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Chapter thirty

Naomi

The knock on my front door catches me by surprise, making me drop my mascara tube in the sink.

“Shoot,” I mutter to myself. Careful not to smear the black liquid, I set it upright and head toward the door.

For a brief second I foolishly let myself hope it might be Robbie, but the thought vanishes when I remind myself that he wouldn’t knock.

He would walk right in after already letting me know he was on the way.

When I pull the door open, I’m caught off guard by who I see.

“Gabby,” I say in surprise. She’s standing on my front step with her arms crossed and a hesitant smile on her face.

“Hi, um. I was hoping we could talk?” The softness in her voice has me immediately opening the door wider to invite her in.

“Of course. Come in.”

She slides past me, hesitantly lingering in the entryway as if she hasn’t been here a million times before, as if she’s waiting for me to show her that I want her here.

“Would you like a slice of banana cream pie?” I offer, leading her to the kitchen. “I just made it this morning.”

“No, thank you. I can’t stay long. I know you have the grand opening tonight, but I wanted to catch you before you go.”

I lean against the kitchen island, readying myself to talk about our conversation at The Squirrely Bear.

“So, what’s up?” I ask.

“Well…first I want to apologize.” She offers a shy smile, followed by a cringe.

“I know I haven’t been the most supportive friend in general—or the nicest. I, uh…

admit that I can be a bit abrasive, and it’s something I’m going to work on.

I’ve been doing some reflecting since our talk. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Gabby,” I sigh through a smile, feeling a rush of both relief and pride for her at the same time. This was all I ever wanted. “I appreciate it, but there’s no need to apologize. We’re all a work in progress, right? I certainly am…we can do it together.”

“Deal.” She nods as I pull her in for a hug. I’m not one to hold a grudge, especially when she’s actively making changes to better herself. Feeling relieved that she made the effort to come over here tonight, I am hopeful for a different kind of friendship between us moving forward.

When we separate, I notice instantly how her expression darkens. “And there’s something else you should know…you might want to sit down for this.”

“Uh-oh.” I take her advice, sliding into a chair as I study her apprehensively. “What is it?”

“Edith canceled her cupcake order for next week, right?” she asks with a cringe.

“Yeah…how do you know about that?” My neighbor’s order cancellation just came through this morning.

“Well, my mom was walking with Edith this afternoon, and somehow your baking business came up. She, uh…spilled the beans.”

“What do you mean? What beans?”

“Apparently, Edith ran into your dad at the grocery store yesterday, and she was gushing about how proud she was of you and your new business—as the whole town is, by the way. And get this, your dad told her that he would offer her a discount at the dealership if she canceled her order with you.”

“Wait, what?” My stomach drops, and the hair on the back of my neck instantly stands up.

“Yeah. I’m sorry,” she says regretfully.

“That was the fourth cancellation I’ve had recently,” I process out loud, my mind reeling with this information. “Has he been doing the same thing with them?”

She shrugs. “I wouldn’t put it past him, honestly.”

“Wow.” I shake my head in disbelief, feeling a range of emotions. “Thank you for telling me, Gabby.”

“Of course. I thought you should know.” She dips her gaze down at the floor. “I’m planning to get out of town for a little while…do some traveling. Get some space.”

“You don’t have to do that, Gabby,” I say, feeling guilty that she feels the need to leave Pine Falls.

“No, I want to.” She nods. “It won’t be for very long. I just need to…I don’t know…think about some things. Figure out my life. Who I want to be.”

“Okay.” I taper my frustration with my dad long enough to give her a genuine smile. “Well, let me know as soon as you come back. Maybe we can do a movie night or something.”

“I will. I’ll get out of your hair.” She heads toward the door. “Have fun at the opening tonight.”

“Thanks. I’ll try.” I walk her out and give her one last hug goodbye. When I shut the door, I linger in place, staring at the floor while anger comes racing back with a vengeance. My dad’s been going around telling people to cancel their orders with me? So that I won’t succeed?

I can’t believe it.

Or, actually, I can. Which makes it even worse.

I instinctively pick up my phone to call Robbie, wanting to fill him in, before remembering the current state of our relationship. We haven’t spoken since he left three days ago for his gig, and I keep talking myself out of being the first one to reach out to him.

He did say he’d be back for the grand opening tonight, but I have yet to hear from him, so at this point, I doubt he’s coming. My heart twists painfully at the mere thought of him and the mess we’re in, which adds to my already jumbled emotions.

I’ll have to deal with my dad another night—maybe at the meeting we have coming up. For now, I attempt to shake off my anger and finish getting myself ready so I won’t be late.

