Page 72 of Made for You

“But he just said—” I started.

“Liam. I’m already angry with you. You let my girl walk away. How dare you believe what that idiot said. He doesn’t know my girl, you do. She doesn’t trust him, she trusts you. And you let her leave here without telling her how you feel.”

“I didn’t—I mean—I am working on it. Alexander was unexpected.” I sputter.

“What my brother here is trying to say is that we just learned the ugly truth about Alexander. And we immediately came to find Violet.” Emma covers for me.

“Well I suggest you get your ass to New York City, son. If Alexander says they’re going together, I know for a fact that she didn’t tell him about the gala, and that means he and that scum Larry are planning something.” Gran crosses her arms and faces the three of us.

“Yes! Road trip!” Cooper yells.

“I think someone needs to do this road trip alone, and someone else needs to take over his chores at the inn.” Emma smacks Cooper’s stomach.

“I mean. I guess. That isn’t as fun though.” Cooper pouts.

“Go pack! What are you waiting for!”

I look at my watch, calculate the driving time, and then look at them, “What am I supposed to do? Barge in there at bedtime to a house, I have no idea who lives there?”

“He has a point,” Gran says, tapping her chin.

“Oh! I have tons of airline miles. I can get you a flight, and a hotel then you can go to the gala tomorrow!” Cooper is immediately on his phone.

“You’ll need a tux. Or a suit at least,” Gran points out.

“I have one.” Cooper doesn’t even look up from his phone as he starts to leave the inn. “Are you two coming?”

Emma and I look at each other then follow him back to the truck to drive over to his cabin, but he interrupts us as we slow down near his cabin, “At Mom’s.”

His nose is back in his phone. I didn’t think that booking an airline ticket would take this long.

We stop at Mom and Pop’s house.

Finally he speaks, “Ok you’re booked on a three p.m. flight to JFK, a hotel near Central Park, and I hired you a car to bring you to the hotel, and to her home for the gala. My buddy also has an engagement ring on standby.”

“A what?” I ask in shock.

“Aren’t we going for grand gestures?” he asks, furrowing his brow like I’m the crazy one.

“I think we could probably nix the engagement ring, Coop. Maybe leave that part to Lee.” Emma hops out of the car.

“Eh. It’s there if you want it. I watched a lot of rom-coms on my last trip.” He puts his phone in his pocket and hops out behind Emma.

I steady myself for a minute before going into Mom’s and dealing with explaining the whole situation over again.

“Three of my babies so early in the day?” Mom exclaims when I walk in as she’s mid-hug with Cooper.

A pang of guilt hits me because I don’t come to see them very often even though I live here on the property with them. And I’m never home to invite them over.

“Hey, Mom,” I sheepishly say.

“What are you three doing here? What’s the special occasion?” She rushes off to the kitchen, with us following behind her.

“Lee is going to get his girl in New York. And he needs my tux.”

She stops almost immediately and spins on her heel.

“Oh my, please say he’s going to get Violet?” Mom pleads with Emma.

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