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Shifting in my seat, I pick up a small glass jar and the sheet of labels. “I didn’t know what to tell you about that. What happened to us was hard to explain.”
“Taron was able to explain it.” She goes back to her work. “So what’s on your mind?”
“If I needed to be gone for a little while—” Again, her hands drop, her eyes going wide. “Settle down. If I needed to take a trip, for instance, do you feel like you could keep the place going?”
She sniffs and pokes out her lips. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.” Because I’m not convinced I need to go anywhere—for all I know, I had a bad day. “I’m thinking theoretically. You and Mrs. Jenny and everybody have made plans. It got me thinking, maybe we should—”
“First…” She holds up an index finger. “You’re not going anywhere, and we don’t need to plan for that because you’re going to be here.”
A smile curls my lips, and I’m reminded why I’ve never worried about my little sister’s ability to take care of herself. Noel’s a pistol.
“Second,” she continues, holding up another finger, “You left me in charge once before, and the place didn’t fall apart. Of course, I can keep things going.”
“Alright. I didn’t know if having Dove or running your business might have changed things for you.”
“They have not.” Her eyes flash a moment, then she returns to her work, tapping the small pot of lip mask or lip scrub on the table and muttering to herself. “I don’t even know why you’d suggest such a thing. Like you’d ever leave your family…”
“Hey,” I stand, touching her bent knee. “I love you, sis.”
“Love you.” She catches my wrist as I’m going. “Hey, do me a favor and open the store for me.”
“What?” I pause, looking down at her. “Is your arm broke?”
“It’s been closed since last fall. I don’t want to see any mice or rats or… critters.” She does a shiver, and I shake my head.
“We sealed it up tight when we finished it. You don’t keep anything there. It’s fine.”
She looks up at me with those puppy dog eyes. “Please?”
“What’s wrong with Taron?”
“Oh, he’s working with Dove on all her pageant stuff.” She drops her chin. “I feel silly.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. “You’re embarrassed.”
“Sawyer.” She cuts those eyes up at me. “Just help me out, okay?”
Taron appears around the corner, grinning. “Tell me when you’re going, and I’ll be your backup.” He slaps me on the shoulder before heading to the sink. “We’ve faced rats before, right?”
I look back at my sister. “When do you need me to do it?”
“Just before the weekend. I don’t expect anybody before the festival starts.”
“I’ll let you know when I go.”
17
Mindy
The most I get from Sawyer is a text this week telling me harvest is kicking his ass, and he looks forward to seeing me soon.
“I’m at my house,” I sing-song to my phone. “You can always come over like you’ve been doing the last few days.”
He doesn’t, and my pride won’t let me go to him.
So I proudly sleep alone every night in my bed with my window unlocked and a lead weight in my stomach.
