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“Nope. Just us girls and Gabriel,” Piper spoke. “We’ll eat, drink, dance, plan a bachelorette party, and have a fun day.”
“Okay. Count me in.” I smiled. “What time are you all getting together?”
“We’ll meet in the marina parking lot at nine a.m.,” Ava said. “Have you been to the bakery yet?”
“No. I’m going after I leave here.”
“Come on.” Ava smiled as she grabbed my hand. “I was over there before I came here. The crew put the counters in this morning and hung all the light fixtures. Wait until you see them!”
I walked into the bakery, and suddenly, tears filled my eyes. It was all coming together, which made it seem real. The kitchen was the first to be completed, and now the front of the shop was almost finished.
“When is the sign coming?” Ava asked.
“Monday. Along with the tables, chairs, and couches we ordered.”
I spent the next few days stocking the bakery kitchen with everything I needed and organizing it. Not only did it need to be done, but it was my way of keeping busy and my mind off Carter. Once I finished with the kitchen, I stood in the middle of the bakery with a smile as I looked around. Soon, the displays would be stocked with freshly baked sweets, and my business would be underway.
“This is for you, Grandma. What do you think?”
I locked up and headed home.
I was excited to meet the girls at the marina. It seemed like it had been forever since I’d had any fun. I spent my days dealing with the bakery and my nights sitting alone with Ben and Jerry and Netflix. I hadn’t heard from Carter since that day at the bakery, and a part of me was grateful. He made it hard to resist him, but he’d be grateful I did in the end.
Climbing out of the car, I hugged each of the girls and Gabriel.
“You know I’m the luckiest man in the world, right?” He grinned.
“Why is that?” Piper asked.
“Because I’m one man surrounded by all of you beautiful women.” He hooked his arm around her and kissed the side of her head.
I smiled at how cute they were. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t a bit envious. We climbed on the boat and stayed up on the deck while Gabriel undocked the boat. Alex made us mimosas to start our day as we set out to the open water.
“To all of my sisters.” Jenni held up her glass. “May we have the best kid-free, husband-free day ever.”
We all clanked our glasses together and sat down on the deck. I stared at the hot tub, and memories of when Carter first brought me on the boat filled my mind. It was such a beautiful day and one I’d never forget.
“Earth to Zoey.” Ava waved her hand in front of my face.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” I snapped out of my daze and looked at her.
“Are you okay?” Piper asked.
“Yeah. I’m great.” I smiled. “I was just thinking about the bakery.”
“No. No. No.” Jenni shook her finger. “No thinking about work today.”
“Oh, Zoey.” Piper grabbed my hand. “Come with me. I need to show you this dress. I just got it in at the shop, and the minute I saw it, I knew it would look adorable on you.”
She led me down to one of the rooms and pulled the dress from the closet.
“Babe, I need you for a minute,” I heard Gabriel shout.
“Look the dress over and let me know what you think. I’ll be right back.” She smiled.
The dress was adorable and totally my style. It was taking a long time for Piper to return, so I hung the dress in the closet and used the bathroom before heading back to the deck. When I was done in the bathroom, I opened the door and walked down the hallway to the living area. My heart started racing, and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Carter standing there with his hands tucked tightly in the pockets of his black cargo shorts.
“Hi, Zoey.” He smiled.
