“I’m aware of how well you’ve been doing.” She eyes me. “You still want to extend the lease?”
Did she think I might change my mind?
“Of course I do.”
She frowns, which doesn’t seem like a good sign. “Why do you want to stay in Orchard Cove, Sierra?”
“Well, the smoothie bar is doing well. I’ve surpassed my sales goals for the month already. And the location is perfect for summer. It makes sense right now, and honestly ... the next few months I have nothing lined up, because the place where I thought I’d be landing ... well, that’s not an option anymore. Because of that investment I lost. But ...” I hesitate.
I look out across the water briefly, at the humps of land in the distance. Vancouver is out there, farther north, though maybe it’s become a comfort that I can’t even see it from here.
“Maybe you were right. Maybe I am running away from my life in the city. But is that so bad?”
She nods. “It takes guts to admit it. The question is, why? What are you really running from? And don’t tell me it’s that ex of yours.”
I take that in, really try to digest it, and dig deeper. “Jeez, June. You really get into it, don’t you?”
“I don’t have time for dancing around the point,” she says bluntly.
Yeah. Maybe I don’t, either. “I guess ... I do have this fear, of always being second-best. It’s kinda haunted me all my life. Rejection is ... hard.”
“Rejection is hard for everyone. Why is it hard foryou?”
“Wow. Okay.” I rub my neck. Am I saying this? To someone I barely know? “Uh, I really hesitate to tell you this because you already called me Cinderella, but I do actually have a stepsister. Unfortunately, she’s not evil.”
“No?” June says, a note of amusement in her voice.
“No. Kim ... that’s my stepsister ... is eight years older than me. She’s an esteemed neurosurgeon. She has two perfect kids anda perfect husband. She keeps bees and makes honey to gift to her friends. She has alotof friends. And somehow she still finds the time to be perfect at golf, tennis, baking, canning. And origami. That’s her latest thing. I know this because of her flawlessly curated Instagram page.”
June raises an eyebrow.
“Ugh. I know, I just made it sound like I hate her. I love her, truly. What’s not to love?”
“You tell me.”
I sigh. “She lives in Ontario. And she calls me every Sunday to keep in touch.”
“And that’s bad?”
No, it’s not bad. But I’ve been avoiding her calls. I’ve been avoiding almost everyone outside of Orchard Cove since I came here.
“It’s just ... hard,” I admit. “When someone is so big, they can make you feel small without meaning to. That’s my fault, not hers, I know. I’m working on it.”
June considers that, nodding again, slowly. “You’re self-aware. That’s a good thing.”
“I’m becoming more so,” I say hopefully. “My smoothie business has been successful, overall. Profitable. And I know I can grow it. I have big plans for it.” None of which include a solid location for the rest of the year, unfortunately. “I just need a place to land for a while. And get my bearings, I think.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, Sierra,” she says. “It’s obvious that Orchard Cove has enjoyed having you and your smoothies here ...” Her gaze dips over the ribbons that flutter on my chest.
“That’s kind, thank you.”
“But I’m not looking to lease out Pier Seven for any extended length of time,” she concludes.
“Oh. Okay ... Does this mean you’re going to sell it?”
She purses her lips briefly, then says, “I’ve received an offer to buy the property. A generous offer. So, unless you’d like to also make an offer to purchase, our business with one another is finished as of the end of this month.”
Shit.Ten days.
