“I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in years,” I said.
Senna smiled. “Cheers to that.”
The mood was rather somber as we walked back to our rooms. None of us wanted to go back to Austin in the morning, especially Lily. She was having the time of her life and had apparently spent the morning bargaining with her mother to try to squeeze in another day at the park. Her efforts were futile.
Her failure to con Senna into another day left her upset, and Senna spent the night in her own room with Lily, keeping her company until the grief passed and she fell asleep. I didn’t see them again until breakfast the following morning, and after that, we met Donovan outside the hotel, loaded our suitcases into the SUV, and headed to Orlando International Airport.
Lily was in a better mood by the time we arrived. She hugged Donovan goodbye, and then he shook Senna’s hand before giving me a curt nod. “See you soon, Mr. Hammel.”
“Quite soon,” I agreed.
Donovan drove off, and we headed into the airport to go through the whole process of checking in and going through security once more.
Our flight was delayed by two hours.
I entertained the girls by grabbing us a deck of cards from one of the shops in the terminal. We sipped bottles of water because staying hydrated while on a flight was the best way to avoid the illnesses other travelers might have brought on board with them, and we played several games.
Mostly Go Fish.
After losing my fourth game in a row, I tossed my cards down. “All right, I give. You’re just too good, Lily.”
She collected the cards like she’d just scored a big pot in a poker tournament. “Thank you. It’s my favorite game.”
“It would be mine if I won every hand, too,” I grumbled.
Senna chuckled. “Don’t be grumpy, Zach.”
“Yeah, don’t be grumpy, Zach,” Lily echoed.
Somehow, they talked me into playing another game, which I inevitably lost, and as Lily collected the cards, we were called for business-class boarding.
Lily took the same seat by the window that she had before. Senna sat beside her, and I took the aisle seat, which I didn’t mind. Takeoff wasn’t as exciting as it had been the first go around because Lily wasn’t a fresh flyer anymore. She still enjoyed takeoff, though, and the three of us played a game of who could keep their feet off the floor the longest, which resulted in a lot of moaning and groaning as the muscles in our legs strained against the force.
I caved first.
For show and the laughs, of course.
By the time we were halfway through the flight and munching on bags of peanuts, Lily had fallen asleep. Her lips were parted and crooked as her head dipped down and her cheek slid across her palm.
Senna crossed one leg over the other and popped a peanut in her mouth. “So, I’ve been thinking.”
“Should I be scared?”
She glowered at me. “No.”
“Sorry, it’s just that I don’t know what to expect from you anymore. I mean, are you going to bully me like normal, or try to take my pants off and—”
“Zach!” she hissed playfully.
“What? I’m serious! You’re the flip flopper here, not me.”
“Oh please. I’m not a flip flopper.”
“All right. What were you going to say then?”
She pursed her lips together to fight the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.
I laughed and slapped my knee. “Oh God. Spit it out, woman. I’m dying already.”
“Well. First, I was going to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Yes. For all of this. For what you did for Lily. And for me.”
“What did I do?”
Senna rolled her eyes at me, but she was still smiling. “Why must you make everything harder than it needs to be? I’m trying to thank you. Stop ruining it.”
“All right. All right. I’m sorry. Tell me again how thankful you are.”
She jabbed me in the ribs with her index finger. We both snorted, trying to keep our laughter to a minimum so as not to wake Lily. Then she leaned in and rested her chin in her hand. “This means a lot to me. I never would have been able to do something like this for Lily. And she deserves it. So thank you for making this possible for us. I am so grateful.”
I put a hand on hers. “You’re welcome.”
“See? Was that so hard?”
I grinned.
She shook her head at me. “And there’s something else.”
“Go ahead.”
She took a deep breath. “I think I’ll talk to Edith when we get back to Austin. About what would be best for the two of us and our businesses.”
I felt my eyebrows draw together. “What brought this on?”
She shrugged one shoulder and broke our gaze. “I think I got to know you better, and I stopped being so defensive. I don’t think you would fight for me to do something that would be bad for me and Lily in the long run. Would you?”
“Never,” I said firmly.
She bit her bottom lip. “Then I think maybe it’s time for me to stop being so stubborn. I think it’s time I consider my other options and think about what might be best for everyone involved, not just my pride.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that. Not a damn word.
Senna spared me by continuing. “But I worry.”
“About?”
She lifted her eyes back to mine, so bright and clear and blue. “If I sign the paperwork, will that be the last we see of you, Zach?”
“What? God no. This has been just as eye opening for me as I think it’s been for you, Senna. I mean that. The last few days—I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I just feel different. Does that make any sense at all?”
Senna nodded. “It makes perfect sense.”
Senna and I spent the rest of the flight holding hands.
The three of us stood at baggage claim after the flight landed. Lily was still rather comatose and draped over Senna’ shoulder, so I kept a wary eye on the carousel, waiting for our suitcases to come around on the belt. When they did, I squeezed through the crowd and lifted them down before wheeling them back to meet up with the girls.
