My chest was tight with anxiety, so I cleared my throat again. “What about you, bookworm, would you ever leave Queen’s Cove?”
She chewed her lip before answering. “I can’t leave. I have the store.” She let out a long sigh and stared up at the sky. “I’d love to travel, though. I’ve never been anywhere except to university in Victoria. I read about all these places in books and it’s like I’m there but,” Her mouth twisted in a rueful smile. “It’s not real. I want to go there for real.”
“Could your dad run the store for a bit? Or Liya?”
She shifted her weight on the board, wobbling but maintaining balance. “Um. I guess. I don’t know, it’s a lot of responsibility and I don’t think Liya wants that. And my dad hasn’t worked at the store in a while so doesn’t know where anything is.” She lifted
