"Wake up," Daniel whispered in Emily's ear.
She stirred awake and took the cup of coffee he was offering to her, then noticed that Daniel was dressed. "Where are you going?"
"I have something to do today," he replied.
Emily looked around and noticed that the sun had barely risen. "Something? What something?"
He gave her a look. "It's a secret. But not a 'my name is actually Dashiel' kind of secret. You don't need to worry, is what I'm saying." He pressed a kiss into the crown of her head.
"Well, that's reassuring," Emily said sarcastically.
"Anyway," Daniel said, "I'd just be in your way."
"Why?" Emily asked, bleary-eyed.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you've forgotten."
"Oh my God!" Emily gasped. "The town meeting. It's today, isn't it?"
Daniel nodded. "Yup. And I think someone's having a meeting with Cynthia at seven a.m. It's currently six forty-five."
Emily leapt up. "You're right. Oh my god. I have to get dressed."
Though appreciative of Cynthia's offer to talk to her about all things B&B, she wished the woman hadn't insisted on such an early meeting time.
"That got you moving," Daniel said with a chuckle. He finished swigging his coffee, then grabbed his jacket.
"Just don't forget the meeting tonight, will you?" Emily said. "Seven p.m. at the town hall."
Daniel grinned. "I'll be there. I promise."
*
Cynthia arrived at the house with her two pet poodles in tow. She was dressed in a fuchsia pink maxi dress, the color clashing horribly with her ginger hair.
"Morning," Emily called out, waving from the door.
"Hello, sweetheart," Cynthia said. She seemed to be in a rush as she hurried up the path.
"Thanks for meeting with me," Emily added when the woman was a little closer. "Do you want some coffee?"
"Oh, I'd love some," Cynthia said.
Emily led her into the kitchen and poured them both a cup from where the pot was still brewing. As she did, Mogsy leapt up at the glass door between the kitchen and utility room. Cynthia went over and looked through the glass.
"I didn't know you had puppies!" she cried. "Oh, they're just adorable!"
"The mom was a stray," Emily said. "I didn't realize she was pregnant then suddenly there were five puppies."
"Have you found a home for them yet?" Cynthia asked, cooing through the glass at them.
"Not yet," Emily replied. "I mean the pups are too young at the moment to leave their mom. And I can't exactly kick her out to fend for herself. So for now they're mine."
"Well, once they're done weaning, I'll happily take one off your hands. Jeremy passed his entrance exams to St. Matthew's and I wanted to get him a congratulations gift."
"You'd take one?" Emily asked, feeling a sense of relief. "That would be great."
"Sure," Cynthia replied, squeezing Emily's arm. "We look out for each other in this town. Want me to ask around? See if anyone else wants one?"
"Yes, that would be amazing, thank you," Emily replied.
Emily went and fed the dogs, then the two women settled down at the table.
"Now," Cynthia said, pulling out a thick folder. "I've gone to the liberty of getting you some of the forms that you'll need to fill out. This is for hygiene." She slapped a blue piece of paper in front of Emily. Then a pink one. "Gas." Finally, she placed a yellow one on the table. "Wastewater and sewage treatment."
Emily looked at the forms with trepidation. Something about their officialness made her feel woefully under-prepared.
But Cynthia wasn't done. "I've got some business cards here for you, as well. Names and numbers of some really reputable guys. They'll get everything up to scratch for you. I used them back in the day. Good guys, the best really. I'd trust them with my life."
Emily picked the cards up and slipped them into her pocket. "Anything else?"
"Trevor's going to try to make it difficult for you. He knows the names of every code violation known to man. Make sure you know what you're doing in terms of the legal and logistical stuff and you'll be fine."
Emily gulped. She was feeling more apprehensive that ever. "And here's me thinking I just need to give a heartfelt speech."
"Oh, don't get me wrong," Cynthia exclaimed, waving one of her hands, the bright pink nails like talons. "The speech will get you ninety percent of the way there. Just don't let Trevor stump you with the other ten percent." She tapped the papers on the table. "Learn your stuff. Sound competent."
Emily nodded. "Thank you, Cynthia. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to me about all this."
"It's no problem, hon," Cynthia replied. "We look out for each other in this town." She stood and the poodles leapt to their feet as well. "I'll see you later. Seven p.m.?"
"You're coming to the meeting?" Emily asked, surprised.
"Of course I am!" She clapped Emily on the shoulder. "We all are."
"All?" Emily asked nervously.
"All of us who care about you and the B&B," Cynthia replied. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."
Emily led Cynthia to the door, feeling a combination of grateful and apprehensive. That the people of the town would want to support her made her feel good. But to have them all watching her, and to risk making a fool out of herself in front of them, was a prospect that terrified her.
