“It’s the first bonfire of the season tonight. I assumedyouassumed that I would be there. I’m helping Gigi hand out cocoa and cider.”
“You know what they say about assumptions ...”
Grandma gave me the exact same look she would have given me at nine years old when I tested out talking back.
“Sorry.” I sucked in my lips.
“I doubt anybody will even come to the store with everybody down in town, so if you don’t want to work, then I say we just close up early, and you can come help us.”
She played her cards, knowing exactly how I’d take that offer.
I thought of the items on my list that would be crossed off if I came with her. Welp, too bad the list was gone now.
“Fine. I will close,” I mumbled.
“That’s what I figured.” She shrugged. “Also, there’s a chance a delivery is coming tonight.”
I frowned, already reaching for the calendar she refused to use. I was aware of all the comings and goings, and there wasn’t anything set to be delivered on a Friday evening. The local delivery guy was usually already at Bookers Pub by now.
“Don’t make that face. This is my shop; I can order things too. Anyway. I’m not even sure. Maybe it’s Monday.” She explained it all away with a wave of her hand.
This was why my grandma needed me. It’s been only her and me since my parents died, and we relied heavily on each other. She had played fast and loose with “we will figure it out when we get there” my entire life. As soon as I learned basic math skills, I started looking over her books and got my first taste of anxiety. Thankfully, the world of management software meant there was little I had to do now that I’d gotten everything up to date, but her laissez-faire attitude still gave me hives. Did she have a plan for her later years? Did she know how she wanted to be looked after?
“If you change your mind, close up and come down and join us.” She was almost out the door already.
I mumbled some half-incoherent placation I never intended to follow through on.
“Youth is wasted on the young ...” She huffed as she twinkled her fingers over her head as a goodbye.
“Bye.” I stacked the pile of notepads in front of me, futilely flipping through the pages, knowing I’d find nothing.
Okay. It was all good. Problem solved. The paper was in the trash, and I was alive. Nothing to worry about.
But I couldn’t shake this niggling feeling that my problem was, in fact, not over.
I could rewrite the list. I had put a lot of thought into it, but this felt like a sign that maybe I should give up on the whole change-my-life thing. On the other hand, what if I were just looking for an excuse to give up the second I hit my first bump in the road? Was this the new me that I endeavored to become?
I sighed and decided I would reevaluate in the morning. I was tired and ready to take it easy after the frantic rushing around of the last few hours. Time to let myself unwind with some crafting and forget about the list for a while.
6
Pace
With a sly look backand forth, to make sure I wasn’t being watched, I took a deep inhale of the note. Discreetly. Because anything else would be extremely weird.
I hadn’t stopped thinking about this list since discovering it a few days ago. I’d carefully unfolded it and refolded it so many times that I worried it would tear. I’d been so sure that this list of items was a call to action from the universe, what I was meant to be doing ...
Yet I hadn’t taken any action. And I wasn’t sure why.
It smelled like paper—no shock there—but also just a hint of something else. Something familiar, I couldn’t put my finger on. Like an old book, sort of sweet and maybe just a hint of vanilla?
“Did Pace just sniff that piece of paper like a weirdo?” Claire said from behind me, appearing out of thin air.
I shot up off the bench, turning to find my best friend and his fiancée. I had been waiting for them outside on Main Street. I came around and met them, discreetly tucking the paper into my pocket.
“Claire Bear!” I hugged her with enthusiasm. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve been gone three days.” She gave me a half-puzzled smile at my excitement. “And only my dad calls me that.”
