“I was thinking about that, too. We should go for things with a softer color palette. They’d be more aesthetically pleasing.”
Addie’s gaze ping-ponged from the two women to me and back, her eyes wide.
If I’d been stuck here with Serena all day, I likely would’ve been pulling my hair out. But now, I simply laughed. This was an element of her personality that hadn’t changed. She’d always been a tornado of ideas, so sure that her plan was the best one. Seeing a hint of the girl I used to know had warmth spreading through me.
Gilly grasped Serena’s shoulders. “Babycakes, you know I love you more than the sun and the moon and the stars, but after a morning with you, I need to go smoke a joint and find my Zen. Maybe a shot of tequila wouldn’t hurt, either.”
Addie let out a squeak of laughter.
Serena’s gaze cut to her, her eyes narrowing into slits. “It’s a good idea.”
“You know, I think we could work with the color scheme you’re talking about,” I said, stepping farther into the room.
Gilly’s hands dropped from Serena’s shoulders. “Excuse me?” The undercurrent of those words asked if I had lost my mind.
“We are getting access to the small space next door, remember?” I asked.
Gilly nodded slowly. “For the gift shop.”
“Exactly. It would be smart to have a delineation between the two—shop and gallery. I think a blush pink would make for a warm and inviting space in there.”
Serena’s jaw tightened. “I don’t need your pity.”
My hands curled, nails biting into my palms. “It’s not pity. It’s finding your idea useful.”
“If you found ituseful,you’d paint the walls in here pink. This is your condescending way of throwing me a bone. It’s insulting, and I don’t need it.”
So much for seeing a glimmer of the girl I used to know. “All right, no pink. We’ll go with the photos you hate so much on every available surface, and I’ll call it the Serena Granger Gift Shop in your honor.”
Addie choked on a laugh, but Gilly just let hers fly. She grinned at me. “I like it.”
“You’re all awful.” Serena whirled on Gilly. “I would’ve thought at least you would be kind. You know what I’ve been through. How hard it was for me to come back.”
Gilly’s gaze hardened. “We’ve all been through hardships, Serena. It doesn’t give you an excuse to be an asshole.”
Serena’s jaw dropped open. “You—you didn’t.”
Gilly shrugged. “I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
Tears filled Serena’s eyes, and she charged towards the back room. Seconds later, the door to the bathroom slammed.
I let out a breath, looking between Addie and Gilly. “Has it been a fun morning?”
Addie smiled, shaking her head. “It hasn’t been boring.”
Gilly’s shoulders slumped. “That girl is exhausting.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “But you love her.”
“I do. And I’m going to need to go back there and make sure she’s all right. But, sometimes, I don’t even recognize her anymore.”
I knew the feeling so well. But I had to remember what I’d just told Kay an hour ago. “We all deal with grief differently. We don’t like how Serena is dealing with hers, but we don’t get to dictate that. She has to find her own way through it.”
“It’s turning my beautiful girl ugly, and I don’t like seeing that.”
I leaned my head against Gilly’s. “I know. But she’s home now. Maybe coming face-to-face with her memories and her pain will be the breakthrough she needs.”
Gilly smiled, amusement filling her eyes. “Look who’s trying to keep Serena around now.”