Page 102 of Always a Bridesmaid
“That’s the plan. My car doesn’t have a ton of room, and it’s about a three-and-a-half-hour drive, so I was sorta hoping…” Violet’s gaze lifted to him, and he did his best to stifle the panic ravaging his insides. “I thought we could go on a mini road trip to pick them up if you have time. Maybe meet my mom for a late lunch before heading back?”
A road trip. To pick up wedding supplies. Meeting her mom…
The walls seemed to be closing in around him, his lungs only allowing shallow, fruitless breaths in and out.
“Perfect,” Priscilla said, not waiting for an answer—although what was he going to say? No? After promising Violet he’d always show up.
Would she give him an ultimatum, the way his exes had done? Now she was planning road trips, assuming he’d go along.
As soon as she mentions weddings and babies, it’s time to cut and run.Dad’s words rang in his head, slightly unfair when it came to the W word, because planning Addie’s nuptials were why they’d come over tonight.
“…totally help you throw them together.” Violet turned to Lexi, excitement and a whole heap of longing radiating from her. Then they were talking a hundred miles an hour, and he was telling himself not to freak out, not to freak out, not to freak out.
Meanwhile, his throat ignored his mind’s advice and continued to grow tighter and tighter.
Until he was the lone dude standing in a room, slowly suffocating from all the talk of matrimony.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Maisy.”
Bowl after bowl hit the counter as Maisy went berserk on her kitchen. Violet readjusted her grip on Isla, who’d been thrust into her hands about two minutes previously. Right after Maisy looked at the giant table packed with refreshments and declared, “I’m not sure that’s going to be enough.”
Violet placed herself and Isla between Maisy and the ingredients she’d begun pulling off the shelf. “Slow down for a second.”
“Can’t slow down. If everyone chooses chocolate cupcakes, there won’t be enough to go around. Or do you think everyone will want vanilla today? Strawberry sells well in the summer, which is just around the corner—why didn’t I whip up some of those?”
Violet gripped Maisy’s shoulder with her free hand. “If anyone complains about free cupcakes to celebrateyourgrand reopening, I’ll tell them to shove their comments where the sun don’t shine.”
While blocking Maisy with her entire body had been only partially successful, that remark landed. “You can’t tell people that.”
“Or what? They’ll go to the other bakery in town?” Violet ran her hand up and down Maisy’s arm, switching from stopping her movements to attempting to reassure her. “The people of Uncertainty love you and your treats, and we have more than enough to go around. Now, step away from the mixer, or I’ll start pushing buttons on your oven.”
Maisy gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Violet shuffled toward the oven, one finger extended. “Which one should we push, Isla?”
“Hello?” The deep voice coming from the front of the bakery kickstarted Violet’s heart in a different way than Maisy’s jitters had done.
“Ooh, Ford’s here. Let’s go say hi.” Violet readjusted her grip on Isla’s chubby thigh and herded Maisy out of the kitchen. “He brought a ladder so we can hang the banner without standing on the freshly painted tables and breaking our necks. See? It’ll all be okay.”
They’d been prepping since sunrise, the bakery closed for its first weekday in forever. Since Maisy wanted Isla at the opening, she’d picked her up early from daycare while Violet placed cupcakes on tables and arranged the DIY reupholstered chairs.
The bakery looked amazing, all colorful and delicious. Not to toot her own horn, but the touches she’d added had completely transformed the place.
“Hey, Mr. Hot Handyman,” Violet said, leaning in for a quick kiss on Ford’s lips. While her nerves had taken a backseat to Maisy’s, they’d still been unraveling bit by bit. With Ford here to help her survive being in the same room as Dad, Cheryl, and the rest of the town, the decibel level on her anxiety lowered to a whisper.
As Ford climbed the ladder to hang the grand opening sign, Violet sashayed over to her water bottle, humming to Isla about how the party was going to be a huge success. Over this past month, she’d gotten rather good at optimism. It helped that she didn’t have to work as hard to find silver linings or redirect negative thoughts.
Thanks to the guy currently lifting and lowering the sign 0.2 inches to fit Maisy’s instructions, the bright side surrounded her. She had an incredible boyfriend, an amazing sister, and thanks to a photo session with Shelby, Dylan, and the rest of their charming family yesterday, confirmation that her muse was back.
Out of the corner of her eye, Violet caught a flash of Maisy’s yellow floral shirt—she was headed to the kitchen.
Seriously? I’m going to have to duct tape the woman to one of the colorful chairs.
Ford stepped off the ladder and turned. “Anything else?”
“Here,” she said, handing Isla to him. “Hold her for a quick minute while I go tackle my sister.”
