Read Online A Mistletoe Affair by Farrah Rochon - Free Book Online Page B

mother and daughter, with their fair skin and naturally wavy hair. Her mother had thrown a fit when Vicki had chopped half of hers off, but when she’d arrived today to help ready the house for Christmas, Christine had remarked that the chin-length pixie cut was growing on her.
    Vicki joked that she could give her the number for her stylist, but found that she was actually grateful when her mother laughed it off. Her new hairstyle was just one of the ways that she was finally starting to come into her own. She’d followed in her mother’s footsteps in so many ways, being on the cheer squad in high school, majoring in the arts in college, serving on the boards of several philanthropic groups.
    But as the years marched on, Vicki had begun to realize that they had different goals. Unlike her mother, she would never be satisfied filling her days with charity events and the other things that occupied her mother’s time. Vicki needed more.
    “I was thinking of a shopping trip in Boston this weekend. Why don’t you join me?” her mother asked. “We could have lunch. I can even get us tickets to the Boston Pops’ Saturday-night performance.”
    “I doubt I’ll have time,” Vicki said. “I have to drive up to a supplier in Scarborough to look at a few things for the Woolcotts’ Kwanzaa celebration.”
    Her mother made a tsking sound. “That’s going to be one interesting party if this thing with the election isn’t settled by then.”
    “You’re still planning on going, aren’t you?” Vicki asked.
    Her mother looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Who knows what’s going to happen if Jordan is still accusing Darren of stealing the election.”
    “Let’s hope this has all blown over by then,” Vicki said.
    “Speak for yourself. I’m looking forward to a little drama.”
    They looked at each other and burst out laughing.
    As she returned her attention to the centerpiece, Vicki shot a surreptitious glance at her mother. She was trying to determine whether or not to tell her the other reason she would be too busy to frolic around Boston this weekend.
    So far, Sandra and Janelle were the only people she’d told about her entry into the float competition. She had decided not to mention it to anyone else until she knew whether or not her submission was accepted. But this was her mother. She would be just as stoked over the possibility of Petals being selected as an entrant, wouldn’t she?
    “Mom, another reason I can’t go with you to Boston this weekend is because I’m hoping that I’ll be too busy working on a float for the Holiday Extravaganza Day Parade.”
    “Oh?” Her mother said, her attention still directed on the organizer. “Who are you decorating a float for this year?”
    Vicki hesitated for the tiniest second before she answered, “Petals.”
    Her mother’s head popped up. “For
your
business?”
    She nodded. “I submitted an application for Petals to sponsor a float this year.”
    Genuine concern creased her mother’s normally flawless skin. “That’s a lot to take on by yourself, isn’t it?” she asked.
    “I won’t be totally by myself. I have part-time employees.”
    “Those little kids from the high school that deliver for you?”
    “They’re hard workers, Mom. And they do more than just deliver. I’m also teaching them basic floral design. I haven’t done so these past couple of weeks because of the holiday madness and their semester finals, but after the New Year I’m actually hiring two more students.”
    “But putting together an entire float? That’s so much to take on, Vicki.”
    “You do realize that I have supplied the flowers for many of the floats that take part in the parade every year, don’t you?”
    Her mother stepped down from the stool she’d been perched on and rounded the kitchen island. She clamped her arms around Vicki’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
    “It’s not that I don’t think you can