“But you didn’t. You stopped. That’s what matters.”
“Because you yelled!”
“I hate this.” The words came out fierce. “I hate feeling stupid.”
“You’re not stupid. You’re learning.”
“Same thing.” She pressed her palms against her eyes.
“Stella.” Tyler waited until she looked at him. “You want to hear about my first driving disaster?”
“No.”
“I’m going to tell you anyway. Backed Margo’s truck straight into Bernie’s newsstand. Completely demolished it. Papers everywhere. Bernie standing there watching his entire business scattered across PCH.”
“And you know what Margo said?”
“What?”
“’Well, now you’ll always check your blind spots.’” Tyler smiled at the memory. “Then she made me rebuild Bernie’s stand. Took all summer. But I never forgot to check behind me again.”
Stella’s breathing had steadied. “Did Bernie forgive you?”
“Eventually. Still brings it up sometimes. Says I owe him thirty years of free coffee.”
“That explains a lot.” She managed a small smile. “I really am sorry. I got cocky.”
“Yeah, you did. But that’s part of learning too. Being humbled by the things that seem easy.”
“I just...” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Everyone here is so good at everything. You with your photos, Meg with her business, Joey with his stupid napkins. Even Margo with her perfect grilled cheese. And I can’t even turn right.”
“You’ve been here a while now,” Tyler said gently. “You’re already killing it at the register, charming customers, learning to drive. You don’t have to be perfect at everything immediately.”
“Says the guy who takes perfect photos.”
“You want to know how many memory cards full of terrible photos I have? Thousands. Years of missing the shot, wrong settings, cut-off heads.” He touched her shoulder. “Being good at something means being bad at it first. And being brave enough to keep trying.”
She was quiet for a moment. “The jogger really was fine, right?”
“Probably didn’t even break stride. Laguna joggers are a hardy breed.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Okay. Can we... try again? But maybe go slower?”
“That’s my girl.” The words slipped out before Tyler could stop them.
Stella’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pullaway. “Right. Your disaster-prone, almost-jogger-hitting girl.”
“My brave, trying-again girl,” Tyler said. “Ready?”
“No. But yes.” She checked her mirrors—all of them this time.
“Yeah, it’s scary. But the scary things are usually worth it.”
“Deep wisdom from the guy who destroyed a newsstand.”
“Hey, I rebuilt that newsstand. It’s a thing of beauty now.”
“With your construction skills? I doubt it.”
