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“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” Why wasn’t his voice this soft during their breakup? Don’t succumb to his sweetness. “I’ve taken care of all the guests’ rooms. You and Dean actually have a pretty nice suite.”
Emilie gulped. “Dean and I?”
“He’s still coming as your plus one, right?”
Emilie had a sudden urge to tell Finn the whole truth. If anyone found out about their lie, what would her reputation be like then? She shook her head. She needed to get off the phone before she did something stupid.
“Are you still there?” Finn asked, breaking into her thoughts.
“Yes. Can you text the details? My dad’s calling on the other line.” She needed an escape.
“Sure. I’ll see you at the wedding.”
“Right. See you.”
Finn’s text came soon after. Despite being annoyed by him only seconds ago, she hurried to read it.
Check-in is on the 15th.
Emilie looked up the calendar on her phone. “The 15th. That’s in” —she scanned the date and dropped her mouth— “in a week. How long are we staying there?”
In response to her questions, another text came.
We’re getting married next Saturday night. I told you she went crazy. I’ll give you a detailed schedule of all the events later. Ava’s still finalizing things.
Emilie replied with a short answer, hoping for no further responses.
Got it.
She stared at his texts until the screen blurred in her vision. Not wanting to prolong the inevitable anymore, Emilie called Dean.
“Thought I wouldn’t be hearing from you until the wedding.” His voice was brusque as he chastised her.
Emilie frowned. She should’ve expected his annoyance after their silent ride home, but it still shocked her. She tried not to let the bitterness out when she responded. “Speaking of the wedding, Ava gave me some dates, and I wanted to make sure you knew.”
“I can’t take off a whole week.”
Disappointment smashed away her hope. If he wasn’t with her, the week was sure to flop. “You found out about the dates?”
“Ava told me.”
Emilie bristled, sat up straight against the pillow. She resented the thought of them talking alone. Was this how Dean felt when he’d seen her with Finn? She wasn’t the jealous type, but it bothered her, a lot. “You don’t have to come—”
“I didn’t say that.” Even when he cut her off, he was polite. “I’ll leave a couple of times to check on the boat, but you won’t miss me.”
If only Dean could read her thoughts. Sitting with Finn meant nothing. Emilie bit her lip, wanting to shift the conversation in another direction. “Did you know we’re sharing a room?”
His answers were as clipped as before. “Ava said there’s a couch. You can take the bed. I’ll pick you up Monday morning.”
Emilie squirmed uncomfortably. Why did this feel like a business transaction? “Fine. Thank you.”
He sighed. “Probably won’t be at the house much. I’ll need to get some things done at work if I’m taking time off, but we do need to talk.”
Emilie gulped. “Okay.” His words sent fear into her heart. Why did everything seem to be crashing around her?
“Can I take you out to dinner next Saturday, so we can make sure we’re on the same page?”
She released a slow breath. There was still a chance she could clear this teeny misunderstanding before they spent the week together. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have over the phone.
