The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(96)

“Maybe it is.” I wiped a tear away. “But Mom was fun and silly and wild and bold, and this—” I whirled my finger in the air at the store around us. “—this is for her. The last thing she’d want is for us to turn her store into a dusty old tomb.” A tear spilled over, running down my cheek before I wiped it away with my sleeve. Wyatt’s hand was firm on my shoulder. “She’d love what I did.”

My dad glanced at the flowers on the wallpaper like they would bite him. He couldn’t get out of this place fast enough. “I don’t want to do this but I think I need to take over the store again.”

Alarm shot up my spine and my eyes widened. “What? No.” I shook my head hard and took a step towards him. “No, you can’t. You’ll ruin everything I’ve done.”

The bell jingled as the door opened again and we all turned to see Veena from the bakery standing in the doorway. I blinked and turned to wipe the tears away.

“Hi, Veena.” I cleared my throat. “You’re back.”

She stepped into the store with hesitation. Her gaze swept around the store and the hesitation melted away, into something awestruck. She breathed out a laugh of disbelief.

“Hannah.” A tentative smile crept onto her face. “Wow. Look at this place.”

I cleared my throat. “Um. Is there something you’re looking for?”

She turned to my dad and raised her eyebrows. “Well?”

My dad shifted and cleared his throat. “It’s not a good time.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious? You didn’t tell her.”

Wyatt and I exchanged a baffled look. I narrowed my eyes at my dad and Veena, shaking my head. “What? What’s going on?”

Veena watched my dad with a sad, disappointed expression. “I wish you were as brave as your daughter.”

“What is going on?” I repeated, louder. “Dad?”

He looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor. His gaze flicked between Veena and I. He shot her a helpless glance and it hit me.

“I’m visiting a friend for a couple months,” she had said in July with a tight, cagey smile.

“Oh my god.” I covered my mouth with my hand and blinked.

Veena shook her head at my dad. “I will not be your dirty little secret. I deserve so much more.” She turned to me. “The store is beautiful. I hope you know how magnificent you are.”

My pulse pounded in my ears. I turned to Wyatt in confusion. His expression was unreadable but his hand rubbed slow circles on my back.

Veena opened the door and walked out. I stared at the door before my gaze swung to my dad.

My stomach lurched and I thought I might be sick, but instead, I burst out laughing. It was one big joke and I was at the center of it. My dad was pressuring me to keep the store the same to honor the memory of my mom but here he was, sneaking around behind my back, moving on from her. My gut twisted hard and my eyes welled up with tears in frustration.

I buried my face in my hands. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Hannah.” His voice cracked.

“You’re the bad guy.” I stabbed a finger in the air. My voice shook. “I lied to you by not telling you about the store but you lied to me, too. And you made Veena feel like crap. She’s a really nice lady.” I clenched my eyes closed and my hands made fists at my side. “You’re the one acting in a way that would disappoint Mom.”

I shouldn’t have said it. I clapped a hand over my mouth. It was too far.

“I’m not giving up the store,” I added, crossing my arms. “I won’t do it.”

He clenched his eyes closed in pain. The giant flowers on the walls seemed to grow even bigger. The walls pressed toward me.

“I have to go. I—I need to get out of here.” The urge to hide, to disappear, rolled through me. My dad didn’t say a word, he just stared at the floor as I backed away toward the door with my hands up, pushed the door open and strode out.

Outside, I leaned against the wall and buried my face in my hands. Tears spilled out and sobs shook in my chest. A second later, Wyatt pulled me into his arms and against his chest. I leaned into his warmth and let myself get tears all over his t-shirt, right there on the street.

“He lied to me,” I croaked.

He smoothed my hair down with his hand. “I know.” His chin rested on the top of my head and his chest rose and fell as he sighed into me. “I’m so proud of how you handled yourself in there.”

A fraction of me was proud, too, but another part knew I could never go back to before, when things were comfortable with my dad. Our relationship had shifted under our feet. I didn’t know what that would look like from now on. Maybe it was irreparable.

Wyatt leaned back to study my tear-stained, puffy face. “Do you want to get some lunch or do you want to go home?”

I shook my head, swallowing and wiping my face off. I didn’t want to go to my place, and if I went back to Wyatt’s, I’d spend the afternoon thinking about everything with my dad.

“Let’s go for lunch.” I nodded. I was okay. I’d deal with this later.





29





Wyatt





The wind lifted her hair while she stared out at the water from The Arbutus patio. I reached out and brushed her arm.