Everything real. I laughed and cried at the same time, which was humiliating, but I was too overwhelmed to care. Joe studied me for a moment, his face softening in the careful way tough men try to hide.
“She was proud of you,” he said quietly. “You know that, right?”
I covered my eyes with one hand and tried not to fall apart in the middle of the diner. After a minute, Joe cleared his throat.
“All right, enough of that. We open at five tomorrow. Hope you’re ready to
