Page 149 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

“Are you positive?” Her voice was tentative.

“I swear!”

“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

While her tone was more upbeat, I could sense the apprehension. I couldn’t stay on the phone much longer, or I’d never be able to pull off what I needed to.

“Me too,” I said. “But I really need to get going.”

“Yeah, and I should get back to these bills.”

“AndThe Dance,” I said, trying for goofy.

“Uh-huh.”

It hadn’t landed like I’d wanted it to, but I couldn’t prolong the conversation. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

The conversation was ending like it had begun—awkward. I couldn’t let that happen.

“I love you, Robyn.”

After a few beats, Robyn said, “I love you, too.”

When we hung up, my chest ached. I hadn’t wanted to cause the sadness in her voice, but I had. Tomorrow, I’d make it up to her.

While I sat nursing my gin and tonic, I pulled up Garth Brooks on my phone and found the song Robyn was playing. I could pretend we were listening to it together.

I smiled as Garth sang the opening lines. No wonder Robyn hadn’t wanted me to know. She’d been thinking of me and our dance. Thinking of our future, when we’d reminisce about how our dance had started it all. How romantic. Maybe it could be our song. I chuckled to myself. Who had I become, choosing a country song for us?

My face fell. What had he just said? I swiped my phone, restarting the song. I hadn’t heard wrong. This wasn’t a happy song. The lyrics tore at my heart.

After I played it for the fifth time, I waved the bartender over for another gin and tonic.

CHAPTER 40

My feet pounded thepath as I ran past the dilapidated cabins of Blissful Breeze. Despite there being so much for me to do, I’d allowed myself the luxury of an early morning run. Dew still clung to the grass, and the birds had begun their morning routine in earnest.

I inhaled deeply, hoping the infusion of oxygen would further clear my mind. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind, and I expected more of the same today.

In my heart, I knew I was making the right decision, but guilt nagged. The Garth Brooks song rattled in my mind, and the hurt in Robyn’s voice yesterday haunted me. I hoped she’d forgive me for it and what I was about to do.

Her tear-streaked face flashed in my mind, so I increased my pace, hoping to outrun it. I couldn’t. The vivid memory of our last night together was fresh in my mind. It occupied much of my thoughts when I was in New York City. I’d pushed it asidethen, so I could do what I needed to do. I had to find the strength again.

Last night when I returned to Madison, it had taken everything I had not to head straight to her apartment. I wanted to share with her everything that happened in New York, but I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t dare. It would cause me too many conflicted emotions when I needed my head in the game today.

Luckily, the dinner I’d scheduled with Emma saved me from a long, painful evening. Our talk had gone exceptionally well. I knew it would since I have the best sister in the world. How often during this trip had I been reminded of that?

After dinner, Vera let us into the great room to rehearse for the talent show. Since high school, Emma and I had performedCandle in the Windso many times together we could do it in our sleep. We didn’t realize how difficult it would be to do a different song until we began practicing.

Actually, it was me who found it difficult. Sit Emma behind a piano keyboard and she could play any song, but my vocals were another story. I used to love to sing, but I’d not done much of it the past fifteen years. Several cocktails might persuade me to sing karaoke, but seldom. Now I relegated my singing to the shower.

We’d practiced until after ten, which made it easier for me not to slip away to Robyn’s. Having my entire concentration on the music had been cathartic. Emma and I had laughed so hard we cried when I kept butchering the words. Leaving the lodge, I felt somewhat comfortable I could pull it off, while Emma had no doubts.

I glanced at my watch as I rounded the corner and the lodge came into view. Seven thirty. It would give me plenty of time to take a shower and eat breakfast before Dana arrived. I smiled at the thought since I looked forward to seeing her.

Halfway to the villas, my calves were cramping and my lungs burning, but I picked up my pace. The road had proved a questionable choice with the crumbling pavement and potholes. I stayed in the middle of the road since it seemed the least damaged. Glancing at my watch, I realized dodging the hazards was impeding my time. With the villas in view, I was ready for a sprint to the finish.