Chapter 7
The rest of the day passed fairly smoothly at Mystic Florals. Juliette kept her hands busy, which in turn kept her mind busy, and steered it far from drifting down forbidden paths—like where Rodrigo was, what or who he was currently doing, and if he was even thinking of her at all.
The second she tried to avoid thoughts of Rodrigo, her mind betrayed her and wandered to the man who was renovating the upstairs apartment.
Brockton Kelly Gallagher, with his melty amber gaze that weakened her knees and his rough-around-the-edges looks.
He left for boot camp when they were just kids, full of eggshell promises and colorful dreams. But her letters always came back unanswered, and at some point he’d traded in his boyish youth for the maturity of a man who had seen things and done things she couldn’t even imagine.
So, instead of dwelling on the memories that haunted her thoughts, she focused on the task at hand.
She assisted Adrienne in creating some arrangements for the weekend and pretended not to notice when Vivianne snapped candid pictures of her working.
She bundled together a collection of leftover jewel-toned flowers and set them in a crystal vase.
There were stems of crimson roses, magenta ranunculus, dahlias such a deep purple they looked nearly black, set with some sprigs of gorgeous guava greenery.
“Those colors are fantastic together,” Adrienne gushed, admiring Juliette’s handiwork. She pulled out her professional camera and took a picture of the bouquet.
Juliette beamed, finally feeling like she was doing something right. Like maybe working back at Mystic Florals wouldn’t be so bad after all. “Thank you.”
Gigi passed by the worktable with a large crate of rainbow-hued tulips in her arms. She glanced at Juliette’s work, pursed her lips, and continued on to the back cooler without a word.
“That’s just her new way of saying she’s mildly impressed,” Vivianne whispered, and took a picture of the finished arrangement for the shop’s social media accounts. She added a filter so the vase of flowers burst with color like a set of crown jewels.
Juliette shrugged off the snub. She was used to never quite being good enough. Her mother had made a similar statement not so many years ago.
She told herself everything was fine. All of it. Mostly. Almost. Until the bell above the shop door jingled and in walked Anne-Sophie, the youngest of the Laurents.
Her baby sister had grown up, and it was startling.
She wore a terracotta headband, and her hair was heavily highlighted, with golden tresses framing her face.
Her makeup was contoured to perfection, complete with smoky bronze eyes and glossy nude lips.
Gold hoops dangled from her ears, and she was decked from head to toe in expensive designer wares.
A Chanel bag was hooked on her elbow, and her knee-high boots were Gucci.
She was bundled into a wool peacoat from a brand Juliette couldn’t even properly pronounce.
She racked her brain, trying to remember what exactly it was Anne-Sophie did for a living that allowed her to live a life of luxury.
“Ah! Anne-Sophie!” Gigi came bustling from the back cooler and wrapped her youngest daughter into her arms. “Ma chèrie, I have missed you so.”
“Mama.” Anne-Sophie kissed both of her mother’s cheeks. She glanced over to where Juliette stood with Adrienne and Vivianne. Her eyes were filled with light, reflecting a sheen of adoration, but the moment they skimmed over Juliette, her gaze darkened.
“Adrienne, I saw the images of the latest wedding you photographed! Your pictures were seriously stunning. So, I hope I’m not overstepping, but I put a word in with an editor I know for the upcoming bridal season.
” Anne-Sophie smiled but raised both of her hands when Adrienne gasped.
“Obviously I can’t make any promises, but I just wanted to make sure I let you know. In case you get a call or something.”
“Really?” Adrienne toyed with the frayed edge of her camera’s strap. “Thanks, Soph. I appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Anne-Sophie nudged Vivianne’s shoulder with her own. “And Viv is out here becoming an influencer, gaining followers by the minute.”
Vivianne smiled and dipped her head, saying nothing but graciously accepting the compliment.
Juliette almost mentioned how she thought it would be fun if Vivianne did a series of posts on the craziness of receiving day—when all the flowers arrived at the shop—but then Anne-Sophie’s gaze cut to Juliette.
For a brief moment, she looked exactly like their mother.
Full of silent judgement and completely unimpressed by her existence.
“Juliette.” Disdain dripped from Anne-Sophie’s voice and her brows pulled together in a glower. “How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence.”
Juliette bristled. That was not at all what she was expecting from her baby sister. Granted, she didn’t think she would be greeted with a warm hug, but she certainly didn’t think she deserved such a caustic welcome.
