The three-paned mirror held three different images of me as I stood in the maid of honor dress that Brena chose for her wedding. The deep wine color complemented my fair complexion. A thin silver band circled my waist with silver accents on the top of the straps.

"Oh, Em. You look gorgeous," Brena said.

I turned, grinning. The skirt swished around my legs. "Thanks. This really is a wonderful color."

"I knew it would look good on you. That's why I picked it." She came to stand next to me in the mirror as the dress attendant acknowledged me with a pincushion. "Hem it just a little at the bottom. And we'll want to cinch the waist a bit."

The attendant nodded, lifting the fabric between her fingers and adding in the pins. After a few minutes, she helped me off the stand so I could go change. Once I was back in my street clothes, Brena looped her arm through mine.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"Brunch," she replied, pointing to the little cafe across the street. "We're meeting Syd and some of the other bridesmaids there."

We walked across the street where we were immediately greeted by Sydney and two other girls who Brena had chosen as her bridesmaids. After exchanging hugs and confirming that our party was all here, the hostess led us through the cafe to a table set up on the back patio that overlooked the water.

"Great choice for brunch, Bren," Sydney commented, flipping her silky black hair over her right shoulder. "This view is immaculate."

Brena smiled, her brown eyes wide with joy. "Thanks. This is actually where Jared proposed to me." Her diamond engagement ring sparkled in the late morning light.

"Oh yeah," I said. "Their proposal story is so sweet." I bumped her leg with mine, urging her to tell it.

Our waiter came over with a pitcher of mimosas, leaning over the table to fill each of our glasses in turn. Once he had left, Brena raised hers in the air.

"Before we do that, I'd like to propose a toast," she announced. "To my best friends. I love each of you so much and can't wait to take you on this new adventure with me." She glanced at me. "May you all find your happiness the way I've found mine. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" we echoed. Our glasses clinked against one another in celebration. I lifted the glass to my lips, and the liquid slipped down my throat leaving a tingle of fizz against my tongue.

The moment was bittersweet, but I was proud to be there. Seeing the way Jared made Brena so happy gave me hope that I could find my true happiness someday.

***

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur. Before I knew it, Brena was hugging me as Jared helped to load my suitcase into the trunk of my car.

"Thanks for having me over," I said as we parted ways.

"Absolutely. You're welcome any time." Brena squeezed my hand. The ends of her box braids danced in the wind. "We'll see you soon, Em. Next time, I'll come to Baltimore."

Monday afternoon I walked through the library, pushing a cart of books and listening to my latest of favorite classic rock hits. Dust particles danced in the light above the tops of the shelves as the sun hit the window panes at just the right angle. I clicked the volume button on my earbuds to raise the music louder, bopping my head in time as Bon Jovi sang about hard times.

After a weekend to think about it, I still wasn't sure if I would be going to Scotland. The idea sounded great in my head, but anytime I thought back to Brena's words "maybe you'll meet someone," I recoiled.

I didn't need a repeat of Kyle.

"...three months together. He's so perfect and the sex is amazing," a voice gushed a little too loudly for a family-friendly establishment.

Shaking my head, I paused my music and walked to the end of the aisle to tell the person exactly that but froze in my tracks when I saw her face.

Blonde hair. The same bright red lipstick and thick black eyeliner. Heels taller than my 5 foot 3 petite frame.

"Excuse you." The woman scoffed as she stopped staring at her reflection in her compact mirror and scowled at me. "This is a private conversation."

"And this is a family friendly establishment," I stated. My voice remained firm but she caught the waver as her scowl turned into a smirk. "Therefore, I suggest you do not discuss your private, er, personal, matters where there are chi—"

"Do I know you?" she interrupted.

Heat rose to my cheeks. You slept with my fiance, asshole. Was she really asking me that? "I-I'm not sure."

How much did she really remember about me? I mean, I'd only seen her for a few seconds before the screaming match began.

The woman walked toward me. Her friend caught her arm and whispered, "Deedee, let's just go."

"No, wait a minute." She crossed her arms over her chest, clearly amused. "You were the one sleeping with my boyfriend. Well, before he was my boyfriend."

Anger bubbled up inside me, but I just shifted my weight and stayed silent.

Deedee just kept smirking.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Liv excuse herself from a conversation and hurry over to us. Just in time, too. If she'd waited any longer, who knows what I would've done.

"Is there a problem over here?" Liv asked, narrowing her eyes in her typical 'I-know-what-you-did-and-don't-you-dare-mess-with-me' look.

Deedee's expression shifted and she stumbled backwards. "No ma'am. Emilie was just helping us find a book."

Liv turned to me, and I shook my head. Don't ask.

