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She holds out her hand to me. "Emery MacTaggart."
"Kate Wagner," I say as I shake her hand. "But you already know that. Did you say MacTaggart?"
"Yep. I'm married to Callum's cousin Rory."
"Oh. I see. Not to be rude, but what on earth is going on? How did you find me?"
She smiles and pats my leg. "Relax, honey. I honestly am here to help. How did I find you? It's simple. Hugh called Jack, who called Callum, who called Rory."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"It's the MacTaggart grapevine at work. Apparently, Hugh and Callum had a tiff when the Brit found the Scot naked in your former flat."
Oh shit. Hugh knows everything now, I assume. Not that it matters because I'm leaving the country in less than an hour.
Emery grins. "You look baffled. Let me clear things up a bit. You see, Callum punched Hugh, so he called Jack to report the 'assault' from Jack's 'lying knob of a brother.' Apparently, a knob is a dick. Anyway, Jack immediately hung up and got hold of Callum, who said Hugh is 'the biggestblaigeardon earth' and had it coming. I gather that Gaelic word means 'bastard.' Well, being a therapist, Jack understood what needed to be done. He called my hubby to tap into Rory's connections and make it happen."
Precisely nothing she said makes any sense. I feel dizzy just thinking about it all.
But Emery isn't done talking. "It's all set, except for your part."
"My part? I'm not involved in whatever you guys are plotting."
"It's called meddling, sweetie, and the American Wives Club knows what to do when these things happen."
"The what club?" I'm sure I sound completely baffled. I can't understand anything Emery said except for the part about Callum punching Hugh. "Look, the last thing I need to do is get tangled up in ruining a friendship."
"What happened is not your fault."
"You don't understand. I told Hugh I wasn't interested in Callum, then I slept with his best friend anyway."
"The way Callum tells it, the whole thing is his fault. You were caught in the middle. But I don't know all the details, and I don't need to know." Emery clasps my hands. "Listen, sweetie, we want to help. If you care for Callum in the way I think you do, then help us help him—and Hugh. Their friendship won't be ruined if you stay. While we sort out the guys, you can figure out whether you want to be with Callum or not."
"I don't know if I can see either of them again. I'm a coward."
"Oh, I doubt that. You're confused and scared. Believe it or not, I understand what you're going through."
Yeah, I do doubt that. But she seems like a nice person, and I appreciate that she wants to help.
"Here's the deal," Emery says. "I'm going to tell you a story that no one else knows, except for me and my hubby. I think it might help you understand and decide whether you still want to go back to America."
"Okay."
"I met Rory in New Orleans, and we had what was supposed to be a one-night stand, except it turned into more than one night. Rory had been so badly damaged by his ex-wives that he couldn't trust any woman or his own feelings." Emery leans closer, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. "I married him a few days after we met and came to Scotland with him, living in an old castle in the middle of nowhere. He resisted his feelings for me, which made him a grumpy bear a lot of the time. I wasn't in the best place either, emotionally, since my ex-boyfriend had posted naked pictures of me online without my permission. I had to fight like hell to get through to Rory and get past my fears, but it was worth the struggle. We're happily married and have two beautiful twin babies, a boy and a girl."
"That's a neat story, but I don't see how it relates to me."
"I never gave up on Rory. I stuck with him because I felt in my soul that we could be happy together." Emery gives my hands a light squeeze. "Do you want to walk away from Callum before you've given it a real try? Will you let your fears run your life?"
When I think about Callum, I get a lump in my throat. Why did I have sex with him last night? I should've slammed the door in his face. But he spoke with such earnestness and tenderness that I couldn't shove him away. I needed to be with him one last time.
Oh no.I understand what that means. My feelings for him are deeper than lust.
But I still don't want to become the wedge that pushes Callum and Hugh apart forever.
"I get what you're saying, I do," I tell Emery. "But I don't see how Callum and I could ever sort out our feelings for each other when we've both hurt Hugh. They've been friends for years. I couldn't be happy knowing I'm the reason their relationship fell apart."
"That won't happen. Trust me."
