"Well, school is a great thing to love," I tell her.
"I hated school," Journey adds in her two-cents. "The teachers didn’t like me, and I didn’t like them."
"Journey," I mutter. "Stop."
"Oh, hey you," Brett says, spotting her across the shop. "I didn’t know you were coming in today."
"Someone needs to dust this place," Journey says.
Brett looks at me with questioning eyes, but I shake it off. She’s my sister, and I never have a clue of what’s going through her head.
Journey makes her way across the shop and behind the counter where Parker is getting comfortable. "I do love to read, though. What are you reading?" Maybe she’s trying to redeem herself from her anti-school talk.
Parker places her backpack between her crossed legs and tears open the zipper, pulling three books out.
"Charlotte’s Web and two Ramona books."
"Classics," Journey says. "I like your style. I loved reading those books when I was your age."
Journey was always a book worm. I think she still is but doesn’t talk about whatever books she’s reading.
"Yeah, I’m about halfway through Charlotte’s Web. I’ve been trying to convince Dad to let me get a baby piglet, but he said no way."
I try not to laugh but instead, snort quietly through my nose as I give Brett a look. He closes his eyes and smiles. "Not happening," he whispers.
"We have space in the backyard," Parker continues without looking in Brett’s direction.
"In the snow?" Brett responds.
"Pigs like snow," she rebuts.
"No, they don’t," he argues.
"Yes, they do, but you don’t know anything about pigs." The way she annunciates her words, tells us all it will not be last of this conversation. She’s a determined little girl.
"So, on the way back here, I got this call from a well-known liquor store in New Hampshire. They want to discuss setting up a reoccurring shipment of some of our products," Brett says.
"That’s amazing," I respond. "When do they want to meet?"
He looks concerned as he turns his back toward Parker. "Tomorrow night after the shop closes, which is during the bake sale at her school. She’s going to kill me."
Journey places her elbows on one of my shoulders and one of Brett’s shoulders. "I’ll take the kiddo to the bake sale."
"Or, I could," I tell her, eyeing Brett to see what he’d prefer. "Or, I could meet with the vendor, but my knowledge—" Journey and Brett both chuckle.
"No offense, but we want this business, and I don’t know if you’re comfortable sealing a deal like this yet. However, you should be at the meeting so you can lead them in the future." I know he doesn’t mean anything by his comment, but it’s another reminder, I don’t belong here trying to run a business I know nothing about. Still, I can’t walk away. I have to keep trying.
"Great, so it’s settled. I’ll take Parker to the bake sale, and we’ll sell the heck out of her cookies," Journey says.
"Are you sure you’re up to that?" Brett asks her. "I can ask my mom if she’ll take her."
"Give me something to do other than sitting at home watching reruns, please," she says.
"Well," Brett says, holding his hands out, "if you insist."
For a woman who has no desire to get married or have kids, she seems quite inspired to help at a bake sale. I assume she’s tired of sitting at home every night, but I feel like I’m missing something too.
"Are you sure?" I ask Journey.
