“It’s nothing—just nerves, I think,” April mumbled, noticing that her fingers were shaking a little as her mom withdrew her hand. “I just really want today to go well. It’s so silly, I keep thinking that a good first day is going to set us up for long-term success, which I know isn’t really true. I just can’t shake the feeling that all our hard work getting this place ready is riding on today.”
“April, look at me.” Her mom’s voice was surprisingly stern, and April did as she was told, feeling like a small child as she looked into her mom’s face. “I’m not going to stand here and tell you this is going to be easy, because heaven knows it won’t be. But you can do it.” There was a fierce look in Kathy’s eyes as she said these words, almost defiant. “You’ve already done some amazing work here. Your brother and I had no idea what to do with this place after your dad was gone, and you’ve come back and built this businessfrom the ground up. Yes, you’re going to have to work hard to make it a success, but I know that you’ve got it in you. Ever since you were a kid, anything you set your mind to, you could do. And it might feel like you lost yourself a little bit in the middle there, with New York and Tyler, but look at you now. You’ve got that spark back. I know you’re going to give it your all, and that’s what counts. And we’ll be here for you, every step of the way.”
April was at a loss for words as tears blurred her vision. Kathy wasn’t one for emotional pep talks—that had always been her dad’s job—but hearing that her mom had so much faith in her business, inher, was exactly the boost that April needed. Sensing that April wasn’t sure how to respond, Kathy pulled her into a firm hug, one hand rubbing her soothingly on her back.
“Thank you, Mom,” April mumbled into Kathy’s shoulder, relishing the solidness of her mom, the fact that she wastherefor her.
“You don’t need to thank me, honey. This is what I’m here for,” Kathy said softly, before giving her a quick squeeze and pulling back from the hug. “Now dry those eyes, missy. You’ve got exactly seven minutes left to show me how to use this machine before your first customers arrive.”
When there were only two minutes left until opening, April dared to peek outside and felt her stomach flip in excitement when she saw the small line that had formed down Main Street.
People were lining up to come intoher store.
It felt too surreal. But she was proud of what she’d created with the help of her family and friends, and she liked to think her dad would have approved too. The space itself was gorgeous, but it was also what it now offered that had her tearing up—possibility. Freedom. She could do whatever she put her mind to, and April Blooms was evidence of that. Maybe she could even do more with the store, hosting classes for flower arrangements, or workshops for other arts and crafts.
Caught up in her daydreams, the alarm on her phone made her jump when it went off.
It was time.
April flipped the sign on the door to readOpenand propped it open. Awkwardly, she popped her head out and waved to the small crowd. “Hi! Welcome! Thank you so much for coming!”
“April, this is wonderful!” Angie Larkin, Penny’s mom, beamed as she walked in through the door. “I can’t believe how different this place is looking. You’ve really breathed some new life into it, I have to say.”
“Oh, that’s so kind of you, Mrs. Larkin. I’m pretty happy with how it’s all turned out,” April replied, reveling in the glow of satisfaction that Angie’s words cast over her.
“Well, I bet you’re sick of hearing this, but I’m sure your dad would be proud.” Angie smiled at her warmly as she spoke.
“That’s really kind of you to say,” April said,surprised at how the mention of her dad didn’t cause her the pain she often felt when locals offered their condolences. Instead, she felt a small seed of pride growing in her chest as she watched Angie walk across the store to look at the displays.
April noticed a customer waiting by the counter, clearly hoping to ask for her input on flower choice, and she rushed off to serve them. Soon, she was busy wrapping bouquets and advising on which seeds would do best in various types of soil, and it didn’t take long for her to find her rhythm. She found she loved chatting with the customers, hearing who they were buying flowers for, and giving suggestions for color schemes or specific flowers for various occasions. The stream of customers hardly faltered all morning, and by eleven a.m. she was almost exhausted, but in a strangely satisfying way.
Emma was the first of her friends to visit, at around eleven thirty.
“I’ve got something to show you,” she sing-songed as she bounded over to April, beaming.
April turned to her friend, having just finished with a customer, a curious look on her face as Emma held up her phone screen. April gasped in delight as she registered what Emma was showing her: an Instagram page, @April_in_Bloom, dedicated to the business, the feed full of pictures and videos taken over the last few weeks. April took the phone from Emma’s hand, scrolling in wonder as she saw different stages of thestore’s renovation, including sneaky pictures of April painting the walls and organizing the displays. As she reached the top of the feed, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Em, a thousand followers already? That’s crazy—I’ve only just opened!” April couldn’t hide her shock and delight as she took it all in: the fact that Emma had set up the account in secret weeks before just to try and help her business hit the ground running.
“Oh, it’s nothing, really, April. You’re, like, seriously unobservant sometimes,” Emma said teasingly. “I’ve been filming you and taking pics of you the whole time and you never even batted an eye!”
“That’s only because you’re literally always shooting content!” April retorted, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice. “Seriously, Em, this is incredible. I’m really not sure how to thank you.”
“Wellll,” Emma said, a sly grin on her face, “you could help me shoot some more personal content now the store’s open. Maybe even a live interview? I’m happy to keep doing the content for the page; I just want to make sure we’re keeping it fresh. And I bet we’ll be able to build the follower count now we’re moving on from the renovations into phase two of the business!”
April hated the thought of her face and her story being publicly shared, but she knew that Emma’s instincts for this sort of thing were always right. Plus, the excitement shining in her friend’s eyes and the generosity of her offer to keep running the accounteven with her own busy schedule were impossible to say no to.
“I’ll give it a go,” April said cautiously, a smile playing on her lips. “But no ambushing me with livestreams, OK?”
Emma squealed with delight at April’s acceptance, pulling her into a hug. “This is going to be so fun!”
Laughing as she pulled back from the hug, April noticed a small line forming by the counter, waiting for her to create more bouquets. She said a quick goodbye to Emma before excusing herself to serve her customers.
By late afternoon, the crowd had died down considerably but the flow of customers had still been steady. April had been rushed off her feet all day, reveling in the fact that all the hard work she’d put into the store already seemed to be paying off. After taking a quick coffee break, she was just tidying up the counter when the door swung open and Izzy arrived, followed byNoah.
“Hey, you two. Fancy seeing you here, arriving at the same time,” April said, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.
“Such a crazy coincidence,” Noah replied, his arm sliding around Izzy’s shoulders. Izzy threw him a small smile before turning back to April.So this was happening, then?