Page 87 of Objection to Love

“Em—you’re alive!”

“Oh, Garrett, I didn’t check the name before I answered.”

He deflated. “Ah—and you would have continued your avoidance of me if you had, huh?”

“I’m not… I’m not avoiding you, Garrett. I’m just really busy at work.”

“How did the trial go today?”

“Honestly, not great.”

Suddenly everything made sense. She wasn’t avoidinghim; she was avoiding admitting that work wasn’t going well. “I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” She seemed distracted.

Garrett had an inexplicable desire to take her attention off whatever happened during the trial. “I got another job offer today. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

She was quiet for a second, and when she spoke her voice was strained. “That’s awesome, Garrett. I have a bit of a family emergency right now though. Can we talk about it later?”

He blinked. That was not how he’d seen this conversation going. “Yeah, sure, no problem. Call me when you get the chance. Or just come by. We’re neighbors, you know. In case you forgot since you haven’t seen me in days.”

“Okay, thanks, Garrett, I’ll talk to you later.”

And for the second time in ten minutes, the phone clicked off on him. He scowled at the offending piece of metal. She must have had a really bad day. But if you’d asked him last week whether she’d avoid him rather than seek him out after a bad day, he never would have seen this evasion as the outcome. And he didn’t know what to do with it.

A text from his mom popped up on the screen he still held.

Mom: Is Em coming to Sunday Sundae night?

Garrett decided to take a page out of his elusive girlfriend’s book… and ignored the message in favor of putting on running shoes and heading for the mountains.

Chapter 31

Em

Emtuckedherlegsup under her, watching April on the other side of the couch. Her sister wasn’t crying anymore, but her eyes were still rimmed in red. Her best friend, Natalie, was in the chair across from them telling a story about some couple who had stayed the last week at the B&B she owned. April had even laughed once or twice at the retelling of how Natalie and her husband had heard thumps all throughout the night and had chalked it up to the elderly couple having an active, ah, intimate life. Nope. They’d been reorganizing the furniture into a configuration that had betterflow,or so they’d told Natalie at checkout.

Em’s eyes dropped to the throw blanket she was cuddled under. April should have asked Natalie to come to the ultrasound. Even though she was unbelievably busy with work, she would have made time. She wouldn’t have forgotten.

“Stop.”

“What?” Em looked up at April’s stern face.

“Stop berating yourself.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I can tell. Just stop it. Forget about it… It was an honest mistake.”

Em took a deep breath, shaking her head. April was too forgiving. Em would feel better if April had at least yelled at her once or twice. Instead, Em had gotten to her house, and April had immediately hugged her and asked what had happened at work, even while tears were still leaking in a continuous stream from her eyes.

Em had told April it was nothing and asked her instead to tell her all about the ultrasound.

It wasn’t great. The baby seemed to have some sort of obstruction in her heart that was only fixable by surgery.Beforeshe was even born. April was a mess, Jackson was trying to get the soonest flight home, and April had just gotten off the phone with her best friend, who had arrived minutes after Em.

Em hadn’t asked if April had told their parents. She would, and they would want to know… any grandparents would. But at the moment, it was clear April needed comfort, not a barrage of questions and insinuations that April might not have chosen the best doctor and should get a second opinion.

“I’m making hot cocoa. And then we’re watching a movie until Jackson comes home, k? I brought several period dramas and am looking forward to enlightening Em on the finer things in life.” Natalie hopped up and left for the kitchen.

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