Why is it so difficult to get five minutes alone today?
“Which utensil is best for signing the mural?”
“Let me take a look at the options.” Kira shifted her attention to the utensils in my mother’s hands, evaluating them one by one.
I glanced at the array and asked, “Can’t we just use a Sharpie or something?”
They both glared at me. “Kira is the professional here,” Mom said, further proving my theory that if Kira and I were dangling from a cliff, she’d save Kira first.
Kira bit back a grin and selected a fine-tipped brush and a tiny pot of deep charcoal paint. “This one will hold clean lines and won’t drip if we keep the strokes short.”
I laughed. “Whatever you say, Picasso.”
She bumped her shoulder lightly into mine. “You’ll thank me when this thing doesn’t look like a toddler signed it.”
A few moments later, she crouched beside the mural’s bottom right corner, the paintbrush poised in her fingers as she signed her own name. It made sense that the artist should sign first. Usually, only an artist signed, but Kira insisted on the Cole family signing as well.
She passed me the brush next. I crouched low, dipped the brush into the paint, and carefully wrote my name beside hers.
Liam leaned his elbow against my shoulder. “Can I sign with glitter?”
“No,” a chorus of voices replied.
He sighed but signed it, followed by Mom, who signed not just her name but Dad’s as well.
“It’s perfect,” she murmured.
I wasn’t sure if she meant the mural or the moment. Maybe both.
“All right, all right.” Liam clapped his hands together, still managing to spill a little coffee onto his apron in the process. “Before we all get back to pretending we don’t have real jobs, someone’s got something to say.”
He gestured toward me and Mom.
I blinked. “We’re doing that now?”
“Yes,” Liam whispered, nudging me. “We rehearsed this like six times.”
I cleared my throat, suddenly aware of the room full of eyes, and reached for the folded flyer behind the register.
“Thanks, everyone, for being here this morning,” I started. “Whether you came to paint, pour coffee, or steal a free muffin, we’re grateful.”
A few chuckles rose from the crowd.
“This mural is more than just a painting. It’s a reflection of the history of Mason’s Diner, of what it’s meant to our family and this city. And now, we finally get to invite everyone back inside for good.”
Mom stepped up beside us, beaming. “So, with that, we’re thrilled to announce that the diner will officially reopen on December tenth.”
The room erupted in cheers and applause. Macey whooped. Britney gave a tight-lipped nod of approval. Even Noah fist-pumped from the corner.
Liam rang the little silver bell on the counter like we’d just declared world peace.
I glanced at Kira. Her eyes were glassy, but she was grinning.
“You didn’t tell me.” She playfully shoved my chest.
“It’s called a surprise.” I grabbed her hands with my own.
The crowd slowly broke apart, pulled away by conversations,half-finished coffee, and the promise of muffins. My mom busied herself organizing napkins that didn’t need organizing. Liam cornered Britney to show her the “before” pictures of the diner on his phone. And finally,finally, it was just Kira and me near the mural.
