“Ow, stop.”
“Thompson, party of six?” The hostess calls out.
“Oh, thank god.” Mom sighs, then smiles. “That’s us!”
SIX
RILEY
I’m going to amputate my leg.
Every five seconds, my knee bumps into August’s knee. We knock into each other whenever we move and awkwardly say sorry each time. And each time we touch, my body jolts. Touching him is electrifying.
I’ve never said sorry to a manthis many times in my life.
The table is spacious enough to fit all six of us, but the two of us are daddy longlegs, so we’re going to keep knocking knees. To distract myself, I take a swig from my wine.
“We’re putting together the costs for all the furniture,” Ellie tells us. “The color palette is gonna be like a cream white, powder blue, maybe a sage green on some walls. We finished painting the shop, but that’s the main color. If we want to add some color, we’ll just paint over it. Then the furniture will be a mix-and-match. Powder blue booths paired with a square wooden table and chair. And each table will have a small glass vase with fresh, tiny flowers.”
After Ellie took part in The Taste of Dove Point, we could never have imagined it would get so much attention.Months after the event, people in town would go to her and ask if she was opening a bakery, and once she convinced herself that it was what she wanted, she asked me to be the co-owner—which of course I accepted after I finished crying with happiness. Then we announced that our bakery, Honey Cakes, is coming to our small town.
There’s been non-stop talk and excitement about it. That caused a tiny freak-out session when she started receiving emails and calls from esteemed colleagues and culinary chefs that she’s worked with.
It took our entire friend group to calm her down. The only person to succeed in that was Hailey when she gave Ellie a shot of tequila.
“Riley’s in charge of finding the decor,” Ellie says. “She’s better at that than I am.”
“Of course, I said yes because at the end of the day, I’m shopping. I don’t think of it as a job. Honestly, if I didn’t go to school for accounting, then I’d probably have gone for interior design or something.”
It doesn’t take a lot for me to know August is looking at me. I’m focusing on controlling all my willpower not to glance back.
Our knees brush again, and my body flinches at the touch. At this point, I don’t know if he’s doing this on purpose. My stomach flutters at the thought of himneedingto touch me.
“Are you gonna work at your dad’s dentist office when Honey Cakes opens?” Rowan asks.
I shake my head and set down my glass. “I actually don’t work there anymore.”
“Oh? How did he take it?” Mrs. Thompson asks.
My palms become clammy, and I rub them against myjeans. Dad is more understanding than Mom, but I don’t like to disappoint him either.
“I think he knew it was coming. It wasn’t a big conversation. He’s always so busy so it was a quick conversation over the phone.”
It’s not so much upsetting him as it is dealing with the fear of my making the right decision. Taking the right path and not regretting it. Right now, it’s safe. I’m in my comfort bubble, and I know I should pop that bubble.
“I’m sure your dad understood.” Ellie places her hands under her chin and smiles. “It’s something that could change your life. It’s new and exciting. And best of all, you get to see your bestie every day.”
“I know your dad isn’t the most… outgoing person.” Mrs. Thompson pauses. “But he’s your dad. I’m sure he would love nothing more than for you to be happy.”
She’s not wrong. Dad is more of an introverted person compared to Mom, who loves attention. I think that’s why they clashed so much. He wasn’t giving her what she wanted out of their marriage. She was trying to change the person he was to benefit herself.
That doesn’t make him a bad Dad. He made sure to be there for us and take Hailey and me out on the boat or to our grandparents’ house. Do I wish that sometimes he would’ve put Mom in her place and told her to stop being so hard on my sister and me? Of course.
I’ve never asked him why he never said anything to her. I didn’t want to cause more trouble between him and Mom.
“It’ll be fine.” I wave them off, desperately wanting to change the subject. “Rowan, have you seen your dad lately?” I take another drink from my—almost—empty wine glass.
Rowan nods. “Yeah, I saw him a couple weeks ago for his birthday.”
