messy // george weasley

ch18: Business Dealings

    Willow was becoming a woman of habit. Her weeks consisted of meetings, stress, and too much flour and sugar. There was nothing more in this world that she wanted than to open her bakery, but her decision to tell the Kambas her opening date was in February was proving to be a stressor already.

Valentine's Day had always been her tentative date, but nothing had made it real until her meeting last week. In fact, that meeting at the farm had made everything a lot more real for her in a way she had yet to experience. Reality was finally settling into her life, and she didn't know quite how to react.

The bakery hadn't even opened yet and she already had two business dealings: the Kamba's cheese and her product with the Weasleys. The sign, the employees, the contracts, it was all slowly weighing down on her. But, at the same time, she loved it.

It was exactly what she had always dreamt of, and while she knew it wasn't always going to be easy, Willow was more than ready to see what the future had in store for Sweetwood's.

All she knew now is that it was nearly time for her next meeting at the Weasley's place. One thing she loved about working with them was that even if she was going over there to make decisions about the future of their products, she was going to have fun. Plus, she had to admit to herself, that she was always excited to see George.

Ever since Seth and she had visited him at work last Sunday, she had been itching to see him again. Even though he had expressed in his letter that he wasn't bothered by Seth that much, she still felt a little guilty and embarrassed for how he had acted. She only hoped it wasn't going to affect the way any of them looked at her.

Seth was a hard person to read. Spending so much time alone with him over the last month had made Willow used to the way he can get around people. But she always forgot how odd he can act in social settings. She chalked it up to moving around and losing his dad at a young age since she didn't want to blame him for things he possibly couldn't help. Although Seth had now made it clear there was a reason why he was not in charge of customer service.

Willow's mind wandered back to the dresser in front of her. Her current clothes were dusted with cocoa powder and flour. Juliet was at work—still making up for asking off last weekend—so Willow was left to fend to herself in the wardrobe department.

She had never been one to care too much about what she was wearing, but the knowledge that George was going to be there caused her to suddenly care a whole lot more. But there was no need for her to worry about him. She was content in her relationship with George—whatever that relationship may be—so whatever she wore would be okay. It was just supposed to be a casual thing.

After she finally picked out a pair of jeans and one of her brother's cable-knit sweaters, Willow pulled on a pair of socks and slipped her feet into the first shoes she could find. Then she looked herself over in the mirror one last time to run her fingers under her eyes to remove any smeared mascara. Once she was satisfied with her look, she bustled through the living room, stopping long enough to scratch Bartholomew's ears and wave her wand at the bag of cat food.

She paused in the back doorway to ensure his bowl was filled before she blew him a kiss and turned on her heel. After bounding down the stairs to her kitchen—there was something magical about calling it her kitchen—she took the box of macarons out of the storage fridge. Grabbing her keys and making her way to the front door, Willow had a lightness about her. Something must have been in the air because she was filled with excitement while she locked the door behind her.

She would get to see George tonight. There was a part of her that still felt nervous, but it was becoming wildly outweighed by the happiness he brought to her. Even just being around him made her mood skyrocket in a way she was still learning how to deal with.