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Emily couldn’t come home fast enough.
I checked my message from James, who happened to be in Seattle today and wanted to do lunch around noon. I shot him a quick message telling him that sounded great with the name of the place to meet.
I pulled out of the parking lot and thought about Emily already settling in. She always had been a bit of a free spirit, so it wasn’t like I didn’t expect her to go with the flow and enjoy her surroundings out there, but for her to compare the two and put it in the same league as Marigold Island meant something.
Three months wasn’t long, but it was long enough to start missing family.
So, if I wasn’t enough of a reason to come back, hopefully, they were.
A knot formed in my stomach at the thought, and I chuckled, realizing how badly I’d fallen for her.
As I navigated Seattle traffic, I found myself getting annoyed a little more and craving the simplicity of Marigold, where traffic only happened when the ferry pulled up.
I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and groaned before turning on the radio to distract me.
But as some love song drifted over the speakers, all I could do was think about Emily.
I’d never been so excited to pull into the parking lot of a restaurant as I was today. I needed a distraction desperately, and it had only been day one.
What had happened to me? When I’d been friend-zoned by Emily, I could go weeks without seeing her, but now it was literally painful.
I spotted James’s car, parked next to it, and went inside, spotting him in the corner booth.
He smiled and waved as the waitress brought over a cup of coffee for him. I took a seat and ordered the same. “This place has amazing patty melts.”
James picked up the menu as the server brought over my coffee.
“How’s Emily?” James asked, putting the menu down.
“I’ve only gotten one text from her, and she sounded pretty busy.”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s what Amelia got from it too. How are you holding up on day one?”
“Totally fine. Don’t even remember she’s gone.” I ran my fingers through my hair and groaned. “I’m a mess. Complete disaster. It’s only three months, and I’m already terrified of losing her.”
James chuckled and shook his head. “Being in love is rough.”
“I just can’t believe it.” I twisted my lips into a contemplative pout. “And she seems to love it there. Even said it’s as magical as Marigold.”
James’s brows rose in surprise. “Really? Emily said that?”
“So, that is worrisome, right? Coming from one of the Evans sisters?”
“Well, if Audrey said it I wouldn’t even blink, but the other three? Yeah… I’d be concerned.”
“I just hope the humidity hits hard, and she’ll be begging to come home.”
“Nice.”
I chuckled. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, she’s in the hills, so it probably won’t be as bad there, humidity-wise.”
I glared at my cousin. “You’re not helping, man.”
“When are you thinking of visiting her?”
I shrugged and took a sip of coffee as the server came over. “I don’t want to seem pushy. I want her to have the full experience.”
