Page 96 of Unravel Me

Shit was finally getting done. She should be happy for me. I’m not at Bourbon Barrel drinking my paycheck away, bringing strangers home to my bed.

“Okay, let’s change the subject, yeah? Cool, thanks.” I flash a toothy, shut the hell up grin to the whole table, and my mom perks her head up.

“Oh! There’s new paper in the windows of the old butcher shop.”

“Huh?” I take a sip of beer, gazing at her.

“I was in town running errands today and saw a crew of guys going inside. There’s paper covering the windows and the rent sign is gone. No one knows what’s going in there, but I heard at the post office someone bought the entire space in cash. Rumor is it might be a bakery!”

My sister starts to respond to my mom, but her words are drowned out by the sinking feeling washing over me.

Every town needs a good bakery; it’s just a fact, Rhett.

A low laugh booms from my chest as I bring the bottle to my lips, shaking my head.

“This is a cruel joke, right?” I mumble to the universe.

I take another cold shower after my family leaves and settle in for the night. Tomorrow will be a long day of catching up on invoices and drafting plans for a new client. As I pull a pair of shorts from the dresser, I pause longer than usual to examine myself in the mirror. My blue eyes look somehow duller, lacking their usual spark. My summer tan remains, a permanent reminder of the time I spend outdoors. Lately, I’ve been spending my evenings on the front porch with Mabel, staying out there until I’m fighting off sleep. It’s far better than being inside, where the memory of Audrey haunts me at every turn.

Her ghost isn’t just in the house but in everything I do. I used to enjoy simple nights alone, walks with Mabel along the meadow, it was all enough.

But that’s the thing about enough. Once you get a taste of better, it’s pretty damn hard to go back to enough.

“Alright Mabel, let’s go,” I call out as I walk through the house, hearing her groan from the couch. I set down my drink, glaring at her, reaching my hand into her treat bin on the counter.

What the hell is this?

There’s a container I never noticed before. A glass to-go container full of the blueberry biscuits.

“How the hell?” I open it, checking to see how fresh they are, when Mabel suddenly appears at my feet, one ear flopped over the top of her head. “When did these get here?” I question her, scratching my head. They can’t be that old. Audrey had to have brought them when she picked up the boots. The ridiculous rhinestone cowboy boots.

I shake my head, not wanting to picture her in my house. I throw one at Mabel, who catches it in the air. I snatch my beer, and march to the porch, letting the screen door slam behind me.

She is everywhere.

Chapter fifty-four

Audrey

“Do you think the town will allow you to get a pink awning?” Penny asks with her hands on her hips, staring at the clapboard building I now officially own. The owner was so thrilled to get it off his hands that when I said I’d pay cash, he nearly threw the deed at me. There were two floors; the first was the shop and the second was an apartment, though no one had lived in it for a while. First, I needed to get this bakery up and running, then I would turn the top into a livable apartment, perhaps for myself.

“Pink?” Furrowing my brow, I looked at my best friend who nodded, chewing her pink lip, probably redesigning the entire thing in her mind. “I was thinking I'd do a neutral palette.”

It was Penny’s first time seeing the space. "Okay but hear me out. Neutral palette, very minimalistic and aesthetic, with pops of pale pink. I think it would be beautiful.”

I stare at the building, trying to visualize what she’s saying. “Okay…” I nod slowly, a small smile on my face. “I can see it.”

Penny looks pleased with herself as I lead her inside the construction zone. Brown paper still lines the front windows. I want everything to be a surprise to the public on opening day. However, the town gossip mill was already going wild with speculation. But I’m good at keeping secrets.

“Oh my gosh, this is…wow.” Penny slides her sunglasses down her nose, peering around the empty shop. I knocked down the interior walls and removed the thick plaster from the side walls to expose the hundred-year-old brick.

“I found someone who is going to restore the original pine floors and the tin ceiling tiles. I want to preserve as much history as I can.” Pride swells in my chest, along with a dash of overwhelm. This business was so out of my element, but I was taking it day by day, figuring it out as I went.

“I’m so excited for you, Aud. This is seriously going to be so cute! People are going to make the drive from the city once they taste your cookies.”

“I can’t believe I bought a building, Penny. Who am I?” I let out a small laugh, feeling slightly lightheaded as I consider the tasks ahead of me.

“I can’t think of anything more perfect than this for you. I mean it. You’re going to transform this place and bring people together in this community. You were never meant to sit behind a desk crunching numbers or whatever you did.” We both laughed because no matter how many times I explained it, Penny never understood my financial job. We walk around a bit more, as I show her some inspiration images for the space.