“Oh my goodness!” Mom whispers. “I knew it! I knew it wasn’t just wishful thinking. Oh, Emmie!” She hugs me tightly, elated.
I hug her back, feeling a flutter of apprehension and excitement. “I can’t believe he’s actually here,” I say aloud. It still seems like a dream. I keep wanting to pinch myself. Mom lets me go, but her eyes are shiny. I have a feeling she’s picturing me in a wedding dress already.
“So what now?” Dot asks. “I mean, there’s a long way between this guy stopping in to the shop and him proposing marriage.”
“We need to help Emmie make her dream a reality,” Dani announces. “We need a plan.”
She finds a piece of junk mail in her giant purse and pulls a pen from her bun. Apparently it was the only thing holding up her hair because it tumbles around her in a cloud of dark curls. She taps her pen to her lips and narrows her eyes. “Where do we start?”
“If it’s destiny, won’t it just come true?” Dot asks.
“It can’t hurt to help it along a little, right?” Dani looks at Mom. “What do you think, Gwen?”
Mom clears her throat. “The visions show us our purpose in life, but that doesn’t mean we can just sit there and wait for the future to come to us. We still have to pursue it. We have to act to bring it about. When I saw my vision with Bert, with us runningour shop, I knew it was our destiny, but we still had to do all the hard work to turn it into reality. Now it’s Emmie’s turn to help her dream come true. So yes, a plan would be good.”
They all three turn and look at me. I stare back at them blankly. I have no idea what to do.
“Um, anyone have any bright ideas?” I ask.
“Emmie, can you tell us your vision again? Give us as much detail as possible,” Mom instructs. Slowly, I do, closing my eyes and trying to picture it all clearly as I describe it to them. Dani scribbles down the details on the junk mail as Mom and Dot listen intently.
“Is that all?” Dani asks when I finish talking. We all stare at the paper. She’s written down every detail I can remember.
“That’s all I can think of.”
“Okay, we need a plan of action.” Dani fishes around for more paper in her bag and finds a napkin from Byrdie’s Coffee, my all-time favorite local coffee place in Poulsbo. “What are the steps Emmie needs to get from here to seeing her vision come true?” Dani loves a good plan. She makes detailed goals for herself every year and keeps lists for everything.
“It sounds like she needs that chocolate shop she’s been talking about for years,” Dot says practically. Dani writes it down.
“And Emmie and Henry will have to fall in love,” Mom says softly. Her eyes are bright with anticipation.
“I need to find that floaty yellow dress,” I pipe up. That sounds like an enjoyable challenge. I can’t remember the last time I splurged on something that wasn’t practical. Replacing my floral cotton underwear and a new three-pack of black leggings from Amazon is as luxe as I’ve gotten in recent years. The thought of a little glamour is exciting. My life in Paris feels far away.
“And you’ll need Henry to give you an engagement ring and propose.” Dani nods, satisfied. She sits back.
We all crowd around to look at the list.
To-Do List
• Henry + Emmie fall in love
• Chocolate shop
• Yellow dress
• Engagement ring + proposal
It’s crazy to see it written out in her big, loopy handwriting. This is the list of steps to make my vision come true. Are we really just going to make it happen? How?
“Also, Emmie, you need to pamper yourself,” Dani announces. “Trust me, reinita. Manicure, pedicure, new haircut, new lingerie…A full glow-up.”
“Hey,” I protest. “That isn’t part of the vision. I’m fine as I am.”
They all turn and survey me. I glance down at my jean cutoffs and fitted pale blue tee. At least when Henry came in I was wearing lip gloss and my hair was clean. It could have been way worse. It’s often worse. “Last week you told me I look like a young Reese Witherspoon and any man would be lucky to have me,” I remind Dani. “What changed?”
She waffles. “Well…I was being nice.”
“Baby girl,” Dot interrupts, laying her large, calloused hand on my shoulder. “You are beautiful and kind and sweet as sugar, and any man would be lucky to have you. You don’t need to change a thing. But you’re talking about trying to catch the eye of a famous TV star, a man who’s surrounded by actresses andHollywood types. If you want Henry to fall in love with you, maybe a little help wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
