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What really burned me, was the fact he didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go. What if I didn’t want to go to Maine? He didn’t even bother asking me. He just decided for me, like I was his child to be bossed around.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Luke
As soon as I walked through the door, I could tell something was wrong. Emmy was pacing back and forth, her face twisted with anger and frustration. I probably should have turned around and left. I knew the woman well enough to know she did have a bit of a temper. I had only been on the receiving end of that temper twice before and both times she’d been under the age of fifteen. She looked like she was going to blow fire out her nose at any second.
“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and casual.
“Don’t you dare play dumb with me,” she spat, her eyes blazing. “You know exactly what you did.”
“I’m not sure I do,” I said. “Is this something I did today?”
She glared at me. “You didn’t even ask me.”
“Ask you what?”
“Are you working for my father?” she asked.
“What?” I asked with confusion.
“Is this part of your control over me?”
“Emmy, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said softly. It felt like I was approaching a wounded animal. This was something that needed to be handled with caution. You didn’t just run up on a wild beast. A dragon-like beast. “I don’t want to control you. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She shook her head. “I bet my mom was right. I tried to talk myself out of it, but now I’m seeing it all clearly.”
“What are you seeing?” I asked.
“The trip,” she snapped. “You paid my share for the bachelorette party!”
I felt a knot form in my stomach as I realized what she was talking about. The trip. I had thought I was doing something nice for her, something she would appreciate. But now, it seemed like I had only made things worse.
“I’m sorry,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. “I just thought it would be a nice surprise for you. I know you’ve been struggling. You were nice enough to agree to be in the wedding. You weren’t planning on the expense. I didn’t want you to be under any more pressure. You were doing a favor for Caroline. It helps Leo and I’m his best man, so I owe you as well. It wasn’t meant to offend you.”
“A surprise?” she scoffed. “More like an attempt to control me. To make decisions for me without even asking me what I wanted.”
I felt a pang of guilt as I realized how my actions had been interpreted. That wasn’t at all what I had intended. I had just wanted to do something nice for her, something to show her how much I cared.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought you might enjoy the trip. You’ve been under a lot of stress. I wanted you to just have some time to relax.”
“Well, I don’t appreciate it,” she snapped, her voice sharp and cutting. “Not when you’re trying to control me like some kind of puppet.”
I could feel my own anger rising now. I had only wanted to do something nice for her, and now I was being accused of all sorts of terrible things. It wasn’t fair. “I’m not trying to control you, Emmy,” I defended, my voice rising. “I just wanted to do something nice for you. Is that so wrong?”
“I’m going to ask you again,” she said, waggling her finger at me. “Are you working for my dad?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, shocked.
“My mom said you were working for my dad! I didn’t want to believe it, but now I have to wonder if it’s true. Are you reporting back to him? Did he put you up to this? This sudden onset of feelings seems to come at a very convenient time.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I don’t think I’m hearing you correctly,” I said. “Are you accusing me of reporting back to your father?”
“Yes!”
“Wow,” I said in disbelief. “I cannot believe you would think that.”
“You’re not denying it,” she said. “You swooped in to rescue me at just the right time. Guess what? I don’t need anyone to rescue me. I certainly don’t need a rescuer trying to get in my pants.”
