Of course.”
Emma took the phone, scrolled through Kendall’s contacts until she found Nathan, then typed out a message.
Kendall
It’s Emma, borrowing your sister’s phone. Just found out the truth about you and Courtney. I can’t marry you. Kendall has the ring. Goodbye, Nathan.
“There.” She sent the message, then handed the phone back to Kendall. “I let him know it’s over. Thank you.”
“Ending an engagement via a text is such poor form, Emma,” her mother groaned. “He’ll never forgive you.”
Emma tipped her chin up. “You are the last person who should be handing out advice about choices, Mom.”
“A text message and a returned ring are more than he deserves, to be honest,” Kendall said. “I would’ve chucked that thing into the Charles River.”
Emma couldn’t help but smile. “The thought did cross my mind. No time for that though. I’m headed back to Alaska.”
“Wait,” Kendall said. “At least let me give you a ride.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Emma said. “I can call a cab.”
“Emma, sweetheart, don’t be silly.” Mom moved closer, arms outstretched. “Stay here. Let us help you sort this out.”
Emma leaned in and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Goodbye, Mom.” Then she offered Richard a quick wave. “Take care, Richard.”
Kendall’s heels clicked on the hardwood as she followed Emma toward the front door. “You shouldn’t be alone right now. Let me drive you home so you can shower and repack. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”
A knot rose in Emma’s throat. She gave a small nod. “That’s very kind of you.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Kendall squeezed her arm. “Let’s go.”
Without another word to her mother or Richard, Emma grabbed her suitcase and her purse, then stepped out into the warm spring sunshine. As Kendall pulled the door shut behind them, Emma didn’t look back.
He just wanted this family meeting to be over.
Luke eyed the platter of cookies his mom set in the middle of the table. Chocolate chip? Really? This hardly called for a fun treat. There wasn’t anything to celebrate, was there?
He sat at the far end of the long wooden dining table—the one his grandfather had built decades ago—and slumped in his chair. Why bother trying to hide his heartache? Emma had been gone for two days, and he was miserable.
His family filled in around him. They didn’t have any guests, so there was no point in pretending they needed to be attentive to anyone’s needs. Conversation pinged around him as they waited for Caroline to join them on FaceTime.
“Hopefully this will be the last time we have to loop you in over the phone for a family meeting,” Mom said.
Caroline waved. “Hey, everyone.” Tate propped up his tablet at the far end of the table. “Eat a chocolate chip cookie for me? Pretty soon I’ll be there to taste-test them myself.”
Megan reached for one. Luke shot her a look. She shrugged and took a bite. “Mmm, so good.”
He pressed his lips together and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Caroline, before we called you, I was just telling Luke that this is a solid offer,” Ethan said, sitting across from him and leaning forward with both elbows on the table.
“I’m sure you’ve seen the numbers. This developer isn’t messing around.
They’ve got cash, they’re ready to move fast, and they’re reputable. ”
Tate chimed in. “I talked to a friend in Anchorage who’s thrilled with what these people are building downtown.”
Dad caught his eye. “It’s a fair offer, pal. Way more money than we ever expected.” He smiled at Mom.
Luke shrugged, staring at the wood grain on the table, tracing his finger over a groove as their commentary blurred together.
He’d sat at this same table with Emma just a few short days ago. He’d cleaned up for the customers he was so certain would pour in, and she’d helped stuff Easter eggs like she belonged in Redemption. Man, he’d been an idiot for believing that was real.
“Isn’t this what we’ve been waiting for?” Megan said. “I mean, I haven’t been here very much, of course.” She trailed off, two spots of color highlighting her cheekbones. “But it seems like this place hasn’t really been profitable in years. So isn’t this your chance to walk away?”
Luke barked out a laugh. All eyes turned to him.
“Is there something you’d like to say, Luke?” Tate reached for a cookie. “Not that you haven’t made your feelings clear about this since day one.”
Luke gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his emotions in check. A week ago, he would have argued, reminded them what this place meant to their family, to their town—that Redemption wasn’t just a map dot at the end of the road slammed up against a mountain. It was home.
Not too long ago, he’d fought for their legacy, mediated their conflicts, tried to fix a broken snowmobile, and flown extreme skiers into the mountains.
He prayed and fought for what he believed in, and look where it got him.
Everything had been ripped out from under his feet.
Even Emma had cut her losses and gone back to Boston.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the ache in his chest to subside. He was not about to melt down. Not in front of his family.
Caroline’s voice, tinny through the device’s speaker, called to him. He glanced up. “What?”
They were all still staring at him.
“You haven’t said much.” Caroline’s brow furrowed. “What do you think? Do you agree this is the right move?”
He leaned back in his chair. “It doesn’t seem to matter what I think. You’ve already made up your minds.”
“Oh. Well, Ethan said that he’s been waiting for you to come around, that you were the lone holdout.” Caroline wrinkled her nose. “So what happened?”
Luke glared at Ethan. “I was way too optimistic. That’s what happened. How stupid of me for thinking this place was worth saving.”
Silence settled over the room, punctuated by the faint hum of heat blowing through the vents nearby.
Mom cleared her throat. “Luke, sweetheart, we all know how much this place means to you. It means a lot to all of us, but sometimes it’s okay to let go of what we love.”
Ouch. “Too soon, Mom. Too soon.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean her—”
“Not everything has to be about Emma,” Tate said. “Why don’t we keep the focus on the main thing?”
Luke huffed out another sharp laugh. “How convenient for you that my heartbreak doesn’t have to be a priority.”
“Whoa.” Dad held up both of his palms. “No one is saying that.”
“Aren’t you though?”
“Luke, we get it,” Ethan said. “You love this place. But it’s not just about you. The rest of us have lives too. Jobs. Tisha and I want to get married. Soon. We do have to think about what’s best for everyone, as much as it hurts.”
