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“Yeah, I’m here. Thanks for trying.” Without saying goodbye, Ava hung up with a click.
Emilie stared at the phone and shook her head. Already the week was off to a rocky start.
The drive along the highway toward Cape Cod was beautiful, with water on one side and little beach shops everywhere. But it wasn’t enough to distract her from Dean’s silence. Worry grew in the pit of her stomach.
More and more trees popped up along the side of the road after they crossed over Swan Pond River Bridge into Dennisport, and Emilie tried to focus on how beautiful the scenery was. The tension in the air was thick and depressing. The ride was nothing like what she’d planned in her head. Where was the laughter and flirting?
By the time he pulled into The Mansion at Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club, tears brimmed in her eyes. She held a hand to each eye, discreetly wiping any tears that spilled over. Right as he pulled up to the valet parking, a sniffle escaped.
In the window’s reflection, she saw Dean turn to her. She swiped at her face before meeting his eye. “Some dust, I think.” She opened the door and escaped before he asked any questions. She ran inside to find the nearest bathroom and spent a few minutes cleaning up her face.
When her insides stopped ripping inside her, she exited the bathroom and found Dean waiting in line at the receptionist’s desk with their baggage.
His forehead creased with worry lines, and they deepened when she joined him in line.
“Everything okay?”
His simple question brought the tears back. When the first tear fell, he straightened and took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry, Emilie, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She cried into his shoulder, not worrying about who overheard them. “I’m sorry about everything, Dean.”
He backed up and wiped her face.
“Next in line, please.” They glanced up to see the receptionist motioning them forward. Dean gave her a regretful look and tapped her nose. “Let’s talk in a minute.”
Emilie took a deep breath, a small weight lifted from her shoulders. They were going to talk. In a few minutes, she was finally going to tell him everything.
The receptionist was a tall woman with tiny features and an even smaller voice. “Do you have a reservation?”
Emilie glanced nervously at Dean. He slipped his hand into hers, and warmth traveled up her arm and into her cheeks. Gone was the anxiety and worry. “Try your last name.”
Dean looked back at the receptionist. “Check if it’s under Emilie Carter or Dean Wright.”
The lady clicked quickly on her keyboard and gave a small shake of her head. “No, I’m sorry. There’s no reservation under those names.”
Emilie looked around for Ava. “We’re with Finn Walter’s wedding. He said he was taking care of the rooms for the whole wedding party.”
She widened her eyes and checked the screen again. “I’m sorry. I see a room for Finn and Ava Walter, but they have only signed up for one room.”
“Oh, I’ve got it.” A familiar male voice spoke up a few feet behind them. They turned. Finn rushed to the desk holding a black credit card. “Sorry, we were supposed to have everything arranged, but Ava’s still finalizing everything.”
For the first time all day, Emilie smiled. The sooner they checked in, the sooner she and Dean could talk. “Thanks, Finn.”
Dean stepped forward. “Is it just our room you’re paying for?”
Finn looked from the desk clerk to Dean. “You two were a last minute add to the wedding list. I just went ahead and—”
“I can take care of us. No need to spend extra.” Dean reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed a credit card to the lady.
Finn shook his head. “I can’t let you do that. I promised Emilie I’d take care of you two. You’re getting married and need to save money. Soon you’ll be paying the big bills for your own wedding.”
Dean sighed. “You’re having your wedding right now. Come on, let me pay for us.”
Finn held out his credit card. “Please take this. Their money is no good here.”
Emilie stepped forward and placed a hand against Dean’s chest. “Finn, you didn’t need to do that. But thanks. We’ll save the extra money for our own wedding.” She hoped the words would make Dean feel better, but she doubted they did. He shoved his credit card back into the wallet and kept his eyes on the floor. They needed to talk soon before he completely gave up on her.
Finn pocketed his card and handed them a folded sheet of paper. “A tentative schedule. Nothing too big today. The guys are meeting in an hour for a round of golf, the girls are meeting at the resort spa, and tonight there’s dinner in the ballroom to kick things off.”
