by Holly Renee
By the time we got to the bakery to drop Parker and Livy at their car, I knew that I needed to go home. To my home. I was too caught up in my own head to spend the night with Brandon. We had spent every night together since that first night he had come to my apartment, and I needed to clear my head.
I moved toward my car, but Brandon caught my hand. “Where are you going?”
“My car’s here.” It was the only thing I could think to say.
“I’ll bring you back here in the morning. Stay with me tonight.”
I shook my head and tried not to let my word vomit happen. “Tomorrow is a big day. I just need to get some rest.”
“I’ll let you get at least a bit of rest.” He squeezed my hand.
His words seemed to flame the fire that was burning inside me. “I’m sure you could call someone else if you need sex that badly tonight.”
He jolted back as if I had struck him. “What are you talking about?”
I pulled my hand from his and rubbed it along my forehead where a headache was forming. “Tomorrow is a big day,” I tried again. “I can’t afford any distractions tonight. I can’t let anything fuck this up.”
He looked at me like he had never seen me before. “So, I’m just a distraction now?”
I didn’t have a clue what he was.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just stressed out and—”
“Fine.” He didn’t let me finish. “You go home distraction free where no one will be there to fuck up your big day.” He started walking back to his car.
“Brandon,” I called out his name, but he didn’t stop.
I knew I was an asshole, I knew that I was ruining everything, but I didn’t stop him.
CHAPTER 26
CHERRY ON TOP
Charlie
I had only had a few hangovers in my lifetime, but when I woke up this morning, I had felt worse than all of those times combined. As soon as I walked into my quiet, empty apartment, I let the tears fall.
They fell for so many reasons that I couldn’t keep them straight. It was Brandon and my stupid decision to let that girl get to me. It was the opening of the bakery. Everything I had ever wanted was in the grasp of my hand, but it could slip away just as easily if I failed.
And I could fail.
I was more likely to fail than not.
It ate at me, that thought.
So, I cried. I sat on my couch, and I cried and cried.
I should have called him. I knew that I should have sucked up my pride and called and apologized, but I let all that fear stop me.
What if that girl was right? What if he didn’t do more? What if what I had with Brandon was all he was willing to give?
That thought stopped me in my tracks.
When I arrived at the bakery, my parents were already waiting inside. My mom took one look at me and instantly knew that something was wrong. It was a mom thing, I know, but my mom seemed to be better at it than most.
“What happened?” She pulled me into the bathroom with her and quickly pulled out her makeup bag. I sat down on the toilet and let her do what she wanted. I hadn’t even managed to put on makeup this morning. I couldn’t stand to look in the mirror.
She pulled out a makeup wipe and started scrubbing under my eyes.
“I don’t know.” The tears threatened to fall again as soon as the words came out of my mouth.
“Okay,” she said in a calm voice that I knew was meant to calm me as well. “If it’s something we can’t fix then we will worry about it tomorrow.” She reached down and gently gripped my chin in her hand. “Is it something we can fix?”
“I don’t know,” I repeated the only words I could think of. I had no idea if I could fix it. I didn’t know what there was to fix.
My mom threw the dirty makeup wipe in the trash then started pulling products out of her bag. “Let’s get you fixed up then.” She smiled down at me. “There isn’t anything a little mascara and lipstick won’t fix.”
I nodded my head and tried to muster a smile as she took her time putting makeup on my face.
She squatted down in front of me and gripped my hands in hers. “Today is about you, my girl.” She twisted one of my curls around her finger and pushed it back out of my face. “Nothing else matters.”
“Right.” I took a deep breath as I stood up off the toilet and looked in the mirror. I had to give her credit. I didn’t look like I had only slept a couple of hours last night. I looked pretty. I looked like today was one of the biggest days of my life.
We walked back out into the bakery where my dad was making sure everything was lined up in the case. We were only thirty minutes from opening, and a small line had formed just outside the door. As soon as I saw it, my heart started pounding in my chest.
My Facebook page had a big response around the grand opening, but I still hadn’t known what to expect. A line forming before we opened wasn’t it.
“Okay.” I pulled my pink apron over my head with my brand-new Cherry on Top logo printed on the chest. “Mom is going to run the register. Sorry, Dad.”
He rolled his eyes, but we both knew that he was horrible at computers. He was more likely to break it than be helpful.
“Dad.”
He interrupted me before I could finish. “I know. I know. I’m the Walmart greeter and the restocker. Give me an apron.”
I shot him some air guns, and he laughed as he tied the bright pink apron around his back.
Everything looked perfect. The display case didn’t have a blemish on it after I had wiped it down at least thirty different times, and all the items I had baked looked perfect inside it.
I looked at the clock and took a deep breath as I prepared to open the door. A knock on the glass caught my attention, and I smiled when I saw Livy and Staci standing outside. I quickly let them in, and Livy handed me a stack full of cards and a hole punch.
