8
EMMA
Scott, Teddy, and I left the bakery with Colt, who had completely rearranged the wedding cake and had paid an extreme amount to have the changes made so close to the wedding. We emerged onto Main Street just before noon, and as we left the sweet-scented heat of the shop behind, I could tell Teddy was getting tired of her brother but she didn’t want to make waves with him.
“You guys were totally right to go with my idea for the wedding cake,” Colt crowed about getting his way once again. “Reece was out of his idiot mind for suggesting cupcakes. That new-agey bullshit would’ve been completely wrong for the event you guys have in mind.”
“My brother has fine taste when it comes to food,” Scott pointed out. “He did completely remake the catering menu in less than a morning, after all. Cupcakes are just theinthing right now.”
Colt rolled his eyes. “No one cares about the catering. They care about the cake, and this one is going to be a winner. If Reece likes cupcakes so much, he can have them at his own wedding. They’re a cheap substitute for the real thing.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out how tense the bride and groom were getting, but he didn’t seem to notice it at all. As we made our way down the sidewalk to Colt’s rented SUV and Scott’s car, I tried to come up with a plan.
We were supposed to go to the florist next, but Teddy needed a break. A good one. By the looks of things, Scott needed one, too.
Before he could jump to his brother’s defense about the cupcake thing—again—I went with the first idea that popped into my head. Fixing a bright smile I definitely didn’t feel like offering on my lips, I linked my arm with Teddy’s.
“Colt has a surprise for you,” I said. “I know we have to go discuss the final details with the florist, but he’s booked you a spa day.”
He shot me a questioning look, and without skipping a beat, I returned it with one that said, very clearly, that he should just go with it. After holding my gaze for a moment, he shrugged. “Yeah, I did. You guys need to relax, so we thought it’d be a good idea to spoil you for the rest of the day.”
Teddy frowned at me. “What about the florist? We do have an appointment and I’d hate to miss it. You know how Ms. Anita feels about appointments. I was late to the setup for the church fair once, and she refused to let me help again the next year. It took me three months to get back into her good graces after that.”
“I know what you want backwards and forwards,” I assured her. “Colt and I will head to the appointment with Ms. Anita and I’ll make sure everything is absolutely correct. Exactly the way you want it. I’ll cover for you with her, too. That way, she can be upset at Colt for making you miss the appointment and not with you.”
Colt made big eyes at me, but thankfully, he kept his pie-hole shut. Just because it was a beautiful pie-hole that I kept looking at and thinking about kissing didn’t make the nasty things he kept spewing about his friend’s choices any more acceptable.
“Just follow us to the spa, and we’ll take care of everything at the florist,” I promised, and Teddy relented with a big smile and pulled me into her arms to envelop me in a hug.
“Thank you. I know you’ll make sure the flowers will be beautiful, and Ms. Anita took notes the last time we were there in case she needed them. If you have any questions, she’ll be able to answer them.”
“They can also just call us,” Scott said gently. “Or me, rather. I’ll keep my phone on me and you can shut yours off and leave it in your locker.”
He turned to Colt with a relieved grin spreading across his lips. “Thanks, man. This means a lot. We’ll follow you there.”
Holding out his hand, he waited for Teddy to place hers in it and then kept grinning as he swung their joined hands between them on their way to their car. Once they were out of earshot, Colt raised his jet-black eyebrows at me, but I was already pulling out my phone to do a mad search.
“What was that?” he asked. “Also, you’re going to have to tell me where this spa is that I apparently got them a reservation for.”
“I don’t know where it is yet,” I said, my brow furrowing as I checked the availability page of one of the spas in town. I found nothing but a red block on the calendar to tell me they didn’t have space. “You drive and I’ll keep looking for space somewhere. Just go slow until we figure out which direction to go in. Otherwise they’ll know we’re just driving around aimlessly.”
He glanced at me, jaw slackening as we headed toward his SUV. “You made that up on the spot? Why?”
“Because you were stressing them out and you owe them for it,” I replied without trying to soften it. “I’m not sure where this feud between you and Reece came from, but you really need to cool it or these couple of weeks while you’re at home aren’t going to be cheap for you.”
“It’s not a feud.” He scoffed. “We’re just both competitive by nature and we let it get out of hand sometimes. We’re still friends. Something is going on with him, though. I’ll give you that much.”
“Just with him?” I muttered as I climbed into the passenger seat, but then I was met with another red block and panic started setting in. “Never mind. We can gossip about you and your so-called friend later. For now, just drive as slowly as you can without arousing suspicion and I’ll focus on finding a place to make your behavior up to them.”
When I glanced at him, I could tell he was about to argue but I gave him a pointed look before he could. “Drive, Colt. If you’re serious about not making this about you and just wanting to make sure that your sister’s wedding is the best it can be, just shut up and drive.”
“Fine, but I still don’t think I’m the problem,” he retorted as he got in behind the steering wheel and turned over the engine.
There weren’t many spas in town and I was running out of options, until I remembered that I had Colt’s wallet behind me on this one. Taking a chance on what was, in my humble opinion and from my one visit there, the best spa in town, I found their number and hit dial.
“Hi, Mary-Ann,” I said when the owner answered. “This is Emma Lee speaking. I know this is a long shot, but I’m desperate. Is there any chance you have a spot available for a couples’ package to start right away? We’re willing to pay any emergency premium you might need to add to the price for the short notice.”
Colt let out a soft, amused sound but didn’t protest.Good, so he realizes he literally needs to pay for his behavior.