had. They were the very core of my identity.
Lexi turned a paper sack upside down and dumped burgers from the local Whataburger onto the table. They quickly got passed around. Hope and I sat across from each other, exhausted smiles on our faces. Her parents sat at the head of the table on my left, while my former Packmaster sat to the right with his back to the windows.
My dad nudged my shoulder. “You did good, Mel. This is a kickass place, and if you ever need a live band—”
I laughed and glanced to my right. “I’m not sure if we could manage the stampede of all your adoring fangirls.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Nothing I wouldn’t do for my baby girl. You dig?”
While everyone chatted, I managed to gobble down two junior burgers and a small fry. While listening to everyone chatter about the great turnout and the beautiful weather, I sat back and sucked on a chocolate milkshake, basking in the glow of a successful launch.
My father raked his fingers through his hair. “I still remember when she was six and went into that shoe store.”
I gripped his arm. “Please don’t tell that story. You swore you’d never tell that story.”
He stared at me straight-faced. “I paid over five hundred dollars for those boots. I earned the right to tell this story. So we’re going through this department store in the mall, and while I’m asking a saleslady where the belts are, I turn around and Mel’s gone.”
Everyone at the table chuckled. It wasn’t the first time I’d taken off in a department store.
My dad played with a bear claw hanging from a chain on his neck. “So after thirty minutes, I find her in the shoe department. Fancy shoes. Dolce & Cabana.”
“Gabbana,” I corrected.
“That’s what I said.”
Uncle Reno covered his face, a laugh caught in his throat. “Don’t tell me she had the markers.”
The ladies’ mouths dropped.
Hope’s brows knitted. “What markers?”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’ve never heard this story. I went through a permanent-marker phase. Blame Denver. He showed me how easy it was to make Reno’s boots look like new again.”
Reno glared at Denver, who smiled at his burger and said nothing.
“Anyway,” my father said, gathering everyone’s attention. “I walked up and found Mel coloring a pair of knee-high boots. White boots.”
Hope cringed.
“Not leather but some kind of lacy, expensive shit. When I asked her what she was doing, she said, ‘They did these wrong. I’m fixing them.’ So I had no choice. Mel needed to learn her lesson.”
Reno’s eyes narrowed.
My dad ate another fry, holding everyone’s rapt attention. “I don’t mess around. If you cross the line with me, I’ll kick your ass. The salesman grabbed her by the arm, and I gave him a close-up of my knuckles. Three times, just in case he missed the first two. Then I bought the boots for Isabelle. They didn’t fit, but she’s still got ’em up in the closet somewhere. The lesson Mel learned that day was that I’ll support her no matter what.”
He messed up my hair as if I were that little girl again, and I smiled nostalgically.
“Tell me how it is that you secured a deal with the Iwa tribe,” Lorenzo said, dipping his fry in his ketchup container. “Hope was evasive with her answers. I’ve met Shikoba, and he’s a shrewd businessman who’s turned down more people than he’s negotiated deals with.”
I scratched my throat. “Trade secret. I’m afraid I can’t discuss contractual details. It would be… unprofessional.”
Denver barked out a laugh. “You tell him!”
Lorenzo looked peeved and sat back. “Fair enough.”
I had a sinking feeling that he might call Shikoba to try to pry the answer out of him. Hopefully Shikoba would be discreet and not discuss what I’d actually done to lock in our deal.
My thoughts ran away with me, and I glanced wistfully at a man passing by the front window.
“Is something wrong?” Hope asked.
I swung my gaze across the table and feigned a grin. “No, I’m just exhausted.”
Lexi snorted. “Welcome to my world, ladies. Why don’t you look at your budget at the end of the month and see if you can afford hired help? Atticus has been a godsend, working at the bakery these past few years. You’re going to have days when you have to negotiate with vendors or just don’t feel good and want to stay home. It’s more stressful to close the shop unexpectedly, so think about hiring a part-time