Page 61 of No Such Thing as Serendipity

EMMA - ONE YEAR LATER

I followed Vera down the hallway of the lodge at the Blissful Breeze Retreat. Blake had kept the name Blissful Breeze, but she’d dumped sanctuary for retreat. I never admitted it to her, but I agreed sanctuary made it sound like a place for homeless pets.

Vera paused outside the door and stood awkwardly to the side. “Blake wanted me to get you settled in.”

I glanced at the door, but Vera made no move to open it.

“Uh, I don’t have a key,” I said, patting my pocket for emphasis.

“Hold on.” Vera dug in her pocket. I expected her to take out a keycard, but she pulled out her phone instead. “Since Blake got tied up, she said I had to take a picture.”

“Of?”

Vera held up her phone and pointed at me. “Ta-da,” she said, stepping back.

I burst out laughing when I saw the gold plaque on the wall: Serendipity Suite .

When I turned to Vera, she still held the camera up. I pointed at the lens and moved my face closer. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

Vera laughed and lowered her phone. “Are you ready to go in?”

This would be my first time seeing where Blake now called home. She’d had the top floor of the lodge turned into living quarters for her and Robyn. It’d been under construction when I’d visited at Christmas, six months ago, and Blake had refused to let me peek.

Vera opened the door, and I wheeled my bags inside.

Wow. I was pleasantly surprised. I’d figured Blake would replicate her penthouse in New York City, but I’d been wrong.

Besides the large bank of windows on the south and east sides, there were no other similarities.

This space was homey, just like the rest of Blissful Breeze.

Done in honey-colored wood, it gave the appearance of a log cabin.

Where Blake’s living room in New York was enormous, this space was modest. Not small by any stretch, but not sprawling like her former home.

“What do you think?” Vera asked.

I forced myself to stop gaping and turned to her. “It’s gorgeous, yet so simple. I see Robyn’s influence.”

“You should have seen the two of them.” Vera gave me a huge smile. “They were adorable picking everything out together. Many nights, they’d have samples covering the lobby tables.” Vera walked across the living area. “I love the kitchen.”

It was utilitarian but well-equipped with an abundance of storage space. “Robyn?”

Vera nodded. “Yep, Blake would have been fine relying on the lodge kitchen for their meals. She’d lobbied for only having a refrigerator and microwave.”

“That’d be Blake, but I see Robyn won.”

“Yeah, your sister is smitten, so Robyn gets her way most of the time.”

I grinned. “I’ve noticed the same. But I also know Robyn would never take advantage of it.”

“You’re right on that account. I’ve never seen Robyn so happy.” Vera motioned for me to follow. “Let me show you to your room. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up this weekend. I should get back to the front desk since more guests will be arriving.”

Vera showed me to the guest bedroom, which was homey like the rest of the suite.

I picked up my suitcase and plopped it onto the bed. “Where did you say Blake was?”

“At the cabins. The crew working on the renovations ran into a problem with the septic system. Blake wanted to check it out before giving them the green light to proceed.”

I chuckled. “She likes to be in the know.”

“But in a good way.” Vera put her hand against her chest. “She cares about this place, and it shows.”

“She still strives for excellence.”

“Always.” Vera smiled. “But she’s won over the workers who respect the hell out of her. She’s a straight shooter who treats them well but still holds them accountable. She wants this place to be top-notch, and it shows.”

“That’s my sister.” Blake had grown so much, but at the core, she aspired to excellence. But I’d come to realize it wasn’t a negative if she didn’t let it rule her life.

After Vera left, I wandered into the primary bedroom to check it out.

Since the rest of the suite was modest, I’d half expected it to be ostentatious, but it wasn’t.

While slightly larger than the guest bedroom, the only special feature was a walk-out patio.

Once outside, I discovered it wrapped around the penthouse, allowing me to see the resort from three directions.

Something told me Blake spent plenty of time out here surveying her kingdom.

I stood outside, taking in the view for some while before I re-entered the bedroom. With extra time, I might as well unpack my bags, so I returned to my room.

It wasn’t until I approached the dresser that I noticed the notebook lying open on it. I recognized it immediately. The one that Auntie Bess had given Blake. Had she forgotten to put it away? No. Blake wasn’t one to leave things lying around without a reason.

I glanced down at the open page.

