“The Carmichaels are political royalty in this country,” Emma pointed out. “Surely they—”
“No.” Holly looked horrified. “If I let Brett’s mom take over, I’m giving up. Giving in. If she railroads me on something this big, then I lose before Brett and I even begin our lives together. What if she makes our lives such a living hell that Brett doesn’t think I’m worth it? You don’t understand how she is.”
Emma thought of her mother, who had immediately cut Emma off when she quit her job at the family foundation to relocate to Magnolia. After talking to her mom almost every day of her twenty-eight years, Emma’d been pushed aside without a second thought. She pressed an open palm against her chest. It shouldn’t hurt the way it did. She was a grown woman and could manage her own life. But to know she could be cast aside so easily for not filling the role assigned to her. Well, that part she couldn’t quite get over.
“I have a venue,” she blurted. “A house. I’m converting it to an inn. I closed on it at the beginning of the summer, and I’ve had a crew working around the clock.”
“Are you serious?” Holly blinked. “Here in Magnolia?”
“It’s Niall Reed’s old house,” Emma told the other woman. The painter had been Magnolia’s most famous resident before his death the previous year. He’d enjoyed decades of commercial, if not critical, success and had held local leaders under his thumb because of the way he’d single-handedly put Magnolia on the map at the height of his fame.
The stories Emma heard told of legions of fans streaming into the area for a chance to meet him and to attend the events and workshops he hosted. At least they had until his art fell out of favor and he squandered away his fortune on bad investments.
He’d also revealed the identity of two previously unknown daughters in his will, one of whom was now in love with Emma’s brother. His three daughters had come together to undo the financial mess he’d created in town, and it was clear Magnolia was better for it.
Avery Keller Atwell, Carrie Reed Scott and Meredith Ventner didn’t have much in common from the outside, but even in her short time in Magnolia, Emma appreciated the trio’s dedication to the town and each other.
She wanted that type of bond with someone—the kind she’d never had with her brother but was now trying to forge. She wanted friends, although she’d never been good at making them.
She wanted a life of her own.
Maybe she could start by helping Holly with hers.
“Niall Reed was creepy,” Holly said with a wince. “I know he was a big deal back in the day, but I remember him as a nasty old man who was rude to anyone he didn’t deem important. My mom was a waitress at the restaurant where he’d breakfasted a few times a week. He was a terrible tipper, which says a lot about a person.”
“It does,” Emma agreed. “But his house has great bones.” She sighed. “There’s some flooding and other damage from the storm.”
Holly arched a brow. “Other damage?”
“Part of the roof came off.” Emma tried and failed to keep her features neutral. “A few broken windows. Some damage to the exterior siding. Apparently, the contractor I hired cut some corners.”
“This is your idea for the perfect wedding venue?”
“I can fix it. I just need a new contractor.”
“The wedding is in six weeks.” Holly shook her head. “I need to get invitations out now. I have no dress, very little budget. I don’t even know how I’m going to pay for any of it.” She let out a small groan. “This is a disaster, right? Even more than I’m admitting. I have to call Brett. He has to call his mom. How am I going to handle letting her take over my life?”
“You’re not.” Emma swiveled on her bar stool so she fully faced the other woman. “We can handle this. I can do this. I’m motivated and insanely organized.”
“Insane is one word for it,” Holly said with a laugh. “Why do you want to help me?”
“Because I need a fresh start as much as you.” She wasn’t sure why helping Holly felt so important to her, but it did. Just like this woman with her influential in-laws, Emma could cut her losses and call her mom to bail her out. Gillian would do it, but the price was far too high. She had to find a way to make this work on her own.
“We’ll arrange the payment details as we go along, and I want to document everything for the inn’s website. The progress on renovating the house once more might be picked up by a few regional or national press outlets. The publicity from an event like this could launch my inn as a premier destination location. It’s like hosting a royal wedding.”
“It could launch you or it could sink you.” Holly scrunched up her nose. “It could sink us both. Even if you somehow pull off getting Niall’s house ready to host, there’s so much more that was destroyed in the storm.” Her gaze turned wistful. “You won’t believe it, but I found the most beautiful wedding dress in a secondhand store right here in town. It was a Belle Vie and perfect for me. Brett’s mom was even mad about that because the designer caused some big scandal in New York City. But the dress was so beautiful I