“What can we do to help?” Staci asked from beside her.
I looked down at the small cards in my hands. “What are these?”
“Oh.” Livy looked up at Staci. “They are reward cards. For every ten dollars they spend, they get a hole punch. When the card is filled, they get fifty dollars toward any service at our shop.”
My hands shook around the cards. “What?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank us.” Staci grabbed an apron that my mom held out to her and started tying it around her waist. “That was all Brandon.”
Of course, it was. Of course, Brandon would be this thoughtful when I was a complete and total asshole.
“I messed up,” I whispered to them.
“We know.” Staci threw an apron to Livy. “But we’ll deal with that after we open your bakery. He’ll forgive you.”
That was exactly what we did. I twisted the lock and propped open the front doors and began to welcome people into my bakery.
My bakery.
That I owned.
There were clearly some people there who were taking advantage of the deal Brandon had set up, but people were excited. I shook so many hands and got so many hugs as people in the community congratulated me on the opening of the bakery, and everyone loved the food. I had to put a limit on how much Staci and Livy ate while they helped so I didn’t run out, but it was all going perfectly.
Then Brandon walked in.
My mom, Livy, and Staci all turned their heads in my direction as soon as they saw him. But Brandon didn’t come straight for me. Instead, he walked up to my dad and shook his hand. I couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other because there were too many people inside the bakery, and I regretted my decision to never learn the art of reading lips.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” my mom asked from the register.
“I don’t know.” I bit down on my thumbnail. I hadn’t really said all that much to my dad about Brandon. I was certain that my mom had relayed everything I ha
d told her.
Dad shook his hand one more time then pointed in my direction. As soon as Brandon’s gaze met mine, my heart started hammering in my chest.
“It looks great,” Brandon said as soon as he got close to me.
“Brandon,” I called out his name like a plea.
“It looks like the reward cards are doing great.” He lifted one of the cards in his hands, and my mom, Livy, and Staci all tried to look like they weren’t listening in to every word we said.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He brought his gaze back up to mine. “I wanted to.”
“Can we talk?” I nodded toward the back, and I saw him battle with himself over whether or not he would say yes. “Please.”
His eyes softened, just slightly, but he nodded his head once and followed me back.
“I’m sorry,” I said the words before the door could even close behind him. “That girl said things that fucked with my head, and I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was stressed out about all this then her, and I took it out on you.”
“What girl?” Brandon narrowed his eyes.
“It’s not important. I should have trusted you. I do trust you.” I ran my hands through my hair.
“What girl, Charlie?”
“That girl at the bar. Alicia.”
I saw him tense, if only fractionally. “What did she say to you?” He took a step toward me then stopped himself.
“She said that the two of you were on again off again.”
He opened his mouth, but I started again before he could say anything.
“Which is fine. You haven’t made me any promises.” I started pacing in the small space. “She asked me if I was dating you because she hadn’t heard from you in a few days. That part hurt because you were with me every day for the last week.”
“Charlie,” he said my name calmly.
“When I told her we weren’t official, she said…” I looked up at him. “She said that was because you never would.” I turned away from him and started pacing again.
“Freckles.” He reached out for me, and I could physically feel an ache in my chest.
“I had no right to say what I said.”
“You’re right.” He nodded but gripped my hands in his. “But she was wrong.”
I finally looked up at him.
“I haven’t talked to Alicia in over six months. But she was also right.”
I nodded my head like I understood, but I didn’t. I didn’t want him to say the things that I couldn’t stand to hear him say out loud.
“She was right when she said I would never be official.”
I tensed under his touch.
“With her.” His finger touched below my chin and brought my gaze back to meet his. “I didn’t want that with her, Freckles, but I want it with you.”
“You do?” I could hear the desperation in my own voice.
“Of course, I do. I thought that was obvious.” He chuckled.
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you.”
“I need to make one thing clear.” He pulled me closer to him and rested his hand on my hip.
“You, Freckles, are my girlfriend whether you like it or not.”
I snorted and looked up at him with a giant smile on my face. “I like it. A lot.”
CHAPTER 27
FRECKLES
Charlie
I had just finished locking the door to the bakery, and I was dead on my feet. It was my third official day as a bakery owner, and I was pretty sure that I could fall asleep standing up if I stood still long enough.
The opening of the bakery had exceeded my expectations. Every day since then I expected it to slow down, but it hadn’t. My mom had been there almost every second of every day to help me, but I realized that if things stayed this busy, I was going to have to hire someone. That thought had never even occurred to me before.
I gripped the reward card in my hand and walked into Brandon’s shop. We had been together every spare second we had since the day the bakery opened. Brandon had forgiven me so easily and so fully, and I didn’t feel one hundred percent worthy of his forgiveness. He was too good for me.
