Janie nods, “If you’re miserable here, which, newsflash, you are, then since, as the town just established, you are not a tree and you have feet. You can literally just…” she gestures with her hand, “…walk away.”
I huff at Lily, “Just walk away, huh? Like you and mom and everyone else? How wasIsupposed to do that? Just flip the sign to closed and default on all the bills? Just leave dad to rot at home in the recliner?”
My sister raises both hands in surrender, “I admit I have not been here for you but I didn’t know you were so unhappy! All you had to do was call me!”
“Or tell, you know, any of us,” Steven says with a pointed glare around the room, “that you need help for a while so you can go on a trip.”
“Trip where? And with what money?” I say, getting exasperated.
“Well, you’ll have money now, right?” Janie asks. “Ben said JimBo folded like a dollar store lawn chair, so you have those big alimony checks coming your way. Let’s go spend some of it.”
“Let’s?” I ask.
“What, like you’re going to go to enjoy Palm Springs by yourself in silence? We’re going to go an enjoy it in silence together, duh.”
“Are you sure I can’t come too,” Steven whispers.
Janie turns on him, “A, I said silence, Chatty McGee and B, Youjusttold her you would cover for her and you know the shop the best! Stick with the plan, Steven!”
“Ugh, fine,” he rolls his eyes.
“Dad…” I start, my eyes burning.
“Sweetie, your dad is not the same man anymore,” Shelly says gently. “And it’s not his fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. Disease wrecks the body but it can do a number on the soul, too. He did love this place, no one is denying that. But now he’s grippin’ real hard to a dream can’t he hold anymore.”
Lily sniffs, “Plus, I’m back now. I’ll help oversee the shut down here and then the rebuild across the street, if we decide to keep it open.”
“If?” I screech, still in shock.
“We need to talk to dad, Harper. He would not have wanted you to be stuck, slowly dying behind this counter. I’m—”
“How did you get off? Thomas finally let you take a vacation?”
She turns as red as the jelly tart next to Tyrone at the mention of Thomas’s name. Interesting. I watch Janie register the reaction too. But we don’t comment.
“Yeah,” she lies before changing the subject, “I’m not staying here forever and you need to go see the world and then decide if youwantto be here. We can close, we can sell. We can hire a full-time manager. We can do lots of options that don’t involve you living here every day until you die.”
“I…”
Janie comes around and puts a supportive arm around me, “You were trying to stay positive. Nothing wrong with that. But there’s a reason the term toxic positivity became a thing.”
“God dealt you a shitty hand,” Maxine says.
“And I’m going to stop you before your brain can think ‘play the cards you’re dealt’ and your adorable mouth says somethinglike ‘play the cards you’re dealing,’ and remind you this is not a card game, it’s your life!” Steven cries dramatically.
“He gave you dem legs, get up and leave the casino, my girl!” Tyrone yells.
“Okay, okay, I think the metaphors have had their moment,” Janie says.
I blink hard a few times at the sight of my sister here, in the shop, surrounded by all the people who have been here for me when she wasn’t.
I look around at the latter, “Th…thank you,” I manage to get out.
“Now,” Janie straightens. “This concludes our intervention. Everyone out except Steven. Harp, I’m giving you thirty minutes to get Madison here and give them all a crash course in this place. The jet leaves in an hour.”
Steven narrows his eyes, “You just love saying that don’t you. ‘I’ve got the jet waiting.’”
“I do, and you’re just mad you haven’t gone for a flight yet,” Janie says back.
