26. Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Nellie
“ Y ou know, it has been a really good ride. I’m proud of everything we built in this little shop.” I sighed, placing my hand on top of my heavy stand mixer. I remembered how I felt buying it—I couldn’t wait to get to the appliance store, and the first night, I made five dozen cupcakes because I was so excited to use it. “I’m really going to miss it here.”
I sniffled and used the back of my hand to wipe the tears from my too-soaked-to-care cheeks. “I’m going to miss you ,” I added, brushing my hand down the side of it like I was saying goodbye to the family pet. My voice cracked. “You were like my best friend.”
“I thought I was your best friend. Who are you talking to?” Ava asked, letting the heavy back door slam behind her. I jumped, shrieking when my feet left the ground, and I put both hands over my chest. My heart pounded against my ribcage, and I took a few deep breaths to try and slow it down.
“The mixer,” I said, as if I hadn’t just screamed like the final girl in a horror movie. Ava started to laugh, stopping when she saw my tear-stained face and apron. “I just can’t believe it’s over. I’m going to miss this.” I waved around me at the bakery I was procrastinating packing. If I didn’t pack it, I didn’t have to leave, right?
“It’s not over.” Ava rounded the counter, putting her arms around my shoulders and hugging me. “It’s just a hump. We’ll have a new spot for the bakery soon.”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. I had been hopeful, but as I unplugged the mixer and listened to the quiet pop from the socket, it didn’t feel hopeful anymore.
“Oh, I do!” As always, my best friend was confident. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, planting a kiss on my cheek before she put her hand on the mixer next to mine. “I’ve never seen anything stop you. I already know you’ll amaze me with this too.”
Fresh tears welled in my eyes, and Ava ran her finger across my cheek to collect one. I didn’t know what I would do without her. “Thank you,” I said, sniffling.
When the bell over the front door rang, my stomach sank. “Did you leave the front door unlocked?” Ava asked, knowing we were closed for the day. I shook my head, grabbing a rubber spatula from the pile on the counter just waiting to go in a box. She looked at my weapon choice, pursing her lips and cocking her head to the side before she took it from me and sat it back on the counter. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she whispered.
“Hello?” I rolled my eyes when I recognized Stu’s voice. I had told him two days ago I would be packed and out on time. Why was he here now?
“I promise I’m packing. I told you I’d be out on time,” I said, turning the corner to the front of the bakery. Stu stood there with a sheepish look on his face. It wasn’t the first time I wanted to smack him, and even though we were almost out of the building, I didn’t think it would be the last time either.
“That’s actually why I’m here,” he said, wringing his hands together. I put mine on my hips, annoyed when he didn’t continue.
“Go on. Why are you here?” I asked. I failed to mask the annoyance in my tone that matched the sinking feeling in my gut.
“Well, you see, that’s the thing,” Stu started, pausing to get closer, like there was an imaginary crowd we wouldn’t be able to hear him over. “The sale of the building fell through at the last minute.”
I yelped excitedly, throwing my hand in the air before stopping to compose myself. He wasn’t amused by the outburst, judging by the dramatic deep breath he took. “So what does this mean for us?” I asked, ignoring the reaction. Ava bounced nervously next to me.
“There is a new owner, and the sale has finalized.” Stu shrugged, and the hope that had filled me with rushed from me. It was like I had been kicked in the chest. “The new owner has explicitly said he’ll keep your lease if you want it.” He didn’t look thrilled to be making the offer.
“Seriously?” I asked, biting my tongue until it hurt to stop myself from celebrating too soon. Stu nodded again.
“Oh my God!” Ava cheered, clapping her hands together and jumping up and down. She threw her arms around me, squealing, “We get to keep the bakery!”
Her words repeated in my mind. We get to keep the bakery.
I looked at her, then Stu, and finally to the back of the bakery, where my mixer and most of my baking tools sat ready to be packed on the prep counter.
We get to keep the bakery.
It was like the room got brighter, and I shrieked, joining Ava in the celebration until Stu cleared his throat. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Was he fighting back a smile himself? “I’ll be back in a couple of days with the new paperwork and to pick up the rent check.”
“Cheers to Sugar & Spice and everything nice!” Ava shouted, holding up her third Manhattan. “I knew this was going to work out for us.”
