“Wait, you’re serious? The Chamber of Commerce? What is this—the 1950s?” Jemma asks, giggling.
“They have a lot of influence around here. Every business downtown is involved. So I want to make a good impression.”
Cait leans in, excited now. “So you’re really doing it? You’re really going to stay there and try to run a video store that also sells peanuts? Because I don’t want to burst your bubble here, but that sounds deliciously bananapants.”
I take a deep breath. I haven’t told them yet, which feels like a betrayal. But a lot has happened in two days. I’m still getting used to it myself.
“Well, I—we—own the buildings. And the store doesn’t have to do video rentals and peanut sales. It can be anything, you know? I’ve been told the other properties are too messed up to rent without a lot of work, but that it wouldn’t be too hard to convert the open shop into…” I pause. Deep breath. “A bookstore?”
My sisters pause, too. Jemma’s mouth falls open, but I can see the hamster wheel in Cait’s brain spinning.
“Oh my God, that’s perfect!” Jemma squeals.
“It kinda is,” Cait admits. “But do you have the capital for that?”
“It won’t take much money,” I assure them. “Just a few new bookshelves, a coat of paint. I can start small and build up.”
“And you have to order, like, a million books,” Cait reminds me, but not in a negative way. She loves a project. “And you’ll need a name and a logo, maybe some permits. Then there’s marketing and bookkeeping…. This is a lot of work, Rhea. Are you ready for it?”
I look into the screen and break out into a grin. “Yeah, I really think I am,” I say softly.
“That place must be amazing. Arcadia Falls.” Cait tilts her head. “Mama always made it sound like the devil’s butthole, but…”
“But it’s not buttholey at all. It actually feels like home. You guys might like it.”
Jemma leans in. “Is there room for us?”
“Kind of? Not in this apartment. I guess I need to explain how Maggie set things up—”
“Maggie? You mean”—Cait switches to Mama’s accent—“that witch?”
It’s how our mother often referred to her own mother, but Cait doesn’t know how right she is.
“Sure. That witch. We’re not dealing with a will. We’re dealing with a trust. Which means we don’t get a lump sum. I can’t just wave my wand and make all your dreams come true. With a trust, the dead person gets to tell you what you can and can’t do with the money. And the money in Maggie’s trust can only be used in relation to the buildings in Arcadia Falls. There’s not enoughmoney to fix everything at once and give y’all shiny new apartments, but there’s enough to get started.”
Jemma blows her bangs out of her face. “Well, that’s annoying.”
“You’re goddamn lucky!” my grandmother shrieks in my head as she perches on the carpeted toilet seat. “This is a gift!”
I point at her. “Shut it, you.”
Cait and Jemma look at me like I’m hiding a cute boy under the table.
“Is there someone else there?” Jemma asks, eyes sparking mischievously.
“Just the usual troublesome cockatoo who won’t stop making a ruckus and will soon be locked up in her cage if she doesn’t settle down.”
“Well, I never!” Maggie ruffles her feathers but goes quiet, at least.
I glance at the time. “I’ve got to go. I told y’all I wanted the chance to try something new, and I’m going to take it. Worst-case scenario, the business doesn’t work, and I learn something and have a free apartment while I figure out how to fix up the properties to rent. Best-case scenario, I start a successful business and y’all move up here and do the same. But it’s gonna take time, and it all starts with this Chamber of Commerce meeting, so please tell me I’m going to rock it.”
“You’re absolutely going to rock it,” Jemma says with complete confidence.
When Cait doesn’t immediately agree, Jemma nudges her.
“You’re going to rock it,” Cait echoes.
I hear her reluctance, but I know her well enough to understand that her anxiety is getting the best of her and she’s worried about the future.
