Then it occurred to her that the others were outside in the pool, but he’d been in the house when she came in.
“Why are you inside, fully dressed?” she asked.
He pouted. “I didn’t feel much like hanging out.”
“What did you expect? To come here, unannounced, after turning my life upside down, woo me with a flashy ring, and I’d fall into your arms?”
“Em, I’m trying here. What can I do?”
“I don’t think there’s anything youcando.”
“So even with all we’ve been through together, and the fact that I’m willing to work at this, you’re giving up?”
“I’m not giving up,” she said, folding her arms. “I’m realizing who I want to be and I’m making a choice about my future.”
His forehead creased. “You’re different.”
She dropped her arms, her shoulders slouching. “Look, you decided you wanted something else, whether you meant for things to go that far or not. You wanted the attention of another woman—however briefly. And after I had time to digest that fact, I realized that maybe you were right—you and I were too young, too inexperienced for the long haul.”
“But many people are inexperienced when they begin their lives together. Are you saying none of them should be together?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying that at a time when we should’ve been leaning on one another to figure out life, you chose to lean on someone else. And for better or worse, your actions clicked a switch for me, and now, I can’t go back. You’re right. I’ve changed. I was so busy playing it safe that I didn’t consider whether playing it safe was actually good for me.”
“So I’ve lost you?”
“I don’t know if either of us ever had one another to begin with.”
He nodded, frowning in contemplation.
The old her would’ve been worried at this moment, fearful without a plan. But standing opposite Will, she felt free.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Emily had been hiding out in her room all morning. Instead of facing everyone, she’d decided to email Martha Rogers, her school principal, to ask about her contract. It was too late in the year—two months before school started—to try to get a teaching job in another location, so she wasn’t really sure why she was emailing, but she wanted to know if, legally, she could get out of it.
Why? She had no idea. She had bills to pay, and she had to be able to afford rent for her apartment, provided it was still available. She still hadn’t renewed her lease. But a tiny spark of hope inside her wondered if, perhaps, she looked for jobs in Florida, one would magically become available and she’d live happily ever after.
But then the rational side of her reminded her that she hadn’t known Patrick long enough to make that kind of move. Giving up her whole life, leaving her two best friends, and moving to an entirely different state was a risky move for someone she’d met on vacation.
She kept the message to Martha open-ended and left her cell phone number in case Martha would rather call. But herphone never rang, so Emily finally got out of bed, made herself presentable, and then went downstairs.
The house was quiet. Blair and Sienna were sitting in the living room. Blair sinking her spoon into a bowl of cereal.
Emily sat down in a chair near the window. “Where are the guys?”
“They went home,” Blair said.
Alarm shot through Emily. Had her issues with Will been too uncomfortable to endure? “Why?”
“We told them to go,” Sienna said.
“But they had more time to hang out. We could’ve all left together.”
Sienna leaned forward, her forearms on her knees, and clasped her hands. “Will let us in on the details of your conversation last night.”
“I told Rocko privately that they shouldn’t have ambushed you by showing up with Will unannounced. They should’ve let Will figure things out on his own,” Blair said. “Rocko agreed, and I suggested that maybe they should go home and give us girls one last day together so you can end your trip on a good note.”
“I feel bad,” Emily said.
