by Anna Albo
“I hate to break the serenity, but I’m about to join you,” Zach said, peeling off his jeans then the rest of his clothes. I scooted over to give him more space as he eased into the water.
“I’d love that,” I said in a sleepy voice. “I can’t believe I forgot our anniversary.”
“You’re forgiven this year only. A lot’s been going on.”
“I never want to deal with anything like that ever again.”
“Agreed.”
“And I’ll get you something tomorrow. Or soon. I want it to be sentimental.”
“Em, you don’t have to get me anything.”
“But it’s our anniversary.”
“I think being here with you is the best present I can have.”
I smiled and scooted close to him, placing a kiss on his lips. He then pulled me to him. I rested my back against his chest and he slipped his arms around my waist.
“I talked to Dad,” I said, breaking the silence.
“How’d it go?”
“Okay.”
“I talked to Genie.”
“How did that go?”
“It went. She dropped a bomb on me.”
I tensed. “Do I want to know?”
“Probably not, but if you want me to tell you, I will.”
“Hit me,” I said, closing my eyes and bracing myself.
“Genie is dating Ben Morrow.”
I opened my eyes. “Oh.” I thought for a moment. “You know, they’ll probably make a great couple. They’re like two hurricanes. Does that make one humungous hurricane?”
“I hope not! So you’re okay with it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really care.”
“You don’t?”
I nestled my cheek against his shoulder. “We won’t be here, so will it really bother us? And I stand by what I said: they’ll probably make an excellent super hurricane. Hopefully their path of destruction only includes them.”
“Wow. You’re so forgiving.”
“Forgiving? I don’t know. But I’d rather her be with Ben than my dad.”
Zach laughed. “Good point.”
We stayed in the water until it got cold and our skin wrinkled. I wrapped myself in the bathrobe again and collapsed onto our bed. “I hope room service gets here soon,” I said.
“Me too,” Zach said, wearing his own robe and joining me on the bed. “Should I call down?”
Just as he picked up the phone, there was a knock on the door. Zach leapt from the bed to answer it. A man wheeled in our food and Zach handed him a tip.
“Should we dive in?” Zach asked.
“You bet.”
We started with beef Wellington, mixed greens and garlic potatoes. I savored every bite and tried to figure out what they used on the potatoes.
“Do you want dessert?” he asked.
“Do you even need to ask me that?”
I took a piece of chocolate cake. The icing was so rich and creamy, like dollops of Nutella. Would the pastry chef give me the recipe if I asked? Or just throw me out of the hotel for trying?
“What’s in the little gold box?” I asked. “Fancy chocolates? I bet they make them here.”
Zach picked up the tiny gold box in front of him. “This?” he asked, holding it up. “It’s probably a chocolate. Do you want it?”
“Of course I want it!”
“Are you sure?”
He had a coy smile on his face.
“Yes, I’m sure. Give me the chocolate.”
“Maybe I want the chocolate. It looks like there’s probably only one inside.”
I bit on my lower lip in consternation. Why was he being so difficult? I wanted the chocolate. It was probably a fancy truffle. “Well, we can share it; I’ll take a bite and give you the other bite. Or maybe you should call down to room service and get another. In the meantime, give me the chocolate.”
He looked at the box and turned it over in his hands a few times. “It seems like you really want what’s in this box, but what if you’re disappointed?”
“I won’t be disappointed. No one is disappointed when it comes to chocolate.”
“Okay. You can have it.” That’s when I noticed it. His hands shaking ever so slightly. He opened the box but I couldn’t see what was inside.
“It’s not a chocolate,” he said, his cheeks flushing. My curiosity was piqued. In the year and a half I’d known him, not once had I seen him this nervous. Then it hit me. He turned the box to face me and I gasped. “Emma Andrews, do you want to marry me?”
Tears sprang from my eyes before I had time to process anything. Happy tears. “Yes,” I said without hesitation.
He took my hand and slipped the ring on my trembling finger.
“I knew I had to get you a practical ring. If I got some big rock, you’d never wear it. And maybe later, you’ll let me get you something extravagant.”
The diamond was huge. Bigger than anything I’d seen before. What was his definition of a big rock? “I love it. I can’t believe this.”
“I want you to know just how much I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, staring down at the ring again. “But we can’t get married right away. I want us both to finish school first.”
“You’re always the practical one. I’m okay with that. Besides, my parents will need that time to plan the wedding of the century.”
I put my arms around him and sat on his lap, admiring my engagement ring. I was engaged to the most amazing man a girl could ever know. “A really big wedding? I was hoping for something small?”
“Do you consider five or six hundred people small?”
I groaned. “Really? I was thinking less than fifty.”
“Bridesmaids and groomsmen?”
I gently slapped his arm. “Come on! I’m not good in these situations.”
“My mom will help keep you sane.”
“We’ll have to tell my parents,” I said.
“I kind of did already. I wanted your mom and dad’s permission. I swore them to secrecy.”
“When did you ask Meredith?”
“When we had her over for dinner.”
