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Emily gives a nervous laugh, “Of course not.”
Leah gives a look and chuckles as she turns around. I hear the jingle of the bells again as she heads back inside the store.
Emily immediately changes the topic and the moment passes as if it never happened. “Keep me in the loop about all the preparations. I’ll let the local businesses know tonight at our Chamber of Commerce meeting and what to expect. You never know, we could soon be able to label ourselves the ‘Hamptons of Maine’.”
“Now wouldn’t that be something. If the small town of Cottage Grove, Maine was suddenly the destination for an elegant andexclusive getaway.” I lower my voice another octave and try to add some pretense to my tone. “Well Richard, Betty and I spent our holiday in Cottage Grove. What did you do?”
Her laugh is infectious and before long the two of us are standing outside the bookstore laughing uncontrollably. It feels nice to let go and just have fun with someone. To not worry what Coach will think, the sponsors, the team owner. To not worry if at any moment there will be a call to the bay or to a fire where the outcome is out of my control. This is what I need in my life—a little more fun, and it seems that Emily is just the one I’d like to enjoy more of that with.
“Oh, I haven’t laughed like that in a while.” She smiles at me as she wipes away a tear while holding her stomach. “I better get in there and help Leah. See you later, Mason.” She waves and then slips into the bookstore leaving me staring after her.
Did she not feel the tension between us? How I leaned toward her, my eyes on her pretty pink mouth. Now all I can wonder is what it would feel like to have my lips on hers.
I feel like I just got hit by a brick and she just waltzes into the bookstore with a laugh and a wave. I rub my hand over my face.
Jack is going to kill me.Maybe I should talk to him about what I’m feeling and see where he stands. The last thing I’d want is to ruin our friendship. But I can’t deny that I am seeing Emily in a very unbrotherly light.
I shake it off and walk toward the hardware store. I need to start spreading the word that the New Yorkers are coming. The town needs to prepare and show its best face because opportunities like this don’t come every day. Let’s just hope the events go off without a hitch and mother nature decides to cooperate.
Chapter Seven
Emily
The scene outside thebookstore keeps replaying in my head. If I didn’t know better I would swear that Mason was thinking about kissing me. But I know that’s definitely not the case. He sees me as Jack’s little sister and nothing more. No matter what I would like us to be. This is just my romance novel reading, happily ever after girl’s imagination making things up.
“So are you going to tell me what was happening with you and Mason at the shop?”
“Huh?” I ask, trying to figure out what she’s talking about.
“You and Mason looking like you were about to kiss,” she stares at me with wide eyes.
“Stop, Leah. You know he only thinks of me as his best friend’s sister,” I say, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. But seriously, Mason almost kissed me.
“Sure he does…” I hear Leah mumble under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“I asked if you were upset that you aren’t getting an all-expense paid trip to New York,” Leah says as we walk into the diner shoving our shopping bags into the corner booth.
I know that isn’t what she said but I’m grateful for the topic change. I am not ready to talk about what happened because I’m afraid to hope and if I don’t acknowledge it out loud, maybe I won’t be disappointed when it does turn out to be nothing.
“No, not at all. I was looking forward to going to the museums and a few of the art galleries but there is so much hustle and bustle in the city. So many people and noises. Then there is the added benefit of helping the people of our town. It will give a major boost to some of the local businesses. I thought Clarissa was going to cry when we told her that she might want to order in more of the upscale stuff because we are getting an influx of snooty New Yorkers.”
“Em, you are a good person. Do you know that? Most people would be bummed and a little irritated that their trip to the big city with an unlimited budget was snatched away. Not you, the town and its people are always your priority.”
“Don’t make me sound like a saint Leah, of course I was excited to see things in the city but I’m a book-loving introvert and loud crazy places are just not my jam. It’s not like he told me we were going to Boonsboro, Maryland and then bailed last minute.”
Leah looks at me with a blank expression. “Why would anyone want to go to Boonsboro, Maryland?”
I roll my eyes as Susie bustles up to the table.
“Hey ladies, have you heard? Mason has wrangled it so that his big shindig is happening here. All these rich and famous people are coming to Cottage Grove.” The older woman dances a little in her shoes.
“We are going to make this the best weekend of their lives. We are pulling out all the stops and maybe we can put this place on the map!”
“We have heard, Susie. Actually, it was—”
“Hey Susie, that is exciting! Can you get both of us the special, with diet cokes?” I interrupt Leah before she can tell Susie it was my idea to move the gala and activities to Cottage Grove.
