“I’m so glad,” Melissa Gormier said with a smile. “It’s a unique concept. I’m not sure I’ve seen a spa with resort cabins like this before. I think people are going to go crazy over them.”
“I sure hope so.” Jessica walked to the back patio and looked out over the woods beyond. All of her cabins featured uninterrupted views of the forest. In the distance, she could hear the stream gurgling. Except…what was that? Off to the left, a raised wooden platform of some sort was visible through the trees.
The mountain bike course.
She let out a growl of frustration, her hands fisting at her sides. Of course. What else could it be? She and Mark had mapped out their prospective territories months ago, when the leaves had still been on the trees. Now her clients would have to watch mountain bikers racing by, interrupting their relaxation with whatever racket the thrill-seekers from Off-the-Grid might make. She should never have agreed to share the land.
She should never have fallen in love with Mark.
Ugh.
Last year at this time, she’d been lonely and frustrated in her search for love, but now…now everything was an even bigger mess. And who knew how long it would take her to bounce back from her broken heart and get back in the dating game? She might as well toss in the towel and accept her fate as an old maid.
Scoffing at her own ridiculous pity party, she turned and stomped back inside to talk to Melissa. Plumbing had already been run for all eight cabins, but if they acted now, they might be able to adjust the angles on some of the decks to protect their view.
They walked through each of the building sites together, and Jessica was relieved to see that the mountain bike course was visible from only three of her spa cabins. Still, that was three too many.
After she’d finished up with Melissa, Jessica went home to shower and get ready for a girls’ night out. Thank God she’d finished her antibiotics yesterday because she needed a drink tonight. Actually, she needed several drinks tonight.
“Thank you so much for picking me up again,” she told Emma when she got there.
“Any time. You sounded like you needed to drown your sorrows in a tall glass of something highly alcoholic tonight.” Emma pulled her in for a quick hug. “You okay?”
“I’ve been better, but tonight’s girls’ night out was perfectly timed.”
“Well, thank goodness for that.” Emma led the way out the front door.
They had chosen The Drunken Bear for their gathering tonight. Mandy, Gabby, and Carly were already there when they arrived. They all greeted Jessica with hugs and words of support.
“I just can’t believe it,” Emma said after Jessica had filled them in on everything that had happened, or almost everything anyway. She didn’t tell them about the note from Mark’s mom. He obviously hadn’t wanted any of them to know that his mom was still alive, let alone that she’d come to town recently, and Jessica had to respect that.
“I can’t believe he just walked away like that.” Mandy frowned into her beer. “Why were you guys arguing in the first place?”
“I found out about something he hadn’t told me, someone from his past who’d come back into his life.” She sipped from her margarita.
Gabby gasped. “Oh, Jess, he didn’t…not another woman?”
“God, no. Nothing like that. It’s just, it’s something personal, and it isn’t my business to share it with you guys since you all know him.” Jessica took another drink. “In fact, I feel terrible for everything that’s happened to him. But this was going on after he and I were back together, and he never told me. When I asked him about it, he just shut down and walked away.”
“Oh, Jess.” Emma leaned over to give her a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“Men,” Mandy muttered. “They all suck, if you ask me.”
“I have to agree.” Jessica sighed and then polished off the last of her margarita.
Emma, Gabby, and Carly all grinned sheepishly.
“Well, they don’tallsuck,” Emma said.
“Fine, but you ladies might have gotten the last three guys with any husband potential.” Jessica swirled her empty glass, hoping the waitress came by soon to bring her another.
“I don’t even care if they’re husband material,” Mandy said. “I’d settle for a steady boyfriend, but I’m telling you, the pickings are slim.”
“They’re out there,” Carly said. “But yeah, they’re hard to find sometimes.”
“And Markisa great guy,” Gabby added. “I hate that he turned out to be such an idiot in the boyfriend category. He’s just so closed off.”
“That’s why I stayed angry at him for so many years,” Jessica said, relieved when the waitress brought her another margarita. “I knew that if I ever let my guard down around him, I’d fall for him all over again, and let’s face it, I also knew he’d probably never change. But then, for a little while, he really did seem to change. He opened up, and we made promises…” She blinked back tears. “But that whole time, he was keeping secrets. I love him, but I can’t keep doing this to myself. I told him that if he walked away this time, we were finished for good. He kept on walking.”
