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And then my heart sank.

NINE

NORA

“What do you think?”Scott’s cheeks flushed. “Do you like it?”

“I . . . um . . .”

It was a good effort—maybe even an excellent one. He was clearly motivated, and while I appreciated all the time he’d put in, it was all wrong.I hate it. In fact, it was a complete departure from anything we’d ever done at The Pink Box, and a reimagining of the store that didn’t salvage anything of my family’s legacy. Instead of the bold, scripty font I was used to, the new logo and design elements for the store gave off an almost trendy, mid-century-to-contemporary feel.

And that was like a punch in my stomach.

Tara stepped closer to us and took in the detail of his designs. “Oh wow, I absolutely love it.”

“What?” I blinked at her in disbelief. “You do?”

Nodding, she took one of the pages Scott held. “This is great. It’s like a whole new look for the store.”

“I-I guess . . .” I faltered, not sure what to say. “I mean—”

“I based it off some of the trends I saw in Chicago and New York when I was there on business earlier this year.” Scott surveyed the main sales area of The Pink Box. “The idea would be to turn this into an experience instead of just a retail location. So, you could offer on-site tailoring, personal styling, and a few other amenities outside the traditional shopping experience. And perhaps once a quarter you could host a private shopping event and fashion show for your most loyal customers. Then you could move the bulk of your inventory to your online site, and offer a specialized app—”

“I’m sorry,” I said, knowing it was rude to interrupt him but unable to go on any longer. “I appreciate all that you’ve done here, I really do. Especially during the holiday season. I know that this wasn’t simple or easy to put together, and that you could have found a lot of other ways to spend your time.” I took in the paperwork Scott brought into the store one more time, pushing down my revulsion as I did. “I just don’t think this is right for me.”

His mouth dropped open for a beat. “What?”

“It isn’t.”

As I spoke, I grew bolder with my decision. No, this wasn’t right. Scott had his heart in the right place, and I admired his efforts, but it wasn’t what The Pink Box needed.

“I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to make these changes.”

Scott stared at me for a beat as if he couldn’t believe my reply.

“This is my family’s store,” I said. “I don’t want to destroy their legacy by corrupting it this way.”