I’ll probably be here a week at least. Maybe two.” She took a deep breath before saying, “My project is here in town. That’s why I’m back, to oversee the development and building of some beautiful residences on the waterfront.”
She waited for her mother’s reaction, but Carol was the woman she had always been: thoughtful and quiet, gentle even when concerned.
“I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job with it, honey.”
“Do you think I’m wrong to even be thinking about building condos here, Mom?”
Andi didn’t know where the question came from, didn’t know why she was asking her mother to give her opinion about a business situation.
Carol frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know, honey. The only thing I know for sure is that change is hard. Good or bad.”
That was when Andi noticed how Carol’s usually vibrant blue eyes were smudged with dark circles beneath her lower eyelashes. She knew how hard her father’s death had been on her mother. How could it have been anything but hard to have him right beside her one moment at an end-of-summer cocktail party, laughing with their friends—and then gone the next, a heart attack taking him so suddenly? Too suddenly, and utterly without warning, without giving anyone a chance to save him.
Andi knew that Nate’s parents’ deaths had been just as unexpected. He’d lost his mother first when she gave birth to Madison and bled out. One month later his father pulled out a gun and shot himself. But Nate had survived, had even told her how happy he was with his life tonight. She and her mother would not only figure out a way to survive, too, but they’d learn how to be happy again, wouldn’t they?
Andi felt her mother’s hand on her arm. “Thank you for making your grandmother go see the doctor.”
“What did Dr. Morris say?”
“Evidently it’s just a cold that she’s let go a little too long. Nothing that a little rest won’t take care of.”
“Thank god. I was really worried about her today.”
“I know, honey. But you know how strong your grandmother is. And we both really appreciate you looking after the store today. Especially on a Monday with the knitting group showing up.”
Andi forced a smile. “It was no big deal. Really. Everyone was great.” Well, mostly anyway. Catherine had been a little weird, but Andi was trying not to take it personally.
Her mother looked fondly at her across the table. “You always had such a wonderful eye, honey. The store used to look so much better after you rearranged things. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of ideas for us about how to make the place better.”
Andi frowned at her mother’s compliment. They both knew she was a numbers girl and not the least bit creative or artistic.
“I was just a little girl playing with yarn. And the place looks great already, Mom. You know that.”
And the surprising truth was, considering her mother and grandmother had no formal training in marketing or sales, the store really was very well optimized. Everything from the layout to the displays to the selection was spot-on.
Knowing her mother would find out soon enough, Andi forced herself to say, “Anyway, Nate and I met tonight. To catch up.” The words were catching in her throat. “And to talk about my project.”
Her mother looked at her more carefully. “You two haven’t seen each other in quite a while. How was it?”
All her life, whenever she’d had problems, Andi had gone to her father for advice. Of course, her mother had always been there with cookies and Band-Aids and hugs and bedtime stories, but Andi had just never felt as connected to her mother. Not when they were so different.
Tonight, for the first time, she wanted to blurt out everything that had happened with Nate. She wanted to cry on her mother’s shoulder. She wanted to ask for help, for guidance, for some salve to patch the old wound in her heart that had just been reopened.
But she couldn’t. Her mother was still
She waited for her mother’s reaction, but Carol was the woman she had always been: thoughtful and quiet, gentle even when concerned.
“I’m sure you’ll do a fantastic job with it, honey.”
“Do you think I’m wrong to even be thinking about building condos here, Mom?”
Andi didn’t know where the question came from, didn’t know why she was asking her mother to give her opinion about a business situation.
Carol frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know, honey. The only thing I know for sure is that change is hard. Good or bad.”
That was when Andi noticed how Carol’s usually vibrant blue eyes were smudged with dark circles beneath her lower eyelashes. She knew how hard her father’s death had been on her mother. How could it have been anything but hard to have him right beside her one moment at an end-of-summer cocktail party, laughing with their friends—and then gone the next, a heart attack taking him so suddenly? Too suddenly, and utterly without warning, without giving anyone a chance to save him.
Andi knew that Nate’s parents’ deaths had been just as unexpected. He’d lost his mother first when she gave birth to Madison and bled out. One month later his father pulled out a gun and shot himself. But Nate had survived, had even told her how happy he was with his life tonight. She and her mother would not only figure out a way to survive, too, but they’d learn how to be happy again, wouldn’t they?
Andi felt her mother’s hand on her arm. “Thank you for making your grandmother go see the doctor.”
“What did Dr. Morris say?”
“Evidently it’s just a cold that she’s let go a little too long. Nothing that a little rest won’t take care of.”
“Thank god. I was really worried about her today.”
“I know, honey. But you know how strong your grandmother is. And we both really appreciate you looking after the store today. Especially on a Monday with the knitting group showing up.”
Andi forced a smile. “It was no big deal. Really. Everyone was great.” Well, mostly anyway. Catherine had been a little weird, but Andi was trying not to take it personally.
Her mother looked fondly at her across the table. “You always had such a wonderful eye, honey. The store used to look so much better after you rearranged things. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of ideas for us about how to make the place better.”
Andi frowned at her mother’s compliment. They both knew she was a numbers girl and not the least bit creative or artistic.
“I was just a little girl playing with yarn. And the place looks great already, Mom. You know that.”
And the surprising truth was, considering her mother and grandmother had no formal training in marketing or sales, the store really was very well optimized. Everything from the layout to the displays to the selection was spot-on.
Knowing her mother would find out soon enough, Andi forced herself to say, “Anyway, Nate and I met tonight. To catch up.” The words were catching in her throat. “And to talk about my project.”
Her mother looked at her more carefully. “You two haven’t seen each other in quite a while. How was it?”
All her life, whenever she’d had problems, Andi had gone to her father for advice. Of course, her mother had always been there with cookies and Band-Aids and hugs and bedtime stories, but Andi had just never felt as connected to her mother. Not when they were so different.
Tonight, for the first time, she wanted to blurt out everything that had happened with Nate. She wanted to cry on her mother’s shoulder. She wanted to ask for help, for guidance, for some salve to patch the old wound in her heart that had just been reopened.
But she couldn’t. Her mother was still
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