*
Later that evening, Emily was just putting the finishing touches to her outfit when she heard the doorbell ring. She frowned, confused as to who would be calling, and went to the door to see. When she opened it, she was shocked by the person she saw standing before her.
"Amy?!" Emily cried. "Oh my God!"
She pulled her friend in for a hug. Amy squeezed her back.
"Come in," Emily said, opening the door wider. She looked up at the clock quickly. There was still time to chat with Amy before she had to leave for the town meeting.
"Wow," Amy said, looking around. "This house is bigger than I expected."
"Yeah, it's kind of huge."
Amy wrinkled her nose and sniffed. "Is that smoke? I smell burning."
"Oh, long story," Emily said, waving a hand. Just then the puppies began yapping from the utility room.
"You have a dog?" Amy asked, sounding shocked.
"One dog, five puppies," Emily said. "Which is another long story." She couldn't help but glance at the clock again. "So what are you doing here, Ames?"
Amy's expression fell. "What am I doing here? I'm here to see my best friend who dropped off the radar three months ago. I mean, I should be the one asking what you're doing here. And how the hell your long weekend turned into two weeks, then six months. And that's not even mentioning the text I get from you saying you're thinking of starting a business!"
Emily could hear a hint of disdain in her friend's voice. "What's so crazy about the idea of me starting a business? You don't think I can?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. I just mean that things seem to be moving really fast up here. I feel like you're settling down. You have six pets!"
Emily shook her head, feeling a little exasperated, not to mention attacked. "It's a stray and her pups. I'm not settling down. I'm just experimenting. Trying things out. Enjoying my life for once."
Now it was Amy's turn to let out an exhalation. "And I'm happy for you, I am. I think it's great that you're enjoying life, you really deserve it after everything with Ben. But I just think you maybe haven't spent enough time thinking about it. Starting a business isn't easy."
"You did it," Emily reminded her.
Amy had been running a home fragrance business from home since she'd finished grad school, selling items online. It had taken her a decade of sleepless nights and seven-day work weeks to make enough money to sustain herself, but now the business was soaring.
"You're right," Amy said. "I did. And it was hard." She rubbed her temples. "Emily, if that's really what you want to do, can you at least come back to New York for a bit first, look into it properly and thoroughly? Get a business proposal together, speak to the bank for a business loan, find an accountant to help with the books? I could mentor you. Then, if you're really certain you've made the right decision, you can always come back here."
"I already know I've made the right decision," Emily said.
"How?" Amy cried. "You have zero experience! You might literally hate it! And then what? You'd have wasted all your money. You'd have nothing to fall back on."
"You know, I expect this sort of shit from my mother, Amy, not from you."
Amy sighed heavily. "It's hard to be supportive over this when you've shut me out of your life completely. I don't want to fight with you, Emily. I came here because I miss you. And I'm worried about you. This house? This isn't you. Aren't you bored here? Don't you miss New York? Don't you miss me?"
Emily's heart ached to hear the distress in Amy's voice. But at the same time, the clock on the wall told her that her time was ticking away. The town meeting would be starting shortly, a meeting that would determine her future. She needed to be there for it, and she needed to be composed.
"I'm sorry," Amy said tersely when she noticed that it was the clock on the wall where Emily's gaze kept darting. "Am I keeping you from something?"
"No, of course not," Emily said, taking Amy's hand. "It's just, can we talk about this later? I have a lot going on in my head and-"
"Me turning up unannounced was never a problem before," Amy grumbled.
"Amy," Emily warned. "You can't just disrupt my life, tell me I'm living it wrong, and expect me to be gracious about it. I'm happy to see you, I really am. And you can stay as long as you want. But right now, I have a town meeting to go to."
One of Amy's eyebrows rose. "A town meeting? For God's sake Emily, listen to yourself! Meetings are for boring backwater towns. This isn't you."
Emily lost all sense of patience. "No, you're wrong. The girl I was in New York? That wasn't me. That was some silly woman who followed Ben around like a lovesick puppy, waiting for him to tell her she was good enough to marry. I don't even recognize the person I used to be. Can't you see: this is me. Where I am now, who I am now, it's feels so much more right than New York ever did. And if you don't like it, or can't grow to support it at the very least, then we're done."
Amy's mouth dropped open. Never in all the years of their friendship had they fought like this. Never had Emily raised her voice to her oldest, closest friend.
Amy clutched her handbag tightly to her chest, then pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her purse. Her fingers moved deftly, sliding one out and placing it between her lips. "Enjoy your meeting, Emily."
She walked out of the house and to where her Benz was parked up in the street. Emily watched her speed off, her sense of regret already swirling inside of her.
Then she went to her own car, started it, and sped down the street toward the town hall, more determined than ever.
