Ten

I'm standing in a puddle of water, watching all my dreams drown. Maybe I'm in denial, and it's not that bad. If I ignore all the firefighters storming in and out the front door, splashing water all over the children's books as they try to control the leak.

"Teagan?"

I turn to Jace, forever grateful that he's the one talking to me first. I'm not sure what I would do otherwise.

"Yeah."

"Sugar-coat it or not? "

"Better not. I already have a feeling it's not good, bud." I glance back at the fire hydrant that became my worst enemy.

Jace clears his throat, glancing at the chief before breaking my heart. "It's terrible, Tee. The water damage alone will break the bank, and I can't imagine what it'll cost to replace all the books. The boutique suffered water damage, but nothing like this. First thing tomorrow, call your insurance company, but I'm afraid you are closed for a while."

I don't like hearing those words—damage. From the looks of things, there is a lot of damage. I should've stayed in bed. I'm glad Silas isn't here to see all this, but now that I think about it, I realize he was supposed to show up for work today.

"How did the hydrant blow its load?"

He shrugs. "That I don't know. That's a question for the chief."

From the looks of it, the chief is not up to a chat from a bookshop owner. With the way his arms are flying around, he's pissed. I'm going to assume whatever happened with the hydrant wasn't on purpose; this is going to have Elma's head spinning.

"Thanks, Jace. I guess it's out of my hands now."

He gives me a small smile. "Sorry about all this. If you need a hand cleaning, let me know. I'll get some of the guys to help. "

If I don't think about the damage, it's not so bad. It's funny how things turn out, one second, the day was going as planned, and then some asshole named Murphy comes in and says, nope, let's turn your day upside down. What a douche. Shove your law up your asshole.

"I'll let you know, but I'll probably take you up on that offer. What a shitty day."

Jace pulls me in for a hug, and when he's in his gear, it's like hugging a bear. My arms barely reach the middle of his back. "Take care, Tee. If this is the worst, it's not that bad."

"I suppose so," I mumble into his chest. I push back and get out of his way.

"Call if you need anything."

I watch all the crew pack and leave, and I'm stuck in the middle of a mess, wondering what to do now. I should call Dad, but even thinking about talking will make me cry.

It's been hours since the great flood, so I decided not to wait and called the insurance company. They advised me not to touch anything until they could send an adjuster to check the damage. I had to beg and plead with them to do it tomorrow; this was an emergency.

The shop will need all new shelving units for the first half, the flooring will need to be redone, and I'm not looking forward to sorting the books. It's amazing what a few inches of water will do. I walk through the lake and lock the front door.

Before I head home, I stop at my favourite restaurant, The Lucky Dragon.

"Ah, Miss Teagan. How are you?" Mr. Li greets me as soon as I walk in.

I walk to the counter, grabbing a menu even though we both know what I'm getting. "Mr. Li, not good. Not good at all."

He grabs my hand as his callused fingers rub along my knuckles. "Tell me the news, and I get your order in." He turns around, yelling an order of chicken chow mein noodles and wonton soup to his wife. Min pops her head around the corner and grins.

"I knew that was you, Teagan. I get your order done pronto."

Mr. Li chuckles. That's how you know you might be eating out a little too much. Mr. Li pats my hand and gives me a gentle smile.

"We'll make day better."

"I hope so. I had to close shop for a while," I muttered miserably.

Mr. Li's eyes widen with shock. "What happened?"

I glance at the ceiling, trying not to cry. "It flooded." His hand squeezes around mine. "Can you believe that? A bookstore flooding. I would've expected a fire or something, but nope. A stupid hydrant went rapid, and now." I can't even finish the sentence. I'm so upset. All my hard work is gone.

Mr. Li tsk's. "Don't think like that. Persist and keep at it; don't let a little pebble ruin the lake. Think of this as a restart."

"A restart for what? It was hard enough to get a building permit the first time around. I don't think it'll happen so easily this time." I drew my hand away and buried both into my hair. "Nancy is horrible to deal with."

Min comes from the kitchen with a brown paper bag, shaking her head. "Nancy is mean—horrible lady to deal with. I wish you nothing but the best, Teagan."

Short and to the point, that one is. "Thank you, Min. I'll need more than wishes, I'm afraid."

I pay and grab my food. So many thoughts are running through my head about what I have to do now that the shop is on vacation mode. The Mom and Tot program will have to be the first phone call tomorrow, and now they'll be scrambling to find a place to rent. This whole thing has thrown everyone off schedule.

I take things slow this morning; it's not like I have a shop to open. The insurance company said they won't be by until the afternoon. And if I don't distract my mind, I'll think about how nothing is getting done and how the entire place probably smells like mildew. Does mildew set in within hours? I should look that up. I also need to cancel book orders and call the mom group. Who am I kidding? Elma has probably already spread the news like wildfire. This town will know by lunch, and the one who will be the most excited will be Nancy.

As I step outside, the wind blows leaves from the neighbour's large maple across the walkway, another sign that Fall will soon come to an end. The season that I despise the most will be here. I tighten my sweater closer when another gust of wind whips around me; maybe I should've driven.

