William Jarvis - Sky Valley 02 - Beaches & Coffee (2 page)

“Yeah…” she muttered. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She squeezed his hand and thought about how lucky she was to have him. She tried to avoid him before, especially while she was in Paris because she was confused about a lot of things but six months ago, she realized that he is an integral part of her life and that she could no longer deny that. So, they officially got together and things have been smooth-sailing since. They were perfect together and some days, that thought scares her. Sometimes, she thinks that because they are perfect for each other, life will play with them. But she tries to brush off the thought as much as she could. She loves Daniel and she knows that he loves her, too.

“What are you thinking of?”

“What?” Emmy said, snapping back to reality. “Oh, nothing.” She said. “I was just…I was just thinking about us.”

“Let me guess.” Daniel said. “You’re thinking that because things seem too perfect, everything will go haywire, right? I know you, Emmy.” He said. “And you can deny that but you know that it’s the truth.”

She laughed. “Mind reader now, huh?”

He laughed. “No.” He said. “But I just know you. Every cranny and crook of your personality, I know, because I love you. And again, please don’t worry too much. I know Annabeth’s death is coming back because you’re going to work on another wedding again but just because something already happened before doesn’t mean they’re going to happen again. It’s going to be okay. And I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks.” She said as she squeezed his hand. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He said. “And look! We’re here!”

And there they were. Daniel got out of the car and helped Emmy get out of her seat. As Emmy stepped out of the car and onto the cobble-stoned pavement that leads to the entrance of The Sky Valley Resort, she could not help but gasp.

It was beautiful. The pavement reminded her of Paris, but everything else was different. The white-arched gate, the roses, poppies, and dahlias that lined up the pavement, the turquoise waters and the whole vibe of the place was astounding. She hasn’t been there in years and it all felt new to her.

“Wow.” She said.

“I know.” Daniel said. “Last time I’ve been here was 2 or 3 years ago and I have to say, it just gets better each time.”

“Beats me.” She laughed. “I haven’t been here since forever!”

They then walked to the coffee shop. It was easily seen from the entrance. Beaches and Coffee was beautiful and quaint, with its cabin-style exterior. There were bunches of roses on each side of the door, and when they got in, Emmy realized how much she missed it there.

Photographs of her mother when she was still alive lined the walls and some of Emmy herself when she was still a child. There were also some framed poems she made years ago, and some seashells she collected. In a way, it felt like her dad tried to preserve all those good memories. She couldn’t help but feel some warmth in her heart.

“Is that you, Emmy?” A woman’s voice said. They turned to find out who it was and saw a beautiful, red-haired woman who was also wearing a red dress and some black pumps.

“Scarlet?” Emmy asked.

“Oh no.” Daniel muttered. “You have got to be kidding me.”

CHAPTER
3
SURPRISE, SURPRISE

“Surprise!” Scarlet said and smiled. Emmy thought that although she was beautiful, there seemed to be some meanness in her—and she couldn’t put her finger on it. In addition, why did Daniel react that way, and did Scarlet say “Surprise”?

“Is this a joke?” Daniel asked. His voice was stern and Emmy never heard him speak that way before.

“What is going on?” Emmy asked.

“Danny,” Scarlet said. “Is that the way to greet an old friend, or rather, someone who was a big part of your life?”

“What?” Emmy was getting more and more confused by the second.

“Oh, I haven’t formally introduced myself.” Scarlet said. “I’m sorry.” She then faced Emmy. “Emmy, I’m sorry if I went by the name Scarlet but I know it’s the only way I could get your services. I mean, I’m in awe of your skills and I thought that since your family has a coffee shop here and you’re great at designing wedding gowns and making cupcakes, everything would be perfect.” She smiled. “My name’s not really Scarlet. I’m Ruby.” She introduced.

