Emily faced him, her lips pressed into a flat line.
Uh-oh.Something was definitely wrong. He picked up the pace and tossed his napkin into a nearby trash can. “You okay?” he asked as he approached her.
“Yeah,” she said, but her normally bright eyes were dull and lined with dark circles.
A thread of worry twisted through him. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked.
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” she said, her voice as dull as her eyes.
He reached for her face, and she took a step back.
Whoa.Something was very, very wrong.
He took her arm and led her away from his employees, who were watching them with curiosity. “Why didn’t you sleep?”
She shrugged.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked past him. Now she was avoiding his gaze.
“Emily,” he said, and her eyes snapped to his. “What’s going on?”
She shrugged again, but her eyes glistened.
He reached for her and tried to pull her against him, but she pushed him away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, but when she remained silent, he leveled his gaze with hers. “Did I do something to upset you?”
Something almost imperceptible flickered over her face.
“What did I do? Please tell me,” he begged her. “No matter what it is, I’ll make it right, okay? I care for you—deeply—and I don’t want to mess this up. You’re too important to me.”
She took three steps back. “I think I’m getting a cold, and I don’t want to get you sick. We have the anniversary celebration in two days and—”
“Jake!”
He pivoted just as Vince rushed over.
“I need you,” Vince called, beckoning him. “We have an issue in the orchard.”
“Can it wait?” Jake called as frustration filled his voice.
“Sorry, Boss, but no. I need you now.”
Ugh! Perfect timing.“All right.” Jake faced Emily. “We’ll talk later, okay?”
She pursed her lips and nodded, but he could see the pain in her eyes. She wasn’t getting sick. No, she was upset with him, and he wanted to fix it now. He’d have to bury his worry for now and focus on work.
But later he’d get her alone, and they would hash it out. Jake would find a way to fix it because the idea of losing Emily made it hard to breathe.
Chapter 21
Emily managed to stay busy all day and avoid being alone with Jake. She swept the plein air area, took more photos of the orchard and posted them, and taught two painting classes—each including only two students. She spotted a grand total of ten customers in the orchard all day long, which wasn’t much of an improvement. Still, she was grateful some more people had decided to come.
Yet Emily had spent the entire day on the verge of tears. She couldn’t wipe the vision of Jake and Claire kissing in the driveway out of her mind and fought the urge to pack up her things, climb into her Jeep, and drive to Charlotte. That way she could leave Jake, his family, the orchard, and Splendid Lake in her rearview mirror for good. But she’d promised to help with the orchard. She couldn’t back away now, especially when so many vendors had done that themselves. So she stayed cemented in place despite her agony.
She’d hoped that she could unload all of her burdens on Andi, but Andi had texted her earlier in the day to say that she andSeth had to sort out some issues with their lawn care business. Her friend promised that they’d be back at the orchard as soon as everything was settled. It couldn’t be soon enough. Emily needed a friend’s shoulder to cry on, but for now, she’d stay strong and keep her tears at bay.
