CHAPTER NINE #2
Her eye twitched as she reread the message while Emma, Izzy, and Rachel shook their heads at Tyler’s blatant bullshit. What was it that Rihanna said? “He was only sorry he got caught,” she muttered and Rachel nodded.
“He seems like an asshole.”
“No arguments there,” April told her. “I know he and I are done, but I can’t lie—it really pissed me off when he said he wanted me, that he needed me.
Not that he loved me. He just wanted to own me, control me.
” She shook her head. “I just think that’s pathetic.
I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. ”
“You can’t blame yourself,” Izzy said and wrapped an arm around April’s shoulders, squeezing gently.
“Hindsight is a bitch,” Emma added, making the nail artist chuckle. “Are you going to reply to him?”
April shrugged. “I’m not sure what there is to say.”
Rachel finished up with Emma’s nails, now a glossy red, and directed her under the UV lamp to cure before holding out her palms to inspect April’s fingers. “You know what you’d like?”
April nodded, showing her the photo she’d found, and was relieved when Rachel smiled.
“What about your things? Your clothes and stuff still in the city?” Emma frowned over her shoulder while April got comfortable to let Rachel do her thing.
“I don’t know … It just all feels tainted now.
I guess I’ll go back and get some of it at some point, but I’m not in a rush, to be honest. Besides, who knows what else of mine he’s been letting his girlfriend borrow?
” April shuddered. “You know, I did lose a skirt late last year. I just assumed I’d find it in a drawer somewhere, but now I’m wondering … ”
A gasp drew April’s attention to Izzy, who looked aghast. “You think this had been happening for that long?”
“I honestly don’t know.” And, truthfully, she was tired of dwelling on it.
“Well, we’re going on record here to say that Tyler seriously sucks and we rescind our approval,” Izzy said firmly.
April laughed, the sound lighter than she’d felt in days. “Thank you.”
They nodded and Emma smirked. “So, like, don’t take him back or it’ll be super awkward now that you know we hate him.” Their laughter was in sync, reminding April of their younger selves up to no good or gossiping in class.
Rachel began shaping and filing her nails and April felt the tension draining out of her, to the point that she was startled when Izzy rustled a bag of candy that she’d brought with her.
She offered one to April, who wrinkled her nose.
Sour candies had never been her thing; mostly they just gave her heartburn.
Plus, several of Iz’s favorite brands used grapefruit juice to help make the candies sour, and it was one of the few ingredients that messed with her anxiety medication.
All in all, she’d stick with cake, thank you very much.
Emma had taken her hands out from under the UV light and was gleefully filming Rachel’s progress on April’s nails, while also getting close-ups of her own cuticles.
It was probably a big deal for Rachel, considering that Emma’s large following often meant she charged thousands for brand deals and promoted posts on her socials.
Plus, April had no doubt that Emma would pay Rachel, too—she’d complained a lot in the early days about the expectation that influencers were happy to be paid in exposure.
But, as Emma had said, Exposure doesn’t buy me groceries.
“So you’re back for good, then,” Emma continued after lowering her phone camera. There was a cautious optimism in her voice and April hid her smile.
“Yes. I’m back for good.”
Emma squealed, coming up behind her to squeeze around April’s shoulders tightly. “I’m so glad. We missed you.”
“I missed you guys too.”
“Have you thought any more about what you want to do now you’re staying in town?
You have a super-soothing voice, you know—I bet you could do good voiceovers for socials.
” Emma looked fit to burst, no doubt a dozen ideas flooding her mind all at once.
Her exuberance was one of the things April loved best about her.
“Actually …” She cleared her throat, stalling as she debated whether this was even worth bringing up.
“We, ah, need to decide what to do with the bar. My mom suggested that maybe we clear it out and do our own thing there—me and Noah. He’s been whiteboxing it this week so we can start renovations properly after the weekend. ”
Izzy nodded, face puckering as she ate a particularly sour candy. “That sounds like a great idea. Will you renovate it back into a bar again? Or something else?”
Moment of truth. “I was thinking about opening a flower shop.” A beat of silence, less than half a second, and April steeled herself for laughter or confused pity. Instead, both Emma and Izzy were smiling, like this plan made something resembling sense.