The further I walk down the street, the busier it becomes. The most popular little joint would be The Coffee Cove. The first thing you see when you walk in is the mint subway tiles behind the baristas. Besides the baked goods, it's the best thing about this place. That's what keeps me coming back, more so the cinnamon buns. They taste like heaven.

I' m mentally going through the list of things to ask the insurance broker when a hand grasps my shoulder. I whip around, and Elma smiles.

"Sorry, honey. Didn't mean to startle you." Her fingers dig deeper.

I reach out, removing her hand. "Trust me. You didn't. I was thinking, that's all."

"About your shop?" she whispers, with pity in her eyes.

And there it is, the gossip of the fucking century coming out of the rumour mill's mouth. The only thing I'm grateful for is that she whispered it but guaranteed she had already told ten people before she walked in here.

I bit back a grin and nod. "Yeah, it's a shame. Bright side. I'll get that vacation after all." I shrug because if I told her what I wanted to say, she would have a field day with it.

"It'll be all right. You'll be open in no time. I have no doubt about it." She pulls me in for a half hug.

"Thanks. I should get going. I have a busy day ahead of me."

I leave the café without ordering. Elma has a way with her words; I'm not in the mood for it. I need to talk to my parents, they'll know what to do.

The family home hasn't changed one bit since I moved out over fifteen years ago. I swear my parents don't know what renovations are. The house still looks like it should be in the 80s. Don't worry; the worst is yet to come.

Floor-to-ceiling floral wallpaper greets me as I enter the front door, and it's something I still haven't gotten used to. I've tried talking Mom into tearing it down, painting it a lovely off-white colour, and adding accent tones. But she shot that down quicker than a sniper can shoot his target.

"Teagan? What are you doing here?" Mom rounds the corner of the kitchen, looking shocked to see me.

I enter the kitchen and find Mom making a tea. "Where's Dad? I need to talk to the both of you." Mom is still looking at me, waiting for answers, but frankly, I only want to retell this story once.

"He's in the garage, I'll grab him." She heads out, but looks at me once more with worry.

I should've known. He's probably tinkering on something that doesn't need to be tinkered with. That man shouldn't have retired. Dad needs a hobby, like fishing, but he doesn't want to leave Mom alone. I'll never understand a romantic relationship, but a few hours by yourself shouldn't be a problem. I think Mom would enjoy some alone time.

I'm halfway through making an apple cider when Dad comes storming into the kitchen like someone just murdered his kitten.

"What's wrong, Small fry?"

I set my cup on the table and look between him and Mom. "Sit." I pull a chair out and sit.

"Fuck, she's pregnant, and the asshole walked out on her." Dad pulls a chair out and slams his fist on the table.

"Whoa, slow your roll, Dad. I'm not sixteen; I'm thirty-five. I'm sure if I did end up pregnant one day, I'd be okay being a single mom. Anyway. The shop flooded, and I had to close it."

Why does he jump to the most extreme? I would've thought something along the lines of something that happened to the house, such as the car breaking. But no, it's my uterus that has finally been used. Mom sits next to me, giving me a small hug.

"It'll be okay. What do you need us to do?"

I spin around my cup of cider, wondering about all the shit that needs to be done. "To be honest. The insurance company is sending someone over today."

"I'll be there with you. Those rat bastards will try anything to scam the smallest thing out of you," Dad interrupts .

"That's a good idea, dear. Dad will not let them take advantage of you. God knows what they'll try to pull," Mom adds, patting my hand.

I lean back in my chair, taking a sip of my cider. Only my parents would try to still treat me like a child. I'm pretty sure I know how to stand my ground regarding my business. I keep my mouth shut; some things are best unsaid, especially around Dad.

Dad parks in front of the shop minutes before the appointment with the insurance broker, and my mind is about to explode. Every what-if scenario is running through. What if the flooring needs to be replaced, the insurance company won't cover repairs, Nancy might not allow me to get a new permit, or God forbid the fire hydrant blows its top again?

"Teagan, it'll be all right. No matter what happens, you have Mom and I standing behind you through the entire thing."

I glance over and see that he's staring at the shop. "Thanks, Dad. We should get in there and take a look around, get my tears out before a stranger sees them. "

He chuckles. "You won't cry. You're too tough to cry."

At this point, I could probably cry The Nile. My stress level is through the roof, and today will be my breaking point. I knew owning a business wouldn't be easy, but it's a bookstore, the most relaxing hobby in the world. Yet the owner is stressing.

A blue four-door Sedan pulls up next to us, with EDM blaring from the speakers. I snap my head to the side window, and a twenty-something punk is sitting in the car. If this is the broker, Dad is going to lose his shit.

"It's a punk kid? Jesus Christ, Teagan."

"It's fine, Dad. Don't be a jerk to him. I still need him to do his job." I open the truck door, taking a deep breath. Dad and his old-ass ego can take a hike for a few hours. As I walk towards the shop door, I suddenly feel like someone is watching me. I resist the temptation to turn around and check.

I just want this day to be over and done with.