Page 11 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

After Emma had said she didn’t know if I was being sarcastic or serious, our conversation lagged. We’d exchanged polite small talk about the scenery and beautiful day, but it felt forced. I had two choices. Either call this off and fly Emma to Europe to be with her family, or I could try harder.

I longed for the connection to Emma, the one we used to have, but it seemed impossible.

Despite our monthly get-togethers, things had been strained between us.

Not exactly strained, more like flat. Sparks of our youthful banter remained, but it happened less and less often.

This could be our fresh start, if I let it.

With a renewed determination to repair the damage with Emma, I smiled and said, “Looks like we’re almost there.”

“Uh-huh.” She responded with little enthusiasm.

Shit. She wouldn’t make it easy. “Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone.” I wasn’t one hundred percent certain I meant it, but I knew it was what Emma wanted to hear.

As I slowed and turned down the lane for Blissful Breeze, she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. I turned to her and smiled again.

Emma returned my smile with an even wider one and clapped her hands together. “This is going to be phenomenal.”

One thing I loved about Emma also maddened me. She never held on to her frustration with me and was always willing to forgive my moods. Thankfully, Andrew was one of the sweetest guys I knew because I suspected Emma would forgive a lot more than she should.

We drove down the narrow lane toward the resort. It was gravel, sorta. There were hints of gravel, especially along the sides of the road, but the path was mostly dirt. A little rain would turn it into a muddy mess. I held back mentioning it to Emma.

“Wow. I feel like we’re driving into the wilderness,” I said. The large trees and overgrown grass and weeds in the ditches hugged the road, making me claustrophobic. Something else I wouldn’t say to her.

“I know. Isn’t it glorious? I want to stand in the middle of the forest and twirl.” She spread out her arms for effect. “Experience all that Mother Nature has to offer.”

I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Don’t wander out there alone and get lost.” When I saw her face fall, I added, “Remember when you got lost in the Redwood Forest?”

Her smile returned. “Mom and Auntie Bess just about had a heart attack.”

“Yeah, and we found you happily trying to coax a squirrel to take a nut from you.”

“He was ready to until the three of you tromped up like a herd of wild buffalo.”

“He was still ten feet from you.”

“Eight, but we were making progress.” Emma flashed me a smile. She pointed at one of the low-hanging branches ahead. “Be careful. You might not clear that with this big-ass truck.”

“Yeah, and they frown on people returning them with big scratch marks across the roof. I’m surprised it’s quite so...um...so…”

“Overgrown?” Emma said.

I let out a sigh of relief, happy she’d opened the door for me to comment. “Yeah, I thought resorts kept their grounds pristine to enhance the guest experience.”

“Maybe this one is primitive.”

Great. Stay positive. “Did they mention it when you registered?”

“Well, no, but we are in Wisconsin.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess it makes sense.” I glanced at Emma when I responded and regretted it when the truck jolted through an enormous pothole. “I better keep an eye on the road.” Biting my tongue, I refrained from saying they should put down some gravel.

Emma craned her neck forward. “There’s a sign up there. Behind that tree.”

She’d not commented that the tree had fallen, so I didn’t mention it, either. I slowed as we approached. The tree lay inches from the road and looked to have been there for some time. The half-crushed sign peeked out between the bare branches.

“Looks like the arrow points right for the main office and left for the villas.” I looked out the front windshield. “I don’t see any turns, though.”

“There are numbers after the names. Point-four miles?”

I squinted and leaned forward as if that would help. “Or is it four miles?”

“Shit. I don’t think this place is that big.”

“Or maybe it’s Wisconsin math. Six Mile Creek is twelve, so point-four miles is probably point-eight.”

Emma laughed and slapped me on the arm. “Now that’s the smartass I know and love.”

I’d made Emma laugh. Warmth spread across my chest. I released the brake and continued down the lane. It wasn’t long before we arrived at a fork in the road. I turned to the right. This lane was less overgrown, but the vegetation could still use a trim.

The road spilled into a parking lot that could easily hold a hundred vehicles. There was only a smattering of cars in front of the large log building with a sign that read: Blissful Breeze Sanctuary Lodge.

“Looks like that’s where we check in.” Emma pointed to what appeared to be the entrance.

