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“Good morning, Hannah, Jolly. Junebear is keeping me company back here, but she can’t wait to go home with you. Just give me a second, okay?”
Excitement filled every inch of Hannah’s face, which in turn filled my heart right to its tippy-top.
“Okay!” She bounced up and down, lights flashing.
I quickly finished Sam’s drink and filled a dish with whipped cream. It seemed he swiped his credit card quicker than normal. Apparently neither of us wanted Hannah to wait a second longer than necessary to be reunited with her beloved bear.
As soon as the transaction was done, he walked over to lookat the recipe on the chalkboard, and I bent low to grab the package I’d put the finishing touches on last night. I cradled it carefully as I walked around the counter. “Here she is, Hannah.”
I passed over the drawstring bag I’d sewed out of the pillowcase I’d found in the carpetbag. It was printed with ballerina bears wearing pink tutus. For the drawstring, I’d used purple ribbon.
“Oh, Ava, even the bag is adorable,” Jolly said as Hannah plopped herself down on the floor and wrenched open the sack.
She reached inside and lifted Junebear out, and I held my breath, waiting for her reaction. She stared at the bear, then ran a hand over her head and back and then suddenly hugged the bear so tight I thought the stuffing might pop out.
“I missed you so much,” she whispered.
Jolly crouched down. “Can I see her?”
Hannah held the bear out but didn’t hand her over.
I watched as Jolly took in every inch of the bear, from the ear patches, the blue stitches, the rainbow embroidered on her back, the sea-glass nose, and the heart patch I’d carefully sewn on the front of the bear. There were tears in her eyes when she looked up at me, and it was all I could do to keep from crying myself.
Her voice was raw with emotion when she said, “What do you say to Miss Ava, Hannah?”
Hannah jumped to her feet, and before her shoes could even flash, she had wrapped her arms—Junebear still in one of them—around my legs. “Thank you, Miz Ava.”
I rested my hands on her back, felt her delicate shoulder blades, and gave her a gentle pat while praying that her surgery would be nothing but a resounding success. “You’re welcome, Hannah. Can you bring her by for a visit soon? I’ve grown quite fond of her.”
“I will.” She beamed up at me, then finally let go of my legs. “I promise!”
“I promise, too.” Jolly gave me a hug as well.
I glanced over her shoulder, seeking Estrelle, but at some point she’d slipped out as quietly as she’d come in.
A few minutes later, Jolly and Hannah headed out, full of promises to keep me updated on the surgery. I watched them go, and through the closed door, I heard Hannah telling Norman that Junebear was all better. Normanquabarked and I swore I heard happiness in the sound.
Sam stepped up next to me, and I wasn’t sure why he’d waited around until I recalled he hadn’t had a chance to tell me how we’d done on the latest scratch ticket before Jolly and Hannah had come in.
“So, did we win big with the scratch-off?” I asked.
There was a softness in his eyes I’d never seen before. “Unfortunately no, but we didn’t lose any, either. We broke even.”
I tipped my head side to side. “All right. I can deal with that.”
He held up two twenty-dollar bills. “So the question now is…”
I smiled. “Oh, definitely let it ride.”
He laughed. “Let it ride it is, then.”
Since the shop was currently empty, I said, “I’m just going to say hi to Norman right quick before I get back to work.”
“Right quick?”
I laughed. “All y’all are rubbing off on me.”
He laughed and held the door open. Norman wiggled and waggled and whined happily when he saw me. I bent down and gave him a hug and pats.
