23. Sarah
Chapter 23
Sarah
I’m calling an emergency meeting.
Willow
I had a feeling this might happen.
Johnny
What might happen?
Deacon
When is the meeting?
Willow
I had a feeling Sarah would need this emergency meeting given the status of her love life.
Um, not cool, Willow. But also, very true. My love life is in shambles and I need help.
Deacon
My place, Friday night?
Perfect.
“Wow, this place is coming along quickly, Deacon.” The front porch of his renovated cabin had fresh boards with a matching pine wood railing that smelled like heaven.
He tossed me a can of beer and I gently cracked it open, pressing my lips against the lid to keep it from fizzing over.
“Thanks. I’ve been working on it nearly every day. The plumbing contractor took my deposit and never got back to me, so I watched some videos of DIYers. It was the biggest pain in the ass. I had to rip out a few of the pipes due to rusting. Fingers crossed I put everything back together the right way.”
I grabbed one of the koozies from the pocket of his soft cooler and sat next to him on the porch steps. He clinked his can against mine with a cheers.
“I hope you did too. It would suck for your first renter to have busted pipes during their visit.”
He snorted. “Knock on wood that doesn’t happen.” Then he wrapped his knuckles against the side of my head.
“Hey!” I swatted at his hand as he laughed at me.
Just then, Willow and Johnny pulled up in Johnny’s truck. Their dog, Asher, was the first one out of the cab. His bright yellow body bounced up and down through the tall grass, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.
“Come here, cutie!” I cooed at him. His round golden eyes settled on me before he dashed towards my direction. I was met with wet kisses and a body that was much too wiggly to pet.
“Did you guys give him doggy drugs today or something? He’s so hyper.”
Johnny laughed and said, “No. He’s finally starting to feel better after the skink incident and I think he’s just happy to be alive.”
I scratched just above his tail and whispered to him, “I feel it too, buddy. The excitement of being alive.”
“I brought the emergency rum!” Willow called out to us as she hopped out of the truck.
“And some ginger ale I hope! ”
She pulled a two-liter bottle of ginger ale out of her reusable grocery bag with a wide smile.
“Perfect,” I said, drawing the word out.
“I don’t think the two of you drunk on rum with power tools in your hands is a good idea,” Johnny said as he clapped Deacon on the back in a hello.
“Psh. Don’t put limitations on us. You have no idea what we’re capable of.”
“Exactly what Sarah said, babe. I think you’re underestimating our talents.”
Deacon looked up at Johnny shaking his head. “No worries, brother. All we’re doing is painting the inside tonight. I’ve already hidden the power tools from sight.”
I stuck out my lip at them as Willow looped her arm through mine. “Painting is more fun anyway.” She leaned in so only I could hear her. “And they’ll be sorry for making fun of us when they end up covered in paint.”
I snickered.
“What are you two she-demons plotting over there?” Deacon asked, his eyes narrowing on Willow and me.
“Nothing!” We both said at the same time.
Willow’s face was covered in tiny speckles of ivory paint. Two drinks in and she was putting way too much paint on the roller and it was splattering everywhere as she ran it along the wall. We’d spent the last hour listening to good music and putting some of the final touches on Deacon’s cabin.
I realized how much I missed this—spending time with my three best friends, getting lost in building memories. Over the past few months I’d hardly seen them because we were all so busy. Johnny and Willow with their businesses and wedding planning. Deacon with his cabin renovation and me with my bakery and hot mess love life.
Willow set her roller down in the metal pan before she grabbed her drink and sat on a five-gallon bucket turned upside down. “Okay, Sarah. I think we’ve earned our right to a little break. Let’s get this emergency meeting going.”
I swallowed the dryness in my throat as Deacon and Johnny shifted their attention to me from the opposite wall.
I set the paintbrush down in the same metal container that Willow set the roller down and looked at each one of my friends. “I honestly don’t know where to start. It all feels like such a mess.”
It was Willow who spoke. “Just start from the beginning.” She looked over to where the guys were standing before shifting back towards me. “And we all promise there is no judgment here. Only support.”
Her words were exactly what I needed to hear in that moment and I was thankful that I had this—the three of them to come to whenever I needed to. My brother was busy carving his path in a brand new career. A dangerous one at that and the last thing I wanted to do was distract him with our family’s melodrama and my massive mistake .
