Mom presses her lips together, and I see her shoulders relax a little, her whole frame losing some of her defensive stance. I think she waited all these years to hear Seu Romário apologize for the way he treated Dad.

He looks at Pedro and me. “But I won’t make the same mistake again. Eulalia, you’re not selling Sugar tomorrow. If my grandson says he wants to run it, he has my blessing.”

Pedro stands trembling next to me, like he’s fighting back tears. But then Seu Romário gives him a hug, the first hug I’ve ever seen between them, and Pedro melts in his arms.

“I don’t want to disappoint you,” Pedro says.

“You could never—you’re my grandson.” Seu Romário pats him on the back, failing to contain his own tears. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Pedro says. This time, he doesn’t try to hide his tears. His shoulders shake while his mother rubs his back, looking teary herself.

Cintia stands beside me, and when I look at her, she smiles. Victor flanks me, too, and PC is right behind, sniffling. My heart feels like it’s about to burst.

“I wish my grandmother were here to see this,” I tell my friends.

“But she is,” PC says.

“Alice,” Dona Eulalia says, approaching Mom. “I didn’t realize that my father and your mother... You know. I know it’s been difficult, but maybe we... Maybe we could at least stop listening to rumors? Tell me the truth. Have you closed negotiations with Deals Deals?”

“No. I only scheduled a meeting for tomorrow,” Mom says. She takes a deep breath. “And I apologize for blaming you for the rat rumors... I heard recently that it was Deals Deals who started them.”

Dona Eulalia looks taken aback, but continues. “I’ll never forget that you let me borrow your car to take Father to the hospital. I didn’t know how to thank you then. So...thank you.”

There’s a lot of awkwardness in the way they apologize. And a lot of awkwardness in the way they stand next to each other, like they still can’t believe they’re in a room together discussing Grandma and Seu Romário’s unrequited love.

Mom looks at me for guidance. “Is this really what you want? You want to run Salt one day?”

“Yes,” I say with all my heart.

Mom lets out a shaky breath, her eyes bright with determination. She turns to Dona Eulalia. “Alright, Eulalia, what are we going to do to help our children? We must keep them safe. Do we team up one more time and refuse to sell?”