Ashton sat down beside me and instinctively wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Are you getting bullied, Summer?” he asked while looking at her.
“No, Daddy.” Summer smiled and explained calmly, “Aunt Emery and Uncle Holden were just thinking of letting me tag along to learn how to do business from them.”
Ashton nodded in understanding and asked, “What do you think then? Are you interested?”
Summer pursed her lips and looked like she was still undecided.
Ashton was extra patient. “You don’t have to think about what others think. Just follow your heart. You’re still young, so it doesn’t really matter if you don’t want to. If you want to continue learning, I’ll support you.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” Summer seemed to have gotten some bravery from her father’s words and smiled. “I’ve actually been thinking about doing business for quite a while now. I was just afraid that Daddy and Mommy won’t agree to it.”
Just as I thought, the girl was hiding so much from me, and I did not even realize. All I ended up doing was putting up a resigned smile. “Let’s hear it then.”
At that moment, Ashton raised his hand on my shoulder for a bit and placed it back down. It felt like he was comforting me, so I looked at him, only to find him with no reaction. Maybe I’m just thinking too much.
“I want to open a bar!” Summer told us.
“The largest one in the whole city!”
“A bar?” I blurted out before Ashton had a chance to speak. That prompted me to recall all the things that happened that rainy season.
This time, the pat on my shoulder was more apparent, so I could confirm that Ashton was indeed trying to comfort me. But this time, my eyes were glued to Summer, so I did not react to it.
Having lost her parents since young, Macy, me, and my grandmother relied on each other. Macy was like a seed that fell into a crack on the wall, living tenaciously while growing up. She worked hard and became the youngest bar owner in J City, casting her pride and dignity aside in the shady parts of the city to amass some hope for our future. In those dark days, Macy was my shining star.
Alas, fate was cruel to the Leeroy family, and she left us at the best time of her life.
Every time I thought about this, I could feel my heart constrict. It was suffocating.
So, at that moment, I was instantly engulfed in horror. I was afraid that Summer was going down the same path Macy did. Start a bar, become the owner, meet a selfish man, and regret it forever.
“Yes, Mommy.” Summer’s eyes were burning brilliantly with passion and sincerity. “I’ve been to quite a few of them with my friends when I was overseas and had always been fascinated by it. I wish to build something that’s like a club. A place where we can maintain the atmosphere while still allowing for maximum privacy. A place for the customers to relax or talk about top secrets without worries. I did some research and found out that there aren’t many bars like that in the country. So, it should be a great prospect.”
“You little devil!” Emery was ecstatic after hearing Summer’s proposal. “You really are something special! That’s a bold idea! I like it! I’m in!”
On the other hand, Holden rested his head on his hand while leaning back on the sofa. He did not go against Emery and merely kept his eyes on Summer. It was apparent that he was scheming up a storm in his head with how he looked at the moment.
With how Holden did things, he would surely hit Summer up when Emery was not looking if he was interested. Emery would not even know when and how she lost.
But that was all an afterthought as I only had Summer’s intention in mind. I was more worried than anyone present, but I did not want to show it. So, I did my best to hold it in and kept my voice calm. “Summer, tell Mommy, besides liking it, is there any other reason why you would like to open a bar?”
When the question left my mouth, I instinctively clenched my fist. I was afraid that I might hear the answer in my head, that she knew.
About her past, about Macy, and about how she died.
That said, Summer remained smiling and looked at me innocently. There was not much change in her expression when she said, “Mommy. Isn’t that enough? This is the only thing I like besides math. Can I do it?”
