“Ava—”
“Go. Just go. I’m done doing this.” She pushed him out of the way and marched straight for the door. She couldn’t abandon her store today of all days, but she needed to hide out in her office for a few minutes. Just long enough to drink her coffee and keep from hyperventilating. Then she’d face her customers with a smile, even if it killed her.
But she hardly had the door closed before she screamed. “Mom, what are you doing in here? It was locked. Do you still have a key?”
“Ava dear, you never told me.” Her tone was eerily quiet, forlorn. She held a ledger book up in explanation. One with the final notice letter wedged in as a bookmark.Well, jingle bells.
Ava groaned. “I knew I should’ve switched completely to electronic.” She pulled out her chair, fell into the seat, and dropped her head onto the desk. Coffee couldn’t fix this day. Nothing could.
“Why didn’t you tell me you took out a second mortgage?” Mom asked gently, as if hurt to be left out of such a big secret. “I would’ve loaned you the money myself.”
“I wanted to prove to you I could do this on my own,” Ava said without lifting her head. “You retiredfouryears ago, but you still criticize every decision I make.” She forced herself to sit up and face Mom’s hurt gaze. “I wanted to prove I could do this without needing my hand held. If you loaned me the money, you would’ve been calling all the shots.”
“That’s not true.”
Ava stared at her mom, an eyebrow raised in challenge.
“Okay, fair point.” Mom sat on the edge of the desk, but when it wobbled, she stood up. “Can’t believe you kept this old thing.”
“Not by choice.” Ava shook her head, popping out of her chair to pace the cramped room. “Mom, I love you. But you have to let the store go. Whether it’s successful or I run it into the ground—which we’ll know in a few hours—I need to do it on my own.”
“You always were so stubbornly independent,” Mom mumbled. “Ava, you don’t have to do anything alone. That’s the beauty of a small community. Even your Brayden has figured that out, and he’s as city as they come.” Mom moved around the desk and trapped Ava with hands on her arms. “Listen.” She nodded toward the door. “You hear that? That’s afullstore. That’s your friends, your family, your community showing up in your time of need.”
“But—”
“Your Christmas baskets were brilliant, by the way. You and I both know they would’ve sold better earlier in the season, but I’m not criticizing you for it. It’s something to remember for next year.”
“What’s your point?”
“I made more mistakes than you can begin to imagine. I had your dad to fall back on, though. There’s nothing wrong with accepting help, Ava dear. I never would’ve had a store to hand down if I tried to do it all myself.”
Ava felt the knot in her stomach tighten. “I’ve made a mess of things.”
“Look at me,” Mom ordered. “You’re going to drink that coffee, fasten that smile, and get out there. We’re going to save the Forget Me Not Boutique today, and you’re going to let everyone who wants to help, help.” She patted Ava hard on the arm. “And Brayden, that man adores you. He told me everything he’s done to help you, despite the wrath he’s feared all along. You should feel so lucky to have such a man in your corner.”
“Well, now I feel even worse,” Ava groaned.
“First, we save the store. Then, you make amends with Brayden.” Mom squeezed her in a suffocating hug. “It’ll all work out, sweetie. I promise it will.”
ChapterSixteen
Brayden
“You’re hiding out here on Christmas Eve?” Mom’s voice pulled him from his most important project, but only briefly. The desk had to be perfect, and he still wasn’t satisfied with the details. It might not be enough to repair the damage between them, but he wanted Ava to have it anyway.
“There’s coffee brewing,” he said, a slight smile forming as Mom greeted Elsie with a few pats. He would be sad to see her go. “You still headed out on a flight tomorrow morning?”
“Afraid so,” she answered, ignoring the coffee and taking a seat on the cot nearby. She set a covered plate of food on an end table, reminding him how long it’d been since he ate. He’d been invited to Chase’s place for Christmas Eve dinner, but had opted out to give Ava space. “What happened with you and Ava?”
Brayden shouldn’t be surprised at the question. He’d done as Ava asked today and steered clear of her. But he hadn’t stopped helping. He printed more flyers and spread them all over town. Stopped people in the streets and encouraged them to check out the last-minute gift ideas. He also snuck some hundred-dollar bills in the donation jar—Kinley and Laurel’s brilliant idea—before he dipped out of sight.
“Secrets,” Brayden muttered in response. “Too many secrets.”
“I thought you cleared all that up.”
“Tried to, but her friends beat me to it.”
“You could always come back to Texas.”