“That’s such a good idea! You’d be amazing at that,” Emma gushed. “Ooh, we’ll have to start planning the color schemes, and of course you’ll want to think about branding. And a name. But this is so cool! We’ve needed something like that in town for a while now and—”
April stared, baffled, when Emma kept going, spit balling ideas and things April would need to consider, as if this was all a done deal. “You actually think this is a good idea?” Any relaxation she’d found was wasted as tension crept in once more. Had Noah put them up to this? Or her mom, maybe?
Izzy frowned. “You don’t? April, some girls are horse girls, some girls are make-up girls; you have always been a plant girl.
Do you remember that flower arrangement you made for my mom when she got remarried?
You used all her favorite flowers and my step-mom’s favorite colors; it was nicer than the florist they’d paid to do the actual decorations.
Not to mention the number of guests who asked about the arrangement and where they could get a business card.
” Izzy folded her arms across her chest and leveled April with a look.
“You’re talented, you have a good head on your shoulders, and if this is something you want then you should do it. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Emma showed Rachel something on her phone, and her eyes went wide. “Oh wow, that’s beautiful! I think your friends might be right,” Rachel said warmly.
Emma tilted the phone so April could see.
It was a picture of the flower arrangement Izzy was talking about and April smiled at the bright colors on the screen.
She could still remember creating that piece.
It was the biggest one she’d ever attempted and she’d lost herself in the design process.
It had come out perfectly, and seeing Izzy’s moms’ faces light up when they were given the gift had been priceless.
In fact, April wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so proud about any other accomplishment as she had about that.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said eventually.
“Darn right, I am.” Izzy looked to Emma, who nodded in agreement.
By the time Rachel had finished with their manicures, the majority of the sour-candy bag had been demolished and Emma had coerced them into taking two dozen photos with their fresh nails.
To be fair, Rachel had done a phenomenal job.
April’s nails were delicate and pretty, a shimmery pale pink that felt very refined while still being her.
While the girls helped Rachel clean up and paid her, April set about making iced tea.
It was the perfect refreshing recipe for sunny days like today and had become a summer staple for their little group.
Breaking it out so early in the spring was a rare treat, and as April mixed together the magnolia tea with raspberry hibiscus and a dash of local honey, pouring the combination into a cool jug full of ice, fruit, and fresh petals, she realized she’d never once made this recipe in New York. It was sacred to Magnolia Springs.
They walked Rachel out, leaving the tea to cool further inside the fridge, and once they stepped outside April knew she’d made the right decision to break the drink out early.
The sunshine had persisted and it was unseasonably warm.
A loud hum carried to them where they stood on the porch, enjoying the breeze, and cut off for a second only to start up again a moment later.
The lone sound was the only disruptor of the quiet, aside from the birdsong—April made a note to buy a new bird feeder for the front yard.
The only thing she enjoyed more than people-watching was nature-watching, especially birds.
“Ho-ly shit,” Emma whisper-shouted, green eyes wide. “Nobody move.”
“Why?” Izzy looked at April, amusement making the lines around her eyes deepen as she glanced up from admiring her polka-dot nails.
“Because if I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up.” Emma bit her lip as she continued to stare. “God damn. That should be illegal.”
Reluctantly, April turned to see where her friend was looking and felt her stomach bottom out.
Long, lean arms, shoulders corded with muscle, and a white tee that clung in all the right places as Luke Pointer sweated under the afternoon sun, pushing a mower back and forth across his parents’ lawn.
Each stride highlighted the power of his thighs in his jeans, tightening the muscles in his ass, and April couldn’t look away.
Not when she knew exactly how those muscular legs felt underneath her and how good those hands felt roaming her body like he owned it.
The sudden and strong urge for a long, cold shower was nearly overwhelming.
Luke looked up, spotting them gawping from her porch, and heat flushed her face when he grinned. “Afternoon, ladies.”
“Look what you’ve done with your staring,” April muttered, giving Emma the stink-eye. “He’s going to be insufferable now. Not like his ego needed any further inflating.”