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The door swung open, though thankfully, Ava immediately retreated into the darkened room.
Emilie caught it before it swung shut and followed Ava. “Why didn’t you sleep in? Heaven knows you need the beauty rest.” Ava collapsed on a king-sized bed, already ruffled and missing the cover sheet. Emilie found the light switch on the side wall and flicked it on. “How much did you toss and turn last night? Did you even sleep?”
Ava put a pillow over her face and moaned. “Turn off that light.”
Emilie sighed and turned it off. Then she went to the window and lifted the shade a tiny bit. The space flooded with light, showing a much nicer room.
Ava growled. “Why? Why did he have to say something now?” Her voice broke on the last word. She peeked out of the covers at Emilie. “We’re doing just fine, and now he gives me an ultimatum. People in love don’t do that.”
Emilie picked the corner of the bed furthest away from Ava’s reach. No telling what the distraught woman would do, and she didn’t want to be caught in the crosshairs. “Maybe, but I’m sure he prefers a broken heart to a broken marriage.”
The next few minutes, Emilie stayed quiet as Ava vented. In-between muffled cries, Emilie applied a no-mess mask to Ava’s face to diminish the bags under her eyes.
A knock sounded at the door. Ava swatted at the air. “If it’s Finn, tell him I don’t want to see him right now. He’s been relentless since I left the boat.”
Another knock. “Ava, if you don’t open this door, I’m calling off this wedding. I’m going out to the lobby, and if you don’t come out within thirty minutes, we are through.”
Ava popped up, her face mask dropping to the bed. She bit her lip and leaned. “What should I do?”
“You need to talk.” Emilie helped Ava to the bathroom to shower and found something decent for her to wear. In less than five minutes, Ava stepped out of the bathroom, looking less scary.
Emilie collected her things and went to the door. “I left an outfit on the chair. Don’t spruce yourself up too much or he won’t know how horrible of a night you had.”
Ava glanced at her makeup on the counter and nodded. “Right.”
Emilie walked down to the lobby, wanting to let Finn know Ava was on her way, but froze when she reached the sitting area. Dean was sitting on the couch, facing Finn. The two were in a heated conversation. Emilie moved closer so she could hear, but stayed out of sight.
Finn’s appearance was as unkempt and as haggard as Ava’s. Only a flap of his tailored shirt was still tucked into his wrinkled pants. His eyes were dark pits of despair.
Dean’s voice was stressed as he spoke. “So your ultimatum was a lie?”
Finn eased against the couch and frowned. “Not really a lie. I do want to move away from my parents, loosen the strings a little. But I just want to know the truth. Is she marrying me for my money or because she loves me? I can’t trust her.”
“Don’t you see that’s the problem?” Dean leaned back, moving out of Emilie’s line of sight, and she had to stretch to hear his words. “If you think she’s marrying you for your money, then you already know how she feels about you. Will she really be happy once she finds out it’s all a lie?”
Finn sighed. “I’ve known Ava for a long time, even before Emilie.”
Emilie’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. Footsteps sounded behind her, but she stayed still for fear of missing something and chalked it up to nothing when it remained silent.
“I’ve probably liked Ava for as long as I’ve known her. It’s a dream come true to be with her,” Finn said. Dean coughed, and Emilie bit back a laugh, knowing what he was thinking. Being with Ava wasn’t a dream.
Finn seemed undeterred. “Is it wrong of me to make sure she’s marrying me for the right reason?”
“Not at all. But this is your wedding week. Why now?”
Finn ran a hand through his wild and tangled hair. It was the first time Emilie had seen him so out of sorts. “I told you I’ve known for a while. Seeing you with Emilie reminds me of what two people in love look like, but even if we didn’t have that, I’d be happy. I took this ultimatum thing too far, and I’m about to tell Ava I don’t care anymore.”
Dean leaned forward. “So you’re really okay if she only wants your money?”
“We’ve made some good memories throughout the years. After we’re married, she’ll remember how good we are together, and things will be back to normal again. The wedding has just made her crazy.” Finn stood up and tucked in his shirt. Then he found a mirror close by and checked his reflection.
Emilie retreated behind the wall even more and noticed Ava standing right next to her. Her attention was straight ahead.
“And what if she doesn’t?” Dean pressed.
“Then I’ll take all the time she’ll give me.”
Ava whisked by in a one-piece navy-blue pantsuit. It wasn’t the outfit Emilie had picked, but it worked. Her makeup was spot on, her red lipstick completely stunning. Her white floppy hat bounced as she skipped up to Dean and Finn. She’d completely transformed back into the old Ava.
