Sweet Siena, she was wonderful, but her daughter did look at the world as though everything would always work out. There would always be a fairytale ending. Because in Siena’s life of twenty-three years, that had mostly been true.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t want you to feel ambushed. I just, well, this is so exciting. I think I thought it would be the right thing to get you, uh, to make you…” Siena stopped.
“Honey, I understand, but starting a new business isn’t on the list of self-care suggestions they gave us at the cancer center.”
“This is long overdue, the boutique. We should have had one in New York. And you are up for this. You heard Dr. Hinkley,” Siena said.
“Yes, sure. I need to just rest. It was a long trip.” Viv said. She wasn’t in the mood to argue with her daughter in front of her friends. She’d give Siena a reality check later, in private. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, crush her daughter’s dreams. But a boutique? No. No way.
Goldie slid in to the rescue. “I’m going to show you to your room. You do not need to catch up with anyone anymore. Or start a business. Or anything. Come on.”
Goldie had an arm around her.
“I don’t mean to disappoint anyone.”
“Stop, take a load off upstairs. The lake has a way of helping all of us get a good night’s sleep,” Libby said.
“The food was lovely, Hope.”
“Thank you, love.”
Goldie guided her away from the group.
“Siena has lost her mind,” Viv said under her breath to Goldie.
“She means well. We all do.”
“I know. I know.”
“Here’s the Vineyard suite. Everything you need. If there’s something you want, just ring the front desk. My guy, Jaden’s, back. He’ll get anything to your room in mere seconds.”
“Thank you, I am feeling a little, ugh. A boutique?” She shook her head again.
“Don’t give it another thought. Rest, shower, do whatever. None of us are going anywhere.”
“Was I too harsh with Siena?”
“Honey, our girl is tougher than one side-eye from you. She’s fine.”
Goldie left Viv to herself.
She looked around the room. It was lovely. Blonde wood floors, lavender paint on the walls, a painting of one of the huge lilacs that grew on the corner of the inn hung over the bed.
There was a comfy chair facing a huge window that looked out over the lake. Viv checkout out the bathroom, white tile floor and shower, and a claw-foot tub. Goldie had turned this into a feminine oasis. It was clean and uncluttered but also soft and peaceful.
Viv needed peace. She needed uncluttered. She was about to disappoint Siena and her old friends.
But then again, her own body had disappointed her. That was life.
ChapterSeven
Siena
“She did not seem so happy about that,” Siena said.
Her new aunts were there, reassuring, cleaning up food, and finishing each other’s sentences again. It was good to have their hub of activity. Their energy was upbeat, and after a year in cancer treatment waiting rooms, upbeat was a nice change.
But she was sick to her stomach after seeing her mother’s reaction.
