Page 50 of You Found Me (The Meadow Springs #1)

Spencer

The past week, Emmaline has been more like the version of herself from the summer.

Between not speaking with her mom since their blow up at Thanksgiving to that douchebag ex talking to reporters yet again about hoping they get back together, the woman who just started to get the light back in her eyes has dimmed.

In her place is the very shell of a person she was trying so hard to avoid becoming again.

I had to convince her to not back out of her parents’ annual cookie decorating night.

And for someone who tends to have so much guilt for missing out on things that are important to those she cares about, I refused to let her not show up.

To butter her up, I suggested a weekend away.

Away from her mom, away from news and gossip articles, and away from the stress of work.

She’s been picking up shifts more and more, running herself ragged and I want to give her a break. When she agreed without making a joke about me finally taking her out to the middle of nowhere to murder her, I knew that this weekend was extremely needed .

But first, we have to get through tonight with everyone and I plan to be a buffer—the best that I can be—between Emmy and her mom.

“Alright guys, listen up,” Susannah says, clapping to get our attention. “Since we have two newbies,” she points to me and Beckett, “I’m going to go over the guidelines for our little competition.

“This year, we have snowmen and reindeer shaped sugar cookies, with every basic color of frosting, plus some small bowls for you to mix and place the frosting in the piping bags. You can decorate as many as you’d like, but when the hour is up, you can only pick one to put forward in the judging process.

Andrew and I are not the judges. That honor goes to Edie, who asked to receive photos this year as she can’t get away from the diner.

“Pizzas will be ordered before time is up and we can eat in the living room while watching a Christmas movie. I hope that everyone has fun. Let’s get started.”

We’re about thirty minutes in and I’ve already finished my cookies.

And by cookies, I mean I decorated exactly one cookie before eating the other four she gave us.

Emmaline, Colette, Theo, and Cori have been locked in from the beginning—barely talking to anyone.

Piper and Callum have been swapping cookies every couple of minutes to add their own flair to each other’s cookies.

And then you have Beckett who’s been actively trying to keep Mia from squirting black icing onto his cookies.

Susannah comes back in after ordering dinner, taking in the chaos, and smiles. “What do you think you’re doing Amelia Callahan?”

“Suze, he’s a freaking chef. How is it fair that he’s in this competition? This was supposed to be my year to finally win.”

Theo snorts. “Bunny, your cookies always look like something a toddler would make. Your chances of winning this year were the same as every year before—slim.”

Mia aims her bag of frosting at him. “Nobody asked you, Teddy. Not when we all know the reason why you participate.” I notice his ears redden, and Cori bumps shoulders with Colette who shakes her head.

“Suze. He needs to be disqualified,” Mia pleads.

The smile I see on Beckett’s face is not one I’ve seen in a long time.

It’s genuine, pulling both dimples completely out. Which is why I get in on Mia’s side. “Yeah. He absolutely should be disqualified. He had to do a whole rotation of desserts in culinary school. He’s got an unfair advantage.”

“Dude,” he says to me with a look of disbelief. “You know damn well I almost flunked out because of desserts. If anyone should be disqualified, it’s Piper.”

“Hey!” Piper says in surprise. “Don’t bring me into this.”

“I’ve seen how amazing your desserts look, Pipes. If I’m disqualified, she has to be too,” he says to Emmy’s mom.

Callum, who has been closely watching the interaction between the two of them, cuts in, “She is amazing. But she and I have been trading our cookies to decorate them together. Which is super unfortunate for her because I suck—big time. Piper won’t be winning.”

Punching his arm, she says, “Way to have faith in us, Cal.”

More bickering ensues while I sit back, eating more cookies. Emmaline hasn’t been a part of the conversation, but I see her smiling.

Ten minutes later, we’re all done. I chose the snowman I did as my entry. He’s simple, nothing crazy, but I do think I frosted him decently enough.

Theo was right about Mia not needing to worry about B being the reason she wouldn’t win because her reindeer looks seriously wonky. She somehow managed to turn the brown frosting into a gray color, making the poor cookie creature look closer to the brink of death than helping deliver gifts.

Beckett tries his best to be supportive while the rest of us laugh. But when she asks if he’d choose her little buddy as his sidekick to fight crime in Metropolis, he loses it.

Cori’s entry is a deranged, killer reindeer that she somehow managed to have it look as though it bit off the head of a snowman cookie. It’s incredible—but mostly terrifying. She catches me looking at it, shrugs and laughs. “I love gore and dislike Christmas.”

Callum and Piper pick one of their joint creations to use. It kind of looks like a watercolor snowman with an ugly sweater.

Theo’s is a basic snowman. Much like mine but a little better.

Emmaline’s reindeer looks like a My Little Pony, and it’s actually really cute. Which is exactly what I tell her, earning me a small smile.

The pizza arrives, and we’re about to grab it to go watch the movie when Susannah tries pulling Emmaline to the side. “I don’t want to talk to you right now. I need time and you sending me messages and calling nonstop isn’t giving me that space.”

