Page 85 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“No! No, he was a perfect gentleman.”
“Ah…was he, uh…really bad?” She grimaces.
“Maple! No!” I bark out a laugh. “It was—god, it was amazing. He wasgood. It was the best night I’ve had in years. No one has ever made me…” I press my lips together, stopping myself from sharing too much information. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing is wrong with you. Wrong isn’t the right word.”
I sniffle.
“Do you like him?” she asks.
“No. Never.” My jaw tenses. I’m lying to my sister’sface. “If I ever claim I like that man, there’s probably an… imposter situation.”
“Then don’t let him be one of your problems!” She grins. “You’re allowed to have fun, Juni. Not everything has to be so serious.”
It was more than a fun night to me, but it can’t be for him. He’s freshly divorced. I doubt he’s looking for a serious relationship. I can’t believe I’m a rebound. It’s too embarrassing to say out loud.
“You’re right,” I say. “Forget about it. I just needed to tell someone.”
“I’m glad you told me. You know you can tell me anything.”
“I do.” I stand up and brush off my skirt. “Let’s have a family meeting tonight. We can figure out what to do next.”
“We don’t need to rush into it.”
“I need to,” I say. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. Maybe this will help.”
“We can give it a try. Anything to make you feel better.”
We all meetat the shop again, but it doesn’t feel the same this time. The first time we met here, we had something to be excited about. This time, I’m going to disappoint them.
I disappoint everyone.
“What’s up? Why am I here?” Laurel pushes her sunglasses on her head and settles onto the red rug next to Rowan.
I exhale slowly. “We need to change something about the shop.”
I’m not giving up on it—not yet. That would be the easy way out, and my life has never been about taking the simple path.
I will do everything to make sure this place comes together. I’ll make changes, big or small, until I feel I’m pursuing my dreams.
“We haven’t been open very long,” Rowan says. “A few weeks isn’t enough time to know if our pricing and marketing is working.”
“It isn’t about that,” I say.
Maple pats my knee.
“Then what is it?” Laurel pouts. “I’m still having fun.”
“I’m… not.” I deflate.
My sisters are frowning at me, and I want to make it stop. They shouldn’t look at me with such worry. It’s my job to take care ofthem.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan moves onto her knees. She looks like she’s going to stand up, as if she can tackle the problem herself.
“I thought running the shop would make me happy,” I say, “but it doesn’t. I don’t know if anything ever will.”
“Something will,” Laurel says. “Do you want my advice?”
