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“I’m just saying. The day after you posted the first one, she was gone. And it’s been four days.” He gave me a look that meant he knew he was right, but I shook my head.
“Correlation doesn’t equal causation.”
“No, but regardless, you know the video upset her.” He gave me a serious look, and I had half a mind to smack it off of his face. He was always doing stuff like that, trying to make me a better person.
“That’s if she even saw it.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. I was developing a headache from this argument, but really I knew it was from the warring thoughts in my mind. I didn’t exactly know that Emma had been making video content for her bakery, but I told my social media manager to mimic whatever was working for brands similar to mine. And I guessed that meant competitors on the island, which was only Emma. However, posting a much higher-produced video of my bakery right after she posted what looked like an iPhone video on her page wasn’t the wisest decision. It was a clear act of war, and I realize that now. But I still didn’t stop posting them. I paid good money for those videos. And a dark part of me would always want Emma’s anger. It was better than nothing, right?
I knew it was fucked up, but I neededsomethingfrom her. The way I still craved just the gaze of her eyes on me was sickening, because I would do anything for her attention.
“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel? Maybe apologize for opening a rival business next to hers?” Jackson was always the reasonable one with advice. I hated it.
I was sure that we were too different now. Too much time had passed since we’d last seen each other, and we wouldn’t be compatible again. When I’d moved back to the island, bored of mainland life, I wondered if I would cross paths with her. I wondered whether she would be willing to go out on a date with me again, or if she would even accept my apology for the hurt I had caused. I hadn’t imagined that I would be this close to her every day and have to suffer knowing she was a few steps away, but that she would never be mine. And now she hated me even more. Great.
The way these cookies crumbled made me so angry.
“It’s not my fault that the lessors allowed both of us to rent the properties! I didn’t even know. I’m not apologizing for—”
“Does it really matter if you knew? If you want her back, antagonizing her and her business isn’t the way to do it. Do you knowanythingabout women?” He gave me an annoyed look.
“Of course I do. But I’m not apologizing for something that isn’t my doing.” And I was firm on that. Instead, I thought about going to the lessors’ offices and ripping them a new one for committing this crime against me. Againsther.
“Okay, then apologize for copying her videos with professional videographers. Apologize for stealing her customers. Apologize for the situation. But don’t just sit in here and devise ways to further irritate her. All that will get you is the cold shoulder.” Jackson threw down the bag that I assumed had macarons in them and walked out of my small office in the back of my bakery.
I pulled the macarons out and started eating them as I considered what Jackson had said. Apologies weren’t really my thing. No, I definitely did the vindictive and monotonous things better. It was who I was. Who I’d become after the sunshine was ripped out of my life.
But I wanted her. Needed her. And knowing that I’d hurt her was going to dig a hole in my chest until she returned. Surely I could work up an apology by then.
11
Emma
The phone call to my sister had been short and to the point. I’d asked her if I could stay with her for a few days to talk and just have some consistent company, and she said yes.
I stood at her door, fumbling for the key to her house that I had from the endless times I’d come over and take care of her dogs. I didn’t even find the key before Isabella opened the door and yanked me into a hug.
“Emma!” She said, always excited to see me. With our busy lives, we rarely made time to see each other. It was sad, really, that we didn’t prioritize our relationship any more than we did.
“Hey Em!” Another voice called from the kitchen, which was just a few feet off. The floor plan of Isabella’s house was open, so the entryway, living room, and kitchen were really all just one large room.
I looked around Isabella and found my sister’s best friend of four years, Landon, cooking shirtless in the kitchen. My eyebrows were at my hairline.
“Where is your shirt, Landon?” I asked, laughing as I set my bags down by the front door.
Landon looked down at himself as though he had forgotten that he was half-naked. “Oh! Your annoying sister spilled tomato sauce all over my brand-new white shirt, so it’s being treated. I think she just wanted to see my abs.”
I laughed, making a point to look at his body. “What abs?” I asked, squinting at his midsection as I got closer.
“Hey now.” He pointed the spatula that he had been stirring with at me. “Better put your glasses on, because the six-pack is definitely there.”
My sister and I giggled, because there was indeed a six-pack of abs on Landon. I just loved messing with him.
Landon and Isabella met in college, where they bonded over their love for math and hockey. They majored in accounting and were study buddies for the entirety of college, and when Isabella moved back to Amelia Island, Landon followed. They were essentially joined at the hip, working for the same firm in town and even sharing a house. Isabella assured me that they were just friends and would never be anything else, but I knew better. They both looked at each other like they were the only two people to exist. It would work itself out eventually, but I couldn’t interfere. I knew it would just make my sister run further away from the idea.
It was nice to be around such fun people. Around family.
I joined them in cooking, but I pretty much just snacked and watched them bicker over how much oregano to add to the marinara sauce. When it was time for dinner, that’s when they decided to turn serious.
“So…what’s going on?” Isabella asked, reaching across the table to touch my hand. Landon made the same motion, and I stared at him for a few seconds before we all erupted in laughter. He was always the comedic relief.
