A belated, heart-clenched second after that, Emerson followed, Luca on his heels. Emerson stumbled over an upturned floorboard on the way. Was in the middle of muttering curses under his breath when he felt the whisper of pressure at the base of his spine.
“All right?” Luca’s voice, low, against his ear again. Luca’s hand, at his back once more.
Emerson wanted to reply, laugh it off, at least give a proper employer response like,Mark these floorboards as our first priority.But he could only give a curt nod before meeting Julie and Ben in the corner of the room.
“Sorry.” Julie was breathless, fluttering her hands around her shoulders, freckled face pink. At least the lightbulbs over here were working, so Emerson could ascertain immediately that she didn’t appear hurt. “I’ve obviously seen a mouse before, I just?—”
“Julie Parker.” Ben’s voice was breathless too. But a split second later, he was doubled over laughing. “Holy shit. We’ve known each other, what, twenty years now? And that is the first time I’ve ever heard you make sucha noise.”
Julie’s face suddenly scrunched up in annoyance. She slugged her best friend in the shoulder.
“Ow!” Ben stumbled back, holding his shoulder, still laughing.
“I wasn’t, like,scared,” Julie huffed, still glaring. “I just never had one run over myshoe, okay?”
Emerson’s stomach sank.
“I am so sorry,” he forced out, but the words were barely audible. Maybe they sounded normal to everyone else; maybe he just couldn’t hear them over the ringing in his ears.
“We’ll get a cat!” Luca said, voice cheery in a way Emerson hadn’t quite heard before. Like he was desperately trying to cover for Emerson’s lack of hospitality. “Every barn needs a cat, right?”
“Yeah.” Ben straightened, attempted to throw a smile Luca’s way, but Emerson could see his facial expressions had turned shaky again. “Wedding cat. Wedding cow, wedding cat.”
Luca lifted his arms. “Bada bing, bada boom.”
Ben’s smile was just starting to turn stable when his jaw dropped, eyes blinking wide.
The scream he emitted was higher pitched than Julie’s.
They all jumped back, almost in unison, as the second mouse skittered across the floor between them.
God, Emerson hoped it was only a mouse.
“Jesus Mary and Joseph.” Julie clutched Ben’s arm. After a beat, the mouse out of sight, the surprise starting to settle, she smirked at him. “And that one didn’t even touch you.”
Ben laid a hand across his heart, shaking his head. “Sorry. Sorry.”
“Please.” Emerson’s voice was louder now, but just as strained. “Don’t apologize.Iam sorry. I promise.” He waved a general hand at the space around them. The sun had truly setnow, the air suddenly chilled. “This will all be different by your wedding day.”
Ben glanced at Emerson. Gave a nod. Looked back at the floor. Julie’s hand slid from his biceps toward his wrist; he intertwined their fingers when they met, gave them a squeeze.
“Time for us to head out, I think. Get back to Mae and Dell’s.” Julie gave Emerson and Luca a brief smile, stepping in for Ben. Her regular coloring had returned to her cheeks. “I’m still pretty wiped from the plane ride.”
“Of course.” Luca stepped back, motioned with an arm for Julie and Ben to leave the barn first. They held hands the whole way. “You said you’re staying with Dell McCleary?”
“Yeah,” Julie said as they exited. “Mae’s a good friend of Ben’s. Do you know them?”
Emerson brought up the rear, barely hearing the rest of the conversation, panic thudding in his veins.
Ben was going to cancel.
It was too close to the wedding to book somewhere else, at least somewhere nice, but Ben and Lex were resourceful people. Probably had friends everywhere. They’d figure something out. Find a different wildflower field to get married in, closer to Portland. Whatever they did, it would be better than attempting to have a reception here, in this barely standing barn. Better than subjecting all their loved ones to a vermin-filled structural hazard.
God. Emerson had wasted an entire week with his head stuck in wildflowers in the pursuit of avoiding a beautiful man.
How short-sighted he had been. He could’ve ignored that beautiful man just as well inside the old barn. Fixing the warped floorboards, sealing up all the gaps and holes in the walls.
Would he be able to pay his mortgage, come winter?
