Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

VIOLET

I was hoping to spend more time with Ryder this weekend, but I understood he needed some time alone with Faith.

He'd texted to say he was spending the day with his family, then taking Faith home. Maybe we could talk when he got back.

Faith was going through some changes with her mother wanting to move in with Phil. She was understandably upset and needed her father.

This was how it would be dating a single dad, and I understood that. I didn't feel great about Stacy's interference. I understood that their separation was fairly recent, but I didn't like how Ryder allowed her to call and text whenever she wanted, interrupting his time with Faith.

Not only that, but the phone call had upset Ryder and soured the rest of the weekend for him and his daughter. I couldn't understand why Ryder couldn't see how manipulative she was being. But then again, maybe this was their dynamic. If he didn't see it during the marriage, why would he see it now?

Why would I think he would be different? That he'd put his own well-being and his daughter's over Stacy's drama.

I worked at the store then puttered around my house, cleaning and doing laundry to pass the time until Ryder should have been home. When I couldn't wait any longer, I texted to see if he was home yet.

When he didn't answer, I assumed he was tired and had gone to bed early.

Curious about how he was at the Calloways today, I texted Daphne.

Are you awake?

Izzy was having trouble falling asleep, but Cole's in bed with her now. Is everything okay?

The vision of Cole in bed with Izzy so she could feel safe enough to fall asleep had my heart squeezing. Is that how Ryder was when Faith was little and needed him at night?

Ryder said he'd call when he got home but he hasn't.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call.

I sighed, feeling badly for interrupting her night with my worries. "You didn't have to call. I know you're busy with the kids."

"Ryder's staying in Virginia tonight." Daphne's voice was hesitant as if she couldn't believe I didn't already know this.

"No." I double checked my messages to ensure I hadn't missed a text or a phone call from him.

"I don't know if it's my place to say anything."

"Why is he staying in Virginia?" A knot formed in my stomach. Was he getting back with Stacy?

Daphne laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Stacy thought it would be a good idea to move in with her boyfriend while Faith was out of town for the weekend. Then Ryder would have to be the one to break the news to Faith and drop her off at Phil's."

I sucked in a shocked breath. "I can't believe she did that. Doesn't she care how upset Faith would be?"

"I think she knew and hoped Ryder would bear the brunt of it."

Shock filtered through my system. "I had no idea any of this was going on."

"I'm sorry Ryder didn't tell you."

"I'm glad you did. I was worried he'd been in an accident or something." I tried to sort through my feelings, but they were overwhelming. The first one being that he hadn't told me what was going on. He'd shut me out.

"He's staying at their house," Daphne said hesitantly.

I swallowed hard. "Is he moving there?"

Daphne sighed. "He mentioned it as a possibility."

"Why wouldn't he discuss any of this with me?" Maybe we didn't have as good of a relationship as I thought we did.

"I'm sure he was planning to. It's just been a crazy night."

The hand holding my phone trembled. "He had time to talk to someone in the family, because you know."

"Yeah, he called Dad when we were still at the house. And he talked to his attorney too. There's nothing more he could do tonight but drop Faith off with her mother."

There was a roaring in my ears. It wasn't right to discuss my relationship with Ryder's sister, even if we were friends. Where did that leave me? I could be understanding. I knew this was a difficult situation for Ryder. But I needed to know if he was planning on moving back to Virginia and into the family house.

This was what I'd been afraid of, and I almost couldn't believe it was happening.

"I'm sure he meant to tell you."

I gripped the phone tighter. "But he didn't."

"I'm sure he's emotionally exhausted. Faith was upset about moving in with Phil and his boys, but to spring it on her like this?—"

I let out a breath. "You're right. I should call Ryder and see if Faith is okay. I'm sure that was difficult."

"I'm positive he didn't mean to leave you out of everything that was happening." She sounded more confident than I felt.

"Thanks for telling me."

"Everything will be okay. Stacy and Ryder need to work this out."

"Yeah, but don't you think Stacy's going to continue doing whatever she wants, and Ryder will go along with it?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.

"It's difficult because Ryder doesn't want to fight with Faith's mother."

My resolve hardened. "Yeah, but at some point, you have to stand up for what's right."

"Ryder wants Faith to have time with both her parents."

"Stacy was texting and calling him all day on Saturday. It just upset him and interfered with his time with Faith." The more I talked, the angrier I felt.

"She was doing the same thing on Sunday. He left the house early to deal with it."

"That's not right."

Daphne was quiet for a few seconds, then added, "It's Ryder's situation to deal with, and you have to decide if you're okay with it."