“Ruby.” Emmy repeated. She tried to make sense of things and as she looked at Daniel and Scarlet, or Ruby, or whatever her name was, she realized the reason why Daniel reacted that way: This person wasn’t just any person. She’s Ruby—Daniel’s ex-girlfriend who broke up with him because she thought that he was too disconcerted and that he was thinking of somebody else—that somebody being Emmy.

“Oh my god.” Emmy said. “You’re Ruby?” She said. “You’re—“

“I’m Daniel’s ex, yes.” Ruby answered.

“Is this a joke?” Emmy asked. “I mean, now I’m confused. What exactly do you want?”

Ruby laughed. “What kind of a question is that?” She said. “I asked for your help to help me with my wedding. You make great cupcakes, you’re a great designer and you know this place well, even if you have been gone for so long. And, come on. You know this would help you more than it’ll help me. It would help you gain a following again and it would revamp your family’s business. It’s as simple as that.”

“Ruby, this is crazy.” Daniel said. “You know a lot of people in town. You know that you can ask for somebody’s help. And getting married here? What’s gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me?” She said sarcastically. “Danny, I am going to get married. I have the right to choose whoever I want to make my wedding gown and bake my cupcakes for me. I don’t think I owe you any explanation.”

“Yeah, but getting married here?”

“You know, Daniel, I don’t care if you haven’t gotten our memories here.” She then looked at Emmy. “We used to spend a lot of time here, you know?” She then turned back to Daniel. “But I want to get married here because this place is special for me and I don’t really care what you think.”

“Wow.” Emmy said. “Just wow. You guys have issues. And I think I need to get out and—“

“Hi!” Suddenly, a blonde-haired cheery man entered the shop. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved top and khaki pants. “Sorry, I’m late.” He said and shook Daniel’s and Emmy’s hands. “I’m Edward.” He introduced with an air of someone who thinks that everyone should know him. “I’m Ruby’s fiancé. You must be Emmy, and this is—“He looked at Daniel, confused.

“That’s Daniel.” Ruby said, in her southern belle twang. “He’s Emmy’s friend.”

“Boyfriend.” Daniel stated.

“Right.” Ruby bit her lip and smiled.

“Oh wow, great to see you man.” Edward shook his hand and turned to Emmy. “We’re so glad to finally meet you! Ruby here wanted to keep our real personalities a secret because she’s such a fan of surprises.” He laughed.

“I bet she is.” Emmy said nonchalantly.

“So, is everything going okay?” Edward asked. “Did some cake tasting already happen or should we have coffee or what?”

“Everything’s going great.” Ruby said. “In fact, we were just talking about how awesome it would be to get married here because it’s such a nice place. And, we’ll have the wine tasting tonight and cakes tomorrow.” She clung on to Edward’s arm like a high school cheerleader would to her Quarterback boyfriend. “You got to let Emmy breathe—they just came here. Oh, and I’m going to see my gown later, too, right?”

Emmy could not speak for a while. She wanted to get out of there but she also knew that she couldn’t let Ruby get to her. Plus, she also wanted to give her dad his business back. She wanted to revive his career so he could be happy again and could forget about the pains of the past.

“Right.” Emmy finally said. “You’ll see your gown tonight, Ruby.” She said. “And we’ll drink some wine, too.”

“Cool.” Ruby smiled. “That’s amazing.”

“We’ll just…we’ll be going to our room first, settle down and all that…”

“When you say all that, you mean have some private time together, right?” Edward asked. He laughed, too, which made them feel awkward. “Sorry about that.” He giggled. “We’ll see you later.”

Emmy and Daniel then got out of the shop to face this new kind of trouble in paradise.

CHAPTER
4
WELCOME TO MY LIFE

“Emmy, wait.” Daniel said as Emmy opened their room at the resort. He was holding their bags and some of the things that were going to be used for the wedding. “Will you talk to me, please?” He said and took some of the things that Emmy was holding when they finally got inside the room.

