Kathy sighed. “I didn’t want to leave here. I wasn’t ready. But I also couldn’t be up there, in our bed, walking past his workroom.” She shrugged. “Plus, I know how busy you are, honey. I didn’t want to impose.”
“Never,” Noah said, standing up to press a kiss to their mom’s cheek. “Do you want to stay here?”
She nodded. “It’s better now April’s here. The house doesn’t feel so … empty.”
April came to their mom’s other side, wrappingan arm around her and squinting against the bright sunshine that poured into the room. The warmth enveloped the three of them and she could almost imagine it was her dad, reaching out through the light and keeping them all close.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Oh,April,” Emma breathed.
“Are youkiddingme?” Izzy muttered under her breath.
April’s nerves were already frayed as she looked at her two best friends, their eyes wide in astonishment. After waiting for what felt like another five minutes to see if they’d say anything more, she finally caved. “Well? What do you guys think?”
“This is incredible!” Emma beamed at her, finally turning her gaze to April’s face, which split into a smile as wide as Emma’s.
“You did this in …” Izzy paused to count on her fingers. “Three weeks? That’s insane! I actually can’t believe how different this place looks!”
The three of them, plus Noah, were standing in what had once been her dad’s run-down old dive bar but had now been transformed into a store that was almost unrecognizable. The entire shop, barring the floor and shelving unit, had been painted a beautiful, glorious green. April had also made a start adding painted flowers to the exposed areas of wall, bringingeven more joyful color to the space. Sunlight streamed through the windows, which were framed by plush pink drapes that April had hung the night before.
“Well it wasn’tjustme,” said April, modestly. “As much as it pains me to admit it, I couldn’t have done it without Noah—to be honest, he’s done most of the heavy lifting here.” She glanced over at Noah, whose eyes were fixed on her face, a small smile playing around his eyes. She quickly added, “And Ethan Blake, too. He’ssotalented. He basically executed my very sketchy vision perfectly.”
“Uh-huh,” said Emma, seemingly mesmerized as she wandered farther into the store, running her hand along April’s best thrift find to date: an antique solid-oak L-shaped counter that she was going to use as a cash register and flower-wrapping station.
The fruit of all Noah’s hard work over the last week and a half was positioned against the opposite wall: the custom shelving unit, perfect for storing seeds and bulbs, and bouquets along the bottom in buckets that slotted into the wood. The structure had been secured to the wall the night before and was ready to be painted. April had settled on a dusky pink, to stand out against the green walls, and had asked Emma and Izzy to help her out with this final bit of painting that morning.
Izzy had walked over to the back corner, where a few vases were stood in a box on the floor. “These are so cute, April—where did you get them?”
“Oh, my mom and I did a little trip round some of the vintage stores on Sunday and picked a few out. I can’t decide if I just want to use them for displays or if I want to sell them.”
“Definitely keep—they work so well with the store’s vibe,” said Emma decisively, eyes bouncing from the vases to the vintage light fixtures which were hung along the walls. On gloomier days than this, they would cast the store in a warm, inviting glow.
Izzy turned to the right-hand wall. “These shelves are so cool. I wish I could get some for my apartment.”
“That could be arranged,” Noah said, his voice low, positioning himself slightlytooclose behind Izzy as she took in the huge unit. “Although it’ll cost you.”
“Call it a special favor,” Izzy countered, throwing a sultry smile over her shoulder.
April’s eyes narrowed, taking in the two of them suspiciously. It was usually Emma and Noah who flirted, and Izzy had always rolled her eyes at their nonsense. But this was …weird.
“Get a room, you two.” Emma’s joking tone thankfully broke the strangely tense silence, and Noah cleared his throat as Izzy hastily moved to the other side of the store.
April pushed the suspicious thoughts from her mind; there was still too much to do ahead of the store’s grand opening, which she had planned for Monday. She couldn’t afford to get sidetracked trying to find outif her best friend and brother were ‘involved’ with each other. The thought alone made her shudder.
“When’s your stock getting delivered, Bug?” Noah asked, pulling his phone out. “I’ll see if I can change my shifts to help you set up.”
“Everything’s coming on Sunday afternoon. The seeds, bulbs, and other non-perishable things will be fine, but I need to make sure I prep the flowers and store them properly so they’re still fresh for Monday’s opening. I’d love a few pairs of hands to help me set things out on Sunday, if you’re free?”
“Yeah, I think I can make that work, Bug. Might mean I have to take an early shift on Monday, though, which is gross.” Noah sounded frustrated, but there was a smile behind his words as he said, “I hate losing out on my beauty sleep.”
“Andboy, do you need it,” quipped Emma.That’s more like it, thought April.
“OK, I’ve got to get to the site, but let me know if you need anything else. Otherwise, I’ll see you on Sunday.”
“Sure thing. And hey.” She walked over to her brother as he pulled his jacket back on. “Seriously, thank you. For all of this. For letting me try something new and supporting me. I love you, Noah.”
Noah’s eyes went strangely misty as he took in his little sister’s face, before he spread his arms wide and engulfed her in an enormous bear hug. “Anything for you, Bug.” A startled laugh burst from April as Noahsqueezed all the air out of her lungs before releasing her. “But hey, maybe as thanks for all my hard work, you couldstopmaking out with my friends in highly inappropriate situations.” He threw a grin over his shoulder as he rushed toward the door before April could swipe at him. “See you later, Em.Izzy.”