“I’ve apologized countless times. I can’t do anything to change what I did, but I can try to make it better. If you want me to reach out to Rick, I will. I’ll be the one to tell him about you.”

“No. You don’t get to feel better about this right now. You lied to me my whole life.”

Deciding that now might be the best time to go before this gets too heated, I lightly put my hand on her shoulder. “Emmy, why don’t we head out. You’ve got that split shift in the morning and haven’t gotten your work bag ready,” I say, trying to give her an out.

It’s not a lie though, she did decide to pick up a half shift to help out another nurse.

She looks up to me, relief evident on her face. “You’re right. I’ve gotta go.”

She walks out, not saying bye to anyone. Beckett starts to get up, but I stop him. “You don’t have to leave. I’m sure Mia wouldn’t mind bringing you back to my place.”

“Absolutely,” she says before smirking. “Besides if he wins, I need to be able to con him out of the prize money.”

Beckett laughs, rolling his eyes at her. “I’m good to stay. I’ll see you back at your place.”

When we pull into the lot, Emmaline lets me know she wants to go to her apartment, alone, because she needs to decompress. But she won’t make eye contact with me as she says it, leaving me to think she means she needs time with her thoughts. I know fighting with her mom is taking a toll on her .

Instead of trying to convince her to talk to me about it, I gently kiss her. “I understand. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Actually, I’m going to drive myself. What time are we planning to leave tomorrow?”

I can’t say it doesn’t hurt that she wants that much time to herself. However, she’s about to spend the whole weekend away with me, with no distractions. So, I refuse to be a baby about this.

“No problem. If you get off at noon, we could leave close to two since it takes around four hours to get where we’re going.”

“Two works for me. I promise to be a better road trip companion this time around,” she jokes with a small grin.

Seeing her gorgeous smile, even if smaller than normal, makes me do the same. “You haven’t been bad to travel with at all. I can listen to a podcast or something if you fall asleep. See you tomorrow, Shortstack.”

***

I took today off because I knew that Beckett was coming last night for the party, and I wanted to spend time with him before Emmaline and I took off this afternoon.

He insisted we come to Edie’s Eats for breakfast because he finds her fascinating. And to ask her what possessed her to pick Cori’s crime scene cookie over his artfully crafted snowman.

While they were playfully bickering, I found myself caught in a group chat with Mia and Colette.

They let me know that Emmaline was freaking out over what to pack for our trip and asked if I’d tell them what I had planned.

I’m not sure why I didn’t think to tell them, so they could help her.

Especially since I wanted the whole thing to be a surprise.

Mia

We won’t tell her. Scout’s honor. But we need to be able to help her

Colette

She wasn’t a scout but I’ll make her spit swear on it if that makes you more inclined to tell us

Or tell me separately so gossip queen doesn’t squeal

Mia

HEY! rude… I will keep this a surprise. But only because of how happy you make her

*images sent*

Colette

ohmygosh! she is going to LOVE this

Mia

If she wasn’t already planning to jump your bones, this would definitely get you laid

Colette

Jesus Mia

lmao glad you guys approve

make sure she packs a bathing suit, please

Mia

…

OR what if we forget to mention that little detail?

*eye roll emoji*

Colette

I’ll be sure she packs one.

thanks Colette. really appreciate it

and I guess thank you too Mia. even though you didn’t really help much

Mia

Oh you’ll be thanking me… just you wait

Mia has left the conversation

should I be scared?

Colette

With Mia? Always. But she only has Em’s best interest at heart. Hope you guys have a great time!

I’m sure she’ll talk to you about it once we get back. She agreed to have a phone free weekend

“Are you ready for your trip?” Beckett asks once Edie’s walked off.

“I am. I think it’s coming at the right time.”

“Mia said that wasn’t usual for them to act that way. Her mom was upset the rest of the night. It was crazy awkward.”

“They’ve got some things to work on and time is the only thing that’ll help right now.” I take a sip of coffee, thinking of how to best phrase a thought I’ve had for a while and go with straightforward. “So, what’s going on with you and Mia?”

His brows knit in confusion. “What do you mean? We’re friends. ”

“Is that all you are?”

Beckett nods. “Yep. She’s actually become a good friend, Spence. Someone I feel at ease around. I think that’s because she’s so open with her thoughts. She doesn’t leave room for you to have doubts on where your friendship stands and after my bad luck with so many friends, it’s been nice.”

“I’m glad you have that. I know I’m just your annoying younger brother, but I’ve always got your back.”

He shakes his head with a small laugh. “Man, getting a girlfriend has made you a big ol’ softy. Mom will be so proud.”

I toss my used napkin at his head. “Shut up. See if I ever say anything nice to you again.”

“I’m only messing. I know and I appreciate you.”

Maybe he’s right though. I have become softer since Emmy came back into my life. She’s definitely played a part in feeling more comfortable with emotions. Yeah, my work is still a priority to me, but with her, life seems more balanced.

And I can’t help but feel like I’m falling for her.

And fuck me if that’s not scary.