A long breath passed between my lips before I finally launched into the story. “I think you all know that I’ve been dating Ranger Adams for a little while now.” They all nodded and I continued, “But what you don’t know is that I made a deal with my mother to date her friend’s son, Jones Campbell.”
I looked Willow, Johnny, and Deacon in the eyes waiting for one of them to wince or show some kind of disappointment, but they all just looked at me with patience. Waiting for me to explain.
I pinched the bridge of my nose for a brief second before moving forward with the story. “I never would have even entertained the idea of dating someone my mother picked out for me, but she offered to support my bakery in a really big way.”
Willow’s brows rose. “In what way?”
“She told me that if I dated Jones she would tell all of her friends to use my bakery for their needs. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Weddings. She and my father would give me their complete support and would fully endorse me.”
“Damn. Talk about a power move,” Johnny cursed under his breath.
“Yup.” My lips popped on the p . “I’d had just one date with Ranger at that point, but I was already starting to fall hard for him. When my mother first told me about Jones I said I wasn’t interested. And when she told me she would support my business…I don’t know. It was hard to say no to her. ”
“So, you’ve been dating both of them?” Deacon asked, concern shining in his eyes. “Does anyone else know about this?”
I shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of. I went on one date with Jones at Sauvage , but our second date was at an ice cream parlor on the edge of town. After Ranger came to pick apples with us for my birthday, there was no way I could chance anyone seeing Jones and me in town.”
“Do you like both of them?” Johnny crossed the room and Deacon followed. They both leaned against the kitchen bar.
I blew a raspberry. “Jones is about the furthest from my type. He’s exactly the kind of man my parents would want me to end up with though. All-American looks. Perfect pedigree. Has a college degree and will be taking over his father’s multi-generational business. There’s no doubt he comes from a shit-ton of money too if his mom is close with mine.”
Willow snorted. “Yeah. Mary Lynne isn’t exactly known for hanging out with the riff-raff.”
“No, she is not,” I replied.
“And it seemed like you and Ranger were getting along really well at the orchard,” Johnny said. “Why not just end things with Jones? I’m sure your mom won’t like it, but at least you won’t have to keep everything a secret anymore. Then you can give things with Ranger a real shot.”
“I wish it were that simple,” I murmured, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed by the whole issue .
“What aren’t you telling us?” Deacon asked.
I looked down at my fingernails and the tiny dots of paint that coated my nails and skin. It seemed so stupid now that I was saying everything out loud, but they didn’t know my mother the way I did. Well…maybe Willow understood. She’d been around my house enough growing up that she saw what it was like when my parents started in on me.
I think it hurt most of all that I was even in this position. That my parents not only lacked the ability to accept me for who I was and what I wanted for myself, but they were willing to manipulate me so that I was forced to twist myself into their mold.
I hated that tears hit the back of my eyes as I said, “It’s hard to explain, but I saw the look in my mother’s eyes when she came to me with this deal. I might have had a fighting chance if I’d been smart enough to turn her down. But if I renege on my end of the bargain, she will make sure I pay the consequences.”
“You think she’d be that spiteful?” Anger flashed across Willow’s face.
I half-laughed. “There’s no doubt in my mind that she would do whatever she could to ruin my chances of taking my bakery to the next level. You saw how easy it was for her to contact Tommy’s mom and prevent me from making his birthday party treats. Imagine what she could do for bigger accounts. My parents’ reach is far in this state.” I spread my arms wide. “Hell, it spans the entire country.”
“Money certainly does transcend a lot of barriers,” Deacon commented. “But damn, Sarah. To let her rule you in this way with something as personal as choosing who to date.” He whistled, the high-pitched sound ending in a low octave. “You deserve a hell of a lot better than that.” Johnny and Willow nodded in agreement.
There they were. The three mirrors of my colossal mistake. I gave my mother an inch and I knew she’d take it a hundred miles if given the chance.
“I can’t risk my business y’all. I’ve worked so damn hard to get where I am.”
“And that’s exactly why you need to stand up for yourself and end things with Jones.” Willow stepped toward me, fire burning in her eyes. “If you let her dictate this part of your life, you’ll regret it, Sarah. I saw the way you and Ranger look at one another. There’s something really special between the two of you and if your mother gets in the way of that, you’ll hate yourself for it.”
