Page 101 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
Manager’s Favorite: Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake
Decadent peanut butter cake layers with homemade strawberry jam filling and peanut butter buttercream frosting. Perfect for those who love something salty with a side of sweet.
My hands flew to cover my jaw that had dropped. Had I made ahugemistake?
Yes. A mistake of catastrophic proportions. Why had I let myself believe that by controlling my life, it was better? These people, who I’d wrongly assumed wouldn’t listen to me unless I dictated every aspect of their time in my kitchen, liked me. They’d greeted me like a friend they hadn’t seen in a while, not a boss they couldn’t stand.
I was miserable at my new job because I had gone in with walls raised. But what new friendships was I missing out on because of my stubbornness? If I’d talked to Rhett instead of telling him I needed to deal with things on my own, how much pain would I have saved myself? And him?
I had to fix this. I had to apologize to Rhett. To prove to him that he had been right all along and I was the one who’d made the error in pushing him away.
Chapter 35
Holly
“I’vegottogo.”I jumped up from the table. “But wait, do you have any of that cake ready?”
Starla grinned. “Skye told me she called you and that you were coming in today. I saved some of it last night. I’ll grab it from the fridge.”
I squeezed her hand. “Bless you, friend.” Starla dashed off to the kitchen. I turned my attention to Skye. “Thank you. This”—I held up the menu card—“means everything.”
“I’m just sorry for my hand in all of it.”
I couldn’t keep holding on to my grudge. To my anger. I missed my friends. “I forgive you.” Like someone digging out stubborn roots in soil, my feelings of betrayal were yanked out, leaving me lighter than I’d felt in weeks.
Skye hugged me again. “Can we grab lunch sometime?”
I smiled. “I’d love that.”
I met Starla in the kitchen. She handed me a black Styrofoam container. “Here you go.”
“Will you visit us again?” Nico asked.
“You really want me to? I don’t want to step on your toes.”
Nico’s wide smile lit up his entire face. “I would love for you to come see us anytime you want.”
My heart was full of gratitude and love for these amazing people. “Thank you. I think I will.”
I held up the container of cake. “Thanks again for this.” Running to my car, I yanked open my door, gently setting the cake on the passenger seat. Pulling out my phone, I called George’s Steakhouse and claimed I was sick and wouldn’t be in for my shift that night. Then I dialed my best friend.
He picked up on the fourth ring. “Hey, Hols. How are you feeling today?”
“I made a huge mistake. Like apocalypse-sized.”
“What?”
My head fell back against my headrest. “I pushed Rhett away because I was angry that I got hurt because of the advice he gave me. And I lost my job and position to earn the award I’ve always wanted. But I promised when we started dating that I would always be there for him and I haven’t been. I messed up, and he’s struggling.”
I took a big breath and kept rambling. “He put this cake on the menu, which means he still cares about me. I still love him too. I just let my anger get in my way. Which is stupid. I love him more than I do fantasy romance novels. What do I do? How do I fix this?”
“Wow.”
“That’s all you have to say?” I clenched my hand tighter around my phone. “HELP ME!”
“Okay, okay. Let me just think for a second. You threw a lot at me and I’m not the best at this. You really should be asking someone else.”
“Just because you and Joy went through a hiccup, it doesn’t mean you aren’t good at problem solving. If you were Rhett, how would you want me to fix this?”
