“I’d like to do something with the arts, but I don’t really know what. I know the arts are risky. I don’t know that I could provide for myself being an artist.”
She brings the bowls to the table and we sit across from Harmony and Brayden. “What kind of artist?” she asks without even a glimmer of sarcasm. “When I taught, my friend Andrea Hullstead—”
“Mrs. Hullstead!” Angelo pipes.
“Yes,” Summer nods, “she’s still teaching. Andrea’s the art teacher, but she sells her paintings in a gallery downtown.”
I haven’t thought about it enough. I need to, now that I only have a year left of high school.
As if she’s read my thoughts Summer flings her fingers in the air. “You have plenty of time to figure it out.”
“Do I?”
“Of course you do. Many college students change their major throughout the course of school.”
College. I don’t know if college is a reality for me. I may be a struggling artist the rest of my life.
It’s like my head has taken down a physical wall between Summer and myself. And now that it has, I have a million questions for her. I want to know how she and Rodrick met, where they got married, where she went to school and a dozen more things. But this morning, I only have one thing I need to take care of—there will be time for the rest.
I finish my breakfast and wait until Harmony has scampered into the living room—maybe Summer will say no to my request and I don’t want Harmony overhearing. “Could I take Harmony to the bookstore today?”
Summer blinks in surprise, her jaw drops just enough that her mouth opens, but words don’t escape just yet.
“Just for a couple of hours.”
“Um, sure. She’ll need her car seat—you can just take my car.”
“Can I come?” Angelo watches us from the table.
I only asked for Harmony, but then I honestly thought she’d be the only one who’d want to come with me.
“Definitely.” I give him a thumbs up.
An hour later Summer shows me how to buckle Harmony into her seat. Holy cow there are more straps and buckles for one little kid than I thought possible. I’d hate to see Brayden’s car seat.
With Angelo and Harmony buckled in the back of Summer’s car, I open the driver’s door. Summer’s fingers curl around the top of the metal, “Hey, Esther, Harmony will be three on July 8th. I know she’d love for you to be at her birthday party, if you can get that day off. If not—” she shuffles, as if stepping on actual egg shells.
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Her lips turn up in a small but loving smile and she nods. “Great.” She blinks back a few welling tears—I can’t judge anyone’s tears after yesterday.
“We’ll be back in a bit.”
There are more than a handful of customers at the store when we arrive. More than I’ve ever seen. Marley talks to a man down one aisle and Danny sits at the register. I can see Finn’s beany just overtop of one bookcase in the middle of the pack.
I hold Harmony’s hand and stride over to the register with Angelo obediently at my side. “What’s up? Are we having a sale or something?”
Danny grins. “Your tree’s a real crowd pleaser. The story came out yesterday. We’ve had a steady stream of customers ever since.”
I glance at the tree where one lady whispers to her companion, pointing at the structure. “That’s crazy,” I say watching the pair. “The tree?”
“The tree,” Danny says with a grin. He leans over the register table and peeks at Harmony and then Angelo. “Who’s this?”
“Oh! These are my cousins, Angelo and Harmony.”
Danny shakes both of their hands, wiggling Harmony’s little arm until it jiggles like a cooked spaghetti noodle. She giggles and leans against my side.
“Hey, there,” Finn says behind us.
I turn to face him and offer a warm smile. I’m not going to reach out and hug him, but I can’t be mad at him either. If he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings—that are confusing even to me—I can’t be angry about that. So, I push down my embarrassment and attempt to take the high road. “You guys remember Finn?”
“He’s a boy,” Harmony says loud enough that the woman at the tree glances our way. “And Essie yelled at him!”
I pinch my lips, but Danny only laughs.
“You guys want to see the kids’ section?” Finn asks.
Angelo nods. It’s a small part of the store, a little corner that Finn and I made to be its own thing. There are cushions to sit on and three shelves of used books.
“Pick out anything you want,” I tell Angelo, “I’m buying you and Harmony a book today.”
“Okay,” he says, looking through a stack of easy reader books with LEGO characters on the front.
“Finn, will you stay with Angelo? Just for a minute. I need Harmony to help me with something.”
Already engrossed in one of the books, Angelo doesn’t answer. “We’ll be fine,” Finn says, sitting on the floor next to him.
I crouch down to meet Harmony eye level and her hands press flat against my cheeks. “Can you help me with something?”
She presses her mouth to mine in response, and I laugh before she’s ended the sloppy kiss.
“Thanks for that,” I say, brushing my mouth with the back of my hand. Harmony beams.
I walk her to the front of the store, where the tree is free of onlookers. Kneeling in front of her, I set my purse between us. Harmony’s pink leaves are between pages of a book inside my purse, and I pull them out as if they are breakable treasures.
Her eyes widen and she points at her creation. “Pink leaves!”
“Yes, your pink leaves. Will you help me put them on the tree?” I’ve stowed away some of Summer’s Scotch tape as well. I’ll have to Modge Podge them on later, but this will work for now. The memory of Harmony’s compassionate little hand on my foot yesterday has stayed with me—maybe more than anything.
“Yep.” She takes the leaves from me, holding one in each hand. “Essie,” she says, waving the leaf with my stick figure on it, “Harmony!” She holds up the other.
I place a piece of tape on each and pick her up. “Okay, where do you want them?”
She smacks them onto the window front a few inches away from one of my paper branches and perfectly colored green leaves and then claps her plump little hands together.
“Very nice.” I’m about to put her down when her arms snake around my neck and squeeze until I’m pretty sure she’s completely blocked off my airway.
Harmony walks beside me back to Angelo, our hands knotted together and swinging.
Angelo’s holding a book open in his lap, but facing Finn. “So, how do you make it stop?”
“I have medicine and I use an oxygen mask.”
“A mask?” Angelo’s dark brows peek upward. “What kind of mask?”
“Well, it’s not as cool as Batman’s, that’s for sure.” Finn is focused on Angelo and doesn’t see me until we’re standing right next to the two of them.
“What are you guys talking about?”