“You’ve been planning that long?”
“Pretty much.”
I squirmed. “How long?”
“A few months.”
“Before the video?”
“Do you really want to ruin this beautiful moment bringing that up?”
“No, but know I’m sorry.”
“It’s all forgotten.”
“And your parents?” I asked. Changing the subject seemed like the perfect thing to do.
“They are already planning the engagement party.”
“We can’t elope?”
“And deprive my mother of planning a wedding?”
“I guess not. It doesn’t matter. Spending the rest of my life with you is what’s important. And just so you know, I’m not going to be the little wife, staying home with the kids. There’s nothing wrong with that life, but that’s not me. I still have all my dreams. I’m going to have my own business.”
“And I’m one hundred percent behind you on it. What if you called it Andrew’s? I’ve been throwing that around in my head.”
“It has a nice ring to it.”
“You want kids, right? We should get that subject out of the way.”
“Yes,” I said, realizing I’d never really thought about it. “More than one. I’ve been an only child, and I think it would have been nice having siblings around.”
“Good. I want kids too. Not right away. Not any time soon. We have dreams to pursue first.”
“I guess I better start practicing how to be a politician’s wife. Maybe your mom can train me on that too?”
“What do you mean?”
“I have this sneaking suspicion that one day my husband is going to be a congressman, senator or governor.”
“You think so?”
“You may not think so, but I can tell.”
“You never kno
w,” he said, caressing my arm. “One thing I do know is that I love you, Miss Andrews.”
“I love you too, Mr. Walker.”
EPILOGUE
Emma
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“Thank you. I’m so damned nervous. You’d think I’d never done this before.”
“Isn’t every bride nervous?”
“I suppose so,” Wendy said. “Your wedding will be here soon enough.”
“Three years. That’s an eternity.”
“That day will be here before you know it.” Wendy touched up her makeup one last time. “Okay, let’s get this done before I pass out.”
I let the justice of the peace know we were ready as well as Wendy’s sister Veronica, who was in charge of the backyard wedding. Dad’s job was to monitor the caterers and make sure the tent was set up. The ceremony was taking place along the lake with pictures to follow and the reception at our house.
The weather cooperated. The sun shone high in the sky and a light breeze made a warm day more tolerable. At Wendy’s insistence, we walked the ten minutes to the lake where about forty guests were seated. The pre-recorded music started and I went first down the aisle. Wendy’s sister followed, then Wendy. She stood next to Grandpa and the ceremony began.
I stole a glance at Zach, dressed in a suit and sitting in the third row, a smile on his face. He winked at me and I smiled back. Then I looked at Dad. The last few months had been different. We didn’t talk as often and a part of me hadn’t got past the whole thing with Genie. Yes, I’d forgiven him, but it was always there and we both knew it. Even Zach’s relationship with Dad had an edge to it. The once constant respect and politeness had given way to the occasional snarky remark directed Dad’s way. I couldn’t blame him. He directed that same snark in Genie’s direction as well, at least the few times I’d been around her. His tolerance level for both of them was short, but like me, he’d mostly moved on.
I often wondered if New York hadn’t come at the perfect time. In a few short months we’d be gone and I was sad leaving Dad behind, but knowing that he was pretty resourceful at finding female company, I didn’t worry about him so much. Besides, Zach and I agreed to come home for all major holidays. The distance might heal all the wounds, or at least I hoped it would.
Then I thought of Genie. The few times Ben had spoken about her, his face lit up. I only hoped that she felt the same way about him. While I hadn’t one hundred percent forgiven her, we were talking again. Ironically enough, she asked me if I would mind the four of us hanging out. I couldn’t imagine what an evening with the four of us would be like other than a total disaster. But at the end of the day, I wanted her to be happy too.
But like Dad, I kept her at a careful distance. Trust was gone, but I didn’t hate her. I may have hated what she and Dad did, but dwelling on the past was something I wasn’t going to do. If nothing else, my experience with Bianca and Meredith taught me that. I’d lost two months with the man I loved for lingering on the past and more than twenty years with a mother I never allowed myself to get to know.
And about Meredith . . . Grandpa and Wendy had invited her, my little brothers and Cam. We were far from your typical mother and daughter, but we were getting closer. I talked to her once a week and we met for coffee or lunch when time permitted. She had us over for dinner a few times and I finally met Cam and my two little brothers. They thought it was cool to have a big sister. Me? Cool? Then again, I had a way with kids. I told them I’d teach them to play tennis and Zach was kind enough to offer up the Walker tennis courts. My brothers Tyson and Nathan loved Zach as well and asked him if he’d ever met the President.
“Just once,” Zach said.
“Super cool,” Tyson said. “Did you get his autograph?”
“No, but I have a picture with him.”
“You do!”
“The First Lady too.”
“Holy crap,” Nathan said. “Maybe one day I can meet him.”
“Next time he’s in Minnesota, maybe we can arrange something.”
“We’re going to meet the freaking President.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I warned. “Zach said maybe.”
That made their day. They ran back to Meredith and Cam to tell them the news.
