Beverly blinked back tears. She knew that her parents had made the distance work. They would FaceTime every chance they could, and sometimes, after they completed a job, especially the bigger ones, her father would fly out and spend a day or two with his wife before coming home. Once, he even flew out just so he could fly back with his wife. Beverly didn't think she could ever deal with a relationship like that, but they had made it work, and no one could ever question how much they loved one another.
So as much as she was grieving, she knew that her mom was too.
"That would be great, Mom," Beverly murmured. "I would love that."
"Good. I... I know we haven't... We aren't as close as you and your father, but... I love you. I've always loved you, and I will be there for you."
"I know, Mom."
"So... tell me about Nails R Us. Have you started that up again or..."
Beverly sighed heavily. She didn't want to admit that things were going poorly, but there was no point in hiding the truth.
"No, not really. Business has been slow. I've been trying to get it back on track, but... while I've had some inquiries, no one is interested in taking a chance on me. It's like they think I won't be able to handle the business the way my father did."
"Oh, honey..."
Beverly started to bite her lip before she forced her hand away from her face. She couldn't let herself start to cry right now. Not now.
Beverly could almost hear her mom frowning. "I know your father, and he would have believed in you. You need to have faith. You can make a success of it. He knows it, and I do too. You just need to believe in yourself."
"I know," Beverly replied, and she smiled slightly. Her father had always trusted her, and now she was going to make sure he was proud of her.
"We'll brainstorm some ideas together," her mom said with a determined air. "Something will come up that will get Nails R Us back on track."
Beverly agreed with a soft chuckle. Despite how down she felt about not getting any leads for the business, she appreciated that her mom was so willing to help out. She knew that between the two of them, they were sure to come up with something creative and successful.
"I know your father ran some ads. We could invest more money into advertising," her mom said.
It warmed Beverly's heart that her mom said "we."
"I don't know if any of my clients will need a new job anytime soon," Beverly said slowly, "but I could let them all know that I'm adding a special discount for all loyal patrons."
"That's a great idea."
"Father was never too big on having an website, so I just slapped something together so we would have at least a small online presence, but I could update that and maybe try some social media platforms too."
"Yes, and when you call your previous clients, you could ask them for testimonials that you can quote on the website!"
"I love how enthusiastic you sound now," her mom said.
"I feel a lot better."
"Good! I'll keep brainstorming ideas. I'll be flying in tonight, around eight or so."
"I'll wait to eat dinner with you."
"Are you sure?" her mom asked.
"Definitely."
"Well, if I don't sleep on the flight, I'll try to come up with some more ideas," her mom said. "I should probably finish packing up."
"I can't wait to see you," Beverly said.
"Me too."
* * *