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“Sure,” Blanca said. “We’ll finish setting up and then meet you here?”
I nodded and they sped off, identical down to the cadence of their steps.
“You’re really expecting the worst, huh?”
I looked back at Vanessa, who studied me with a calculating look.
“Can you blame me?” I asked with a half-shrug. “I practically grew up here. You guys are my family and I don’t want anyone to come here and mess all of that up.”
Vanessa smiled wistfully, her eyes a little glassy. “You know, I still remember the first day I met you,” she said.
“Oh God, no, please,” I whined, burying my face in my hands as her smile widened.
“Oh, yes,” she chuckled, leaning forward on the counter, her fingers laced. “I remember the day little Frankie came barreling through the door like a miniature hurricane. You were wearing this tiny yellow dress with rainbow tights.”
“Yeah, I’ve always been gay, Iget it.” I giggled, a little mortified that she remembered that much detail.
“Not that,” Vanessa scolded, lightly smacking my arm with the back of her hand. “You were this tiny little thing and you looked so frail, like the wind could snap you in half. But you were fiery; I remember hoping my kids would be half as brave as you were. Or still are.”
“Hey, Miah and Bee are the toughest kids I’ve ever met,” I pointed out. And it was true, Vanessa’s daughters could overthrow the government if they wanted to.
Lucky for the government, they’re more interested in coloring books for now.
“Thanks to Auntie Frankie,” Vanessa countered. She looked up and her eyes brightened. “Joe! Do you remember how Frankie used to run circles around us when this place first opened?”
Joe, the caretaker of the store, ran knotted fingers through his graying hair. “Do I ever.” He chuckled. “She came in swingin’, told us all that she was gonna run the joint someday.”
“Well, it hasn’t exactly worked out that way,” I said, our reality leaving a sour tang in my mouth. I looked around, making sure everyone was there. “Could you guys gather round, please? I have to talk to you.”
Vanessa gave my shoulder a reassuring pat that only left me feeling a little more scattered. Joe, Blanca, Dean, and Vanessa stood around, their gazes fixed on me.
I took a deep breath and tried to squeeze the tremble out of my hands.
“So, you’ve all heard that my mom suffered a STEMI, and she’s currently in hospital receiving treatment for her cardiac event,” I said, my eyes traveling from one person’s worried face to the next. “The treatment is very expensive, so my parents decided to sell their shares to afford it.”
“There’s a new owner?” Dean piped up, ignoring his sister’s hush.
“Yeah, there is a new owner,” I explained. “The company that bought their shares has been trying to buy us out for a while, and they finally succeeded.”
“What’s gonna happen to us then?” Blanca asked.
“Nothing, I hope,” I said honestly. I didn’t want to lie and give them a false sense of hope. It’d make the worst case scenario that much worse. “But in the meantime, we can try our best to keep the store going like we always have.”
“Are we going to meet the new owner?” Joe grouched, sitting on one of the stools in front of the counter.
I pressed my lips into a thin line before I answered. “They’re supposed to be coming to the store today.” I sighed, checking my watch. “Any minute now, actually.”
There was a long beat of silence before Blanca asked the one question I’d been dreading. “Are you okay, Frankie?”
I looked at her, frowning a little, and shrugged, hoping the anxiety didn’t scrawl itself across my face.
“This place is my home, too,” I admitted. “I’m a little scared that it’ll change, but I’ll be here ‘til the very end. You guys are my family; I can’t imagine not coming to work here with you.”
“Yeah, and no richy rich boss is gonna change that!” Dean declared, holding his fist above his head.
Vanessa swatted the back of his head. “You’re gonna respect the boss, Dean,” she warned, and I smiled, my chest warming up a little. “We don’t know what they’re like but we’re gonna give ‘em a proper welcome, all right?”
“They’re signing our paychecks now,” Joe added, his face set in a deep frown.
