By the time she reached the short hallway, it was clear that neither Glen nor Cricket was listening. She doubted they even remembered she was there. So she skipped goodbyes and slipped away into her bedroom to get dressed without another word.
The storefront for the shop formerly known as Bruno’s Blooms took up the corner retail unit on Twelfth Street and First Avenue, tucked between a dry cleaner and a bodega. Anne remembered when she was little it had been a candy shop, but now its tall windows were blocked with brown paper and its awning above was rolled up.
“You’re here, you’re here!” Sophie exclaimed as she bounded down the sidewalk to where Anne was already waiting on the front step. “Sorry I’m late. The trains were a nightmare. Ready to head in?”
Sophie unlocked the door and let Anne enter first. The hardwood floors were covered with a thin layer of dust, but she could see how they had been polished and where a long wood counter had been installed. Even with the windows covered, the morning light still streaked through, spilling over the brick walls and drop cloths.
“It’s gorgeous, Soph,” Anne said. And she meant it.
“Took us months to find the perfect spot,” Sophie replied. “When I saw this one, I just knew.”
“It’s a great location,” Anne agreed. “The light is incredible, too.”
“Thanks,” Sophie said. “Ready to dive in?”
Anne tried to calm her nerves as she set up her laptop on the workspace in the back. She had been so laser focused on creating a seamless workflow for the shop that she hadn’t stopped to consider what Sophie might think of it until that moment. Not everyone found numbers and spreadsheets as fascinating as she did—what if Sophie hated it? Or what if Anne had completely misjudged what she was looking for? Sophie would be too polite to come right out and say that, but—
Stop spiraling.
Anne let out a shaky breath. Right. She could do this.
Sophie took a seat and listened as Anne began detailing her recommended budget and a possible bookkeeping system that would allow Sophie to avoid daily entry. She worked to keep her voice steady, but it was an effort, and by the time she finished explaining the online tracker designed to alert Sophie when a new order came in, she thought she might throw up.
“Okay, that settles it,” Sophie said, eyes wide as she stared at the last slide of Anne’s presentation. “You are a genius.”
The tension Anne had been holding throughout her entire body released as she let out a relieved laugh. “Thank you. But ‘genius’ might be stretching it.”
“Nope, you’re a genius. This is exactly what I needed! I can actually wrap my head around the business side of things for the first time. Thank you.”
“There’s still more we can do, too,” Anne said, then caught herself. “Or, I mean, moreyoucan do. If you want.”
Sophie smiled. “What were you thinking?”
“Well, there should probably be a long-term plan for growth. And in the short term, maybe a promotional campaign to announce the shop to the neighborhood. You could design some postcards, maybe even throw a party for the grand opening.”
“I love that idea,” Sophie said, her face lighting up. Then she looked around, as if seeing the potential there for the first time. “It’s time to prove that Freddie isn’t the only Wentworth that can throw a party.”
Anne could feel her cheeks redden as she avoided Sophie’s gaze and put her laptop away in her bag.
Another moment passed before Sophie sighed. “Please feel free to tell me to shut up if I’m out of line, but… what happened between you and him?”
There was an odd lurch in Anne’s chest, and she had to work to keep her expression impassive. “He went to Argentina, so we decided to break up.”
“Yeah, I know that bit,” Sophie replied. “But what really happened?”
Anne sighed. “We were so young. We talked a lot about the future, but we never reallytalkedabout it. By the time we did, we were already moving in two different directions. Neither of them was wrong, but they couldn’t coexist without one of us having to compromise.”
Sophie’s forehead knitted with confusion. “I don’t get it.”
There was a part of her heart that wanted to hold back the truth, keep it locked away from other people’s judgment or critiques… but why? Keeping it secret hadn’t protected her. If anything, it only left her more exposed, forced to relive and examine what happened over and over again all on her own.
“Sophie…” Anne hesitated, then finally let it go. “He said he was going to turn down the Buenos Aires program to stay in thecity while I went to Columbia. He would have stayed becauseIwould have stayed.”
Recognition slowly bloomed across Sophie’s face. “Are you serious? He wouldn’t have started his company if he hadn’t gone, or done half of…” Her voice faded as another wave of understanding hit her. “Holy shit, that’s why you broke up with him. So he would go. How did I miss that?”
Anne tried to smile, but it faded almost instantly. “He would have lost out on so much. I couldn’t have him make that choice. Especially when I had no idea what I wanted past my MBA. We loved each other, but…” She let her voice fade.
“I get it,” Sophie said with a slow nod. “Sometimes love isn’t enough to fix everything else.”
