college, Tara still had the ability to make Emily Rose crazy. Only one person could fix this. Unfortunately, that was the way it’d always been.
Emily Rose sunk down on the floor, sobbing. Jemma sank down with her and held her. She knew what she had to do. Finally, she felt like there was something that she could.
“What if we postpone the wedding? For a few hours,” Jemma said.
Three faces turned to Jemma, their expressions asking if she’d lost it.
“I’ll go to Hampton. Talk to Tara. And try to make her understand what she’s done. You guys . . . I dunno—stall. Somehow. Tell people to leave and come back? It’ll be an evening ceremony and we’ll party into the night.”
“What if the preacher can’t come back?”
“Then we’ll think of something. Shouldn’t we at least try?”
“I don’t want to see her,” Emily Rose said, but she didn’t sound convincing in the least.
Carolina helped Jemma to her feet, put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her away from Emily Rose. Speaking in a low voice, she said, “So, you want to go to Hampton, get Tara, and come back. Which will take at least three hours. In the meantime, you want us to do something with all these people?”
Jemma looked Carolina straight in the eye and nodded. “Sure. Unless you have a better idea.”
“What makes you think she’s not going to come here and act a fool again?”
“Tara does this kind of thing because she knows how much her opinion matters to Emily Rose, no matter how Emily Rose tries to pretend that isn’t the case. She does it just to get to her. I think that maybe if I can talk to her one-on-one, I can get through to her. I owe it to Emily Rose to at least try.”
Carolina stared at her for a moment before laughing and shaking her head. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of, and that’s saying a lot. But why not? Nothing else seems to be working.”
“Okay. I’m going to get Davis. You guys talk her down and patch things up the best you can. If you need me, call me.”
Carolina nodded, although she still looked pretty shaky about the plan. Jemma told them everything was going to be fine and then she went to find Davis in the sanctuary. Maybe she couldn’t face her problems with Smooth, and she might not have been able to decide how she really felt about Davis. Still, she could try to do something for the friend she’d neglected for so long out of her own selfishness.
Jemma spotted Davis in the fourth row, talking to some of Michael’s friends. She smiled and, for a moment, all the bad melted away. His smile. Large hands on the back of the pew in front of him. His laugh. The small rash of acne scars on his cheeks didn’t take away from his pretty face.
She put her hand on his back. He looked up at her and despite the stress of the moment, she felt lighter. “I need to talk to you. Over there.” Jemma pointed to the doors at the back of the church.
He nodded, told the guys he’d been sitting with that he’d see them later, and then followed her to the back doors.
“So what’s up?” He put a hand on her waist. “You look worried. Is Emily Rose okay?”
Jemma shook her head. “Not really. I kind of . . . need you to take me to see Tara.”
Davis’s light blue eyes widened. “Huh?”
Jemma explained the crisis and her theory that if she could get Tara to apologize, Emily Rose might calm down and get back to normal.
“So will you do it?” She grabbed one of his hands between hers.
“Yeah. If you think it’ll help, sure. Anything for you, Jemma. Always.”
She smiled and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
She followed Davis to his car, wondering what things would be like once the wedding was finally over—if it ever began. Bad things awaited her on the other side of that wedding. Her interview with the parole board representative, for one. Whether she decided to go see Smooth or not, there was still the interview. After that, she had to face
Emily Rose sunk down on the floor, sobbing. Jemma sank down with her and held her. She knew what she had to do. Finally, she felt like there was something that she could.
“What if we postpone the wedding? For a few hours,” Jemma said.
Three faces turned to Jemma, their expressions asking if she’d lost it.
“I’ll go to Hampton. Talk to Tara. And try to make her understand what she’s done. You guys . . . I dunno—stall. Somehow. Tell people to leave and come back? It’ll be an evening ceremony and we’ll party into the night.”
“What if the preacher can’t come back?”
“Then we’ll think of something. Shouldn’t we at least try?”
“I don’t want to see her,” Emily Rose said, but she didn’t sound convincing in the least.
Carolina helped Jemma to her feet, put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her away from Emily Rose. Speaking in a low voice, she said, “So, you want to go to Hampton, get Tara, and come back. Which will take at least three hours. In the meantime, you want us to do something with all these people?”
Jemma looked Carolina straight in the eye and nodded. “Sure. Unless you have a better idea.”
“What makes you think she’s not going to come here and act a fool again?”
“Tara does this kind of thing because she knows how much her opinion matters to Emily Rose, no matter how Emily Rose tries to pretend that isn’t the case. She does it just to get to her. I think that maybe if I can talk to her one-on-one, I can get through to her. I owe it to Emily Rose to at least try.”
Carolina stared at her for a moment before laughing and shaking her head. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of, and that’s saying a lot. But why not? Nothing else seems to be working.”
“Okay. I’m going to get Davis. You guys talk her down and patch things up the best you can. If you need me, call me.”
Carolina nodded, although she still looked pretty shaky about the plan. Jemma told them everything was going to be fine and then she went to find Davis in the sanctuary. Maybe she couldn’t face her problems with Smooth, and she might not have been able to decide how she really felt about Davis. Still, she could try to do something for the friend she’d neglected for so long out of her own selfishness.
Jemma spotted Davis in the fourth row, talking to some of Michael’s friends. She smiled and, for a moment, all the bad melted away. His smile. Large hands on the back of the pew in front of him. His laugh. The small rash of acne scars on his cheeks didn’t take away from his pretty face.
She put her hand on his back. He looked up at her and despite the stress of the moment, she felt lighter. “I need to talk to you. Over there.” Jemma pointed to the doors at the back of the church.
He nodded, told the guys he’d been sitting with that he’d see them later, and then followed her to the back doors.
“So what’s up?” He put a hand on her waist. “You look worried. Is Emily Rose okay?”
Jemma shook her head. “Not really. I kind of . . . need you to take me to see Tara.”
Davis’s light blue eyes widened. “Huh?”
Jemma explained the crisis and her theory that if she could get Tara to apologize, Emily Rose might calm down and get back to normal.
“So will you do it?” She grabbed one of his hands between hers.
“Yeah. If you think it’ll help, sure. Anything for you, Jemma. Always.”
She smiled and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
She followed Davis to his car, wondering what things would be like once the wedding was finally over—if it ever began. Bad things awaited her on the other side of that wedding. Her interview with the parole board representative, for one. Whether she decided to go see Smooth or not, there was still the interview. After that, she had to face
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