"I'm not okay being shut out." I was positive about that. I didn't like the feeling that everyone knew what was going on, and I was left worried about whether he'd been in an accident.

"That's fair. I wouldn't be either."

I heard muffled talking and figured Cole needed her for something. "I'll let you go."

"Call Ryder. I'm sure everything's fine," Daphne said before she got off the phone.

I wasn't so sure it was because I'd already texted and called without a response. But I'd give it one more try.

Daphne told me what happened. I hope everything's okay.

I waited for a few minutes, and when there wasn't a response, I got ready for bed. Ryder was in Virginia. I wouldn't be seeing him tonight. And the worst part was that he didn't want or need my support.

The more I thought about it, the more upset I got. I could have been there for him, like his family, but he didn't trust me.

Was he planning on moving to Virginia and breaking things off with me? Maybe our relationship wasn't as special as I thought it was. I was a rebound after all.

When I got into bed, my phone buzzed. "Is everything okay? I heard what happened."

Ryder sighed. "Faith was upset."

My heart was beating wildly. "I can imagine."

"Stacy sprung this on her and forced me to deal with the fallout."

"I'm so sorry." Hearing the pain in his voice was my undoing.

"I didn't have a choice. I had to do the exchange."

This was something he had to handle for himself. I'd only offer advice if he asked for it. "Daphne said you're staying in your old home?"

"I was hoping to tell the judge tomorrow that I could stay in the family house, and Faith could be with me. It's the perfect solution."

"Oh?" Why hadn't he said anything to me about moving and trying to get custody? I wanted to ask, What about me? but this wasn't about us. Was it?

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect Faith, to be there for her." His voice was hard.

"When you didn't respond, I was worried you were in a car accident."

He let out a shaky breath. "I got caught up with everything that was happening. Faith needed me."

"Of course. I understand." But I was worried about him and Faith.

"Listen, I've got to get some sleep. I need to be ready early in the morning if the judge grants our hearing request. Stacy doesn't know anything about it. She's going to be pissed."

So he was worried about what Stacy thought about things, but not me. I tried not to be bitter, to understand what Ryder was going through, but it was hard.

I forced myself to ask the question even though I was afraid of the answer. "Are you planning to move to Virginia permanently?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to make Faith's life easier."

"You're a good dad," I said even as my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. I told myself I wouldn't jump into another relationship so quickly. Especially with a guy who was going through a divorce. But I hadn't listened to myself. I'd fallen so hard, and it hurt.

"Thanks, Violet. I'll let you go."

There was no I'll talk to you later or I'm so glad you called. He was just updating me because I'd reached out to him. Would he have reached out if I hadn't? I didn't want to know the answer to that.

"I'm here if you need me," I said, my heart thumping heavily.

"Listen, Violet, I'm going to be busy with this custody stuff and Faith. I have to make sure she's okay."

"Of course. I wouldn't want to be a burden for you." I hated everything about the way this conversation was ending. "Good luck, Ryder."

I love you. I wish I could be there for you. If only you'd let me in. But the problem was that he didn't feel the same way about me that I felt about him. If he did, he wouldn't be able to walk away so easily He'd want me by his side.

I hung up before he could say something that would hurt even more. I tried to breathe through the pain, but it was impossible. My breaths were coming in short pants, and my chest was tight.

The tears threatened to spill over. I wasn't as important to Ryder as I thought. Not if he could dismiss me so easily.

T he rest of the week, I buried myself in work. I went in early and stayed late under the guise of creating new flavors. But in reality, I couldn't concentrate. I wasted so many ingredients because I kept messing up.

I wasn't creating anything new and special because my heart wasn't in it. When I created a new flavor, I was usually inspired by something in my environment. And for the first time since Ryder came into my life, nothing was inspirational.

I didn't want to come up with a new flavor. I didn't even care if the business went downhill. I was miserable.

On Friday, I was sitting in my office, pretending to stare at spreadsheets.

Morgan popped in to say, "Charlotte is here to see you."

I'd forgotten that I'd scheduled an appointment with the marketing guru. I saw what she'd done for the Calloway farm and was excited to meet with her. But now? I didn't have the brain capacity to talk to someone so happy and bubbly.

I should send her on her way.

Except she breezed into my office with a bright smile. "Violet. I'm so happy to see you. I just love your shop."

I stood and tried to smile, but I was afraid it looked more like a grimace than anything else. "Thanks for coming in."

I rushed to move the pile of boxes and papers that filled the guest chair. "Sorry, it's been busy this week."

I moved around the desk and sat behind it. What did Charlotte think of me? I was usually more put together than this.