He knew that Emmy was trying so hard not to snap, but her anger was so obvious, it was enveloping the air. She was shaking a bit and she would not even talk to him. She just opened the shutters and looked at some of the people who were lounging by the beach.

“Emmy.” Daniel said as he held her by the shoulders so she would face him. “Please.”

“What do you want to talk about, Daniel?” She said. “That it’s so amazing that I’m going to work for your girlfriend who’s actually had a lot of memories with you here?”

“I didn’t know it would be her, I swear.”

“Really? So, the reason why she chose me to work for her was because she believed in my talent, and not because she knew about our relationship? You believe that this is all just coincidence?”

“I don’t know what she’s playing at, Emmy, but don’t worry. I’ll try my best to figure it out. You just have to trust me.”

“Oh wow.” Emmy said. “You think this is easy for me? Knowing that what? You probably slept with her in this room? That you made love to her and she’s probably only trying to lure you back by being here and all that?”

“You don’t know that.”

Emmy laughed. “Right.” She said. “I don’t know anything. Welcome to my life.”

“Can you just calm down for a second?” He said. “Look, you saw how I reacted over there. If I knew about this, and if I knew Scarlet was Ruby, I wouldn’t have allowed you to work with her. It’s just that I basically had no idea that this would happen and come on, Em, I don’t have any feelings for her anymore.”

“Are you trying to convince me, or are you just trying to convince yourself?”

“What?” He said. “That’s preposterous.”

“I just can’t believe that this is happening.”

“We can go home if you want.” He told her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Then what?” She asked, smoothing down the pristine white bed cover. “Then she’d feel like she won? Then she knew that she totally got to me? Nu-uh, I’m not going to give her the satisfaction.”

He took a deep breath. “See, that’s the problem with you. Sometimes, you’re just like Annabeth. You’re too competitive when in fact you know that you are so much more than that.”

“Your ex’s getting married and now you’re comparing me to the dead girl who’s been my forever frenemy? Get out.”

“I’m just saying that you should control your temper. Let me deal with Ruby.”

“Get out.” She said. “I need to be alone. I’ll see you later.”

He threw his hands in the air. “Fine.” He said. “Do whatever you want.”

Daniel went out of the room, leaving Emmy alone. Emmy plopped down on bed and closed her eyes. She knew she would not be able to sleep but she wanted to lie down for a long time and forget about everything.

But, she knew that it was impossible. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to evade reality, she would have to deal with it sooner or later because that’s the only way you can live life.

It is during times like this that she missed her mother the most. She wished that she would be there to comfort her and that everything would be better after eating cupcakes and listening to fairy tales but life is certainly not like that anymore.

She just had to be strong through it all. She hoped with all of her hope that she could.

Later that evening while Emmy was arranging the table for the wine testing, she got the chance to talk to Rhoda, one of their oldest helpers who had been there ever since the coffee shop was established back when Emmy was six. Daniel was also helping but they still weren’t speaking to each other.

“You’re really beautiful.” Rhoda told her. She had gray her, kind eyes, and a smile that melted your heart. “I always knew that you would grow up to be beautiful and amazing. You were a bright child.”

Emmy smiled. “Thanks, Rhoda.” She said. “How have you been? I miss your banana cakes!”

Rhoda laughed. “I bet you’re better than me now.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m not.” She said humbly.

“Is he your husband?” Rhoda asked, pertaining to Daniel.

“What?” Emmy said then looked at Daniel. She took a deep breath and turned to Rhoda again. “No, no he’s not.” She said.

“But soon, he’ll be?” Rhoda smiled.

“Who knows?” Emmy smiled. She still did not want to talk to Daniel but deep down, she hoped that they could work things out.

“He’s a good man. I can see it in his eyes.”

Just then, the doors of the shop opened and in came a crying Ruby who was holding her wedding dress—the lacy one that Emmy made for her, running towards them.

“Ruby!” Edward who was trailing behind her said.