揃ye,?I blurted out.
揃ye, bookworm.?
I whirled around and headed home, the back of my neck prickling until I turned the corner. When I got home, I caught my reflection in the front hall mirror as I kicked my sneakers off. I had been spending so much time outside on the water that a light tan washed over my nose, cheekbones, and forehead. Freckles dotted my skin. I hadn抰 had freckles since I was a kid. The apples of my cheeks were pink. Even my hair seemed a brighter.
I was changing. I knew that. I didn抰 know if I liked it, though. My mom would have told me to find someone who would like me for me, whether it was the shy version of myself who didn抰 talk to guys or the girl who hid in the bookstore all day. But my mom wasn抰 like me, so it was easy for her to say that.
Who was this new version, with tanned skin, the one who got up on a surfboard and asked hot doctors out on dates?
My mom抯 laugh rang out in my memory, the loud, high sound stinging me with nostalgia in the middle of my chest.
I bet she抎 like Wyatt. They both had that easy disposition, quick to smile and not take life too seriously. I swallowed.
My phone rang and my dad抯 picture lit up the screen.
揌i, Dad.?
揟here抯 my Hannah Banana.?His voice came through on the other end. 揌ow was your day, honey??
揋ood.?I wandered into the kitchen and leaned on the counter, staring out the window. 揌ow抯 Salt Spring??
揃usy but beautiful. These goats eat a lot.?
I grinned. We had visited my uncle a few times as a kid and I had fond memories of feeding the goats.
揝ell some books today??
Another stab of guilt. This would be the time to tell him about the farmer抯 market, about all the books we sold, and how the store hadn抰 been breaking even for a while. My mouth twisted. 揂 few.?
If I told him the store wasn抰 doing well, he抎 worry, and there wasn抰 anything he could do about it from Salt Spring. A little spike of bravery rose in me.
揌ey, Dad, I wanted to ask you about something.?
揋o for it.?
The past few days, as I spent more time on social media, I had found a few accounts from local artists. One artist, Naya Kaur, had caught my eye with her paintings. Her style was colorful, and whimsical, characterized by detail and nature. Her latest collected depicted people daydreaming in forests. One of her paintings was of a woman laying in a hammock, staring at the sky through the trees.
I抎 been thinking about that painting for a couple days now. I couldn抰 get it out of my head. It reminded me of laying on my surfboard next to Wyatt, staring up at the sky.
Without a doubt, Naya was the right artist to redo the mural outside the store. If we had more days like today at the farmer抯 market, we could afford it.
揟he mural outside the store is in pretty rough shape.?
He didn抰 say anything, and my stomach clenched. I swallowed my anxiety.
揢m, and, like, parts of it are crumbling.?I cleared my throat. Shit. I should have practiced this. 揥hat do you think about someone fixing it up a bit? We don抰 have to change it, just fill in some of the faded parts. Revive it.?
He made a humming noise and my heart sunk. I抎 heard that noise before.
揑 don抰 know, honey.?He made a huffing noise. 揇id someone complain or something??
揘o, but棓 I gathered my thoughts. My heart pounded in my chest. 揑t looks bad. I think it would be good for business to have a new mural.?
揂 new mural??His voice went high.
揟he same mural,?I added quickly. 揊ixed up a bit.?
揑 don抰 know,?he said again. 揑 think we should keep it as is. We can talk about it when I get back.?
I exhaled through my nose and clenched my jaw. That meant no. He just didn抰 want to say it outright.
My dad would never let me make a single change to the store. That was clear.
揂lright well, I have to make dinner now.?My tone was sharper than I meant. 揑抣l talk to you later.?
揙h. Okay. Goodnight, honey. Love you.?
揃ye. Love you, too.?
We hung up and I stared at the phone a moment before I pulled up Naya抯 social media and wrote out a DM.
Hi, Naya. Your work is beautiful. Any chance you would be interested in painting a mural outside Pemberley Books?
10
Wyatt
Hannah paddled hard through the water, hopped up on her board as the wave lifted her, and coasted toward the shore with ease. I rested my elbows on the board, floating in the water and watching her with a smile.
The day was already warm and there were a few advanced surfers behind the break out in the bigger waves, but just Hannah and I closer to shore, the way I preferred it.
Just her and I.
It was Wednesday morning, and tonight, Hannah would go out with Beck. Something weird and grouchy simmered in my stomach. At the farmer抯 market on Saturday, she wasn抰 as relaxed and talkative with him as she was with me. The knot in my chest loosened. She was at ease around me.