After Emmett walked her to her car, Lavender sat in the front seat, logging in to see if there were any messages from WillWriteForTacos. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t shown up.
At least Emmett had been there; the evening hadn’t been a complete failure. Nothing to make a girl feel good about herself like being stood up. Maybe he saw the scarf and the book at her table and decided she wasn’t pretty enough.
She started her car and tapped a quick message.
WordsinBloom: Waited for 3 hours. I hope everything is okay.
Then she put her phone in her purse and drove home, praying for a reply. Of all the possible outcomes she’d envisioned for tonight, WillWriteForTacos not coming had not been one of them. They had such a strong connection, she would have moved heaven and earth to make it tonight. Maybe it was one-sided and he didn’t feel the same.
But that didn’t feel right. He had mentioned multiple times wanting to meet in person. He had been so patient with her insistence they stay strictly online for such a long time. Even though she really wanted to meet him, it never felt like the right timing, and something told her to wait. Until now.
But he hadn’t showed.
Lavender felt the sting of unshed tears behind her eyes, and she pressed her fingers to one eye at a time, pushing away the doubts and fears. It was going to be fine. WillWriteForTacos had probably already responded to her message with an explanation.
And if not, it would be okay. WillWriteForTacos wasn’t her only friend. In fact, it seemed more and more like she and Emmett could be friends. Despite his initial rudeness, he was funny and kind. It had been sweet of him to stay with her so she wouldn’t have to be alone. Of course, it seemed like he mostly enjoyed teasing her about the blind date. Though not about her friend not coming. There had been no cruelty in his jokes, which she appreciated. Even their fictional stories of the people on the busy downtown street had been fun caricatures, not demeaning or unkind.
If WillWriteForTacos was out of the picture, would she be interested in Emmett? Another author. Apparently, she had a type. Daisy would love to overanalyze that little tidbit at Girls’ Night. If she’d met Emmett for the first time at youth group, and he’d gotten to know her before he knew about her blog? Flipping on the radio, she shook her head. It didn’t matter. He had been rude and judgmental. Even if he was sweet and charming tonight…
She frowned, unwilling to entertain the thought. She wasn’t ready to write her online companion off completely. And even less willing to imagine dating someone who had judged her so harshly.
* * *
Emmett went home, pulled the rose he’d brought to the meeting out of his bag and tossed it in the weeds next to Josh’s house. He’d hoped to give WordsinBloom a flower, something small to signify how much he already cared for her despite it being their first meeting.
Instead, he’d spotted Lavender with her purple scarf and anxious eyes as she waited for someone. For him, though she didn’t know it. And now, having spent several hours with her enjoying dinner and making fun of his theoretical self? Emmett had enjoyed every minute of Lavender’s company.
He tossed his keys on the counter, pulled a drink from the fridge and collapsed in the opposite corner of the sofa from where Josh was playing video games. He popped the lid of the soda and sighed. Josh pressed pause, “Lover girl stand you up?”
Emmett shook his head. “Nope. She was there.”
“And?”
“As far as she knows, WillWriteForTacos didn’t show up.”
The controller clanged against the table as Josh laid it down heavily, “You chickened out? Are you kidding me?”
“Worse than that.” At Josh’s confused look, he continued, “WordsinBloom? It’s Lavender.”
“Lavender Bloo-” Josh’s eyes moved from confusion to understanding as he spoke her last name. “WordsinBloom.” He sagged back against the couch. “Whoa.”
“Right?”
“So what did you do?”
“I acted like I was just running into her. I kept her company while she waited for him, I mean me, to show up.”
“Dude,” Josh’s voice was admonishing. “You didn’t tell her?”
Emmett shook his head. “How could I? We’ve been at odds since we met, and now I’m supposed to tell her I’m the guy she’s been talking to for months? I don’t even know how I feel about it. WordsinBloom was supposed to be the one! And now it’s Lavender, the way-too-pretty social media guru? That’s not who I was supposed to end up with!”
Josh nodded. “Definitely not what you planned.” Josh shrugged, “To be fair, your plans usually suck.” Emmett tossed a throw pillow at his roommate and Josh continued, “Remember that time you planned a surprise party for me?”
Emmett groaned, “Don’t remind me.” It had been a total disaster, almost no one had come, and Josh hadn’t been the least bit surprised.
“And that time you tried to make a plan for keeping the house clean?”
Oh, yeah. By the time they realized that cleaning toilets had been left off the chore list, something was growing in the scum that had built up.
“What about your five-year-plan to get an accounting degree in case writing didn’t work out?”
That had been a close call. Emmett had nearly paid the first installment on his tuition when Trisha finally called him.
“All I’m saying is, maybe letting things go according to God’s plan instead of your own is a better idea.”
Emmett nodded slowly, absorbing the wisdom of his friend. “Is that what you do?”
“I’m really trying.” A moment of silence and he repeated himself. “Really trying.” Josh reached forward and grabbed the controller, handing it to Emmett. “Here, you look like you could use a chance to blow up some zombies.” Then he pulled a second controller from the basket under the coffee table.
“Thanks.” Emmett set his soda on the table and flipped through the menu to change the game to multi-player.
