I stood up and walked to the closet. I took out my coat. I felt lighter than I had in twenty-six years. Wayne had wanted to modernize the business. He had wanted a fresh start.

He just forgot that he wasn’t the one who held the power to give it to him.

I drove to the shop, the sun hitting the windshield. I looked at the building, my building. I wasn’t just the girl who answered the phones anymore. I was the one who had built the foundation, and now, I was the one who was going to decide who stayed and who went. Wayne was gone. The debt was settled. I pulled into the parking lot, walked up to the front door, and turned the key. It was my shop now. Everything was finally mine.