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"The dress really is beautiful," a sales lady says, handing me a bunch of tissues.
"Really?" Lizzy asks me with tears in her eyes. "It’s that beautiful?"
I look up at her and decide to let her believe this is all about the dress, it's only partly true.
"You look magnificent," I say, dabbing my eyes.
Beth reaches her arm over my shoulders and holds me. We both gush over Lizzy, complimenting her from veil to shoes.
Lizzy's face lights up, her smile looks brighter and her eyes dazzle. Everyone deserves to be this happy. The story of how a couple met or how they got together doesn't matter half as much as people think. It's the kind of happiness I see on Lizzy's face that matters most.
I know a little about how she feels. I felt a bit of that magic too last night, before I knew the truth.
I was happy, blissfully unaware of his motives and everything he had not told me. If it wasn’t for this morning’s confession I'd still be happy. I'd feel cared for and comfortable. It’s a possibility not only for me, but for absolutely everyone.
A love resort doesn't sound like a bad idea at all; millions of people live their whole life without feeling love and being loved. Ethan could change that. He could give people so much hope, make their lives worth living again.
I just can’t sit back and let Ethan give up on this idea or love itself.
14
Ethan
It’s a struggle to get Cassidy off my mind. How is she not just okay with what I have been doing, but now also supporting it?
The more I think about it, the more I realize just how wrong I have been about love.
I avoid the club. I make sure not to drive past her apartment or the bakery she loves or even the nursery. Everywhere reminds me of Cassidy.
But keeping clear of those places doesn’t work. Nothing does. She’s always on my mind no matter what I do.
I think about her constantly. I think about her in my bed, in my shower, sitting at my kitchen table. And every time I see a woman with red hair, it’s Cassidy’s face in front of me.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Ed says, walking into my office.
Ed’s face is permanently drawn in a smug expression, the result of getting his way one too many times. It’s killing me that I have lost to him. I’m dreading just how much he’s going to be gloating about this. I know he’s going to hold this over my head for months.
“I’ve been busy,” I reply without looking up. He’s the last person I want to deal with right now.
Ed sits down across from me, scanning my desk. “What have you been busy with?” he asks, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
We both know I haven’t been all that busy. I’ve never been too busy to brag about my success to him, but now that I have nothing to brag about I made myself scarce. I keep busy in my office, trying to find a bigger better venture. Something that would make both Ed and I forget about this whole resort thing.
“Work, Ed. Work,” I say impatiently. “What else would I be busy with?”
I know he’s here to ask about Cassidy, but I’d much rather steer clear of that topic. So I guess I have been avoiding Ed too, and now he’s here.
“So… How have things been going with Cassidy? Are we still making plans to build that love factory I’ll be paying for?” he asks.
I push my chair away from my desk and run my hands through my hair. “No,” I sigh wearily.
“No?” Ed presses. “But everything was going so well. You had Cassidy in your bed and by all accounts she was whipped.”
“Bring out the trumpets and the marching bands, my friend. I‘m about to admit something I’ve never had to admit before,” I laugh bitterly. “I was wrong.”
Ed raises an eyebrow, but manages to subdue his celebrations for the moment. “Really? Ethan Knight was wrong? I don’t believe it,” he says.
“Well, it’s true. There’s a lot more to love than what I thought. It’s complicated and fast tracking it at a resort would be a disaster,” I explain. “You can gloat now.”