He was cleaning up his station when I knocked on the door outside his room, and he smiled up at me just as he put his tattoo gun away in a drawer.
“You may need to get that back out.” I tossed the fully punched reward card down on his tattoo seat and his gaze jumped up to mine.
He picked up the card and stared at it for a moment. “You mean to tell me that you’ve already made all of these purchases at Cherry on Top?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I hear I’m their top customer.” I sat down on the chair and kissed his lips as I passed.
“That would be wrong. It’s a known fact that I’m their best costumer. Plus,” he raised his hand to whisper, “I hear that I’ve been sleeping with the boss.”
“Well, aren’t you a bad boy?” I crossed my legs and rested my elbow on my knees as I rubbed my chin.
“That’s what I hear.” He sat down on his stool and looked up at me.
“Are you telling me that I can’t use this reward card?” I flicked it back in forth in my hand.
“I’m not saying that at all.” He crossed his arms. “I just want to make sure that you are sure.”
“I’m sure.” I nodded my head. I had been thinking about it for days. I wanted a tattoo from him. I wanted him to ink my body.
“What are we doing then?” He tossed my reward card down on his table.
“That’s up to you.”
His gaze jumped back to mine. “Where are we doing it?”
“I may have a few objections, but that’s up to you as well.”
He rubbed his hand over the scruff on his chin. “You mean to tell me that I get to do any tattoo I want on any part of your body I want?”
He didn’t look like he believed me.
“That’s right.”
“What if I do a giant octopus that looks like its eating your belly button?” He grinned.
“You won’t.”
“But how do you know?” He leaned toward me, and the smell of his cologne made my stomach tighten.
“Because I trust you.” I touched my fingers to his cheek and pulled him close enough to me to press my mouth to his.
“Take your shirt off and lie on your stomach.” He stood from his stool and started pulling out supplies.
“You already know what you’re going to do?” I pulled my t-shirt over my head then laid on my stomach like he had instructed.
“Yup.” He grinned down at me.
“You don’t even need to like look at pictures of something?” I leaned up on my elbows.
“What? No.” He shook his head like I was crazy.
“You just thought of what to do? Just like that?” I snapped my fingers.
“Freckles, I have been thinking about what I’ve wanted to tattoo on you since the moment I met you.”
“Really?” That was incredibly sweet. Unless he thought about that with everyone he met. I guess it could have been a part of the job.
“Really.” He pulled out a pair of black gloves and snapped them onto his hands.
“Now lie down and don’t look back here.” He smiled, and God, I loved that smile.
“I don’t get to look at all?” I dropped my elbows and laid my head against the chair.
“Not until I’m done.” He was making all sorts of noises from behind me, and I realized that I had no idea what all actually went into doing a tattoo.
He pressed against the back of my neck and I jumped. He chuckled but pushed me back against the chair. “I’m only drawing on you right now. You can’t jump like that when I start. You’ll just have a big squiggly line for a tattoo.”
“I’m nervous.” I took a deep breath. “Are you tattooing my neck?”
“I thought you trusted me?” He leaned down to look me in the eye.
“I do. I do.” I took a deep breath. “Just tell me before you start tattooing.
He didn’t talk to me for several minutes after that. I tried to keep up with the lines that he drew at the base of my neck, but it was like that game where someone drew with their finger on your back. I was thinking it was a gargoyle, but it was probably a bunny.
“Are you ready?” The loud buzz of his tattoo gun filled the room, and I could feel that buzzing inside me. My nerves seem to be jumping at the same pace.
“Yeah.” I shook my head then took a deep breath.
His fingers pressed against my neck before the gun finally touched me. It was painful, sure, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had thought.
But it still hurt.
“How are you doing?” Brandon continued to ask me over and over as he worked.
“I’m okay.” My voice was muffled against my arms.
“We’re almost done.” He promised and continued to work.
I don’t know how long it took for him to finish, but I knew that I could have fallen asleep in that chair if it wasn’t for the needles.
“Alright.” Brandon gently smacked my ass. “Are you ready to see if you made a mistake by trusting me?”
I nudged him out of my way and he laughed as I made my way in front of the full-length mirror. He held a handheld mirror out to me, and I turned. He was watching me so carefully as I lifted the mirror, and I realized that he was holding his breath.
My eyes fluttered to the mirror in my hand, and I took a step backward toward the big mirror as soon as I laid my eyes on the tattoo.
It was almost hard to see. The color of ink he used blended seamlessly with the freckles that covered my body. I didn’t know what I was expecting. I prayed that he didn’t just tattoo a giant donut on my neck. But what met my eyes was far more than I could have expected.
The tattoo itself was a series of paper-thin lines that connected from one freckle to the next. It was like it was always meant to be there. Like it had been there already, but Brandon was the only one who could see it.