“You said that,” I said, tapping my glass to hers before I took the shot. The liquor warmed my throat on the way down, and I hummed. “But I don’t think either of us actually believed this was going to work out.”
Ava shrugged, tapping her glass against the wooden countertop before she brought it to her lips. “I did. I totally knew it.” She waved her hand to silently order another round, and I laughed.
“And how did you know it?” I asked with air quotes before I checked to make sure the bartender was bringing our drinks. I needed to be patient, but I was hoping another shot would make me forget about the yellow sign and eviction papers that taunted me for weeks. It might also make me believe I was actually going to keep my bakery. It was almost too good to be true, but I wanted it to be.
Ava eagerly grabbed the fresh shots from the bartender when he sat them on the counter, eyeing her when she nearly squealed with excitement. I took the shot when she offered it to me before lifting her own glass. “Because things always work out for you.” She shrugged and took the shot, ignoring my scoff. I sat my glass on the table, staring at her with my mouth agape, and she swatted at my arm. “You know what I mean, Nel. You’ve never let anything stop you. You’ve gone through the absolute worst and come out on top. You’re a strong woman, and I knew this would be no different.” She tilted her glass at me to emphasize her point before she tossed the drink back.
“I kind of let this one defeat me, if I’m being honest.” Hadn’t I all but given up? “I mean, I was telling the mixer goodbye six hours ago!”
She rolled her eyes so dramatically, her whole head followed. “You and I both know this wasn’t going to be the end of Sugar & Spice no matter what happened.” I knew she was right—we both loved the bakery too much to really give it up. We would’ve found somewhere else to make and sell the cupcakes. Now, we didn’t need to.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I clapped my glass against the counter and took the shot, choking slightly on the liquor and swallowing the burn it left behind.
“I know.” Ava jumped off her stool with a cocky shrug of her shoulder, nodding her head toward the door. She tossed cash on the bar, winking at the bartender before she took off in the direction of the exit.
When we got out onto the sidewalk, I took a quick scan of the area, slightly hopeful I would see Ronan climbing into his car somewhere. He always happened to be in the right place at the right time. I didn’t see him, though, and my stomach felt heavy with the disappointment Ava was clearly able to see on my face. She hooked her arm through mine.
“Okay, so I have to know.” I knew she was going to ask about him before she even continued. “You and this Ronan guy. What’s the deal?”
I shook my head. How was I supposed to explain it to her? I didn’t even know how to explain it to myself. I sighed, dropping my head back and staring at the stars until I was convinced they weren’t going to answer the question for me. “I don’t know. It’s… complicated.”
“What’s so complicated about it? You either like him or you don’t.” It wasn’t unlike Ava to see things in black or white.
“It’s not that simple, Ava.” I kicked a rock across the cobblestone road beneath me, listening to the clapping echo off the brick buildings. Each click was like another thought I couldn’t seem to get straight. “I thought he was gone forever, and now he’s back, and I think I like him. Like, not just in that maybe I can stand him kind of way, but in that maybe I want to see him everyday kind of way, and that scares me.”
She seemed unbothered, skipping over an uneven stone in the sidewalk. “Why does that scare you?” I looked around the abandoned street to make sure it was still empty before I looked up at the sky.
“I mean, for starters, he was Dickie’s best friend!” I wondered again what he would think. He wouldn’t be okay with the things that happened between me and Ronan. My stomach churned. I didn’t care. “And now, he’s all I can think about.”
“Woah!” Ava turned up the stairs to the door to my apartment, silently letting me know she intended to stay the night. “All you can think about sounds pretty serious. This guy really has that much of a hold on you, huh?”
I nodded sheepishly, not wanting to admit it. “I think so,” I said when I pulled my keys from my bag.
“I kinda think you should see what happens.” She shrugged, and I gasped.
“You do?” When I pushed the door open, Spice pranced up to us, bumping into me before he diverted his attention to Ava. He always favored her when she came over.
Ava squatted down, scratching behind Spice’s ears and clicking her tongue at him. “I mean, maybe.” She looked up at me the way Spice was looking up at her. “Maybe he showed back up for a reason. Don’t things usually happen for a reason?” My stomach dropped.
Let me help you.