But shewasbrave enough. She’d told the truth about the Everwooddesign, even though it crushed her heart to do so. She’d confronted her mother. She’d quit her job. No, not her job. She’d quit her career. All for the tiny flare of hope in her chest that there was something more for her, something that would actually make her happy. Something that made her feel like herself, even when it was hard.
She picked up a pen and added another option to her list.
Claire, Iris, and Delilah all leaned in to read it.
Iris’s head snapped up first, her eyes shining on Astrid’s. “Yes. Hell yes.”
Astrid winced, but a smile worked itself onto her mouth. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Claire said, reaching out to grab her hand. “One hundred percent.”
Delilah nodded. “I vaguely remember your cookies being pretty damn good.”
Astrid exhaled and looked down at her writing.
Baking.
There it was in black and white. Her dream.
But dreams needed reality if they were to ever come true, and the reality was she had no training, no previous experience, and no capital to start her own business. She said as much to her friends.
“Okay, so we just need to find the right opportunity,” Iris said. “Doesn’t Wake Up make their own pastries?”
“I think so,” Claire said.
“Let’s check with them to see if they have an opening.”
“And if they don’t?” Astrid asked.
“We go to Winter Lake. Sotheby. Graydon,” Iris said. “Wherever. That Sugar and Star place with the amazing scones an hour away. There has to be somewhere willing to give you a shot. All you’d have to do is bake a single cake for them and you’d be in.”
Astrid grabbed Iris’s hand and squeezed. This was terrifying. This was what she’d been afraid of for years, why she’d settled for the life her mother carved out for her. But it was also liberating. Itwas thrilling, to make these choices, to say what she wanted and actually try to go after it.
“Wait a sec,” Iris said, yanking her hand from Astrid’s and holding out her palms. “What about the Everwood?”
Astrid’s stomach flip-flopped at the name. “What about it?”
“Iris,” Delilah said, her voice tight.
Iris didn’t heed whatever warning was there, though. She rarely did. “They’re looking for a new cook and a baker since they’re not selling because of Jordan’s feature inOrchid,and oh, holy shit, I was not supposed to tell you that.”
Iris winced. Claire rubbed her forehead, while Delilah just shook her head.
Astrid’s flip-flopping stomach launched into full-on somersaults. “Jordan... Jordan got a feature inOrchid?”
Claire nodded. “It just happened today. Simon told Iris. We weren’t going to tell you right away. You know, give you a few days to adjust to everything that’s been going on.”
Astrid nodded, her throat tight and aching. As she processed this new information, she tried to parse how she was feeling.
Jordan had landed an opportunity that Astrid would’ve killed for a few months ago. But she wasn’t jealous. Not one bit. Instead, she felt like sobbing because she was so fucking happy for Jordan, and she wished she could tell her that. She wished she could pull her into her arms, hold her face in her hands, and tell her she was magic, that Astrid was proud of her.
But she couldn’t.
Jordan had been through so much, and Astrid couldn’t hurt her again. She couldn’t risk it.
“It’s not a bad option,” Delilah said carefully.
Claire nodded. “It’s pretty great, actually. With your business experience, you could probably turn that place around. Maybe even manage it, too, while you got your baking stuff in order, and—”
