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new,” she said matter-of-factly, as if it were that simple.
    Dulcie stared.
    “Oh my God, maybe you should listen to your Grams for once. Think outside the box.”
    She rolled her eyes. “If Grams ever found the guts to come into the store, we might stand a chance, but with her issues, I don’t see how we can compete.”
    “Why not? You make candy every day. Just make another batch.”
    Lila didn’t get it. She never would. “I could completely ruin our reputation…again.”
    Lila tilted her head, looking doubtful. “Your reputation? You think your Strawberry Marzipan is going to hook up with the competition’s Hazelnut Fudge or something?”
    Dulcie tried not to laugh, but the idea was kind of hilarious. The ridiculousness of the whole situation was getting to her, like the fact she’d rather jump off a cliff than actually make one of her own creations, especially in front of the world. “I can’t… I mean…” She sighed.
    Lila leaned in, like she wanted to pull the answer out of her. Then she shrugged. “You’re the one who doesn’t get it. You think I’m just a friend who likes sugar, but I’ve tried those other guys’ stuff. Dulce, you can compete. For real.”
    Dulcie waited for the punch line, but nothing came. Lila looked straight at her, as serious as she’d ever seen her.
    Dulcie groaned. “I can’t. I just can’t,” she said, and walked away, straight through the kitchen and out the back door.
    Lila would watch the counter for a few minutes. She’d done it a million times before, when Dulcie had to make sure a batch of caramel didn’t burn or a cream base didn’t curdle.
    She flopped on the ground, landing on some of the cardboard Jess used for sitting.
    “Rough day?” Jess asked.
    Dulcie leaned her head back on the wall. “Rough life.”
    “I hear ya,” Jess said, taking a swig from her water bottle.
    Oh God. She was complaining about her life to a homeless person. How much lower could she get? Dulcie looked at her. “I’m so sorry. Ignore me.”
    Jess swiveled to face her. “Look, I know because of my”—she motioned around—“situation, you probably don’t want to talk about your problems, but believe me, I would love five minutes thinking about somebody else’s shit instead of my own.”
    “Really? Like for real?”
    “Bring it on,” she said, turning to lean back on the wall.
    Dulcie sighed. “God, where to start?”
    “Start at the start,” Jess said, shrugging.
    She took a deep breath. Start at the start. Right. “So my mom got sick a couple years ago and the store kind of fell to me to take care of after she died.”
    Jess took a deep breath, raising her eyebrows. She looked Dulcie in the eye. “I’m sorry,” she said.
    Dulcie gave that it’s okay smile she was so used to giving.
    Jess leaned back on the wall. “I was wondering how someone so young had a store all by herself.”
    “Yeah, well, my grams is half owner, and anyway, a lot of stuff is piling on, the rent on this place, supplies, upkeep…everything else. I just really don’t want to lose my mom’s store.”
    Jess kept nodding.
    “And then there’s the whole time issue.”
    “Time issue?”
    “Yeah. There’s never enough.”
    Jess laughed. “Right. You do kind of rush around like a chicken with no head sometimes.”
    Dulcie raised her eyebrows in agreement.
    “So what’s the deal? Why can’t you just keep doing what you’re doing?”
    She sighed. “The thing is, Grams is totally fine with me keeping the store open and everything, but it has to be self-sufficient. I mean, she takes care of a lot of the house and makes sure we have food and everything, but we don’t have a bunch of money to put into Candy Land. And if I can’t turn a profit, I have to let it go.” She dropped her hands to her sides in defeat.
    Jess drew in a big breath. “Well, I’m no expert in the money department, obviously, but you should do everything you can to save the store. Anyone can see how much