“It’s looking good, huh?” I spin in a circle, showcasing the final look of Halcyon before the doors open next week.

“It looks great!” Mallory looks at Camilla. “That green is amazing, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. I’m looking at this shirt. Can I buy this now?” she laughs.

“I want that in purple,” Danielle chimes in. “Now that I’m not so round I’d look like a grape.”

“Don’t talk about grapes,” Alison blushes.

“Why not? You don’t like grapes?” Mallory asks.

Danielle bursts out laughing. “I think it’s quite the opposite, wouldn’t you say, Ali?”

Alison giggles. “What I wouldn’t give for some grape-age right now.”

The girls laugh, parting ways, and all clamor about checking out Halcyon’s inventory before we go live. I stand in the middle of them all, feeling incredibly blessed.

It’s been two weeks since my father passed away. Each day gets a little easier, especially with my Huxley coin in my pocket and my father’s words in my ears.

“I love that rainbow,” Sienna breathes, checking out the hand-painted art Heath tucked in a corner for me. “It’s gorgeous.”

I don’t tell her it’s my ode to my father, my reminder that there’s always a rainbow at the end of every storm. Violet doesn’t even know why it’s there, just that it was important for me to have.

Sienna comes up to me with a smile. “Everything looks fantastic. If you ever want to get some up-and-coming designers, let me know. I have some friends that would fit in well here, I think.”

“Really? That would be awesome, Sienna. Thank you.”

She tosses a lock of hair off her shoulder. “Yeah, you’re welcome. Anything I can do, just let me know. I have contacts here and there.”

“Ford said you were thinking of going back to Los Angeles soon?”

“I was. I probably won’t though.”

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” I admit.

“It’s amazing in a lot of ways. It’s beautiful for sure and there’s always something fun happening and lots of work opportunities. But I just don’t feel like a California girl,” she sighs. “I think what I want is to just … go. See. Do. Not necessarily in LA, just somewhere that’s …”

“Not here?” I offer.

“Exactly!”

“Maybe you just want to travel and not necessarily put down roots,” I suggest. “I can’t imagine not seeing your family for months on end. That has to be hard. Even when I was in Florida, I could come home once a month or more, depending on my schedule.”

“Sometimes. And sometimes it’s not so hard,” she laughs as the girls burst out in a fit of laughter. “I see what the boys are doing to Cam and her love life, and I don’t want that.”

“Ford was telling me about them trying to figure out who he is.”

“Who who is?” Danielle asks as she and Alison join us. “Oh, are we talking about Camilla’s mystery man again?”

“I can’t believe Barrett went into The Gold Room,” Alison sighs. “If one picture would’ve gotten out …”

Danielle takes her phone out, looks at the screen, and laughs. “Look at this. This is what I have to put up with.”

Flipping the phone to face us, I see a picture of Ryan asleep in his crib with a miniature baseball glove on his hand.

“That’s adorable,” I laugh.

“Wait until it’s Ford. He’ll have your baby doing pushups,” Danielle teases. She hip bumps Alison. “When are you joining the Landry baby factory?”

She looks at the ceiling. “I don’t know. Do I want to do that all over again?”

“Yes,” Danielle, Sienna, and I all say in unison.

Alison laughs. “Barrett wants one now. You all have given him baby fever.”

“I’m not sorry,” Dani shrugs.

“Me either. Besides, it would be nice going through it with someone else,” I say. “I have no idea what to expect besides throwing up and gaining weight.”

“Well, if Ford is anything like Lincoln, that won’t bother him a bit, if you get what I’m saying.”

“Ew,” Sienna says, wrinkling her nose. “Let’s move this conversation along.”

We all laugh at her expense as Mallory joins us. “What are we laughing at?” she asks.

“Sienna,” Alison says. “She doesn’t like thinking about her brothers getting it on.”

“I hate to tell you ladies, but I’m certain I snagged the best Landry,” Mallory gushes, fanning her face. “And now that I have him doing yoga …”

They begin teasing Sienna again when I excuse myself. I wind through the racks of garments and accessories and find the pink sofa in the back.

My feet hurt. My back hurts. My stomach hates me.

I find a package of crackers on the table and nibble one as I try to rest a quick second. My eyes closed, I listen to the Landry women having fun in the front of the store.

Their camaraderie is so easy, their love for one another so apparent. They’ve done what many families cannot—they’ve accepted one another, seen the best in each other, and worked together to form a bond that’s indelible.

And they’ve accepted me.

They’re my rainbow after the storm.

I take out the coin Huxley gave me and hold it in my fingers. Twirling it around, I feel a warmth take over me.

“I’m going to be okay,” I whisper, feeling what I can only describe as my father’s presence. “You knew that though.”

I put a hand on my stomach and yawn. “By the way, your zucchini plants have grown so much they died under their own weight. I’m pretty sure your garden is a goner.”

My eyes are so heavy that I close them for just a few seconds to rest them. I must doze off because I awaken to Alison calling my name. Her head pokes around the corner. “I’m sorry! Were you sleeping?”

“I guess,” I laugh, standing up and stretching. “I didn’t mean to be.”

“I remember those days.” She walks into the room and takes me in. “Your phone has been going off like crazy out here, then Ford called Mallory to check on you. You should probably call him back. They can be unrelenting.”

“Oh, don’t I know it,” I laugh.

“Did you get all your things moved in? Barrett said you were working on that last week.”

“I did. Well, Ford did. He had a moving company come and pack my stuff and deliver it to his house,” I shrug. “What do you say to that?”

“Nothing,” she laughs. “You say nothing. Otherwise, it makes it a fight until they win because when it comes to things like protecting you, he will win.”

“Now I just need to rent my house or something. I have no idea what to do with it. I just got it.”

“Hey!” she says. “I have a friend looking for a house! Her name is Lola and she’s moving in with this guy friend of hers that’s never going to work out, but whatever. I used to work with her. You’d love her. I could give her your number if you’re interested?”

“Really? That would be great.”

“Perfect! Now, I’m taking off but I’ll be back down for your grand opening. I’ll make all of my friends come by,” she winks. “In the meantime, Barrett and I wanted to throw a giant celebration tomorrow night at the Farm. We hoped you’d come.”

“What are we celebrating?”

She giggles. “First of all, this family doesn’t need a reason to celebrate. Give them a half-assed reason to get together and they’ll convene like seagulls to a picnic.”

“Noted.”

“But we’re really just celebrating … life. Lincoln and Dani and Ryan. You and Ford and the baby. Sienna since she says she’s heading back to LA. Mallory and Graham. Just all of the good things we have. We’re so blessed.”

“That we are.” I slip the token back in my pocket. “That we are.”

“So you guys can come? Tomorrow around seven?”

“As far as I know. I’ll run it by Ford, but I don’t see why not.”

“Yay!” She turns to go. “I’ll see you then, Ellie.”

“Bye, Alison.”