After a few minutes of the game, Emmett glanced at Josh. His roommate always seemed so confident and self-assured. But Josh was older. He hadn’t dated anyone as far as Emmett knew. Maybe he was blessed with singleness, like Paul. Emmett could see that. It was hard to picture Josh with anyone.
“Do you know what God’s plan for you is? How do you find out?”
Josh punched a few buttons and turned to him. “I don’t know exactly what His plan is for me right now. I know what I want. But I messed that up a long time ago. So now, I just wait.”
Emmett considered. “Wait for what?”
“That’s what I keep wondering. But I do have an answer to your second question. To find out? Pray and listen. And pray and listen some more. It’s easier said than done, but it’s the best advice I’ve got.”
Emmett ran a hand over his hair. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He’d been so sure WordsinBloom was the one for him, he’d never really taken the time to pray about it. And he’d been so sure Lavender Bloom was nothing more than a blip on his radar after finding out what business she was in.
Whatever answer Josh was waiting for, Emmett hoped he got it soon.
And he’d start asking for his own answers tonight. Right after he defended this bunker from the zombie army.
The next day, instead of writing, Emmett scrolled through his social media. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, perhaps a clue about Lavender. His contacts were mostly friends from high school or coworkers from the bookstore and coffee shop he’d worked at until writing paid off. A few former foster siblings stayed in touch, but when you didn’t have family, Facebook was a bit of a depressing place to be. Too many Happy Mother’s Day posts, or happy birthday to the best husband in the whole world sappiness.
News articles and funny pictures flipped past as he thumbed the screen. It was early in the morning, and he didn’t have any plans. He hadn’t messaged WordsinBloom back yet, still not sure what to say. He had done what he talked about with Josh and stayed up praying last night, pulling out his oft-forgotten prayer journal and picking up a pen. Something about writing down his prayers made them more focused and consistent. He was apt to get distracted if he tried praying mentally. But no answer, yet.
A picture caught his eye as it scrolled past, blonde hair and familiar glasses had him backtracking without thinking. A tiny blue “Trending” flag adorned the post, and he skimmed the headline before clicking the link. Lavender’s blog?
The website loaded and Emmett’s eyes devoured the page. The sharp design and cool fonts drew him in. Lavender and Lace: Fashion and Womanhood with Lavender Bloom. Perhaps his understanding of Lavender’s fashion blog was a bit lacking.
He read the article, absorbing every paragraph and seeing both Lavender and WordsinBloom in each sentence. This was Lavender, laid out on the page for everyone to see. And this was WordsinBloom, in a way he’d never seen her before. It was impeccably written, and the comment section was evidence that Lavender had struck a chord with women from all over the world and from all walks of life.
He read the comments and filled with pride at the success of his friend, WordsinBloom, and disappointment in himself at his quick judgment of Lavender. He had been a cad, and she had rightfully responded by shutting him out. He kept reading, the articles from further back were also well written. He laughed out loud when he saw the article on matching handbags to your mood. It was posted three days after they met at the library. It was funny, and although he couldn’t care less about lip gloss or the best bargain brand, it didn’t mean her writing was any less valuable than his own.
Emmett spent the next hour reading through months of posts, seeing Lavender in the pages and the videos. Especially the videos, where he saw her professional smile and inviting nature in a whole new light.
WordsinBloom. Lavender and Lace. Both were incredible, and Emmett didn’t want to let her go.
Now, the question was how to make her fall for Emmett. In the meantime though, she needed to hear from WillWriteForTacos. He pulled himself out of bed and went out to his computer desk. He and Josh both kept their computers in the living room, a simple accountability step he appreciated. Too much potential to stumble, and it was a great piece of advice he’d often shared with the young men in his group of high schoolers.
WillWriteForTacos: I’m so incredibly sorry about last night. Everything is okay, but I feel terrible for making you worry. Please forgive me?
Surprisingly, a reply came almost immediately.
WordsinBloom: What happened?
Emmett winced. Even through the screen he could feel the disappointment. No nonsense from Lavender this morning. His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he tried to figure out how to answer her question. He typed a few responses, testing them out.
WillWriteForTacos: A friend needed me.
There, that was true. It was believable and, he hoped, unselfish enough that Lavender wouldn’t hold it against him forever.
WillWriteForTacos: I really am sorry. It could not be avoided.
WordsinBloom: It’s okay. I missed you.
WillWriteForTacos: You really waited three hours?
WordsinBloom: I did, but I had a friend to keep me company.
WillWriteForTacos: I’m glad I didn’t ruin your evening.
WillWriteForTacos: It might be a few weeks before I could try to meet again. I’ve got some things to do for my agent and my roommate asked for some help with work.
WordsinBloom: It’s fine. I’ve got plans next weekend. We’ll just keep talking here.
WillWriteForTacos: Until I can see your beautiful face in person, that will have to do.
WillWriteForTacos: I really am sorry.
WordsinBloom: “What’s past is prologue.”
Relief flooded Emmett at her quote, and he supplied the source quickly.
WillWriteForTacos: The Tempest. And thank you for saying that.
She still wanted to talk to him. He knew he would see Lavender at youth group this week. Operation: Friendship was in play.