“You better deliver,” I said. “Come to think of it, I want to meet the President too.”
Zach put his arm around me pulling me close. “Maybe you already have,” he said with a sly smile.
Zach Walker, President? Emma Andrews, First Lady? Nah.
Finally, my eyes fell on another pair of guests. Who would have thought that I’d be at the same function as Bianca Smythe? Yup, Jake had taken her back. It was probably inevitable, especially after I’d put in a good word for her. And when Jake had asked if he could bring her to the wedding, Ron, Grandpa, Wendy, Dad and Zach asked me if I’d be okay with it. Why not? If Jake wanted to hitch his horse to the ball and chain that was Bianca, who was I to stop him? Besides, they loved each other. Who was I to get in the way of love?
I turned my attention back to Wendy and Grandpa. To think, less than two summers ago I’d been in Pine Falls, working at the shop, no friends and no idea what I wanted to do with my future. Now I had friends, Wendy, my mom, Zach—and I was going to New York to embark on new adventures.
I asked Zach once what would have become of us had we not met at Brett’s cabin.
“We still would have found each other,” he replied. “It was inevitable.”
I suppose it didn’t matter how we found each other, because we did. And I was never going to let him go.
TEASER
On the Rebound
“Never trust these boys. They’re all a bunch of whiners. Always looking to get a few extra bucks out of me. The minute they start any trouble, I ship them off. No use keeping them around. One bad apple . . . well, you know how that turns out.”
Allie scanned the ice and watched as the Falcons leisurely skated around the rink, warming up for an hour-long practice. A few shot at imaginary pucks while others conversed, playfully slapping each other’s legs with their sticks, oblivious to their absentee boss sitting ten rows up.
“You see Baker standing near the bench all alone? He is the biggest a-hole. He had the audacity to tell me the boys wanted hot food after practice. What’s wrong with sandwiches? They want hot food, they can go buy it. I pay some of these bums millions of dollars for what? To hear them bellyache about soup? They want soup? Go to a soup kitchen.”
Allie listened, squirming in her seat and wishing she could evaporate, thankful none of the players could hear her uncle. She’d been on the job less than a week and already knew about the notoriously low Falcon morale. Hearing her uncle bitch about his players, the reason people came to games in the first place, said a lot. She loved Eddie like the father she’d never had, but working for him was like navigating a minefield. Sure, she was his niece and he loved her, but she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of his tirades. To her, Uncle Eddie was the man who used to dress up as Santa, but Eddie Stewart, owner of the Falcons, was a jerk—a cheap, insensitive one at that.
“Who’s the best player on the team?” she asked in hopes of diverting his attention.
Eddie grunted. “I like Glaser, he’s not bad. He’s a shit-disturber on the ice, so maybe that’s why I like him so much. The only other one is Cavallo. Good Italian boy, tough as nails. Doesn’t take shit from anyone. The others are useless.”
“How could twenty other guys be useless? There must be a few more you like.”
“Nope. None of them. Zero. Zilch. Nada.”
Allie tapped a finger against her lip. “Really?”
“Really,” he said without a doubt.
The best part of the job was how little her uncle would be around. He had his real business to worry about, and the Falcons were only a drop in the Stewart Empire bucket. Her role in the Falcons organization was that of a mole, to see what was going on when he wasn’t
around. Why he thought she’d be privy to anything baffled her. The head of hockey operations had already relegated her to an arm of the charitable division where there was only one other employee.
At first, she wanted to ask Eddie to find her another job, or gently persuade Dick Johnson, Director of Hockey Operations, to find her something more suitable, but the last thing she wanted or needed was for her uncle to do her bidding. No, she’d prove herself, work her way up and show Dick Johnson she wasn’t hired because of her last name.
“Eddie, if you hate the team so much, why don’t you sell it?”
Eddie’s cocoa-colored eyes opened wide. “Sell it? I love this bloody team. It’s the only business venture that I enjoy. It just needs some life. I haven’t figured out where the problem is, and that’s where you come in. I want you to see what these bozos are up to. I want to know why we put a shitty team on the ice year after year.”
Allie smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles on her black slacks. She had a pretty good idea why the team couldn’t put together a decent season, and he was sitting right next to her. “They’ve got me overseeing Falcon Foundation charity events with team wives and girlfriends. It’s hardly a place to gather any intel.”
“I can fix that with one phone call. What position do you want? VP of Operations? How about an HR VP? Nothing would get past you in that job.”
“I’ll keep the one I have. No patronage, please.”
Eddie shrugged half-heartedly. “Suit yourself, but you’ll have to start worming your way in. They can’t shut you out forever.”
Allie rolled her eyes. Eddie hadn’t spent much time in Russell. He usually flew in for a few games then flew right back out. He had no idea what went on while he was away. In only a week she’d seen people taking long lunches and hourly coffee breaks; hanging around watching practices instead of working; disappearing for the afternoon to God knows where; and worst of all, with the exception of a few people, the top Falcon executives appeared not to care at all about the team or the organization.