Right? I didn抰 erase her. That was ridiculous.
揧ou did.?His eyes were bright. 揥e have a duty to remember her, Hannah, and she抯 slipping away from us.?His throat worked. 揧ou lied to me. I had a bad feeling about this, about leaving you all summer, and I was right.?
We stood there in silence. The door opened. A tourist took one look at the weird energy in the bookshop and turned right back around.
Wyatt made a noise in his throat and shook his head at my dad. 揧ou抮e unbelievable.?
揥yatt, no棓 I started.
Wyatt gestured around us. 揕ook at this place from a different perspective, Frank. Hannah turned the store around in a few months. She made it into a tourist attraction. Not only did she do it all by herself, she did it with you dragging her down.?
I inhaled sharply and watched as my dad抯 mouth fell open. 揘o, Dad棓 I shook my head, about to dispute Wyatt抯 words, but he was right.
My dad was dragging me down.
Pain wrenched my heart.
揧ou stick me in here,?I told him, 揳nd you don抰 let me change a single thing. You set me up to fail. You say she wouldn抰 want things to be different, but you are the one who wouldn抰 want things to be different.?My voice shook but something surged in me.
Anger.
I crossed my arms over my chest and my nostrils flared. 揇o you have any idea how hard it is to run a store from the goddamned nineties? You think Mom would want to keep that ugly carpet for thirty years??My pulse beat in my ears. 揧ou think Mom wouldn抰 touch the faded, crumbling mural? You think Mom wouldn抰 want to throw a few plants in the window??I paused, waiting for an answer, but he just blinked back at me.
I had never spoken to my dad this way, but finally, I was being honest with him.
揌uh??My voice was louder than normal. I held a hand to my ear. 揝peak up, Dad. What about Mom makes you think she wouldn抰 want to change a thing? That抯 you. That抯 all you.?
My heart slammed in my chest and I heaved a breath. My eyes stung. 揟here are flowers on the wall because I like them, and I抦 the one working here all the time. You抮e never here.?
That hit the mark. My dad blinked like I slapped him. He pressed his mouth into a tight line. 揟his is all we have left of her,?he whispered.
揗aybe it is.?I wiped a tear away. 揃ut Mom was fun and silly and wild and bold, and this棓 I whirled my finger in the air at the store around us. 摋this is for her. The last thing she抎 want is for us to turn her store into a dusty old tomb.?A tear spilled over, running down my cheek before I wiped it away with my sleeve. Wyatt抯 hand was firm on my shoulder. 揝he抎 love what I did.?
My dad glanced at the flowers on the wallpaper like they would bite him. He couldn抰 get out of this place fast enough. 揑 don抰 want to do this but I think I need to take over the store again.?
Alarm shot up my spine and my eyes widened. 揥hat? No.?I shook my head hard and took a step towards him. 揘o, you can抰。 You抣l ruin everything I抳e done.?
The bell jingled as the door opened again and we all turned to see Veena from the bakery standing in the doorway. I blinked and turned to wipe the tears away.
揌i, Veena.?I cleared my throat. 揧ou抮e back.?
She stepped into the store with hesitation. Her gaze swept around the store and the hesitation melted away, into something awestruck. She breathed out a laugh of disbelief.
揌annah.?A tentative smile crept onto her face. 揥ow. Look at this place.?
I cleared my throat. 揢m. Is there something you抮e looking for??
She turned to my dad and raised her eyebrows. 揥ell??
My dad shifted and cleared his throat. 揑t抯 not a good time.?
Her jaw dropped. 揂re you serious? You didn抰 tell her.?
Wyatt and I exchanged a baffled look. I narrowed my eyes at my dad and Veena, shaking my head. 揥hat? What抯 going on??
Veena watched my dad with a sad, disappointed expression. 揑 wish you were as brave as your daughter.?
揥hat is going on??I repeated, louder. 揇ad??
He looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. His gaze flicked between Veena and I. He shot her a helpless glance and it hit me.
揑抦 visiting a friend for a couple months,?she had said in July with a tight, cagey smile.
揙h my god.?I covered my mouth with my hand and blinked.
Veena shook her head at my dad. 揑 will not be your dirty little secret. I deserve so much more.?She turned to me. 揟he store is beautiful. I hope you know how magnificent you are.?
My pulse pounded in my ears. I turned to Wyatt in confusion. His expression was unreadable but his hand rubbed slow circles on my back.
Veena opened the door and walked out. I stared at the door before my gaze swung to my dad.
My stomach lurched and I thought I might be sick, but instead, I burst out laughing. It was one big joke and I was at the center of it. My dad was pressuring me to keep the store the same to honor the memory of my mom but here he was, sneaking around behind my back, moving on from her. My gut twisted hard and my eyes welled up with tears in frustration.