“He’s in politics,” Holly said, almost apologetically.
“What kind of politics?”
“The US senator kind.” Holly bit down on her lower lip.
“Your fiancé is a senator?”
“From Massachusetts.”
“Wait.” Emma felt her mouth drop open. “Are you engaged to Brett Carmichael?”
Holly nodded.
“How old are you?” Emma’s shock over that simple nod made her forget her manners.
“Twenty-four. He’s twelve years older than me. His mom hates that, too.”
“You know his family is like the second coming of the Kennedys, right?”
“I don’t care about his family.” Holly’s voice held an undertone of steel Emma wouldn’t have expected. “I love him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. No matter what his mom thinks about me—what anyone thinks about me—I’ll be a good wife. I don’t care about the politics and fame. I want to be with him.”
Emma touched a hand to her throat, which clogged with unexpected emotion. She’d been married once and thought she’d found a man who felt that way about her. She’d believed Martin loved her for who she was and not because of her family’s money or the perks that came with it.
One expensive, embarrassing, heartbreaking divorce later and she understood how wrong she’d been. Another mistake her mom loved to throw back in her face.
But she believed Holly when she professed her devotion. Somehow she knew the woman was incapable of lying. It might not be the smartest trait for a political wife, but Emma felt suddenly and inexplicably protective of her new friend.
“Why would Brett Carmichael break up with you? If you love him and he loves you, then—”
“I’ve ruined the wedding, and his mom is trying to convince him I did it on purpose. His family thinks I’m going to embarrass him and cost him his career and everything he’s achieved so far. Mitsy Carmichael says I’m selfish and immature and I’ll hold him back.” She sniffed. “He has big goals. White House kind of goals.”
“Is that the life you want?” Emma asked quietly. She knew all about trying to squeeze herself into a box that would never fit. Trying to push out of the mold was what had led her to Magnolia. The world had seemed full of possibility for a few weeks. Until a massive storm had torn apart all of her dreams.
“I want to be with him, no matter what.” Once again, she heard the thread of conviction in Holly’s tone, her gaze softening as she obviously thought about the man she loved.
Emma might not believe in love for herself, but that didn’t make her a total cynic. “Tell me about this wedding and why his troll of a mother thinks you ruined it.” She tipped her water glass in Holly’s direction. “For the record, your fiancé taking his mother’s side over yours this early in the game is a red flag. A giant, cherry-red flag.”
“He’s not taking her side.” Holly shook her head. “Brett has been great, but he’s busy and I don’t want to bother him with my problems. His mother pushed to handle all the details of the wedding. She had her heart set on a big society affair in Boston with her friends and I wanted...” She shrugged. “My family doesn’t have a lot of money, but my parents love me. My sister died a few years ago in a car accident. Mom has struggled with depression ever since. I thought if I came here and we planned a small, intimate ceremony and reception, she’d have fun with it. It would give her something joyful to think about for a while.”
“So what happened?”
“The storm happened,” Holly said with a sniff. “Not just the one that blew through Magnolia, either. My wedding venue on the beach was destroyed, and the couple that owned the house left town with my money. They’d made me pay the entire amount up front and then they walked away. I sold my car and ran up thousands of dollars in credit card debt to rent the house for two months so I could prepare everything. I didn’t have the money for a wedding planner or any help. Part of why they gave me the deal was I’d agreed to do some cosmetic updates on the house. They were going to sell it after the wedding. I promised they’d get tons of media coverage and I’d make the property look like a million bucks.”
She swallowed and Emma noticed her hands were shaking. “Now it’s gone. Everything was in that house—the invitations, my dress, all of the decorations I’d been working on putting together. It’s all gone.”
“Seriously? I thought I had it rough, but you’ve got me beat by a mile.” Emma made a face. She could understand why Holly was so upset. The house Emma owned and was planning to turn into a bed-and-breakfast had been damaged by the storm, delaying her plan to open and leaving her in need of income in a bad way.
“What about insurance? That should cover—”
“The policy had lapsed,” Holly said slowly. “In fact, the couple was behind on their mortgage payments and someone from the bank called me yesterday. I guess my wedding was their last-ditch effort to turn things around. Without a house, I can’t have the wedding.” She laughed without humor. “No house, no dress, no invitations. I have no hope.”
“There’s always hope,” Emma said, reaching out to place her hand over Holly’s with a gentle squeeze. If someone had asked her about hope an hour ago, she would have laughed in their face. But she couldn’t let this woman give up. Emma had always been better at taking care of other people than herself.
“Do you think so?” Holly took a long drink of water, then eyed the empty shot glass with obvious longing. “Because I can’t see how. I’ve nearly maxed out my credit
