CHAPTER 37
Harper
I hear the ding of the doorbell, and, like the whole crowd of usuals in the restaurant, I look up hopefully, then deflate. I suppress a groan of disgust at myself. At all of us.
Eventually Maxine nods with a “Welp,” and then leaves because she can’t stay any later. Because it’s time for her to open her shop. Meaning it’s freaking late.
He’s not coming.
He left.
He left.
I’ve been left behind again.
I fight the tears that threaten to restart after a whole night of crying. Again.
This time I told him to go, but I didn’t mean it and he knew it. And he didn’t deny his desire to go to London. He also didn’t ask me to go with him. I think that’s what hurt the most.
Well, hard to say.
It all hurts.
It hurts all freaking day.
And the next day.
And the next.
_____
I open the shop a couple minutes early, determined to turn my attitude around. I start a new arrangement of fresh flowers, I add some new chalk doodles to the sidewalk sign. I put on a happy pop playlist instead of the ones with moody coffee shop vibes.
Bloom, we’re blooming.
When I hear the first doorbell chime, I’m surprised to look up and see, well, everyone. I frown. What are they all doing here at once? So early?
“Good morning, Harp,” Steven starts, coming up to the counter like one would a wounded bird.
“What’s wrong,” I say quickly.
“Nothing,” Steven says.
“You,” Max says at the same time.
“What? I’m fine,” I try to smile.
Steven gestures at my face, “Putting aside whatever that is—”
“I think it’s supposed to be a smile,” Carl says.
“Oh, sweetie,” Shelly adds.
Steven goes on, “Anyway! We want to talk to you about the shop.”
I look around, “What about it?”
“We got it,” Max says.
Steven glares, “Can I finish a sentence here, people?”
“No,” Tyrone cuts in.
“We’ll cover you with the shop,” Maxine says again.
“Business is going to be slow for a while with the construction on all sides.” Shelly adds and they all nod.
“Cover me? I don’t need you to cover me,” I say, looking from face to face for some kind of clue about all this.
“You do. You gotta get outta here,” Maxine says.
I start to shake my head and argue but Steven pipes in before I can, “We overheard Aiden talking to Janie that night.” Okay, I’m no longer arguing. I’m frozen.
“Didn’t catch the bit about him up and leaving. Punk ass little billionaire baby,” Max mutters.
“Maxine,” Shelly rolls her eyes.
Steven glares until they all shut up. He explains, “Janie was ripping him a new one, don’t you worry about that. But he said what you always say, about staying here and putting down roots.”
“Blossom where you’re planted,” I say absently.
“It’s bloom, honey. The stupid expression is ‘Bloom where you’re planted.’ And hell if you haven’t said that a thousand times to all of us since your sister left and JimBo left.”
“Listen, ma girl,” Tyrone says loudly.
“YOU ARE NOT A TREE!” They all yell together like they rehearsed this.
I frown, “Did you practice this?”
“Hell, yes, we practiced, this is an intervention.” Maxine says.
Ding!
“We’re here!” Janie says coming in the door.
“Jan—Lily?” I squeak out my sisters name at the sight of her.
She looks amazing, as always. Designer clothes, not a single blonde hair out of place. But she’s out of place. She hasn’t been back here for years.
“Still my name! Oh my gosh, this place looks the exact same, I can’t believe it. But also, I can,” she says as she pushes her giant fancy sunglasses back from her face. Her big eyes, like mine but blue, lock on me. “Hey, you!” She says before lifting up the counter and coming around for a hug.
“I don’t understand,” I say while hugging her back.
“Where were we?” Janie asks Steven.
“Just go to the you are not a plant part,” he says.
“Ugh, that stupid expression,” Lily says as she pulls away to look at me. “Harper, dad’s little one liners make cute coffee mugs but you were what, 18 when you had to start managing this place for him? They’re little pick me ups to sell, they’re not supposed to be your whole life mantra.”
