Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
VIOLET
After looking at the bakery all morning, googling and Pinteresting ideas, I’m thinking of painting the whole inside beige and having violet accents.
I want to buy small, round, off-white tables and have the chair cushions be violet.
But before I make a final decision, I’m walking around a craft store to see what violet accents they have.
I step into an aisle with vases. My eyes roam over all of them until I spot dainty clear ones. I could buy these for the table centerpieces and put violet flowers in them. I love when establishments have real flowers out as decorations.
“Violet.”
My eyes snap up at the sound of her voice. My stomach drops and my chest tightens as I catch sight of her. “Hi,” I mumble.
Haley steps closer to me. “How are you?” she asks softly.
I’m surprised by her question. I thought she would be mad at me for the rest of her life. Maybe she’s not the type of person to hold grudges. “I’m good. How are you?”
“Good,” she replies, pausing for a moment. “Listen, I want to apologize for the way I acted about the cupcakes. I overreacted, and it wasn’t fair to you. I was really stressed, and I hate when things don’t go as planned. And…I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.”
My chest tightens even more at her apology.
I study her expression, searching for sincerity, but it’s easy to find as it lies across her face.
Relief settles over me. I may not have been close to Haley, but knowing how much she supported me meant a lot.
It hurt knowing she wasn’t ordering anymore from me.
There were so many times I wanted to go to her and tell her the truth of what happened.
But I didn’t want to sound like a sorry case.
A small smile tugs at my lips. “I appreciate your apology.”
She lets out a heavy breath. “Thank goodness, I’ve felt so bad for so long but never had the courage to call or text.”
“Don’t feel bad. I felt bad for saying I could do something—”
She cuts me off, waving her hands; the jingle of her bracelets echoes through the store. “No, don’t feel bad at all. I was a bitch.”
“Don’t say that. You’re not a bitch. You were my number one customer, and that night…” I trail off. “I forgot about your order because I was chasing my husband around town trying to catch him cheating.”
She lets out a loud gasp, holding onto her chest. “No. Did you catch him?”
“Not that night, but I finally did after.”
“I’m so sorry, Violet.” She pulls me into a soft hug and when she releases me, she holds onto my shoulders. “You should have told me. I’m such a bitch. You were going through so much, and I made it worse over stupid cupcakes.”
“It’s okay. My private life should be separate from my business. Whatever goes on, I shouldn’t let it get in the way of my business, and I did.”
She drops her hands from my shoulders. “How about we start over?”
“I’d like that.”
“Thank God because I miss your baking. No one bakes like you.”
I gasp and my eyes go wide. “So you cheated on me too?”
“Trust me, it wasn’t worth it.”
“It’s okay. Guess what?”
She eyes me in question.
“I’m opening up my own bakery.”
“Really? Oh my gosh, that’s so exciting.” She pulls me into another hug. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
It’s nice to have friends who support you.
I’m not sure I can call Haley my friend yet, but it’s nice to hear how excited she is for me.
Sometimes I catch myself about to call Rya to tell her all my exciting news until I remember everything and stop myself.
It’s second nature to call her about everything.
Sometimes I’ve wondered how I could go on without telling my best friend everything.
She has always been there for me. Well, from what I know of.
It sucks to have to mourn a friendship you thought you would always have.
“Are you here to pick out stuff for the bakery?”
I nod.
She clasps her hands together. “Oh my gosh, let me help you, please.”
It feels strange to let someone help me. My body tenses for a moment, my mind fighting my instinct to say no like I always do. Ezra’s words echo in my mind. It’s okay to let others in and help you.
I exhale and pull up my Pinterest board on my phone. The tension melts away as I step closer to her, and we both huddle together while I show her my ideas, and suddenly it feels freeing to let others step in and help.