kill yourself doing all of that, especially since it’s all by hand,” Carrie said seriously. “It’s not realistic—it’s time to put in a real kitchen. Darren can help you with remodeling the basement in your house. You need to make this sustainable, and that can’t happen if you’re running a tea shop and hand-dipping every single one of those caramels.”
I looked at her, wishing she weren’t right. I’d managed to hold it together so far, but my back and shoulders ached every night from all the leaning and dipping. My enrobing machine could do it all in an hour or two, easy. It was all ready and waiting for me, back in the basement in Seattle. The tea shop kitchen wasn’t big enough to hold it.
“Maybe I should just move Dad to Seattle,” I said softly. “Get a property manager for the building and end this. I never planned to stay in Hallies Falls this long.”
Carrie reached across the table, squeezing my hand.
“I know things aren’t perfect here,” she said softly. “And I’m biased, because I want you to stay in town. But before you make a decision like that, really think about your dad. We can all see that he’s failing. Nobody knows how long he’ll last, but one thing we do know—he’s in a house that feels safe and right to him. He’s comfortable, he’s happy, and he has his routine. He may not always remember that your mom is gone, but he always remembers where he is. He knows where to find a drink, he knows how to walk around the neighborhood. If you take that away from him, he’ll lose whatever quality of life he has left.”
Her words hit like a punch to the gut.
“I’m scared,” I admitted softly. Carrie nodded, her face determined.
“I know,” she said. “But we’re going to protect you. First thing, we shut down this shop for good, so you can work in peace without worrying about the crazy sneaking up on you again.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Carrie held up a hand, cutting me off. “Your mom loved this place, but it’s not a functional business. She never would’ve expected you to keep it open and you know it.”
She was right.
“So, that takes care of the shop,” she said. “Now we need to deal with the candy crisis. Should you try to make up for all that lost work here, or should you go to Seattle so you can use the heavy equipment? I hate to even suggest it, but I know you’ll get more done in your big kitchen there. Of course, you’ll also have to clean everything up first and make sure it’s running right. Not only that, you’ll have to deal with Brandon. Not that I care if it’s inconvenient for him. The fucker’s been dragging his feet on the divorce and selling the house, so he can suck it up and share with you for a couple days. The real question is whether you can tolerate him long enough to get the work done.”
I considered her suggestion, weighing the pros and cons as dispassionately as I could.
“I should go to Seattle,” I finally concluded. “With the equipment there I can replace the lost candy twice as fast. Gives some time for the situation with Talia to cool off, too. I’ll have to do something with Dad, though.”
“Take him with you.”
“What happened to keeping him in the home he loves?”
Carried rolled her eyes.
“You’re not supposed to stay there, dumbass. You go, you catch up on your work, and then you come back. Bring Randi, too—I’ll bet she’d love to get out of the house, and she can do all the packaging. She can also help keep an eye on your dad.”
“And the apartment building?”
“Darren will deal with it,” she said. “It’ll be good to get away from the whole Cooper/Talia situation. He may be hot as hell, but so far as I’m concerned, the man is pond scum. He’s got a girlfriend and he’s making moves on you, which means he’s dog shit in my book. I don’t care what the rules of their relationship are—he had no business dragging you into his mess.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I insisted. She raised her brows. “Okay, what he did was pretty shitty. But I shouldn’t have gone to his apartment, either. I’m adult enough to own my own mistakes, Carrie. It’s not like his relationship with Talia was a secret.”