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Thirty-Five
A thousand fairylights twinkled from the trees above the soiree’s large clearing. Blaine stood behind Emilia, his arm warm around her waist, while a crush of people filed past and Mirabelle Falls trickled in the background.
“Wait here.” His low whisper sent a ripple through her body, alluring, reassuring. “I’ll drop off our food and be right back.”
His hand slipped from her arm, and he strolled toward a giant buffet table adorned with berry speckled garlands and various decorated cake stands. She used her alone time to pivot in a full circle, drinking in the dreamlike spectacle—the fancy costumes, the happy faces, the indigo and fire-colored sky descending into night.
The people passing her were dressed in elaborate ancient Greek togas and whimsical fairy outfits decked in yards of frothy tulle. Meanwhile, a quartet of flute, harp, and strings played a sweet rendition of“En Bateau”at another far-off corner. The music brought the fairy theme to life and proved that Harlow had well and truly pulled out all the stops.
“Now, don’t you look like perfection?”
Emilia whipped around, coming face-to-face with Maureen Cooper, though Frank was nowhere to be seen. The woman had a silver fairy wand in her hand, her cheeks heavily blushed, her dress overflowing like a purple-chiffon puddle at her feet.
Emilia kept her smile light on her face, though her insides churned a little. Maureen and Frank had acted as surrogate parents to Blaine after he’d been forced from LA. What if they weren’t happy to see her with him? What if they preferred Sarah?
Of all encounters, this was the one she’d dreaded most. “I could say the same for you.”
Maureen’s gray eyes held a sparkle. Maybe she was yet to notice Emilia had arrived with Blaine. “I drove past the cottage the other day. Your garden is so cute. Aggie has unearthed real talent in you, there.”
“Thank you, her help made all the difference.” Emilia shuffled where she stood, not sure she’d say the same about this morning’s impromptu training on how to wield a knife. “And I guess I have you to thank for directing me to her, back when I had that wasp problem.”
And with all the upheaval over Anthony’s disappearance, she could take comfort in knowing she’d at least survived long enough to see her garden bloom, even if right now her temperature rose and her palms sweated.
“Oh yes, the wasps.” Maureen cringed. “I’m still so sorry about that. The cottage had been empty for so long and—”
Blaine sidled up to Emilia and kissed her on the cheek.
Maureen’s mouth fell open. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I…”
“Hello, Maureen.”
Though Emilia couldn’t see him, there was no missing the brightness in his tone. Meanwhile, her face heated and her muscles stiffened as his hand slid to the small of her back, making it undeniable they were more than just friends.
“When did this happen?” Maureen’s expression remained slack. “How did I miss this?”
“I’m sorry.” Emilia’s throat went dry. “We probably should have picked another occasion to reveal our news, but––”
“What did I tell you about apologizing so much?” Blaine held a frown, though his brows raised in a somewhat softer expression.
Maureen reached out a hand to his forearm, letting him know he didn’t need to get defensive. Next, she turned to Emilia and engulfed her in an excited hug. “Dear, don’t say another word. I was just surprised, that’s all. I’m usually the first to know about these things, dontcha know.”
Emilia nearly drowned in a cloud of Maureen’s strong flowery perfume, and she gasped for her next breath under the crush of the enthusiastic embrace. “You’re not angry?”
“Geez, no. No.” Maureen pulled away, her eyes holding a happy glitter. “I’m glad he got you to come around in the end.”
“Hang on a minute.” Emilia turned to Blaine. “You told her about us?”
He shook his head, looking just as confused.
“He didn’t need to.” Maureen gave Blaine a congratulatory nudge with her elbow. “The whole town has figured something’s been happenin’ between yous guys. Some even took bets on whether our boy here would win you over or not.”
“Wait. What?” Blaine held up a hand, signaling for Maureen to pause. “How did everyone know?”
“Oh, ya”—Maureen patted his cheek half-condescendingly—“You two put on enough public showdowns for folks to put two-and-two together. Anyway, all that matters is we’re all so happy for you both.”
Emilia’s heart rate slowed, and she settled back in her posture, her inner world morphing into a mass of unpredicted elation. Though she figured Maureen didn’t know the full history about her being the same girl from Blaine’s past, something told her that when he did get around to filling everyone in, this woman would come to terms with that bit of news easy enough.
Harlow had been good to Emilia, and so far tonight, all she had was confirmation that the people here accepted her in a way that had been lacking in all her twenty-eight years alive.
