Maisie laughed, seeming to loosen up a bit. “Sure. I’d rather have that than this coffee. Thanks, Skye.”
We ended up ordering a sugary drink each. Despite having a million things to do, I just didn’t have it in me to leave her alone.
We parted ways one hour later, and I rushed to the store. When I arrived, Tess was busy with two customers and mouthed to me, “Go to the back.”
I nodded. Wait... what was that twinkle in my sister’s eyes? Hmmm... she was up to something, I was sure of it, but I headed to the back anyway.
Holy shit, there was a mountain of merchandise to be sorted. Jane wasn’t coming until the evening, so I rolled up my proverbial sleeves and got to work. Truthfully, no matter how dull the task, there was this sense of accomplishment that no one could take from me. It was something Tess and I had built together; it was ours, only ours. We’d already survived an investor ditching us and a business partner trying to scam us before that. I’d almost thrown in the towel any number of times, but Mom had given me some tough love.
She’d been very supportive of the business from the start. “Your business can’t wake up one morning and decide it doesn’t love you anymore” had been her mantra since Dad left. My Mom was the strongest woman I knew, raising us on her own. I wished she’d slow down a bit now, considering she was in her seventies. She could retire but chose not to, most likely because Mick was still working. His job as a concert organizer took him all around the country.
When I paused for a few minutes to rest, I discovered I had a message from Rob.
Rob: How is the feisty lady today?
Skye: In a frenzy.
Rob: I can try to drop by the store for a quick dinner if you have time. It’s the only free evening I have.
And he was choosing to spend it with me? I had butterflies in my stomach.
Skye: YES, YES, YES.
Rob: I like your enthusiasm.
Skye: :-)
To my astonishment, I was twice as fast with the next few boxes. Channeling butterflies into nervous energy? Maybe. I grinned, placing a palm on my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was so full of fuzzy feelings. I was going to see him today!
When I felt as if my arms were about to fall off, I joined Tess in the front of the store. She was changing the bra on the mannequin next to the counter.
“Can we finish sorting out the merchandise later? We only have two boxes left.”
“Sure.” Tess was all smiles. And that fishy look in her eyes I’d spotted in the morning was still there.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
I pointed at her. “That’s not a nothing face. You can’t fool me.”
“Fine, it’s not nothing, but that doesn’t mean you need to know about it.”
I jerked my head back. “Hey, you came up with the no-secrets policy.”
And I lived by it. So did Tess... at least, I’d been under th
at impression.
She shrugged, smoothing the silky robe on the mannequin before refastening the belt, even though she’d just done that and it had looked perfect. Aha! She was avoiding my eyes too.
“Let’s grab something to eat. I’m starving,” I said, deciding to drop the subject. I needed a new angle, and I couldn’t come up with it if I was hungry. This was going to be super late lunch for us.
“Sure, I’ll get us something. Tacos, pizza? Or want to try a burrito from that new food truck?”
“Yeah, let’s try that and give the guy some business.”
Before we ventured into entrepreneurship, I’d been a creature of habit: always ordered from my favorite restaurants, went shopping at my usual stores. Afterward, I opened myself up to new experiences.