“Amy.” Lily rose to her feet and pulled her in for a hug. “You look amazing. Did you do something to your hair?”
Amy’s smile was self-conscious as she touched a hand to it. “You really think so? I haven’t had my hair this short since college.”
“It looks amazing,” Lily repeated, pausing to give her stepmother a once-over. “I was in town, so I thought I’d give Emily a call. I thought you were supposed to be doing that yoga class?”
Amy waved away her comment. “It’s not for me. The instructor is nice, and so are the people there, but I stick out like a sore thumb.”
“That’s the point of trying new experiences,” Emily pointed out with a smile. “They’re supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Lily pulled out a chair for Amy and waited for her to sit down. “What about the cooking class?”
“That one, I might go back to.” Amy glanced between the two of them. “But I honestly don’t know. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all. What about the knitting class you were telling me about on Thursday? That sounded promising.”
Amy grimaced and linked her fingers together. “I’m more likely to stab myself at this point, but I’ll keep trying.”
Lily picked her glass of iced tea up and raised it in the air. “That’s the spirit. Here’s to new experiences.”
Emily reached for her own glass. “And beginnings.”
Amy picked up the glass of water and smiled at the two of them. “And new friends.”
Chapter Eleven
Amy smoothed out the edges of her skirt and crossed one ankle over the other. “You don’t actually have to be here, you know.”
Emily reached over and patted Amy’s knee. “I know, but I really don’t mind. My workshop isn’t starting for a while, so I’m happy to keep you company.”
Amy offered her a grateful smile.
Behind Emily, the city’s skyline stood, tall and imposing.
Getting out of the taxi half an hour ago had been difficult and strange because she’d kept trying to come up with excuses not to get out. She’d even made the taxi drive round the block a few times before she plucked up the nerve to get out. Even then, it was Emily’s soothing presence that got her out of the car, and it was her steady voice that got Amy off the sidewalk and through the double doors.
Still, Amy felt like she was going to empty the contents of her stomach.
Being back in the city was making her want to race in the opposite direction.
And knowing Eric was somewhere in the building made her feel worse.
Each time she thought of being in the same room with him, Amy’s stomach twisted, and sweat broke out on the back of her neck. She dreaded knowing she was going to be at his mercy and whatever mood he was in when he saw her.
But it wasn’t just her soon-to-be ex.
Amy had spent the past few minutes going over it in her head, and it wasn’t until she’d stepped in through the double doors of the large metal building located downtown that she realized what else was bothering her.
Everything about the city felt wrong to her, like the jagged pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit. As they’d walked through the spacious lobby, with its hardwood floors, glittering chandeliers, and uniformed personnel around every corner, the feeling had only intensified. Now that she was sitting next to Emily on a pair of metal chairs pressed against the wall, the knots in her stomach were only getting worse.
Suddenly, Amy was finding it hard to remember why she liked the city in the first place.
Being back here didn’t feel right to her, and she couldn’t wait for the meeting to end so she could go back to Falmouth, where the sky was endlessly blue, the water stretched on forever, and the people around her made her feel like she was home.
With a slight shake of her head, Amy turned her attention back to Emily, who was hunched over her phone in a knee-length dress with stockings underneath, her hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head.
“So, remind me again: Why is this workshop important?”
Emily glanced up, and for a moment, she looked confused. “Workshop?”
