Cold air blustered around her, and she took cover behind a wall where her mother stored boxes for recycling day. The overhang helped protect her from the wind, but it did little to ease the chill in her bones.
“Hello?” She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.
“Please tell me you’re not where I think you are.” Gabrielle’s voice echoed, a sure sign she was on speakerphone, and driving her car.
“I didn’t have a choice, Gabi.” Maybe Juliette had clenched her teeth out of frustration instead. “I had nowhere else to go.”
“You could have come here.” Though it sounded more like a distracted afterthought. “I would’ve fronted you the money for a ticket.”
As though Juliette could even afford the cost of living in Southern California. Sure it would be a dream, but it would be short-lived. She and Gabi got along great, but Gabi was a married woman now. She had a husband. They were trying to start a family. Eventually, Juliette would’ve become a burden, a splinter in her sister’s perfect life.
“It doesn’t matter.” Juliette huddled against the stone wall to escape the cold and ducked her head. The wind whipped her hair, pulling it from the haphazard bun atop her head. “I’m here now.”
“You know how this will end,” Gabrielle warned. “You and Mama don’t mesh. You never have.”
Oh, she knew.
The tiny fire of resentment smoldering deep within Juliette slowly burned back to life. Gabrielle had been swept off her feet by a Marine at the age of eighteen, and she’d never looked back. Jeremiah had given her whatever her heart desired. She’d been able to travel, to attend nursing school, to do everything she wanted. While Juliette had been guilted into giving up on her dreams.
At sixteen, she worked in the flower shop after school, leaving no time for sports, clubs, or other teenage interests. The duty of caring for her younger sisters had fallen to her as well. While Mama was preoccupied with envisioning someone else’s happily ever after, Juliette was learning how to makesomething other than grilled cheese so her sisters wouldn’t go to bed hungry. The flower shop took precedence over everything. Weddings overwhelmed every weekend. Someone else’s happiness always came above their own.
Whereas Gabrielle could do no wrong, Juliette couldn’t seem to do anything right. And Mama wasted no time in pointing out her deficiencies while admonishing her weaknesses. Like the flowers she once loved, Juliette withered in the shadow of her sister.
The sun sank lower behind the palms and clusters of houses on Shoreline Drive, and with it, the temperature dropped.
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now.” Juliette fought off another shiver and reached for the door. “I’ll stay until something better comes along.”
“Okay. Just be sure to check in with me. I don’t want you and Mama at each other’s throats anymore than you do.”
“I will.” But the promise tasted sour on her tongue. Almost like a lie.
“Love you, Jules.”
“Love you, Gabi.”
And with that, the line cut, and their brief, albeit fruitless, conversation was over.
Juliette headed back into the flower shop and let the warmth of it sink deep into her bones. Shuddering, because her hoodie did absolutely nothing against the cold, she wrapped her arms around herself and watched as Mama and the twins closed up for the evening. While they were sweeping and locking up, Mama was prattling on about the week’s upcoming events.
“Do not forget, we have two weddings this weekend. Both are in Virginia Beach.” She flipped through her clipboard, checking things off with a red pen. “We’ll need to get to work on the bridesmaids’ and bridal bouquets on Friday. There’s a corporate event that afternoon which has requested at least tencenterpieces for a convention, so those will need to be dropped off first thing in the morning, before the weddings.”
“Right.” Vivianne nodded and skimmed the screen of her phone. “We’ve got it handled. Did you want to start the preorders for Valentine’s Day this week?”
“Oui.” Mama’s red lips pursed in consideration. “The sooner the better,n’est-ce pas?”
“Yes.” Vivianne nodded once, then glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. “I’ll put up the preorder link tomorrow on all of our socials. I’m expecting a record sellout this year.”
“And I’ve got the designs uploaded and ready to go on the site.” Adrienne held out her tablet for approval while Mama’s keen gaze skimmed the screen.
“Bien.” She lugged her crossbody handbag, which was actually more like a miniature suitcase, over her shoulders and looked around the shop. Her gaze drifted over to Juliette, as though she remembered she was there, but did not care enough to acknowledge her. “Goodnight, girls.”
Vivianne had the decency to wait until their mother was out the door before speaking. “You know you can come up to the house for dinner. It won’t be completely tense and uncomfortable.”
Adrienne snorted in disbelief.
“It’s fine. Maybe another night.” Juliette thought of the nearly empty fridge upstairs. There was some milk, some aged cheese, and an unopened bottle of wine. “I’ll just pick up a salad or something.”
Vivianne’s dark brow arched. “In other words, you plan on ordering Chinese.”