I decided not to comment on the almost empty lot, nor the potholes and broken-up asphalt. Instead, I started to turn into a parking space when Emma screamed.

I slammed on my brakes. My heart raced. A small dog sprinted across the lawn toward the truck. “Jesus, he’s not even close to us. You could have given me a heart attack.”

“Sorry.” Emma gave me a sheepish grin. “I wanted to ensure you saw him.”

Before I could respond, a red-faced woman ran around the side of the building.

Emma jumped out of the truck, moving toward the dog, who skidded to a stop in the middle of the yard. He peeked over his shoulder at the approaching woman and then at Emma. Then he dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth.

What the hell? I had limited experience with dogs, but this seemed odd. I rolled down my window. “Is he okay?” I called out.

“The little shit is fine.” The woman approached her dog, who appeared to have passed out. “Millie! Stop being a drama queen.”

The dog opened one eye and then bounced to her feet. She bound over to the woman, wagging her stubby tail, or more like her butt, the entire time.

Once secured in the woman’s arms, I pulled the truck into the parking space and killed the engine.

Emma had already approached the woman and was scratching the dog’s ears when I walked up.

“Thanks,” the woman said. “She had an incident with a duck.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Is the duck okay?”

The woman laughed. “The duck’s fine, but Millie’s pride is wounded. She got a sharp peck on the nose.” The woman ruffled the dog’s fur. “Not that she didn’t deserve it. I’ve told her a million times ducks don’t like to roughhouse.”

A flash of this dog, I think a pug, wrestling with a duck created an interesting visual.

The woman lifted the dog. “Well, I better get her home before she creates any more havoc.”

Emma pointed at the building. “Is that where we register?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Are you here for the next retreat?”

“We are,” Emma answered.

“Vera is inside. She’ll take care of you. And thanks again.” The woman turned and started toward a rusty blue minivan.

As we climbed the stairs, which were constructed from the same logs as the building, Emma elbowed me. “You could have at least spoken to her.”

“Huh?” I’d been so focused on checking out the peeling paint and rotting wood on the railings that I hadn’t heard what she’d said.

“The woman. You could have said something to her.” Emma leaned toward me. “She’s kinda cute.”

Cute? I glanced over my shoulder and watched as she shut the passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side.

She wore a simple pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt that hugged her slight frame.

Her long brown hair was windblown, giving her an outdoorsy look.

The color on her cheeks and nose also spoke of time outside.

I waited for her to close the van door before I said, “Kinda old, don’t you think?”

“Old?” Emma crinkled her nose. “She might be three or four years older than you.”

“See? Old.”

“You’re impossible. Just because the women you date are barely out of high school doesn’t mean a woman your age can’t be attractive.”

I didn’t think her exaggeration deserved a response, so I didn’t give her one.

We’d reached the door to the lodge, but Emma made no move to open it since she was busy giving me a disapproving look.

“I didn’t think you brought me here for a hookup.

” Not that I was opposed to a vacation rendezvous, but not with that woman.

I glanced at the van that was bouncing down the path toward the exit.

I supposed she was attractive enough, in a girl-next-door kind of way, but I couldn’t see her on my arm at a formal event.

Fuck. I wasn’t planning on finding anyone here to incorporate into my real life. All I wanted was relaxation and sister time. Then I’d be refreshed and ready to throw myself into furthering my career. Although, I’d be down for a little tension release since it’d been a while.

Emma still hadn’t spoken as she continued to study me. “What?” I asked, getting frustrated by her silence.

She opened her mouth to speak but then shook her head.

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s just go inside.”

I grabbed her arm before she could open the door. “Just tell me.”

“This is our first day,” she said without elaborating.

Was I supposed to understand? By her expression, I was. I nodded, deciding to go along with her. “Yeah, you’re right.” I had no clue what she was right about, but it seemed to appease her.

She pushed the screen door to enter but stopped when her fingers poked through the mesh. Once she extracted her thumb and forefinger, she tried to smooth the mesh over the hole.

“Don’t worry about that,” the white-haired woman behind the counter said. “I’ve been having problems with that darned door.”

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Emma said, staring up at the high ceiling.

I glanced at the scuffed hardwood floor that bordered on gray, which wasn’t as beautiful as the honey-colored ceiling. The yellow stained walls needed a coat of paint or three, but I wouldn’t ruin Emma’s joy.