Compassion and Oblivion

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Pelicans

Author's Note:

You're welcome.

🍋🍋😏

(For real though, if you're not interested in smut, skip to the next set of asterisks when things get start to get spicy.)

Caroline's General Store and Cafe was a smashing success.

Just a few weeks after Caroline had shared her simple daydream with Jodi, they held a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil her dream come true. In the days since their grand opening, they were taken aback by the outpouring of love from the community that they received. Caroline always told herself that better days were coming, and they had finally arrived.

Caroline's favorite part about the entire process was knocking down Pierre's old, sun-bleached sign from the front of the store. Leah had been kind enough to design, hand carve, paint, and weather seal a new sign for Caroline's business. It turned out beautifully - the letters a bold yet delicate script, painted a deep forest green that popped against the natural oak background. She added little gold accents around the edges of each letter, and it glimmered in the sunlight.

Leah insisted that she do the work for free, as it gave her something new to try, and a wonderful addition to her portfolio. Caroline refused, plain and simple. The sign had turned out much too perfectly to be an act of charity. Leah's hard work deserved to be compensated, especially considering Caroline's sudden burst of income from all of her incredible customers.

In addition to the new sign, Caroline was also able to invest in a couple of decent appliances to use in her new cafe - coffee maker, espresso machine, coffee grinder, blender, and a hot water dispenser for tea. Jodi spent countless hours perfecting the menu of pastries, coffee cakes, and other sweet treats. Abigail practiced tirelessly until she was able to make a perfect mocha latte, frappuccino, cold brew with sweetened cold foam, and a few various types of smoothies. Between school, working at the cafe, practicing for her upcoming concert, and spending time with her sweet girlfriend, Abigail had never looked more alive.

Caroline's second favorite part was hiring a lawyer to serve Pierre divorce papers.

It was a close second, but second nonetheless. No feeling could top the sense of freedom that came with removing Pierre's name from the front of her home. It was a beautiful visualization of the chains that had been broken from her wrists and ankles the day he left them behind.

In just a few short weeks, Caroline had successfully accomplished everything that Pierre ever dreamed of doing. Joja-Mart went out of business. Dealing with Morris' ranting and raving and crying was no small feat. Eventually, he packed up and left town, too.

Shortly after, she adjusted her prices significantly, so that all of her customers would be able to afford her prices. Pierre had marked up every single item in the store to an almost criminal degree. Despite the hard work, she was more than happy to adjust each item back to their standard market price, and all of her customers were happy, too.

Caroline practically felt like the town hero. She had driven Joja out of town, and she was able to serve her community in ways she never imagined. Shane, who notoriously despised his job, was able to work fulltime on Marnie's ranch with her chickens. Samson was able to focus on his songwriting. He also picked up part time hours cleaning the museum for Gunther, because he was saving up for his future with Penny.

Ever since Caroline moved to the Valley to be with Pierre, she always felt like she lived in his shadow. Now, she truly felt appreciated and valued with every interaction she had with her neighbors and friends. With Jodi, Abigail, and Magnus by her side, she felt unstoppable.