“Hi, Naomi,” Fran says cheerfully, placing her glass of wine next to mine on the linen-draped high-top table.

“Hey, Fran. Congratulations, again. You did an amazing job planning this event,” I tell her warmly.

“Oh, thank you. If I’m honest, I’ll be happy to have it over with after tonight. This was a feat.”

“I bet,” I chuckle, looking around the shiny new dealership. There’s a space left open for a makeshift dance floor off to the left in front of a live band that’s performing on a removable stage. Their soft music fills the air while crowds of people mingle between cars on the grand showroom floor.

As I scan the room, low-key looking for any sign of Robbie, I see familiar faces of people I’ve known my entire life—residents of Pine Falls, Brainerd, and other neighboring cities.

Opal and Iris are over by the temporary bar, huddled together, and Mrs. Fitzpatrick is peering inside the windows of a brand-new Jeep.

My mind drifts, and I can’t help but wonder what kept each of these people here in Pine Falls.

What drew them to a small town in central Minnesota?

Or, if they were born here, what made them stay and not move away to a bigger city with more opportunities?

How many of them moved here on a whim, and alternatively, who has never stepped foot outside of the tri-city area?

Did any of them also have to choose between chasing love and the comfort of home? Am I foolish for wanting to stay?

I don’t find Robbie, but I do catch my breath when I spot his brother, Steven, in a suit and tie, mingling over by the tray of mostaccioli that was catered in by The Italian Place.

Thankfully, I don’t see their parents in sight.

I’m not sure what I would say if I came face to face with them, given everything I now know.

Steven is hard enough to see from across the room.

I’m half-tempted to march over there and give him a piece of my mind about not sticking up for Robbie when they were kids and being a sorry excuse for a brother.

“Hi, dear,” my mom says softly, sneaking up on my left. “Hi, Fran.”

“Hi, Mom.” Seeing her brings me back into focus.

It’s also like a balm to my soul, soothing a rough edge inside of me that’s been sharp ever since Robbie left, enough that I instinctively throw my arms around her in a much-needed hug.

A brief flash of surprise crosses her face before she returns the hug with a tight embrace.

“You look beautiful,” she says into my ear before pulling away to admire my black dress. “Do you think they have this in my size?”

“I’m sure they do.” I grin, feeling a hint of emotion tugging at the corner of my eyes. Something about seeing her makes me realize how much I’ve needed her comfort lately. How much I wish we could be closer.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re both gorgeous. We get it.” Fran waves a hand in the air. “Marion, I need to show you something.”

I see the hesitation on my mom’s face, as I’m sure it matches mine. We hardly ever get to be around each other without my dad, and we’re both aware of that fact enough to want to soak it up while we can.

“Go ahead,” I urge her. “We can catch up later. I’ll come find you.”

As soon as they leave, I return to my people-watching, still pondering whether or not Robbie could still show up, hoping desperately that he’ll prove the doubt in my mind wrong.

“Is this thing on?” my dad’s voice bellows out from the stage.

The sound of it alone makes my toes curl with anger.

I’ve successfully managed to avoid him so far this evening as I don’t think it would be possible to put on a fake happy act in front of him after hearing about what he’s done.

I take a sip of my champagne and reluctantly turn to watch his speech.

“Thank you all for celebrating with us tonight. This second dealership has been a dream in the making for some time now, and I’m thrilled to finally be opening the doors here in Brainerd.”

The sound of clapping fills the space, complete with a few cheers from somewhere in the back. I keep my hands still at my sides as I watch with a straight face.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to serve this community and become family with its residents, as we have over in Pine Falls.”

Again, more clapping.

“This second opening brings a few exciting promotion opportunities for my staff,” he boasts. “I’d like to announce some of them right now, if you don’t mind helping me congratulate them.”

He clears his throat before continuing. “The first is Zander, who’ll be making the trek over here to lead the sales department. Come on up here, Zander.”

A round of applause breaks out as he makes his way onstage to shake my dad’s hand.

Huh, so that’s what those extra meetings between those two have been about.

There hasn’t been a company-wide memo or even rumors of any of my coworkers relocating, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

I’m not exactly privy to staffing meetings.

“Next up we have Luna, who has graciously accepted the role of office manager. Come on up here, Luna.”

I join in clapping, watching with a faint smile as she takes the stage.

“Last, but certainly not least, joining Zander and Luna to head up the IT department is…drumroll, please.” I look around, wondering which of my colleagues he’s chosen from my department.

“None other than my daughter, Naomi Tillman.”