Emmeline swallowed. She knew it would appear strange to Anh, but Emmeline had been considering this request for a few days, though for a time she hadn’t been sure if it was the right move. But now, after spending the night with Luke—after understanding that she was irrevocably in love with him—she was confident it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do, really.
He needed the investment—much more than she did—and she wanted him to be happy. Emmeline could findsomeone else to invest in her business, or a group of people to do so. It might be more work, but she had never shied away from hard work before.
And if she wasn’t able to find investors, then she didn’t need to expand right now. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time, and that would be fine, too. It wouldn’t be the end of the world. Her business was still thriving—in a short time, she might even gather enough capital to launch the expansion project herself, if she was clever about her savings.
Luke, on the other hand, needed this investment. And he needed it right now. There were no other options for him. If he didn’t win, he would have to close Tempest, and she couldn’t bear that. Not now that she knew how much it meant to him. Not now she knew how hard he had worked.
“I want you to give the investment to Luke,” Emmeline repeated. Anh continued to look confused. “He deserves it, and I know he’ll do a great job with the Tales & Tails coffee shop addition. And I am sure you already know Tempest’s roasts are excellent.”
Anh blinked, dumbfounded by Emmeline’s little speech. “This isn’t what we decided,” she eventually said, choosing her words carefully. “You were both supposed to propose your ideas to me. I was then to choose the better candidate. It was not a complicated arrangement, Emmeline.”
Her words were stern, and Emmeline flushed, embarrassed. “I know, and I am sorry to change things at the last minute,” she said, but still, she didn’t back down. “But Luke is better. Trust me.”
Anh sat back, digesting Emmeline’s words. “This is out of character,” she finally said. “What’s gotten into you?”
I love him, she wanted to say.I just want him to be happy. It wasn’t out of character at all; it was perfectly in character.
But how could she explain that to Anh without Anh thinking she was being ridiculous? Without making Luke look bad? Anh wouldn’t respect him if she thought he’d driven Emmeline to lose reason.
But this was the most reasonable course of action, for all of them. Emmeline wouldn’t be able to enjoy winning Anh’s investment if she knew it had caused Luke’s downfall. She couldn’t bear it.
“Nothing has gotten into me,” Emmeline replied with confidence. “It’s simply the right decision, and I thought it would be best not to waste your time.”
“That’s for me to decide.” Anh narrowed her eyes, guessing there was more at play; she was shrewd, after all. “What aren’t you telling me?” Emmeline didn’t respond, and Anh stood. “A few days won’t kill me, Emmeline. The meeting is still set for Friday. Think about whether or not you will be there.”
Her stomach plummeted. “I won’t change my mind,” she said, standing as well.
“Nonetheless.” Anh stood. “Now, I must get going. Goodbye, dear.” With a quick kiss to Emmeline’s cheeks, Anh left.
Watching her go, Emmeline released a long breath. She needed to guarantee that the investment would go to Luke, and this was the only way to do that without him suspecting. If she showed up to the meeting and did a poor job on purpose, not only would she ruin her reputation in front of Anh, but Luke would suspect, and she didn’t want that.
She knew he would be upset if he found out what she wasdoing—but she wanted to do this for him. She didn’t want to win, not if it meant him losing. She wouldn’t be able to bear seeing his business close, all those years of hard work down the drain. She didn’t want to imagine how worried he would be, how worried his family members would be.
No, it would all be too terrible. This was what was best.
Motu nudged his head against her legs, and she looked down at the baby dragon. His purple eyes were wide, confused, and she released a long breath.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told him, reaching down to scratch his chin. “It’s all going to be okay.”
She headed out of the cafe, turning down Main Street onto Elderberry Lane, going up to the bookshop. When she entered, the bookshop was busy with the usual stream of customers, but she spotted Luke chatting with Minh at the front table.
Her pulse quickened when she saw him, and he turned as the front door dinged, as if he had been waiting for her to enter. When he spotted her, a wide smile spread across his face, and she went over, Motu flying beside her.
“Hi,” she said, and he pulled her in for a kiss.
“Hi,” he replied. Motu knocked into him, as if offended he hadn’t received any attention, and Luke smiled, petting him hello, as well.
Minh was watching them, smiling to himself. “I see you two have finally rekindled your flame from all those years ago.”
Luke laughed, tucking a slightly embarrassed Emmeline into his side. “How do you even remember that?” she asked, surprised by the old man’s memory.
Minh waved a hand. “Some of the very best stories are the ones that are real,” he told them. “If you spend enough of your time reading like I do, then you’ll start to recognize which ones those are as they play out in front of you.”
Emmeline looked up at Luke, and he met her gaze. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek, and as he did, he whispered, “I love you,” into her ear.
She loved him, too. Which was why she was even more resolved that the conversation she had had with Anh was necessary. It was the best course of action.
She would talk to Anh again in a day or two; she would convince her. It would all be okay.