“Bob should be here any minute,” I told them as we made our way to the terminal exit where the pickup location was. “Do you have to go to the shop or are you heading home?”
“Definitely home,” Senna said. “I think somebody is going to have a nap while Momma curls up with a book in the bathtub.”
I very much wished I could be that book.
We emerged outside. It was five o’clock in the evening and still very hot out. I looked both ways, searching for Bob, but didn’t see his SUV anywhere.
Then my phone started to buzz. I pulled it out of my pocket and groaned as Ryan’s name flashed across the screen.
“Senna, I’m sorry, I have to take this. Can you give me a minute?”
She nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll watch for Bob.”
“Thanks,” I said, and then I answered the call and lifted the phone to my ear as I put some distance between me and the girls. “Ryan, this isn’t a good time. Can I call—”
“No. You cannot. You were supposed to keep me in the loop, Hammel. And you know what I woke up to this morning? A notice that you used company money to book flights and three passes to fucking Disney World. What are you up to over there?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, sliding my fingers up under my glasses. “It will be worth it. Trust me. It’s part of the deal I’m closing.”
“Closing my ass. You’re down there getting your jollies on the company’s dime. I’m going to have to bring this to Woodbury if you don’t get your shit together, Hammel. You’ve had weeks down there, and you’re still coming up empty. How long do you expect me to wait around for good news from you? Huh?”
“Listen. You can pull me off this right now if you want to, but I’m close. The business owners and I are finally on the same page, and I will s
ee this through, and everyone will come out on top. All right? You just need to give me a little more time.”
“How much time?”
I sighed. “I can’t give you a concrete amount, Ryan. Just—just—”
“Just what?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from losing my cool. It didn’t help. “If you call Woodbury now, you will be singlehandedly fucking this deal up, Ryan. And the money I’ve spent and the resources the company has exhausted on closing this will have all been for nothing. That will be on your head because you’d better believe I’ll make sure Woodbury knows it was you who put a stop to it. It was you who shut down one of the most lucrative contracts this company has ever gotten, all because of a petty grudge you have against an employee. Do what you want. The ball is in your court.”
Ryan sputtered with disbelief on the other end of the line.
I hung up on him.
Fuck him and his pompous, arrogant attitude. And fuck him for disliking me simply because I was good at my job. This deal was going to be a gamechanger for me. Even if he pulled the plug, I would see it through on my own dime and bring it straight to Woodbury after the papers were signed.
I wasn’t giving in. No way. Not when I’d come this far, and everything was finally falling into place. It was going to work out for me, and it would work out for Senna and Edith too.
I would make sure of that.
Chapter 30
Senna
Zach leaned in to kiss me goodbye when Bob pulled into our driveway just after six o’clock on the Thursday that our flight got in from Orlando. He’d ridden in the back beside me, which was a first, and a bit squishy, but I enjoyed how he kept his hand on my knee for the duration of the drive while Lily slept in her booster seat on my other side.
When I got out, he helped me bring everything inside, and then he apologized for having to go, kissed my cheek, and went back out to the car.
I stood in the doorway like a fool and waved goodbye.
After closing the front door, I shook my head at myself. “What is wrong with you, girl?”
“Momma?” Lily stirred on my shoulder.
“Yes, bunny?”
“Are we home?”
“Yes. I’m going to take you into your room, and you can go to sleep, okay? It’s been a long day.”
She nodded into my shoulder and didn’t say anything. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted into a deep sleep. I took off her shoes and covered her with her blanket before sneaking soundlessly out of the room and standing in my living room.
I took a breath.
The trip had been wonderful—magical even—but it still felt nice to be home.
I spent the next hour unpacking and starting a load of laundry. I made myself a cup of tea and a vegetarian sandwich with the things that were still fresh in my fridge—cucumber, cream cheese, tomato, spinach, and purple onion. Then I sat in my favorite corner on my sofa and turned the TV on to watch a mindless episode of a funny sitcom.
My phone buzzed with a text from Edith.
Hey. You home? I miss you!
I smiled and texted her back to invite her over. She texted back within seconds that she was on her way.
I had enough time to wash my plate and add more water to the kettle to indulge in a second cup of tea before Edith knocked on the front door. I let her in, and she gave me a big, warm hug before shimmying into the kitchen and grabbing herself a mug from one of my cupboards.
“So, how was it?” she asked, putting her back to the kitchen counter and leaning against it. “Tell me everything.”
“Everything?” I teased.
“Yes, everything. It was so weird being apart from you for so many days. I feel like I missed out on so much.”
It was true. She’d missed out on a lot. Like Zach and I hooking up several times at the hotel. And me starting to develop something I still refused to call “feelings” for him.
