April walked over to the large oak desk which had once been their dad’s and was now scattered with various order forms and other bits of paperwork. Sliding open the top drawer, she took out a small box and placed it on the desk.
“When Mom and I were clearing out the workroom at home, we found this old sketchbook of Dad’s. It wasfull of all these drawings he’d done over the years, including …” She lifted the lid of the box as she spoke, withdrawing two framed sketches and placing them on the desk. “These two.” Her voice broke a little as she took in the two drawings in matching frames, one of violas and the other of lilies.
“Oh, Bug.” Noah placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and April took a deep breath, gathering herself before going on.
“It just seemed so perfect, I thought why not get them framed and hang them? Like, something to make sure Dad’s memory is preserved in the new store. I was hoping you might help me put them up, as a finishing touch.”
Noah sniffed and cleared his throat loudly before saying, “Yeah, definitely.” April couldn’t help but notice that his voice sounded slightly choked up, and she smiled as she met his eyes. “Give them here—I’ll go hang them behind the counter for you now.”
“Oh, come on, Noah, they’re just flowers. No need to get all emotional,” April said with a little laugh as she handed over the frames.
“Says you, you big hypocrite,” Noah jabbed back, his smile a little watery as he took the sketches and left the office.
April took another deep breath before following Noah back into the store. Emma and Izzy were now busy setting out a seed display on a table at the front. They’d placed the table on a vintage rug she’d thrifteda few weeks back—no doubt that had been Emma’s idea—and it tied the room together perfectly.
Luke was over by the shelving, adjusting the last few buckets to ensure that everything was in the perfect position. Sadie was sniffing around him, clearly intrigued by all the flowers, and stuck her nose into a bucket of tulips before quickly withdrawing, sneezing. April giggled to herself and Sadie padded over, nuzzling her wet nose into April’s palm. Luke looked over at them, taking in the scene as she bent down to press a kiss to Sadie’s head, scratching behind her ears. As April looked up, she caught Luke grinning at them, and returned the smile with a now familiar warmth spreading through her chest. Movement outside the store windows caught her eye, and she saw another delivery truck pull up outside. April’s mouth went dry. This wasn’t a delivery she’d told anyone about, but she couldn’t deny how excited she was. She rushed out to the road, and was followed by the others.
“More flowers?” Luke asked from behind her and she shook her head, signing the clipboard the delivery driver handed over before he unlocked the back of the truck to grab her large parcel. Noah and Luke took it, lowering it to the ground carefully outside of the store’s doorway. “What is it?”
“Heavy,” Noah grunted and April chuckled.
“Well, I was going to wait and surprise you all on opening day. But seeing as it’s here …” April carefully pulled off the tape from the sides of the box and liftedthe packing material away to reveal the sign beneath. “It’s the new store sign.”
Em gasped. “Oh, it’s gorgeous, April.”
She smiled. Itwasgorgeous. Flowers were woven through the lettering design, the gold of the letters catching the sunlight and making the peachy background of the sign look like it was a glowing sunset.
“‘April Blooms’,” Noah read aloud. “I like it.”
“Thank you. I thought it was fitting.”
“Flower puns,” Noah said, nodding, and April laughed.
“Well, yes. But also because it’s how I feel. Since leaving New York, I’ve become a version of myself that I recognize again. I feel like I left the gray behind when I came back home. You guys and Mom … Well, without you all, I don’t know if I’d have gotten to where I am now.” She smiled. “Happy.”
Noah’s eyes shone and April cleared her throat awkwardly.
“I love that,” Noah said quietly. “It’s perfect, Bug.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The day was finally here. April checked her outfit in her mirror for about the tenth time that morning. She’d been plotting with Emma over text what she should wear for the grand opening of April Blooms, and had decided to manifest sunshine and success with a sundress in a pale pink with an all-over print of small flowers that felt very appropriate for the occasion.
She’d pulled her thick blonde hair back into a low bun, which was both professional and a chic vibe, not to mention practical, as it meant she wouldn’t have to worry about her hair getting in her way as she worked. Emma had also booked her in with Rachel again on Sunday evening so that she could get her nails redone for the big day. For a moment she admired the pastel-blue French tip with small daisies dotted on each finger. It felt like the perfect homage to her store: classy but with a colorful and cute twist.
Noah, Emma, and Izzy had all planned to come into the store at various points in the day to make the shop look busy and attract new customers. Though Aprilwas hoping the town would turn out for her, at the very least out of curiosity if nothing else.
She smoothed down her hair and marveled that she’d managed to get her eyeliner wings to flick and match perfectly. Not a hair was out of place, all of her stock had arrived, and things were going surprisingly well with Luke. And for once, she wasn’t worried about things going wrong. She’d earned this. Shedeservedthis, and she was going to kill it.
The walk over to the store was relatively short but April found that as she got closer, her nerves started to ramp up a little. The sun was shining and the warmth on her face sent a hopeful feeling through her. She stopped off at Coffee Affair on the way to pick up her usual strawberry matcha and found herself on the receiving end of several smiles and nods, which she hoped indicated that people would indeed be stopping by to see the store later.
Drink secured, she walked the last part of the journey and unlocked the store, heart beating a little fast as a wave of nerves hit her at once. She was really doing this. No more delaying or asking herself if it was the right thing to do.
The green walls inside made her smile every time she walked through the doors—herdoors—and she was excited to think that soon her customers would be met with the same feeling, too.
She had about half an hour until her official opening time, so she set about turning on the cash register, misting the flowers, and ensuring everything was in its proper place. Her mom arrived with fifteen minutes until opening, as she’d be helping April to man the register while she was busy creating bouquets. Of course, that was assuming they’d be busy enough for April to need the extra pair of hands.
“Honey, what’s the matter?” Kathy placed a hand over April’s as she showed her mom how to use the register.