"Absolutely," Aunt Elyse said. "Though maybe we wait until the paint is fully dry from the last time?"
I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in... maybe ever. "Deal."
There was another knock at the door, and Uncle Drewpoked his head in. "Everything okay in here? I heard laughter, which I choose to interpret as a good sign."
"Everything's great," I said, and meant it. "We were just discussing my plans to turn this room into a full-scale photography studio complete with darkroom and professional lighting setup."
Uncle Drew groaned theatrically. "I knew this adoption thing was going to cost me." But he was smiling as he came to sit on my other side, making the bed dip dramatically. Eden immediately abandoned Aunt Elyse to climb into his lap, shameless traitor that she was.
"Seriously though," he said, once he'd settled. "This feels right to me. The three of us. But only if you're sure."
I looked between them—these two people who had taken in a sullen, pink-haired teenager without hesitation. Who had given me space when I needed it and boundaries when I pushed. Who had shown me what family could be when it wasn't clouded by addiction and chaos.
"I'm sure," I said, and this time, no tears threatened. Just certainty, as clear and sharp as a perfectly focused photograph. "I want to be a Bennett. Officially."
Uncle Drew's arm came around my shoulders, and Aunt Elyse reached for my hand, and for a moment we just sat there, the three of us (four, counting Eden), connected and still.
Permanence. After a lifetime of temporary, of "we'll see," of holding my breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop, this was what it felt like to know I wasn't going anywhere. That they weren't going anywhere.
This was what it felt like to be home.
23
ELYSE
When Holly finished helping Jenna at the bakery the next Saturday, she came into the bookstore.
"I can actually use your help with a few displays," I said as she stood staring at the mess I'd created getting myself organized. "So summer is in full swing, and usually what I do is pick a summer-themed book and then find some things that would make good clues. Customers come in and try to guess the book.
I showed her some pictures that I had on my phone of displays that I'd done in past years.
"I did these a few Christmases ago. See how for The Velveteen Rabbit I have a stuffed rabbit, a toy soldier, a wheelbarrow, a sprig of holly and some oranges? And for The Night Before Christmas, I have a few things that have to do with The Night Before Christmas, like a stocking cap and a chimney that I built out of some cardboard bricks."
"I love it! This sounds like fun," she said.
We pulled together some books and fun clues to put on each display table.
"These look great," I said.
The first table had a rolled up beach towel, a foam heart we’d found under the front counter, two pens and two notebooks: one with a crossed-out heart on the cover and one with a big red heart.
The second table had a wedding cake topper and a Barbie I’d borrow from Sarah’s daughter. The doll was lying at the bottom of a cliff we’d constructed using a large rock and some toothpaste spread out under plastic wrap.
The third table was going to be more of a challenge. A tennis racket, antique camera, tiny surfboard, and a microphone were staged around a pint-sized disco ball.
"Now all we need to do is put the jars and the slips of paper and pens somewhere on the table so people can make their guesses. We'll separate all the correct answers out after summer ends, and one lucky winner per table will get a gift card to the store. This gives them an opportunity to buy a book that's on their 'To be Read' list."
"This is a lot of fun, Aunt Elyse," she said. "You do this all the time?"
"I sure do. I started doing this during winter and it grew so popular, I started putting tables up throughout the year. We have people stopping in regularly to see if the they're up yet."
"Well,I'llbe stopping in regularly to see how many answers are in the jar."
"You can help me separate them out at the end of the summer."
"Fun!" She looked over our work, her eyes settling on the last table which was always the hardest. "Do you ever see people reaching in to see if they could get the answer?"
"Never. It seems that people know that they're on their honor. We've yet to catch anyone in the act anyways."