“We’ll pour the tea and get comfortable, and I’ll tell you everything,” I said.
“Excellent. Where’s Lily?”
“Sleeping. She had a long day. Traveling takes a lot out of you. Especially when you’re little.”
“Fair enough,” Edith said.
The kettle started to boil. I dropped two tea bags in my floral-printed tea pot and poured the hot water over them before putting the lid back on. We stood on either side of the kitchen counter while it steeped.
“How was business the last few days?” I asked. “Did anyone say anything about my shop being closed?”
Edith shook her head. “No. I barely had anyone come through the door. Just some pickups for custom orders I filled months ago before the street was so empty.”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It was definitely time to start considering whether staying in our current location was the best idea for us long term. I didn’t want Edith to go broke because she was sticking her neck out for me. And I didn’t want to go broke, either. This wasn’t just about me and my shop and what I saw for its future.
In the end, this was all about Lily.
I wanted to show her how to be a strong woman. And sometimes, being strong didn’t mean sticking to your guns even when the cold hard facts were looking you in the eye, screaming, “you can’t beat this.”
We couldn’t beat the mall. There was no scenario where Apricot Lane suddenly flooded with business again, our stores got busy, and we started making the money we were making before Woodbury Mall showed up in all its hideous glory.
No, it was time to look at other options.
I just had no idea how to pose that to Edith after asking her to stand by me for so long. After telling her over and over that what we were doing was right and that it had to be done. And if no one else would rise to the occasion, it would have to be us.
I had been on a mission, fighting a David against Goliath type of battle. I wasn’t thinking clearly or seeing the larger picture.
Now it was like I was looking through a different lens, like the version of the world that Zach saw and the version that I saw had somehow come together and created a new picture where it was possible for both the big-box stores and malls to coexist with little boutiques like mine.
I just had to take the initiative to find the solution that worked for me. And for Edith.
Edith pushed herself off the counter and poured us each our tea. I fixed mine with one teaspoon of sugar and a drop of milk. Edith did the same but added more milk. We stirred our cups and brought them into the living room. I took one corner of the sofa, and she took the other.
I took a sip and warned Edith it was hot before asking, “What do you want to know?”
“I thought we established that I wanted to know everything.”
I smiled. “Well, where should I start? How amazing Disney World was, how much fun Lily had, what we saw, how I invited myself into Zach’s room two nights in a row and had sex with him?”
Edith’s eyes nearly doubled in size. “You did?”
“I did.”
“Two nights in a row?”
“Yep.”
“And the sex was good?”
“Each time better than the time before.”
“Wait. Hold up. How many times did you two, you know, do the deed?”
“I think five.”
“Five?” she asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Yeah, sounds right.”
Edith fanned her face. “I need to get myself a man.”
“Or a vibrator.” I giggled.
“Not the same. Not even close. A vibrator can’t…” She trailed off.
I arched an eyebrow. “Can’t what?”
She took an innocent sip of tea. “Can’t make you feel the same way as a man can. Can’t touch you the way a man can. I miss muscles, Senna. Like seriously.”
I threw my head back and laughed, nearly spilling my tea all over myself. Edith turned bright pink, but she laughed too, and when we both got it under control, I caught her eye. I was
just going to have to come out and say it. Then we could talk about everything else.
“This trip made me think a lot about us and our current situation with the shops,” I said blatantly.
“Oh?”
I swallowed nervously. “Yeah. I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a huge hypocrite, so I’m just going to say it, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I think maybe we need to start looking at the possibility of relocating.”
My words hung between us for a few paralyzing seconds.
Then Edith leaned forward and put her hand on my knee. “Just because you change your mind doesn’t mean you’re a hypocrite, Senna. You don’t have to hold fast to every statement you make. There is wiggle room to make new choices. I think relocating is a good idea.”
“You do?”
My best friend nodded. “Yes. I mean, what do we have to lose? We can basically guarantee that wherever we move to will have better foot traffic. Maybe we can find a community that was similar to Apricot Lane that has the option for longer leases. Places that offer things like that have no intention of selling out or redeveloping soon. And if it’s in an area where business is booming, why would they?”
Relief washed over me. Could it really be that easy? Could we just let go of everything we’d been fighting tooth and nail for just like that?
“Does Zach know you’re thinking about doing this?”
I nodded. “Yes, I talked to him about it this morning.”
“And?”
“He’s thrilled of course. It means a big payday for him.”
“Yes, but aside from that, does he think it’s the right move for us?”
“He has since the beginning. I just wasn’t willing to listen. Or trust him. But I think you were right all along, Edith. He actually is a good person. He cares for us. He cares for Lily. He wouldn’t put us in a bad situation. At least, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t.”
“He wouldn’t,” Edith said confidently. “We can trust him. He wants what is best for everyone involved. And so do we, right?”
“Right.”
Good Luck Charm: A Single Mother Romance Page 18