Emma yawned and rubbed her eyes. She had no idea what time it was. “Why are you here?”
Lindsey shot her an exasperated look, then tapped on her phone and held it out so Emma could see the screen.
Emma groaned, reading the text message she’d sent that morning. “You didn’t need to come all the way—”
“Ems, if you don’t start talking right this damn minute, I’m going to eat this honey cruller myself.” Lindsey held up the bag, and that plain paper bag released the floodgates.
Tears filled Emma’s eyes. “You’re going to think I’m an idiot.”
“Oh honey, I thought you were an idiot the second you told me you were pretending to date that hockey god.” Lindsey patted the cushion next to her. “You’re a sweet idiot, if that helps?”
Emma laughed and flopped beside her, snatching the bag from her hands. Between bites of donut, her words tumbled out. She recounted the kiss in the storage room, dinner, the hockey game, and finally, the disastrous trip to Canmore. Lindsey gave all the appropriate reactions.He did not!? What the hell was he expecting you to think? You said that?
When she finished, she lay with her head on Lindsey’s shoulder until the cruller was gone and her eyes were dry.
Lindsey slapped a hand on her knee. "Alright. First things first: rinse off, get dressed, and let's get you some fresh air.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere, I just want to sleep.”
“Well, too bad because Vaughn's waiting for us at the farmer's market."
Emma sat up, glowering at her friend.
Lindsey gave her a look that said,It’s out of my hands, and Emma forced herself to retreat to the bathroom.
* * *
Emma felt slightly more human as they entered the bustling indoor farmer's market. The air was littered with the earthy scent of fresh produce and the excited chatter of vendors and shoppers. The sight of colourful fruits and vegetables, homemade jams and pickles, and artisanal cheeses and breads buoyed her spirits, even if she wasn’t yet ready to admit that to either of her friends.
Vaughn greeted them with open arms, his infectious energy warming Emma from the inside out. Together, they navigated the maze of stalls, sampling gluten-free baked goods and admiring handmade crafts. As Lindsey filled Vaughn in on the details of what had happened in Canmore, his face darkened with indignation.
"Hockey players, am I right?" Vaughn shot Emma a look of sympathy. "You deserve so much better, Em."
"Thanks.” Emma busied herself with reading the label on a tin of loose-leaf tea. That was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’twantbetter. She wanted Tyler. She wanted him to look at her with that smug grin on his face. To laugh when she teased him and find her eyes when he went on the ice. She wanted to be on his arm when he walked into One Place, not Ginger or pink-bra girl.
But Tyler didn’t want her. He didn’t want to tie himself down, and she’d known that from the second Sean had texted her and told her not to get involved with him.Was she broken?Was she forever going to search for something she couldn’t have?
“Emma, you coming?”
Her head snapped up, and she set the tea back on the shelf, then followed Vaughn to the next aisle. As they continued through the farmer's market, her mood continued to lift. She marvelled at the vibrant hues of fresh flowers and laughed at Vaughn’s reaction to trying curry-flavoured honey.
"See?" Lindsey nudged her as they walked back out onto the street. "I told you it would help."
Vaughn scoffed. “Taking all the credit, as usual.”
Lindsey pulled them both to a stop, her eyes bright. "Hey, why don't we go to the bar tonight? It’s ladies' night at Soto’s. Sorry, Vaughn."
Emma squeezed her friend’s hand. "I think I’m more in an eat-ice-cream-and-watch-trash-TV kind of mood.”
“You’re always in an ice-cream-and-trash-TV kind of mood. This shit show deserves something special.” Lindsey flashed a cheesy smile.
Something itched at the back of Emma’s mind. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and opened the calendar. When the day’s schedule filled the screen, she groaned.
“What?” Vaughn peered over her shoulder, then hissed air through his teeth when he saw it. “Team barbecue,” he murmured to Lindsey.
“I’m not going.” Emma clicked the screen to black.
“Fair enough. Which means you’re free to come barhopping.” Lindsey linked her arm through Emma’s and continued on toward their car.
