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Maybe I should just give her some space. It’s only been a few hours. And let her think that what she saw with Julia was what she thinks it is? Yeah, no Mason, that's a bad idea.
“Okay,” I say out loud. “So what do I do?”
Go to Books and Brew.
I cringe at the thought. I know Leah is working and she’ll definitely know where Emily is, but whether she tells me or not is another story. Leah and I have a love-hate relationship. Don’t get me wrong, we like each other, but we love to argue to the chagrin of all our friends.
She’s also fiercely loyal to Emily. Thinking back to all the times Leah would get mad at me makes perfect sense now. She knew Emily had feelings for me. I hit my head with my palm and groan at how blind I was.
I grab my keys and head over to Books and Brew. I see Leah before I open the door and the smirk on her face makes me want to wring someone’s neck.
“Well don’t you look all fancy,” she teases. “I was wondering when you were going to show up. You’re a few hours late.”
“I’m surprised you’re talking to me,” I say sheepishly.
“Have you looked in the mirror, Mason? You look worse than you did when you came home after your NFL career ended. And you lookedbad.”
“Gee, thanks. I think?” When I get to the counter I drop my head and rub the back of my neck. “She won’t answer my calls.”
“And she doesn’t have any intention to at the moment.” My eyes widen and snap to hers. This might be worse than I initially thought, then Leah finishes with, “she will. Eventually.”
“You know I’m not good at waiting.”
“I do. And right now I don’t think you should.” This time I narrow my eyes at her. “Don’t act dumb, Mason. You know what you need to do. The question is, do you want her enough to face her stubborn streak head on?”
“Where did she go?”
“She’d kill me if I told you outright, so I’m not going to.”
I study her for a moment, racking my brain for where Em would go to seclude her stubborn self. A moment later I slap the counter. I’ve got it.
“Thanks, Leah!”
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” She laughs.
"The lake house!” I yell as I head out the door.
By the time I arrive at the lake house it’s dark. There are a few lights on in the house so I know Emily is here and up. I sit frozen in the car as nerves overtake me. Despite cranking up the heat to full-blast, I have a chill in my bones that won’t leave.
Okay Mason, let’s go. It’s time to win the biggest game of your life.
I know this situation is not a game but I always default back to the way I would pump myself up when I was playing. Getting in the right state of mind is crucial and I know that this moment, right here, is more important than any I’ve ever had on the field.
I take a deep breath and get out of the car, my feet crunching over the cold gravel. My heart is pounding as I walk up to the door. With the effort it takes to knock, I swear there’s a boulder attached to my wrist, not a hand. If this situation didn’t feel so dire I would make fun of myself. But it does, so I don’t. Taking more effort than I care to admit, I finally knock.
The chill outside hits my already cold body and I realize, for the first time, that I’m still only wearing my suit jacket. I hear the knob turn and a sliver of light hits me as the door opens.
Emily stands in front of me with red rimmed eyes filled with surprise and another emotion I can’t pinpoint. My heart aches to see her hurting like this.
“May I come in?” My voice is soft and gentle. It’s the same voice I used the first few times I helped Mr. BoJangles out of a tree. That’s before I realized he was the spawn of Satan.
Emily steps back and opens the door for me. I’ve been to the lake house many times before with the Stewart family. It’s a cozy cabin tucked in the woods on the Megunticook Lake and one of my favorite places in the world. Not because of the location but because of the memories.
I move toward the wood burning stove hoping to get some warmth into my body. I stick my hands closer to the flames. I feel the heat but it doesn’t penetrate my body and I shiver. I turn to Emily who hasn’t moved away from the front door and is staring at me with a pained expression on her face.
I hate that I was the one who caused her that pain.
"Emily,” I take a step toward her and she puts her hand out to stop me from coming closer. My heart drops but I stop. “I’m so sorry that you saw Julia—”
