For You I'd Mend

My love of all things shocking started with my hair. In the ten years since middle school, I’d worn it every color except my natural red. To be fair, that first dye job was less about shocking people and more an attempt to limit comparisons to my perfect older sister.

Rowan got straight A’s, never spent time in the principal’s office, and never, ever complained. So instead of repeating everything Rowan did, only three years after she did it and not as well, I made it obvious we were nothing alike. Despite my best efforts, my face could still unlock her phone.

The similarity stopped at the physical. I’m goth to her girlie. Blunt to her charming. Sarcastic to her sweet. I should have hated my sister on principle, but the bitch was too nice, too supportive, too Rowan to be anything but loveable. Which meant I was unlovable.

I guess my family loved me, but that’s hardwired in their DNA. A few friends tolerated me in small doses, but real love, the kind that changed a person for the better, wasn’t something I inspired. Just ask all my ex-boyfriends. I hold the dubious honor of being dumped by each and every person I’ve dated.

I eased into a rhythm while I worked. The muscles in my neck, then shoulders, relaxed as I squeezed all my frustration into the piping bag. I tried out different icing colors and designs before settling on one I liked.

“Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet?” Rowan asked.

“I don’t believe in them,” I said, putting the finishing touches on the snowflake I wanted to copy for the rest.

Rowan wiped her arm across her forehead and joined me at the table. “Resolutions can be helpful.”

“You want to change? Do it. Why wait until the weather’s crappy and the sun sets before dinner?” I held out the cookie and admired how the pearl dust made it shimmer like a real snowflake. I preferred the dust’s subtle sparkle to the edible glitter I’d tried on another cookie.

“Wow, that looks incredible,” Rowan said, leaning over my shoulder.

My chest warmed at her compliment, but I shrugged and put the cookie on a wire rack to dry. “So, what are your resolutions?” I asked as Rowan cracked open the window over the sink.

The cold breeze made goosebumps rise on my arms, but I didn’t say anything. I could always put my hoodie back on. Rowan was down to a pair of shorts and a tank top and still flushed.

“To find a place for Red Blossoms Bakery since we can’t keep operating out of Mom’s kitchen. And to marry Cal, of course.”

My sister got that dopey, lovestruck look she’d been sporting for half a year, and I mimed gagging. Truth was, I couldn’t wait for the wedding.

Talk about inspiring a love that changes a person. Rowan had turned our fuckboy neighbor Cal into a doting fiancé in less than four months and grew her own backbone in the process. Metaphorically speaking. Her real back was still shot from an accident that happened last summer, which was how she got tangled with Dr. Caleb Cardoso in the first place.

Caring and unquestionably hot, Cal was a perfect match for my sweet sister. Which unfortunately meant Cal’s best friends had become regular fixtures in my life. Aiden O’Malley was an ass of epic proportions. I’d rather let my hair grow out my natural color than date him. But I’d had a full-blown crush on Theo Makris long before Rowan and Cal got together.

Nope. I wasn’t thinking about Theo. I was icing cookies. Lots and lots of cute, identical snowflakes. I laid out a dozen and iced the same portion white before switching to a bag of silver to add details, keeping them all the same. As usual, the simple repetition relaxed me enough for my mind to wander.

There was nothing cookie cutter about Theo. Tall, chiseled, and covered in tattoos and piercings, he looked exactly like every other bad boy I’d ever dated, but unlike my exes, the badness stopped at his spiky exterior. He’s thoughtful, kind, and unbelievably talented. In other words, a damn unicorn of a man.

We’d grown close when I took his art class last winter, months before Rowan moved back to town after her first marriage ended in spectacular fashion. I’d hinted to Theo I’d be down for more. I’d outright flirted. I’d done everything except straddle him, but I’ve been frozen in the friend zone for over a year.

The holidays were brutal. Cal only has his parents, and Theo only has Cal’s family, so of course, Mom insisted we all celebrate together. I suffered through Thanksgiving turkey dinner, Christmas pancake brunch, and New Year’s Eve apps where I received a one-arm bro hug from Theo at midnight. A lady has limits. Even me. So I’d set a secret New Year’s resolution: Stop lusting after Theo Makris.