"Teddy said something about Ryder going through a situation with his ex. Are you okay?" Charlotte said kindly.

Her words sent tears brimming to the surface, but I waved her off. If that's all it was that would be okay, but it was so much more.

"It's none of my business. I mean that's what Teddy tells me all the time anyway." For the first time, her smile fell short.

"How is it working with Teddy on the farm?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

Her forehead wrinkled. "I wouldn't say I'm working with him. It's more like we're working against each other. I want to do something, and he fights me every step of the way."

"That must be hard." It felt better to focus on her problems when nothing was fixable about mine. Ryder had made his decision, and we were done. Just like that.

"You have no idea. But I'm going to persevere. His father seems to want me around. And I have an amazing place to live. This little cottage on the property," Charlotte said happily.

I nodded woodenly. "Daphne's old place."

Charlotte grinned. "That's the one."

I needed to focus on work and not what a mess my life had become. "I thought the festival was amazing. If that's a preview of your abilities, then I'm interested in hearing what you could do for me here."

At first, I wanted to send her home. I didn't want to deal with improving the store. But now that she was here, her energy was infectious. And the shop gave me something else to focus on. I obviously couldn't be trusted to make new flavors.

Charlotte leaned forward. "Tell me what your plans are. Do you want to do more festivals? Do you want to open more shops?"

I let out a breath. "I want to compete with the other ice cream shops in the area. I want to be so unique that locals recommend tourists come here before one of the franchises."

Charlotte rubbed her hands together. "A challenge. I love this."

Hope soared in my chest. "Is it a possibility?"

Charlotte held up one finger. "Tell me about your store. Why you started, why here? And I want to know everything about yourself."

I told her my story, how I'd grown up in Florida, and moved back when my grandmother died. How I'd tried to prove that I was worthy even though my sister was clearly more accomplished than I was. Then I explained my process for creating new ice-cream flavors.

The entire time, Charlotte's gaze was on me. She wasn't taking notes. She was transfixed. She waited a beat when I finished talking, then said, "I love it."

I raised a brow. "You do?"

Charlotte squealed. "You have the best backstory, and we need to capitalize on it to grow your brand."

"What did you have in mind?" I asked Charlotte, excited to have something to focus on besides my heartbreak.

"We'll start with putting your story everywhere: your website, your walls, and maybe even local newspapers. You'll do more of the festivals to get the word out, and we can even run online ads."

"I've done a few."

"I'd love to have you in the videos talking about yourself and how you come up with the flavors." Charlotte got up, and I followed her into the kitchen. "You can be in the kitchen, creating a new batch, explaining where your inspiration came from."

Then she turned to me and touched my shoulder. "The secret to your brand is your heart. You're so passionate about what you're doing." Her expression turned concerned. "But are you okay with being the face of the brand? I want you in every video."

"I don't have an aversion to it. I'm excited to share my process and inspiration." I enjoyed sharing it with Ryder and Faith. Would I ever not feel pain when I thought of them?

"If you want to offer classes that would be nice too, but you might need to expand the shop. The space next door will be available for rent in three months."

My brow furrowed. "How do you know that?"

Charlotte smiled confidently. "I did my homework before we met."

I was impressed with Charlotte's thoroughness. I was so glad I called her and set up this appointment. I had a feeling this would be life-changing. Charlotte had amazing ideas that could catapult my shop's success. She was even talking about expansion. With her, anything sounded possible.

"We'll want to increase brand awareness so you'll have the money to have a space for parties and classes. Not only will people come here for ice cream, but it will be an experience to make it too.

"I love this." I loved everything about what she had to say.

Her forehead smoothed out. "I have to say; I'm happy you're on board with being in the videos. I thought that would be my hardest sell."

"I love to talk about this place." As long as I didn't think too hard about my image being posted on the internet, I'd be okay. If I wanted to level up this was what I had to do.

Charlotte squeezed my hand between hers. "We're going to make a great team."

Then we went back to my office and discussed her prices. It was a risk, but I had a feeling it would be a good one to take. Hopefully, it was something I could continue running on my own when Charlotte left.

Even if things with Ryder didn't work out, he showed me how much I enjoyed talking about the process of making ice cream and teaching classes. My shop was going in a new direction, and he might have inspired it, but I was going to implement it.

I walked Charlotte out, hugging her before she left. Then I looked at the Sweet Scoops sign. This was my dream. Sure, I'd love to have a family, and I couldn't stop thinking about what life could have been like with Ryder and Faith. But I was in control of what happened at the shop. Nothing else was within my grasp.

Ryder made his decision, and I had to be okay with it. I needed to move on because he already had.