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Ramsey spoke up. “Then you have to show her, Luke. Actions speak louder than words, right? Do something special for her. Show her how much you care.”
I thought about his words for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe I needed to show Emmy how much she meant to me instead of just telling her. But what could I do? As we continued to drink and laugh, an idea started to form in the back of my mind. It was risky, but maybe it would work. It was a grand gesture. That was what Leo said to do.
“I know that look,” Leo said. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I really need to talk to Emmy,” I replied.
“Go.” He grinned.
“I can’t,” I said. “I’m your best man. I can’t abandon you at your bachelor party. This is my one job.”
Leo smirked and looked around. “We’re at a bar. It’s not like we haven’t done this a hundred times. We can do this after I’m married. Go. Go get her. You need to get your woman back. I can’t stand being around your moping ass another minute. We’re supposed to be celebrating and you’re acting we’re going to a funeral. Besides, I’m beat. All this work and wedding stuff has wiped me out. I’m actually looking forward to a quiet night at home alone.”
“She’s not even in town,” I said. “Aren’t the ladies on their bachelorette trip to Maine?”
“I’m guessing you could find out where the spa was if you wanted to,” Leo replied dryly. “I could tell you but that would make it too easy. You have to struggle a little or it wouldn’t be a grand gesture.”
“Should I?” I asked.
“Do it.” Ramsey nodded.
“Go,” Cameron agreed.”
I smiled, feeling like I actually had a chance. I walked out of the bar and hailed a cab. As I sat in the back of the cab, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. What if Emmy didn’t want to see me? What if she was still mad at me? But then I remembered what Ramsey said, actions speak louder than words. I was going to show Emmy just how much she meant to me.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
Emmy
Iwoke up early on Friday morning, feeling excited and energized for the upcoming weekend. I had been nervous and almost dreading the trip, but now I was looking forward to it. While it was insulting to have Luke pay for my trip, I had already decided I was going to pay him back. This was a loan. I could accept a loan.
I jumped out of bed and headed straight to the closet to start packing. I carefully selected outfits for every occasion, making sure to pack enough warm clothes for the cool Maine weather. I grabbed my favorite cozy sweaters, jeans, and boots, along with some workout clothes for the yoga and fitness classes offered at the spa.
As I packed, I couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. I never really had girlfriends before. The ladies had welcomed me with open arms and I was looking forward to getting to know them all better. It was fun to sit around and have girl talk. I was bummed Izzy wasn’t coming along, but this was Caroline’s trip.
I zipped up my suitcase and double-checked that I had packed everything I needed. With a grin on my face, I picked up my bag and headed to the living room. Julia’s bags were already sitting by the door.
“Aren’t you so excited?” she squealed. “I’ve been looking forward to this forever. I’ve never been anywhere so fancy. You probably have, right?”
I felt a little bad. It was strange to think our lives were so different yet so much the same. I grew up with money while the other three women had been poor and struggled. Now, I was the poor one and they were all rich. “My mom used to take me to a spa, but it wasn’t anything like this one. It was always a fancy hotel in the middle of a bustling city. I’m looking forward to seeing some nature.”
“Caroline is a city girl, but she loves the outdoors.” Julia laughed. “I think she might end up living in a cabin on some mountain one of these days.”
“That does sound like a nice place to be.” I nodded.
She glanced at her watch. “We should probably go down. Caroline texted from the limo and said she would be here soon.”
On the way down to the lobby, I felt another twinge of guilt. Leo had hired a limo to take us to the spa. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much that cost, but he insisted. It was his gift to Caroline and us for helping with the wedding. I knew Leo and I knew this was just his way. I tried not to take it personally that he shelled out the money for our ride.
Caroline and Lena were already inside the limo. “Are we ready to party?” Caroline asked when we climbed in.
“No, we’re ready to relax,” Julia said. “The very opposite of party. You said you didn’t want a party. We’ve all had our share of parties.”
Caroline laughed. “I guess relaxing is the party now.”
I settled into the comfortable leather seat and tried to relax while not thinking about Luke and what he was doing just then. Thankfully, the other women weren’t asking me questions or trying to talk me into talking to Luke. We had talked about the subject enough. Now, we were just moving forward. I was the single girl in the party and that was that.
We stepped out of the limousine that had delivered us to the lodge in Maine. We all stood and stared at the place. The lodge was made of stone and wood, and it was large and square with a massive fireplace in the center. Smoke from the fire rose into a chimney at the top of the lodge, disappearing into the evening sky.