Blake's New Improved Mission in Life

*Live every day to the fullest

*Spend time outside in nature

*Stay open and vulnerable—never be afraid of showing emotions

*Do a job that doesn’t feel like work

*When the workday is over, take time to relax

*Help other people as much as possible

*Remember the ones you love are more important than money

*Dance in the woods to the tune only you can hear

*Read more and learn more

I ran my fingers over the page and blinked back tears. Over the past year, Blake continued to work on herself and expand on the growth she’d begun at the retreat. This was her way of telling me how far she’d come.

I picked up the notebook, clutched it to my chest, and sat on the bed.

My mind flashed back to the day I’d found Blake in her home office after she’d lost her job at Fortitude.

She never knew how scared I was. I’d always excelled at being the ever-smiling cheerleader.

In some ways, I’d hidden my emotions as much as Blake.

I’d felt Blake slipping away from me for years.

I just hadn’t realized its origin went back to when Auntie Bess died.

It was a shot in the dark, a hail Mary, when I suggested Blake turn over all her decisions to me for a month.

In a million years, I never thought she’d agree to it.

Andrew had laughed at me when I’d told him Blake called and said she was in.

His words echoed in my mind . Now what are you going to do?

The first thing I did was panic. I still ask myself, if I’d known she’d say yes, would I have ever suggested it?

Probably not, but I was glad I did. I spent two days surfing the internet for hours, trying to find the perfect place.

Thailand. Switzerland. France. Blake had given me enough money that we could go anywhere.

The possibilities were endless, and I explored every exotic locale I could find.

The more I looked, the more overwhelmed I became.

Distraught, I’d approached Andrew for help and showed him all the websites I’d bookmarked.

There must have been seventy-five. He suggested I leave it to fate.

When I’d given him a blank look, he told me to go pour us a glass of wine, and he’d handle it.

In his methodical way, he cut up paper into tiny pieces.

While we sipped our wine and talked, he wrote the name of each resort on a scrap and threw them into a pile.

When I’d pulled Blissful Breeze, I stared at the paper for some time, trying to recall the name. After two days of research, I thought I’d memorized all of them. Andrew typed the name into the search bar and pulled up the website. His face was a mask of confusion. Interesting was all he said.

As soon as I’d seen the website, I knew there’d been a mistake, so I reached out to draw another paper.

Andrew had put his hand on mine and shook his head.

Fate? he’d said. To this day, we’re still not sure where he’d gotten the name Blissful Breeze because it wasn’t one of the websites I’d bookmarked.

The only thing we could figure was our conversation distracted him, so he’d combined two resort names.

Regardless, I’d sold it to Blake as if it were my number one choice. One day I’d tell her, but not yet. I’d save it for when her belief in serendipity waned.

I glanced back at her notebook and the list. A small Post-it note was on the bottom with an arrow. Does it mean I should turn the page?

I did and was greeted by more of Blake’s precise handwriting.

Blake’s Tasks

*Talk Robyn into getting Millie a puppy

*Build ten more cabins

*Tell Emma she’s the best sister in the world

*Ask the woman of my dreams to marry me during reunion weekend

My heartbeat quickened, and a huge smile broke out on my face.

“Knock, knock,” I heard from the other room. “Are you here, Emma?”

Robyn. Shit, I couldn’t let her see this. I slammed the notebook shut, jumped from the bed, and shoved the book into a dresser drawer.

“Coming,” I called.

When I entered the living room, Robyn rushed toward me. Her sun-kissed cheeks held a hint of freckles, and her hair was in its normal mussed state.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Robyn said as she squeezed me.

I returned her embrace and inhaled the smell of outdoors. Since we’d met her, she’d always had that clean, crisp scent.

“I’m so happy to be here. Anyone else arrived yet?” I asked as I released her.

“Not yet, but everyone but Dana should be here soon. She won’t be in until tonight. She’s arguing a big case in court. Hopefully, she doesn’t hit too much traffic.” Robyn waved her arm around the room. “So what do you think?”

I grinned. “I see quite a bit of your influence here.”

Robyn laughed, and her eyes danced. Her peaceful presence remained, but she also had a playful joy, which I suspected Blake had a hand in. “In fairness to Blake, the layout is her design, except for the kitchen.”

“I’m surprised she even wanted a kitchen.”

“Oh, trust me, we had that discussion.”

“The patio is gorgeous.” I walked toward the window.