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The warm feeling in my chest intensifies as Cami breaks out into a fit of giggles at whatever Cal said. He chuckles, and I look over at him.
Except something in the window catches my attention.
My eyes bulge. I brake hard, causing all of us to jolt forward from the momentum.
“What’s wrong?” Anxiety bleeds into his voice.
I look out the back window and find the road empty. “One second.”
He looks at me like I might be going crazy.
Maybe you are.
I shift the car into reverse before parking in front of the abandoned store.
No.
I nearly crawl on top of Cal’s lap to get a better look out his window.
The once-empty shop window now has a giant redComing Soonsign plastered across it, advertising some fast casual dining restaurant opening later this year.
You’re too late.
Watching someone else live my dream feels like a punch to the gut. Like I was so close to finally achieving what I had hoped for, only to fall short by a few months.
It’s stupid to feel a sense of loss over a shop that wasn’t even mine. I have no one to blame but myself in this situation. If I had been selfish, maybe I would have had the money to buy it.
But I couldn’t turn my back on those I loved.
I didn’twantto.
If I was to go back in time knowing everything I know now, I would still make the same choices, even if it meant losing all my money again in the process. Because trying to treat Mom’s cancer and not giving up on Anto because Mom never did was worth every penny.
“Is everything okay?” Cal asks.
I nod despite the tightness in my throat. His gaze roams over my face, although I don’t dare look him in the eyes.
“You look sad,” Cami adds as she peeks over the side of Cal’s chair.
My nod is weaker this time, and my chin trembles.
Cal turns my face toward him with a single finger. “How can I fix it?”
How can I fix it?
I bite down on the inside of my cheek, fighting the temptation to vent.
Screw it.
“You can’t. I just thought one day maybe I could…” My eyes travel toward the shop.
“Open your bakery there,” he finishes for me.
My throat becomes impossibly tight as I nod. “It sounds stupid in theory.”
“It’s not.” He speaks without a single ounce of judgment.
“Isn’t it, though? It’s not like I have the money or time right now.”
