Valentino Moretti is not a sentimental man, but the only time I've ever seen anything remotely like emotion flicker across his face is whenever my little sister is around.
"Rae," Bennett's voice calls out to me, pulling me out of that darkness. "Hey, Rae?"
My head shakes on its axis and I suck in a breath.
"You okay?"
My eyes flick up to Bennett's dark ones and the lines in his forehead crease deeper in palpable worry. He's seen this exact same exchange a million times and it never gets any easier for either of us.
"Yeah, Benn. I'm fine."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: your dad is a dick."
A weak laugh pushes through my throat and that's about all I can muster. One short, practically one-sided conversation shouldn't have this kind of effect on me. But it does and I suddenly wish I had more than just one bottle of white wine waiting for me in my apartment. At the rate I'm going, I'm probably better off just checking myself into rehab.
"I mean, seriously," Bennett continues his crusade to cheer me up, but we both know he's failing. "Who gives someone like Zero a freaking store ? He deserves to lose all the money he's put into this and then some."
For my college graduation, I got a check for $1,000. Generous? Sure. And I used half of that money on the security deposit for my first 'adult' apartment and put the rest in the bank.
My sister got a store.
"If he comes in here one more time and says you need to be helping her more, I'm gonna...I don't know what. I'm gonna do something."
"Thanks, Benn," I pat him on the shoulder just for good measure. "Appreciate it."
"That's what I'm here for, Clamato," he smiles and squeezes my hand. "And please know that I'm only saying this because I love you, but it's time for you to figure out how to move on."
My lips part to protest, but I don't have a chance to even get a word in because he swoops in with a truth I'm not ready to hear.
"It's been three months, Rae. Josh has moved on. You know he has. And he probably hasn't thought about you twice since you moved back home. It's time for you to get out of your cave and do things again. Happy things. Scary things. Whatever it is, I just want you to figure out how to be yourself again."
He says the word, again, like I ever had it figured out in the first place.
"Benn," I sigh. "It's not that easy."
"I know," he nods sympathetically. "But look at where you are. You're stuck here working for your sister , of all people, when you could be doing so much more. You just choose not to."
"What if I like working here?"
He cocks an eyebrow my way. "Okay, I'll accept that you like working here, but not that you like working here as her employee. You're so much better than this and you know it. I mean, you've basically been running this store for her since you moved back. Everyone and their mother knows it's been doing better and she still takes all the credit for it. Doesn't even compensate you the way she should. You have a degree in finance for shit's sake and are way overqualified. She should pay you what you're worth, but she doesn't and you want to know why?" He doesn't wait for me to respond. "Because you haven't asked for it. That's why."
Instead of addressing the elephant in the room, I choose to focus on the easiest hurdle.
"I'm sorry I haven't figured out what to do with my life," I tell him with a shrug. "But what am I really supposed to do? I just don't...I just don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. I just..."
Something is simmering right underneath the surface. It's so close I can taste it and I think if I were to reach out and finally hold it in my hands, it might be enough to crumble everything I know and every plan I've ever made for the course of my life. I just don't know if I'm brave enough. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to set out in this new direction, wherever it may lead.
"I just..." I stumble through it, fumbling toward something as elusive as it is terrifying. "I hated it. I've
"Rae," Bennett's voice calls out to me, pulling me out of that darkness. "Hey, Rae?"
My head shakes on its axis and I suck in a breath.
"You okay?"
My eyes flick up to Bennett's dark ones and the lines in his forehead crease deeper in palpable worry. He's seen this exact same exchange a million times and it never gets any easier for either of us.
"Yeah, Benn. I'm fine."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: your dad is a dick."
A weak laugh pushes through my throat and that's about all I can muster. One short, practically one-sided conversation shouldn't have this kind of effect on me. But it does and I suddenly wish I had more than just one bottle of white wine waiting for me in my apartment. At the rate I'm going, I'm probably better off just checking myself into rehab.
"I mean, seriously," Bennett continues his crusade to cheer me up, but we both know he's failing. "Who gives someone like Zero a freaking store ? He deserves to lose all the money he's put into this and then some."
For my college graduation, I got a check for $1,000. Generous? Sure. And I used half of that money on the security deposit for my first 'adult' apartment and put the rest in the bank.
My sister got a store.
"If he comes in here one more time and says you need to be helping her more, I'm gonna...I don't know what. I'm gonna do something."
"Thanks, Benn," I pat him on the shoulder just for good measure. "Appreciate it."
"That's what I'm here for, Clamato," he smiles and squeezes my hand. "And please know that I'm only saying this because I love you, but it's time for you to figure out how to move on."
My lips part to protest, but I don't have a chance to even get a word in because he swoops in with a truth I'm not ready to hear.
"It's been three months, Rae. Josh has moved on. You know he has. And he probably hasn't thought about you twice since you moved back home. It's time for you to get out of your cave and do things again. Happy things. Scary things. Whatever it is, I just want you to figure out how to be yourself again."
He says the word, again, like I ever had it figured out in the first place.
"Benn," I sigh. "It's not that easy."
"I know," he nods sympathetically. "But look at where you are. You're stuck here working for your sister , of all people, when you could be doing so much more. You just choose not to."
"What if I like working here?"
He cocks an eyebrow my way. "Okay, I'll accept that you like working here, but not that you like working here as her employee. You're so much better than this and you know it. I mean, you've basically been running this store for her since you moved back. Everyone and their mother knows it's been doing better and she still takes all the credit for it. Doesn't even compensate you the way she should. You have a degree in finance for shit's sake and are way overqualified. She should pay you what you're worth, but she doesn't and you want to know why?" He doesn't wait for me to respond. "Because you haven't asked for it. That's why."
Instead of addressing the elephant in the room, I choose to focus on the easiest hurdle.
"I'm sorry I haven't figured out what to do with my life," I tell him with a shrug. "But what am I really supposed to do? I just don't...I just don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. I just..."
Something is simmering right underneath the surface. It's so close I can taste it and I think if I were to reach out and finally hold it in my hands, it might be enough to crumble everything I know and every plan I've ever made for the course of my life. I just don't know if I'm brave enough. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to set out in this new direction, wherever it may lead.
"I just..." I stumble through it, fumbling toward something as elusive as it is terrifying. "I hated it. I've
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