Page 69 of Fixed Up Ever After
“Not that I’m not grateful, but I’m very confused as to why you are both here. You’ve never—” She cut herself off. She was going to say they never showed an interest before, but didn’t want a fight.
Her father seemed to understand what she was implying and his features softened. “Yeah, I know this seems out of character. And we fully plan on having this conversation, but let's save it until after you close. You have a steady stream of customers and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. Is that okay?”
As curious as she was, it was for the best to save this conversation for later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was their willingness to help. If today’s opening showed her anything, it was that she needed to hire employees, stat. Something she hadn’t thought about and wished she had planned better.
Luckily, her friends and family picked up the slack.
“Sure, sounds good to me. You ready to work?” She grinned, taking some much-needed pleasure in seeing her sister do mundane tasks.
With a single nod and a quick hug from her father, the two of them went straight to work. It was bizarre and unbelievable to see her father and sister jump right into action without complaint, but she couldn’t deny the pride she felt seeing them.
So many questions ran through her mind and she wanted answers to all of them. The conversation would be hard, but long overdue. For now, she just needed to focus on her store and keep the momentum going.
She still couldn’t help but wish Javi was there to see her first day.
CHAPTER42
Lola
The rest of the day went by in a blur of books and smiling faces. Lola was sure her face was set in a permanent smile from talking to her customers and helping book lovers find their next story. She barely had any time to pee or eat, though she did scarf down one of Mattea’s pastries in the back room.
By the end of the day, she didn’t even care that her feet throbbed from running around the store. She was still on cloud nine. Since this morning, they had a steady stream of customers. The bell above the door chimed so many times that she knew she would be dreaming about it tonight.
Yet, each time the bell rang a small part of her was holding out for Javi to be there, smiling at her in a way that made her warm and gooey all over. Her father and sister had come, so it didn’t seem too far-fetched.
But he never showed.
The last hour before they closed, things started to slow down and Mona had said she and Mattea needed to go. She was vague on the details but assured her she would catch up with her soon. Lola wasn’t the only one dying to understand why her dad and Marisol were here.
It still felt so surreal. The two of them worked hard to help her throughout the store and never once complained. Even when Marisol spilled coffee on her blouse. Her sister shrugged.Shrugged!And carried on as if nothing had happened. Lola kept waiting for the second shoe to drop; for something drastic or terrible to happen. It said a lot about her relationship with her family when she expected things to fail.
To their credit, they had stayed within their positions all day. Never once slowing down, besides the occasional quick bathroom break. When it was time to close the store, all three of them sagged in relief. The adrenaline had finally worn off and it was as if their bodies finally realized how tired they were.
“That’s it. Day one done,” she called out, sitting down for the first time that day. The moment she was off her feet, she groaned.
A moment later the chairs opposite her at the cafe table were occupied by her father and Marisol. Her dad wore an expression she had desperately missed coming from him. Pride. He was proud of her. “I’ve never had so many paper cuts in my life.” He laughed.
“I don’t think I have fingerprints anymore. I think they have been permanently burned off.” Marisol inspected her hands and then rubbed them against her dark jeans. Marisol looked so…normal. Lola felt as if she stepped into an episode ofThe Twilight Zoneand she would soon wake up to realize she slept through her first opening.
Lola was half tempted to pinch herself, but she refrained. Only just.
“I’m so proud of you, kiddo.” The pride on her father’s face was evident once again. “I always knew you were tenacious. Always knew you had it in you, but seeing you achieve your dreams is an entirely different ballgame. You shined today.”
I’m so proud of you.
How long had she yearned for her family to give her the recognition she had always craved? Hearing those words as a child would have healed a part of her still desperately trying to please a family who never quite accepted her the way she was.
The only exception had been her father but he had always been complacent in the way she was treated. That shit hurt too and he needed to know.
It was as if a fire was lit inside of her, giving her the strength and grit she needed to reclaim pieces of herself. “Yeah, I did. Didn’t I?” The abrupt change in her caught the attention of both of them. “I appreciate your assistance today and the money you put aside for me to do this. I realize how privileged I am to have never gone without and for you to trust me enough to never question the ways I spend my money.”
“But?”
There was always a but, wasn’t there? Her father had heard it in her words. Marisol tensed, bracing herself for what was to come. She slipped back into the haughty expression she normally wore. It took until now to realize blocking her emotions was Marisol’s way of coping.
“But that doesn’t excuse the way Mom has treated me all of these years. The way you have treated me, Marisol.” For a brief second, Marisol’s eyes widened before her mask of indifference took over. But Lola wasn’t going to let her hide today.
“You are my sister and all I ever wanted was a relationship with you. We had one once, but then Mom got her claws into you. You were always her favorite and you claimed that spot ruthlessly. You went along with the backhanded insults and never once stood up on my behalf. None of this even begins to cover the betrayal I felt when you started dating Archie almost immediately after we broke up!”