Luke clenched his fists in his lap. A small part of him still wanted to shove back his chair and stand up and yell that they were wrong. Selling this place would be a huge mistake.
But the words wouldn’t come.
Deep down, he wondered if he even believed it anymore.
He stared at the table. “You’re right. It’s not worth it.”
“So, are you saying you agree with us, then?” Caroline asked.
Luke shrugged. “Sure. Whatever. Sell it. Do what you want.”
Mom leaned forward, concern etched in her features. “Luke? Are you—”
“I’m done,” he said, cutting her off. “If you want to sell—fine. Sell. I’m tired of fighting.”
Tate and Megan exchanged glances. Then Ethan leaned over. “Are you okay?”
“No. I’m not okay. But what does it matter?” Luke shook his head. “Tate just said that my feelings are irrelevant.”
“Oh boy.” Tate winced and dragged his hand over his face. “You’re my brother. We all care about you. I’m just saying we’re supposed to be coming to an agreement on this offer from the developer.”
Luke shook his head, held up his palm. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t sound fine,” Megan said, wiping cookie crumbs off the table into her hand.
“You know what? The reason my opinion doesn’t matter is because I’m not going to be here to deal with it.”
He pushed back his chair and stood. “This has officially become someone else’s problem.”
Tate frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m leaving,” Luke said, fighting to keep his voice even despite the storm raging in his gut. “There’s a job open in Petersburg, and if I get an offer, I’m taking it.”
Megan’s jaw dropped. “What? Since when?”
“Since a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “I wasn’t going to interview, but…plans change.”
“Luke, honey.” His mom’s voice trembled. “You don’t have to do this. We’ll figure this out. You don’t have to leave.”
“Oh, but I do,” he said. “There’s nothing left for me here.”
She sucked in a breath. Even Caroline gasped. But nobody argued.
He turned and headed for the door. The weight of their stares burned into him, but he didn’t turn back.
“See you later. You can tell the developer I’ll sign whatever they need me to sign.”
He stepped out into the cold night air. Wind swirled around him, carrying hints of a snowstorm.
He was too numb, too hollow to care. So what if it snowed?
A late-spring storm was nothing new. If his family wanted to sell, then he didn’t have to worry about how the weather impacted their guests’ stay.
Tonight, this felt like a place he no longer belonged in.
The heavy front door groaned shut behind him.
He paused on the porch, stared out into the nearly empty parking lot.
A distinct hum and creak behind him made him turn.
“Luke.”
His father maneuvered his wheelchair through the doorway, one hand gripping the edge of the frame for leverage. He wore a plaid button-down layered over a T-shirt and black sweatpants.
“What are you doing?” Luke faced him. “It’s cold. Let’s go back in.”
His dad didn’t answer. Instead, he just reversed course, wheeled himself inside, and waited in the entryway.
“I can’t let you leave like this,” he said.
Luke followed him inside and closed the door. The great room sat empty, the leather couches facing each other in front of the massive hearth and the glow of embers in the fireplace tugging at his heart.
Yeah, okay, so he was angry and bitter, but he did still love this place. “I just—I don’t know what else to say.”
His dad looked up, eyes gentle, free of judgment. “Oh, I think there’s quite a bit.”
Luke blew out a long breath and jammed his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.
“Son, you’ve been carrying the weight of this place for years.
I know what that does to a man. It twists your motivations, makes you think you have to earn love by performing or fixing all the broken things and being the duct tape that holds it all together.
” His lips formed a sad smile, and he scrubbed his fingertips along his stubbly jaw.
“I know, because I used to think that too.”
Luke shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“It’s no secret I nearly destroyed this family once.” His dad paused, then cleared his throat.
“My pride, my temper, all the foolish ways I kept everything inside until I nearly exploded. That nearly cost me everything. Your mother, you kids, this resort.”
“Dad—”
“Let me finish.”
Luke shrugged. “All right.”
“I didn’t know how to sort through my feelings, so I just let my anger ooze out all over everything.
And it nearly broke us. If it weren’t for the Lord getting ahold of me—really getting ahold of my heart—I wouldn’t be here.
I wouldn’t have your mom. I’m not sure you kids would have stuck around or come back.
And I certainly wouldn’t have had the wisdom or the insight to speak to you now. ”
He hesitated. “Please don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
Luke gritted his teeth.
His dad’s eyes shone. “You don’t have to be the strong one all the time.
It’s okay to hurt. And you’re allowed to want more than just this resort.
And you’re allowed to love someone. Even if she wants to build a life far from here.
I know you’re hurting over Emma. I saw the way you looked at her when she was around.
Feelings like that don’t just disappear. ”
Luke dragged his hand down his face.
“I’m proud of you,” Dad said. “You have made this a remarkable resort. You sacrificed so much. You could have had a much different life. But you don’t owe us anything, Luke.
You’ve done more than enough. And you have the right to go and be happy.
Pursue those things that really make your heart soar. ”
Luke blinked back tears. “What if it’s too late?”
“It’s never too late. Go find her. Tell her how you feel. Let her decide what’s next. But please, don’t let your pride keep you here, planted in this place, if God’s asking you to leave.” His father extended a trembling hand. “You have my blessing. Your mother’s too. Go.”
The tears Luke had tried to keep tamped down pushed to the surface. He crossed the space between them in two strides, fell to his knees beside the wheelchair, then wrapped his arms around his father. “I love you, Dad,” he choked out. “So much.”
His dad patted his back. “I love you too, son.”
They stayed that way. Two stubborn, wounded men. Both wrapped in God’s grace.
Luke pulled back and swiped at his face with his sleeve. “I think I have a plane to catch.”
Dad chuckled. “Well then, don’t miss it.”