"This is a library, ladies. Not a gossip hall," Liv said. "So I suggest if you'd like to discuss your personal lives, you do it elsewhere. And if I ever see you messing with my assistant manager again, I will have you permanently banned. Understood?"

They each mumbled a 'yes' then scurried away.

I turned to Liv in awe. "Thank you so much. I-I didn't even know what—" Tears sprung to my eyes and my throat constricted.

"Don't worry about it." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "Go take a break. I'll finish up with the cart."

Wordlessly, I nodded and hurried toward my office. I made sure the door was closed firmly behind me before I let the tears flow down my cheeks.

How dare she. How dare that woman come into my place of work and talk about Kyle. Worst of all, she hadn't been a one-time thing. She was his girlfriend now. It made me wonder just how long their affair had been going on.

I held my head in my hands, curling my fingers through my hair in frustration. A knock at the door broke me from my thoughts.

I mumbled, "come in!" and wiped at my cheeks with the back of my hand.

Liv stuck her head through the doorway then closed the door again behind her. "How are you holding up?"

I sighed. "Honestly? Not great. But I don't need to burden you with all the gory details. I'll be fine."

"You are not fine, Em. Frankly, you need to get out of Baltimore. Hell, you need to get out of the state."

I know, I thought to myself. That's what everyone is telling me.

"Don't you think I would if I could?" The words came out harsher than I expected. "Sorry. I just...I need these jobs. I need to make a living somehow."

Scotland! My brain screamed at me.

"Is being holed up in this office living?" Liv asked. "The weekend away did you good, I can tell. But being back here..."

"I know." She was right; I was miserable.

The image on my screen changed to one I'd forgotten about: the Cliffs of Moher. While that was in Ireland, it was still one of the most beautiful scenic views I'd yet to experience.

It's now or never.

"Actually," I said. "I've got the opportunity to go to Scotland, courtesy of...well, I'm not sure. But the situation with Deedee has made me realize that I can mope around here while she's off getting laid by my ex, or I can go to my most-desired destination."

Liv grinned with approval. "Sweetie, that is fantastic!"

"I hate to leave you on such short notice. I really appreciate your help with Deedee though."

She nodded. "Absolutely. Take whatever time off you need. And I'll make sure that Deedee never returns here, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks." I gave her a smile in return.

After the run-in with Deedee, the day dragged slowly by. Except that instead of sulking over the nightmare that was my former love life, my heart beat double time as I thought about Scotland.

I sat at my desk and worked on the draft for one of my freelance clients, only leaving once to take a walk around the library and put away some books from an abandoned cart. My heart wasn't in it at all. I even found myself using British English in my edits.

Scotland was calling my name in more ways than one.

By the time I got home that evening with my Thai take-out in town, all I wanted to do was watch some tv and prepare for my trip. As I settled onto the couch with my food, my phone rang. I put it on speaker when Sydney's name filled the screen.

"Brena told me you're going to Scotland!" she practically squealed into the phone.

I smiled, holding the chopsticks up to my mouth. "Yeah, it seems that way."

"When were you going to tell me, chica?!"

"To be fair, I just decided today." I bit into my spring roll, covered in tangy plum sauce. "But you and Brena had a hand in convincing me."

"Oh, I'm so proud of you," she gushed. "I mean, moving out of the apartment was one thing, but you haven't exactly been able to distance yourself much from that life."

"You don't know the half of it," I mumbled.

"Wait a minute. Did something happen?" she asked.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. "Yeah, just a run-in with Deedee. But it's all sorted now."

"Deedee? The bitch who Kyle cheated with?"

"Yeah." I winced. "They're sort of...together now."

"She has some nerve," Sydney muttered. "All the more reason to get out."

"Yeah." I cleared my dishes before returning to the couch with my laptop.

"How long have we known you, chica?"

The corners of my mouth turned up into a smile. "Since we were eighteen."

"Then you know I'm right."

I laughed. "That I do. Oh, one last thing—could you give me a ride to the airport? The flight leaves early in the evening."

"Sure thing. I'll drop you off on my lunch break," Sydney said.

WIth plans in place, I wished her a good night and hung up the phone. I picked up the note and typed the address into my web browser. If I was going to do this, I wanted to know where I was going.

A beautiful scenic view popped up onto the screen. At the corner of a cobblestone road stood a bookshop, two-stories by the look of it. From the outside, it didn't look like much. But as I scrolled through more and more pictures, the more convinced I was that this place was indeed a reader's heaven.

If it wasn't clear already, I'd made up my mind. Even the bookstore here couldn't compete and I had to admit, the thought of going to Scotland and sitting in a quaint little bookstore without worrying about seeing the woman my ex slept with or worrying about customers who just didn't understand the return policy sounded like the perfect destination.

It was time for a new adventure.