CHAPTER 26

CHERRY ON TOP

Charlie

I had only had a few hangovers in my lifetime, but when I woke up this morning, I had felt worse than all of those times combined. As soon as I walked into my quiet, empty apartment, I let the tears fall.

They fell for so many reasons that I couldn’t keep them straight. It was Brandon and my stupid decision to let that girl get to me. It was the opening of the bakery. Everything I had ever wanted was in the grasp of my hand, but it could slip away just as easily if I failed.

And I could fail.

I was more likely to fail than not.

It ate at me, that thought.

So, I cried. I sat on my couch, and I cried and cried.

I should have called him. I knew that I should have sucked up my pride and called and apologized, but I let all that fear stop me.

What if that girl was right? What if he didn’t do more? What if what I had with Brandon was all he was willing to give?

That thought stopped me in my tracks.

When I arrived at the bakery, my parents were already waiting inside. My mom took one look at me and instantly knew that something was wrong. It was a mom thing, I know, but my mom seemed to be better at it than most.

“What happened?” She pulled me into the bathroom with her and quickly pulled out her makeup bag. I sat down on the toilet and let her do what she wanted. I hadn’t even managed to put on makeup this morning. I couldn’t stand to look in the mirror.

She pulled out a makeup wipe and started scrubbing under my eyes.

“I don’t know.” The tears threatened to fall again as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

“Okay,” she said in a calm voice that I knew was meant to calm me as well. “If it’s something we can’t fix then we will worry about it tomorrow.” She reached down and gently gripped my chin in her hand. “Is it something we can fix?”

“I don’t know,” I repeated the only words I could think of. I had no idea if I could fix it. I didn’t know what there was to fix.

My mom threw the dirty makeup wipe in the trash then started pulling products out of her bag. “Let’s get you fixed up then.” She smiled down at me. “There isn’t anything a little mascara and lipstick won’t fix.”

I nodded my head and tried to muster a smile as she took her time putting makeup on my face.

She squatted down in front of me and gripped my hands in hers. “Today is about you, my girl.” She twisted one of my curls around her finger and pushed it back out of my face. “Nothing else matters.”

“Right.” I took a deep breath as I stood up off the toilet and looked in the mirror. I had to give her credit. I didn’t look like I had only slept a couple of hours last night. I looked pretty. I looked like today was one of the biggest days of my life.

We walked back out into the bakery where my dad was making sure everything was lined up in the case. We were only thirty minutes from opening, and a small line had formed just outside the door. As soon as I saw it, my heart started pounding in my chest.

My Facebook page had a big response around the grand opening, but I still hadn’t known what to expect. A line forming before we opened wasn’t it.

“Okay.” I pulled my pink apron over my head with my brand-new Cherry on Top logo printed on the chest. “Mom is going to run the register. Sorry, Dad.”

He rolled his eyes, but we both knew that he was horrible at computers. He was more likely to break it than be helpful.

“Dad.”

He interrupted me before I could finish. “I know. I know. I’m the Walmart greeter and the restocker. Give me an apron.”

I shot him some air guns, and he laughed as he tied the bright pink apron around his back.

Everything looked perfect. The display case didn’t have a blemish on it after I had wiped it down at least thirty different times, and all the items I had baked looked perfect inside it.

I looked at the clock and took a deep breath as I prepared to open the door. A knock on the glass caught my attention, and I smiled when I saw Livy and Staci standing outside. I quickly let them in, and Livy handed me a stack full of cards and a hole punch.

“What can we do to help?” Staci asked from beside her.

I looked down at the small cards in my hands. “What are these?”

“Oh.” Livy looked up at Staci. “They are reward cards. For every ten dollars they spend, they get a hole punch. When the card is filled, they get fifty dollars toward any service at our shop.”

My hands shook around the cards. “What?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us.” Staci grabbed an apron that my mom held out to her and started tying it around her waist. “That was all Brandon.”

Of course, it was. Of course, Brandon would be this thoughtful when I was a complete and total asshole.

“I messed up,” I whispered to them.

“We know.” Staci threw an apron to Livy. “But we’ll deal with that after we open your bakery. He’ll forgive you.”

That was exactly what we did. I twisted the lock and propped open the front doors and began to welcome people into my bakery.

My bakery.

That I owned.

There were clearly some people there who were taking advantage of the deal Brandon had set up, but people were excited. I shook so many hands and got so many hugs as people in the community congratulated me on the opening of the bakery, and everyone loved the food. I had to put a limit on how much Staci and Livy ate while they helped so I didn’t run out, but it was all going perfectly.

Then Brandon walked in.

My mom, Livy, and Staci all turned their heads in my direction as soon as they saw him. But Brandon didn’t come straight for me. Instead, he walked up to my dad and shook his hand. I couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other because there were too many people inside the bakery, and I regretted my decision to never learn the art of reading lips.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” my mom asked from the register.

“I don’t know.” I bit down on my thumbnail. I hadn’t really said all that much to my dad about Brandon. I was certain that my mom had relayed everything I had told her.

Dad shook his hand one more time then pointed in my direction. As soon as Brandon’s gaze met mine, my heart started hammering in my chest.

“It looks great,” Brandon said as soon as he got close to me.

“Brandon,” I called out his name like a plea.

“It looks like the reward cards are doing great.” He lifted one of the cards in his hands, and my mom, Livy, and Staci all tried to look like they weren’t listening in to every word we said.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

He brought his gaze back up to mine. “I wanted to.”

“Can we talk?” I nodded toward the back, and I saw him battle with himself over whether or not he would say yes. “Please.”

His eyes softened, just slightly, but he nodded his head once and followed me back.

“I’m sorry,” I said the words before the door could even close behind him. “That girl said things that fucked with my head, and I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was stressed out about all this then her, and I took it out on you.”

“What girl?” Brandon narrowed his eyes.

“It’s not important. I should have trusted you. I do trust you.” I ran my hands through my hair.

“What girl, Charlie?”

“That girl at the bar. Alicia.”

I saw him tense, if only fractionally. “What did she say to you?” He took a step toward me then stopped himself.

“She said that the two of you were on again off again.”

He opened his mouth, but I started again before he could say anything.

“Which is fine. You haven’t made me any promises.” I started pacing in the small space. “She asked me if I was dating you because she hadn’t heard from you in a few days. That part hurt because you were with me every day for the last week.”

“Charlie,” he said my name calmly.

“When I told her we weren’t official, she said…” I looked up at him. “She said that was because you never would.” I turned away from him and started pacing again.

“Freckles.” He reached out for me, and I could physically feel an ache in my chest.

“I had no right to say what I said.”

“You’re right.” He nodded but gripped my hands in his. “But she was wrong.”

I finally looked up at him.

“I haven’t talked to Alicia in over six months. But she was also right.”

I nodded my head like I understood, but I didn’t. I didn’t want him to say the things that I couldn’t stand to hear him say out loud.

“She was right when she said I would never be official.”

I tensed under his touch.

“With her.” His finger touched below my chin and brought my gaze back to meet his. “I didn’t want that with her, Freckles, but I want it with you.”

“You do?” I could hear the desperation in my own voice.

“Of course, I do. I thought that was obvious.” He chuckled.

“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you.”

“I need to make one thing clear.” He pulled me closer to him and rested his hand on my hip.

“You, Freckles, are my girlfriend whether you like it or not.”

I snorted and looked up at him with a giant smile on my face. “I like it. A lot.”