Scars Like Ours | Red View Romance #2

🍂 Two

In Annie's childhood, the end of summer had meant the end of her freedom. Back to school, and back home to suburbia from the wide field where her grandparents house sat in the Georgian countryside. Back to her big, busy family. Back to invisibility.

Now, away from all of that and indulging in the unfamiliar sensation of adulthood, the autumn was full of possibilities and a sense of calm as she settled into her new life in Red View. So much was happening for the first time: her first real job, friends, and her own place.

The days strung together easily, one flowing right into the next with an ease she wasn't used to. Each one was up to her--would she head to McAden orchard, see her friends and take photographs for work, or stay in her apartment and work by herself? Her apartment. God, how she loved those words.

September strolled on, and the lush greens of the Virginia countryside turned to vibrant oranges, scarlets, and golds. The days got breezier and the air more crisp, and when the sun hid behind clouds she could feel the slightest hint of the lower temperatures to come. This year she would enjoy it, she vowed. From now on, her life would consist of more than just summers.

That morning the sun stayed out, and Annie entered Red View Café with the warmth of it on her shoulders and in her heart. She was meeting Layla for a quick coffee before her friend took off for a meeting with the foreman at her new gym.

She'd work in the café for a few hours with her laptop and a latte, and eventually needed to head over to the orchard to pick up her bridesmaid's dress from Kenzie now that the bride's mother, Lillie-Mae, had finished all the tailoring. It felt silly when Annie's apartment was right above the woman's bridal shop, but Lillie-Mae had brought the bridesmaid dresses over to the orchard one morning when she thought Annie would be there. The trip made sense, anyway--she could check in with her boss, Kenzie's brother Jack, and make sure he was liking the latest tweaks she'd made to the McAden Orchard website.

It would be a busy day, but there was so much excitement around Kenzie's wedding that lately they all seemed busy in the best ways.

Layla, her red hair aglow from the sunshine seeping through the cafe's tall windows, perked up as the chime over the door sang out. She grinned as Annie walked over to join her in line, tucking her phone into the pocket of her navy leggings. Around her, the café bustled with life. Baristas worked like experts, maneuvering around each other as espresso machines roared and names were called for customers to get their orders. People sat around at the small, dark oak tables and sipped their teas and their lattes as easy listening music played from the ceiling speakers. Many worked on laptops or in thick binders, while others sat and chatted with friends to start their day.

"Morning," Annie greeted with a smile, even though she knew that Layla had already been up and active for hours. She, Kenzie, and Kenzie's fiancé Marshall were on a strict plan of working out every morning at dawn to get the two lovebirds in tiptop shape for the wedding. Annie liked joining in a few times a week, but also liked keeping sane by sleeping in every now and then.

Someone brushed by Annie from behind and she murmured out an apology as she stepped aside, but the words went unnoticed by the older woman as she passed. Before Annie could get too flustered over it, Layla was handing her an iPad with a mockup of the gym's exterior. The rowhouse style building, with its tall windows and large double-doors was already gorgeous, but was elevated by the fresh landscaping and sign above the doors that read, "Red View Fitness Center."

"Oh, Layla, it's perfect!" Annie praised, letting her eyes scan the 3D model. "I love the new railing--it really makes things more modern, and it goes with the sign."

Layla beamed as she looked down at the screen as well. The two of them mindlessly moved up in line as someone up front finished paying. "Doesn't it? Marshall's friends are geniuses. I'd be moving at a snail's pace without all their help, but at this rate I'll be able to open in the spring. Oh! And Kenzie was talking about all this in the teacher's lounge yesterday, and it turns out one of the third grade teacher's sisters is a yoga instructor, so I'm setting up a meeting with her. I don't want to speak too soon, but it feels like it's all coming together."