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As always, Charlotte was right.

On Monday morning Emily checked her inbox and found a new email from Taylor. With her new “enjoy the good shit” mentality, she didn’t fight the happiness she felt when reading it.

Ems,

I’m back. Just wanted to let you know I’m safe and at home and, now I’m gonna crash. Jetlag is a heartless bitch.

Tay

Before starting on her day’s work, Emily typed a quick reply to her new friend, welcoming him back home and wishing him a great day.

During that week the email exchange continued. Being in the same time zone helped the communication greatly, making their email conversation feel almost like instant messaging. They talked about everything. Taylor gave her updates on his work and on the fun the family continued to have in The Big Apple. Emily sent him news on books she’d been reading, her friends and general New Haven stuff.

By the time his family went back to their respective homes and Emily saw Penelope again during the book club meeting that Thursday, they felt like longtime friends.

Tay,

How can Gabe fight with Poppy? She’s the sweetest. After the book club today we talked a little and she ended up tagging along my trip to my mani pedi appointment, and then to my hairdresser. She even convinced me to cut bangs.

How’s the skinny Kim-bitch? Is she easing up on you?

Ems

Ems,

Poppy is sweet with you because you’re not an annoying middle brother. Gabe fights with her because he’s Gabe. She called me after the salon to retract the threats she made me the day we met; apparently us being friends ended up working for her.

Skinny Kim-bitch continues to be a bitch and working with her is proving to be a challenge. Not only is she a pain in my ass, but she’s also hell bent on dating me. Something I have no interest in doing, for many reasons, one of them being that she keeps acting like a whore. You’re a woman; can you please explain to me what’s wrong with your kind nowadays?

Tay

Tay,

I wish I could, I see the same thing happening with the young girls around campus. It’s like all their self-esteem is gone, which is just sad.

Are you coming to NH this weekend?

Ems

Ems,

You bet! Looking forward to see the new bangs and you . . . Mostly you, though.

Tay

O
N
F
RIDAY
morning, when Zack entered Emily’s apartment for breakfast, he was prepared to pry her out of bed and endure the nasty mood she was known for in the mornings. Instead there she was, standing barefoot by the stove in a short pink plush robe with her hair artfully rolled into a bun held together by chopsticks, dancing, and singing along with Bruno Mars. When she heard the door opening behind her she turned to look at Zack walking in. “Good morning Fruitcake, I’m making pancakes for us this morning.”

“It sure looks like a great morning, with you singing and dancing barefoot around the kitchen . . . ” He made a horrified face at her. “Oh no. Barefoot in the kitchen, please tell me you’re not pregnant.”

Emily laughed at her friend’s joke. “I highly doubt that’s possible, unless my sheets have developed magical sperm,” she teased. “So no . . . I’m not with child, just happy.”

Zack sneaked his arms around Emily’s waist and led her into an impromptu dance. When the song ended he dipped her low, generating a roll of giggles. “I like happy Emily almost as much as I like pancakes.”

They ate and talked about their plans for the day. Zack gave his friend meticulous details on a surgical procedure he was performing that day and was extremely excited about, and when Emily questioned him about Mr. Darcy, he informed her he was traveling to DC for a conference that afternoon.

Zack then turned the conversation to Emily, requesting details on her plans for the day, which included coffee with Penelope and a trip to the mall for new pajamas. Half an hour before he was due at the hospital, Zack got up from his stool and moved to the dishwasher to deposit his plate. “So, I was thinking we could do something different tonight. How about burgers at Old Joe’s?” he asked mockingly.

“Yeah, ‘cause we never do that,” Emily replied, making both of them laugh. “Jody said a Nickelback cover band will be playing tonight, and you know how I love them. So that works for me.”

Nodding, he moved closer to give her a peck goodbye. A thought crossed his mind when he reached the front door. He stopped, and turned to look at her. “Are you buying new pajamas because our new friend is joining PJ&B, Cheesecake?”

“Have a good day Zack,” she said, with a shy smile.

A smug smirk on Zack’s face was the extent of his reaction. “See you tonight.”

After Zack left, Emily danced her way into her bedroom and changed into her running clothes. Before she noticed, she was once more applying blush and mascara to exercise.

When Taylor got back from his very long morning run, he was dripping with sweat. He was determined to leave for New Haven at noon. Even with his two-week absence, the extra hours he’d put in that week combined with the work he did during his trip left very few things on his to-do list. Besides, he was going out of his mind with anxiety about seeing Emily again.

It didn’t take him long to pack his small duffle bag with everything he would need for the weekend. Without thinking too much about what he was doing, he packed a few extra things in case he successfully convinced his sister to allow him to make her apartment his permanent weekend getaway.

An hour later, properly showered and dressed in his favorite denim and shirt, Taylor rode the elevator down to the garage where he loaded his Jeep, so he could leave straight from work and go to see Emily.

His morning at the gallery seemed to drag on and on. The few emails he exchanged with Emily helped his anxiety a little, but not much. It had been three weeks since they last saw each other, which was extremely frustrating. Thankfully, Kimberly’s assistant made some sort of mix up with the shipping of two pictures which took Kim most of the morning to fix, allowing no time for her add to his frustration.

At 11:59 a.m. Taylor gathered his things and walked out, wishing everyone a good weekend. Never in his life had he imagined he would be so glad to escape from a job he loved, especially after spending two weeks away. Nonetheless, as he turned the ignition in his car, relief coursed through every cell of his body.

It was interesting that each passing mile that separated him from NYC made him relax a bit further, adding to the feeling that he was driving towards his home—instead of away from it.

After three hours at the mall, Emily’s arms were filled with shopping bags from her pajama-shopping trip gone wild. For some reason, the email conversation between her and Taylor had been almost nonexistent that day. She’d received only a few emails and most of them were early in the morning. The resulting anxiety was remedied by retail therapy that included a few new pajamas and some underwear from Victoria’s Secret, a pair of shoes, three tops and two dresses. Her bank account was set back by a few hundred dollars, but her spirits were lightly lifted.

She arrived at Starbucks five minutes before she’d agreed to meet Penelope. She was exiting her car when her phone beeped with an incoming email. Her heart raced and then stopped, seeing that the sender was the wrong Carter. Penelope was going to be a few minutes late.

The therapeutic effects of her shopping spree were wavering as she entered the line inside the coffee shop. The blond barista who’d smiled at Taylor all those weeks back, waved for her to approach the end of the counter. Emily’s brows were pulled together tightly as she left her place in line and approached the young woman. The nametag that was stuck to her apron read Annabelle. “Hi, you called me?” Emily asked confused.

“You’re Emily, right?” the woman asked. “Emily Watson?”

The confused frown on Emily’s face deepened, but her sweet tone didn’t waver. “Yes, can I help you with something?”

“Not really, but I’ll have your drink ready in a sec,” Annabelle informed her with a smile.