She was right. Ranger and I were still new, but there was something undeniable between us. I craved his presence like I craved being in my kitchen. It felt like maybe he was the missing piece in my life and if I leaned into what we had, I’d finally be able to let go of the fear that I wasn’t enough. Because he always made me feel like I was more than enough.
“What if she lashes out and tells everyone not to use my services? What if the entire town deserts my bakery and I end up going bankrupt? What?—”
“Stop.” Willow’s voice was firm as I stared at her wide-eyed. Every one of my fears tingled on my lips, desperate for release. “One, even if she did become spiteful and told people not to use your services, there’s no way anyone could stay away for long when you are the most talented baker and cake designer this town has ever seen. Two, you have the three of us in your corner and even though your parents have sway over some people, your best friend so happens to be the wealthiest woman in this entire state. All the people she has sway over will follow my lead of showing you support. They can’t help themselves. Not when it comes to following who has the most money.”
Yes. I’d forgotten the power my best friend now had and the influence she could yield if need be. The fact that she would be willing to do that had my eyes burning hotter, tears threatening to spill.
Maybe I didn’t have supportive parents. But I did have the most incredible friends—a found family of sorts. The fear started to settle, shifting into something that felt like shaky confidence. If I had my friends to support me through this, then maybe I could face my mother’s consequences. Maybe I would have a chance of not totally ruining things with Ranger—the man who made me feel like there was so much more to life than I’d ever let myself imagine.
“You really think I can do this without her destroying my business?” My voice came out softer than I wanted it to.
“Of course.” Willow said at the same time Johnny and Deacon replied, “Yes!”
I buried my face in my hands, a hopeful smile tugging at the corners of my lips. I needed this. The confidence they gave me. I needed it more than I knew at the time I called for the emergency gathering.
“Okay.” I sucked in a lungful of breath. “How am I going to do this?”
They all started glancing around the room, lost in thought as to the best way to approach it.
Deacon spoke first. “I think you should end things with Jones in person. The last thing you want to give your mother is more ammunition in how you’re failing the laws of Southern propriety. If you let him down gently in a respectful way, you can stand firm knowing you made the right decision in that.”
I studied the wooden floors of his cabin for a moment. “Yeah.” I nodded. “I think you’re right about that. As much as I don’t want to go on another date with him, he’s been nice enough to deserve a proper letdown. Honestly, I don’t think I have it in me to end it over text or a phone call even if he was a total jackass.”
Jones might not have been my knight in shining armor and he certainly maintained some values that were in complete misalignment with my own, but I wanted to be dignified in how I broke things off with him. If not for him, then for me. There was no reason for me to lower my standards just because he wasn’t the right fit for me.
“Okay,” Willow said. “I agree with letting Jones down in person. But that will mean giving your mother and whoever else more time to spread the news that you’re still seeing each other. Ranger could easily get wind of that information. What are you going to do about that? ”
My stomach immediately clinched at the thought of Ranger finding out I was dating someone else while seeing him. Even if there was no connection between Jones and me from the start, I was still omitting the truth and spending time with another man.
“I’m supposed to see him tomorrow at his ranch. I can tell him everything then so he hears it from me and not someone else around town. I’ll be able to tell him that my only intention with Jones was to gain my mother’s support.”
Everything sounded perfect as I said it out loud. It was the right plan with good intentions, but that didn’t mean I would be brave enough to say it to his face. I quietly hoped that when the time came tomorrow, I’d be able to tell him the truth instead of running away from it.
Johnny said, “Ranger seems like a pretty reasonable guy. If you tell him the backstory about your mom, he might be a little ticked that you weren’t honest to begin with, but I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“Right.” I ran my palms over my jeans to rid them of the sweat that started pooling. “Just tell him everything.”
Willow took a final step towards me, bringing me into her embrace. “There’s nothing to worry about, Sarah. We’ve all got your back, even if something does go awry.” She let me go and looked into my eyes. “You can do this.”
I saw my distorted reflection in her eyes. Fear dancing in my irises. Lips drawn into a tight line. Because the one thing that I hadn’t told my friends was that I wasn’t just worried about telling Ranger the truth or that my mom might take her revenge out on my business. It was also about that little girl in me finally having a moment when her mother was proud of her for doing the ‘right’ thing and now I was going to take that away from her—from myself.
Deep down, I was still that child who wanted nothing more than her mother’s approval. And I was about to do something that would most certainly warrant her dis approval.