Janie nods, “If you’re miserable here, which, newsflash, you are, then since, as the town just established, you are not a tree and you have feet. You can literally just…” she gestures with her hand, “…walk away.”
I huff at Lily, “Just walk away, huh? Like you and mom and everyone else? How was I supposed to do that? Just flip the sign to closed and default on all the bills? Just leave dad to rot at home in the recliner?”
My sister raises both hands in surrender, “I admit I have not been here for you but I didn’t know you were so unhappy! All you had to do was call me!”
“Or tell, you know, any of us,” Steven says with a pointed glare around the room, “that you need help for a while so you can go on a trip.”
“Trip where? And with what money?” I say, getting exasperated.
“Well, you’ll have money now, right?” Janie asks. “Ben said JimBo folded like a dollar store lawn chair, so you have those big alimony checks coming your way. Let’s go spend some of it.”
“Let’s?” I ask.
“What, like you’re going to go to enjoy Palm Springs by yourself in silence? We’re going to go an enjoy it in silence together, duh.”
“Are you sure I can’t come too,” Steven whispers.
Janie turns on him, “A, I said silence, Chatty McGee and B, You just told her you would cover for her and you know the shop the best! Stick with the plan, Steven!”
“Ugh, fine,” he rolls his eyes.
“Dad…” I start, my eyes burning.
“Sweetie, your dad is not the same man anymore,” Shelly says gently. “And it’s not his fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. Disease wrecks the body but it can do a number on the soul, too. He did love this place, no one is denying that. But now he’s grippin’ real hard to a dream can’t he hold anymore.”
Lily sniffs, “Plus, I’m back now. I’ll help oversee the shut down here and then the rebuild across the street, if we decide to keep it open.”
“If?” I screech, still in shock.
“We need to talk to dad, Harper. He would not have wanted you to be stuck, slowly dying behind this counter. I’m—”
“How did you get off? Thomas finally let you take a vacation?”
She turns as red as the jelly tart next to Tyrone at the mention of Thomas’s name. Interesting. I watch Janie register the reaction too. But we don’t comment.
“Yeah,” she lies before changing the subject, “I’m not staying here forever and you need to go see the world and then decide if you want to be here. We can close, we can sell. We can hire a full-time manager. We can do lots of options that don’t involve you living here every day until you die.”
“I…”
Janie comes around and puts a supportive arm around me, “You were trying to stay positive. Nothing wrong with that. But there’s a reason the term toxic positivity became a thing.”
“God dealt you a shitty hand,” Maxine says.
“And I’m going to stop you before your brain can think ‘play the cards you’re dealt’ and your adorable mouth says something like ‘play the cards you’re dealing,’ and remind you this is not a card game, it’s your life!” Steven cries dramatically.
“He gave you dem legs, get up and leave the casino, my girl!” Tyrone yells.
“Okay, okay, I think the metaphors have had their moment,” Janie says.
I blink hard a few times at the sight of my sister here, in the shop, surrounded by all the people who have been here for me when she wasn’t.
I look around at the latter, “Th…thank you,” I manage to get out.
“Now,” Janie straightens. “This concludes our intervention. Everyone out except Steven. Harp, I’m giving you thirty minutes to get Madison here and give them all a crash course in this place. The jet leaves in an hour.”
Steven narrows his eyes, “You just love saying that don’t you. ‘I’ve got the jet waiting.’”
“I do, and you’re just mad you haven’t gone for a flight yet,” Janie says back.
“OBVIOUSLY!” Steven yells.
We all laugh and then gather around the iPad so I can talk Steven through the few things he hasn’t done yet. Then I walk to the office, grab my bag and take off my apron. I hang it on the hook with shaky hands, holding in a sob.
“You can cry all you want on the plane, okay?” Janie whispers behind me. I nod and she adds, “It’ll be here. Everything you really want will be waiting for you, Harp, once you decide that you want it.”
I nod and we leave through the back door.
I get in the Bronco, turn on The Beach Boys, despite Janie’s protests, and leave the back parking lot of the bakery. And I don’t look back.