“Ah-ah,” Gigi clucked, waving one finger through the air. “None of that.”
“No plans tonight, Soph?” Vivianne asked, smoothly changing the subject and diverting the attention back to her.
Anne-Sophie angled her body to shut Juliette out of the conversation. “No, I took the night off. But I do have some news.”
“Oh?” Gigi asked, her interest piqued, because it seemed her youngest daughter could do no wrong.
“Yes,” Anne-Sophie drew the word out, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I just spent the last few hours at a birthday party for Charity Rhodes…where she just announced her engagement!”
Intrigued but trying to act as though she couldn’t care less, Juliette leaned against the worktable.
Charity Rhodes was a fashion queen in New York City.
She was a socialite with an eye for style, and her parents were D.C.
royalty. She was pretty sure a few of Charity’s friends ran in the same circles as Rodrigo, now that she thought about it.
It was exceptionally interesting how a small-town beach girl like Anne-Sophie had managed to slide herself into such an exclusive crowd.
“The mothers are already planning the wedding for this June,” Anne-Sophie continued, and smoothed her golden hair back from her face. “It’ll be the event of the season.”
Gigi tapped one manicured fingernail to her chin. “And this wedding, where will it take place?”
“They haven’t decided yet. All they know is they want it on the beach.” Anne-Sophie’s smile widened. “And I may have locked you in as the florist!”
The corner of Gigi’s red lips lifted in a small curve, the best she had for a real smile. Something Juliette rarely witnessed. “Très bien.”
“And rumor has it they need a photographer.” Anne-Sophie winked at Adrienne. “So I slipped them your card.”
Juliette watched in stunned silence as her sisters and mother were swallowed up in a bubble of chatter.
The discussion ranged from types of flowers needed for a June wedding, to the best places for bridal photos, to the inevitable launch of Mystic Florals as a premier provider of wedding flowers.
Their excitement billowed, building like a wave ready to crash against the shore, but Juliette was stuck out at sea.
She was lost in the swell of conversation because, for whatever reason, Anne-Sophie had decided to completely shut her out.
As soon as there was a lull in their discussion, Juliette jumped in. “Where was the birthday party?”
Four sets of eyes focused on her, like they suddenly remembered she was standing there.
Anne-Sophie stiffened and rolled her lips. Her words were sharp and short. “On a yacht. On the Chesapeake.”
Classy and sophisticated. And expensive as well. “Who were you there with?”
This time her sister’s eyes turned bitter cold like the winter skies. “No one you know.”
Taken aback by the verbal slap, Juliette said nothing.
“Charity should be in touch soon, Mama.” Anne-Sophie blew a kiss. “I have to get back to Virginia Beach. I have some work obligations to take care of, but I wanted to deliver this news in person.”
Gigi took her youngest by the arm and walked with her out to her car, while Juliette remained frozen in place. Confused and hurt, defeated by the absolute callousness of Anne-Sophie’s unnecessary cruelty.
“What was that all about?”
Adrienne looped her camera strap over her shoulder, then adjusted her black sweater. “Soph took it really hard when you left.”
Sure, she’d left town abruptly and without much notice, but she’d said goodbye to each of her sisters.
It wasn’t as though she’d up and abandoned them, they weren’t left to fend for themselves.
Anne-Sophie had been seventeen at the time, and the twins stayed local to Mystic Cove, so it wasn’t like she’d been forced to grow up alone.
Why she was so furious with Juliette for leaving was beyond comprehension.
“Don’t worry.” Vivianne slipped her cell into the back pocket of her jeans, then started packing up her laptop for the night. “I’m sure she’ll get over it. Eventually.”
Juliette wasn’t so sure. Anne-Sophie looked as though she had years of pent-up anger bubbling beneath the surface of her pretty face.
Adrienne reached out and squeezed her hand. “Are you sure you won’t come up to the house tonight?”
“Leave her be, Adrienne,” Vivianne chided softly, her smile full of sympathy. “She’ll come around when she’s ready.”
“Thanks, Viv.” Juliette hugged her sisters.
She watched as the twins and her mother left for the night, leaving her to lock up.
She tied up a few more things around the shop after they were gone, but once she was finished, she turned her attention to the front window display.
It was a hodgepodge of flowers and empty tin buckets, all lined up beneath a cluttered chalkboard display.
It made her eye twitch.