Eloise

The next morning, I sat at the head of the table, staring at the papers in front of me. They looked so big, all those words and numbers. Everything about the papers made my chest hurt.

It was hard to breathe when I thought about it. It felt heavy, like I was carrying something way too big for me.

I kept thinking I should be ready for this. But what did a 12-year-old even know about running a company? I didn’t know anything. I wasn’t ready.

Mom's laughter still echoed in my memory. Even though she’d been gone for two years, I could still hear it if I closed...