Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

BLAKE

Tonight was a total flop. An absolute disaster. A complete catastrophe. I could go on, but I'm depressed enough as it is. I only stay in the ballroom for a few minutes after Molly leaves. I want to give her enough time to make a clean getaway. Yet staying here any longer makes me susceptible to the wrath of the crowd, and the villagers are starting to circle.

As I'm getting ready to go, Emberly approaches me. "I used to be a model. I'd love to cover fashion shows for the newspaper you work at."

"Emberly," I take a deep breath before continuing, "I have absolutely zero pull at Chicago Wind . In fact, I'm fairly certain when my boss hears about tonight, I won't even have a job."

She reaches in her purse and pulls out a business card. Handing it to me, she asks, "Can you at least give this to your editor?"

People are so mercenary when it comes to pushing their own agendas. Yet, I suppose I sort of admire that. If you don't look out for number one, who's going to do it for you? Taking the card, I tell her, "I'll do that." Then I practically spring for the exit .

Once I'm in my room, I text Gillian.

Me

Have you secured the tickets yet?

She responds fifteen minutes later.

Vampira

I have them. And you can have them when you hand over your articles.

Me

I'll be back in town tomorrow. I'll give them to you then.

Vampira

The event doesn't end for several more days.

Me

I've had enough.

Vampira

I'll be the one to decide that, Blake. If I'm not pleased, you're going back.

I hate when people feel like they need to have the last word, so I leave her message on unread. Passive aggressive? Most definitely. But I'm not going to give Gillian the satisfaction of knowing that she won.

I don't want to run into Molly until she's calmed down, which is why I'm pacing in my room like a caged animal. As such, the knock on my door takes me by surprise. The only person it could be is Molly, and knowing the mood I left her in, if I open it, I might be on the receiving end of a hot pot of coffee.

I let her knock again before I hear a voice that isn't hers. "Open the door!" It's Ellen.

Opening the door, I snap, "What now? Are you going to set my room on fire? "

She pushes me into my room before following. "Don't be a drama queen, Blake."

"A drama queen?" Stabbing a pointer finger in her direction, I practically yell, "You don't even know me, lady."

She rolls her eyes. "Settle down. I'm on your side."

"If tonight was you being on my side, remind me to never make an enemy of you."

She strides across the carpet and sits down at the table. "I've got no beef with you, Blake. In fact, Gillian thinks you're great. She says you're the perfect addition to the paper."

"Gillian thinks I'm a gigantic pain in the butt," I tell her.

"I'm sure you are. But that doesn't mean you're not also good at your job."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to help. I think you and my sister might just be a good match."

Sitting on the chair across from hers, I tell her, "I don't think your helping is a good idea."

"Why? I know everything about Molly. If anyone can get past her defenses, it's me."

"She's never going to forgive me for lying to her," I say. "And honestly, I don't blame her. I have not been on the up and up, and that was the main reason I'd decided I wasn't going to flirt with anyone here."

"Yet, you clearly broke that rule," she needlessly tells me.

"Your sister is hard to ignore."

"My sister," she replies, "is a catch. But she's also been hurt badly, and she doesn't know how to come back from that."

"And I made that even harder for her. Which is not what I wanted to do."

Ellen waves off my comment. "Molly is just gun shy. She should have gotten right back on the horse after that idiot Kyle, but she second-guessed herself and then she lost herself. All she needs is some time to realize that you were just doing your job. I'll work on her. "

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I tell her. "I can't stay here knowing how much I've hurt her."

"She'll be happy to hear that. She wanted to leave, but this way we can stay and have some sister time."

I was kind of hoping Ellen would tell me to stay and she'd help me work things out now, but she knows her sister better than I do. If Molly needs space, I'll give it to her. "I'll check out at ten, if you want to make sure she doesn't see me."

Ellen stands up. "Good. Now hand me your phone."

I hand it over and watch as she types her phone number in. Then she calls herself. "Now you have my number. We'll stay in touch."

Ellen walks out of the room without a backward glance. While she and Molly have completely different personalities, it's clear that neither of them are pushovers. I can only imagine what their parents are like.

After Ellen is gone, I brush my teeth and get into my pajama pants before sitting on the bed and opening my laptop.

The road to happily-ever-after is often fraught with disaster. Take tonight. I got caught in a lie, and Polly found out. As a result, she rightfully ended things with me.

I came to Trina Rockwell's event at the Elk Lake Lodge certain it was a waste of everyone's time. And while things didn't work out for me, several couples seem to be well on their way to a happy ending.

Take Arnold and Olive. He works for the government, and she has a thriving career caring for animals. They are two unassuming people who, on the surface, don't seem like they'd be a match. I'm not sure where they would ever cross paths in the real world, but here, they have managed to find enough common ground to become a couple .

I also met a circus performer who has matched with a dental hygienist. Then there's the television show producer and the schoolteacher. Unless these people hang out in the same coffee shops, or have mutual friends, chances are they would have never met.

Not only does the Elk Lake Lodge offer them a beautiful, rural retreat, far away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives, but they are also able to meet other singles outside their normal daily scope.

Trina Rockwell creates structure for people to get to know each other, and then she gives them enough space to pair off to share personal time. I did not want this assignment when it was given to me. I'd made my decision about what it would be like before having any evidence to back up my opinion.

I'm happy to discover that I was wrong. And while this event did not work for me personally, my lack of success is on my shoulders alone. Polly may not have been interested in me had I been honest with her from the start, but at least our budding friendship would not have been based on a lie.

I suppose if I had any advice to give, it's this: If you book a spot at one of Trina's retreats, make sure you're genuine in your desire to be there. Present yourself honestly and without artifice. Keep an open mind and an open heart. And most importantly, treat everyone with the respect they deserve.

Closing my laptop, I feel a heaviness of heart that I haven't felt in ages. In the last few years, I've dated my fair share of women. Some nicer than others. But none of them have inspired the desire in me to settle down again. None of them, except Molly. And I fear that I've irreparably damaged any chance for us to share a happy ending.