Her mom shrugged. “It’s the truth.” She knocked a knuckle two times on the kitchen island. “While I have both of you girls here, I need to tell you that I’ve received an offer for Aurora and I’m going to take it.”
Oh, crap.
“Maybe this is a topic for another time, Mom.” Virginia spooned applesauce into Paris’s mouth, which the baby promptly spit out.
“No. I want to know who made the offer. Who’s buying?” Brooklyn was still opposed to the idea. She just didn’t know how to convince her mom otherwise.
“I’m not supposed to say.”
“I know they expect confidentiality, but we’re your kids. I think you can give us a hint,” Brooklyn said.
“It’s a large corporation. A retailer. Based in Arkansas. Very deep pockets.”
Brooklyn and Virginia looked at each other and had an entire conversation without words. They were pretty sure they knew who it was. And neither of them liked it. “Have you signed anything? Agreed in principle?”
She shook her head, and Brooklyn felt a small sense of relief. It wasn’t all over yet. “I have thirty days. I met with my lawyer today. She says this is a once-in-a-lifetime offer. I can sign on the dotted line, take my money, and retire.”
Those three things sounded lovely, but Brooklyn really did not want her mom to sell her company to some soulless corporation, only to have them destroy the reputation she’d worked so hard to build. “Will you give me a chance to see if I can help you find another buyer?” Brooklyn wasn’t sure how she was going to pull that out of her hat, but she and Virginia had received offers from companies interested in Posh Post in the past. Maybe they would jump at Aurora.
“Better money?”
“I don’t know. How much are we talking about?”
Her mom stepped closer and whispered an absurd number into Brooklyn’s ear. If she’d been made to guess ahead of time, Brooklyn would’ve been short a zero. “Now you know why I’m ready to say yes.”
“I still don’t like it. If you’re going to walk away, don’t you want to feel good about it?”
“I feel great about this. I don’t know why you’re so opposed.”
“Because you built Aurora from the ground up, it has your name on it, and I don’t want to see your life’s work gobbled up and spit out like nothing.”
“If only you’d had such regard for the company when you worked there.” Her mom cast Brooklyn the most pointed glance in history. If there had been photographic evidence, it would’ve been destined for the Parental Guilt Hall of Fame.
But Brooklyn didn’t want to argue. Not tonight. “Thirty days from now?”
“Twenty-eight, actually.”
“Fine. Then give me twenty-seven days to find something better.”
She tutted. “I don’t know what makes you think you can pull that particular rabbit out of a hat.”
“I don’t either.” Brooklyn stepped closer to her mom and gave her a hug, even though she wasn’t particularly sure she wanted it. “I love you, Mom. And no matter what you might think, I care. Let me try this one thing. If I fail, I fail.”
“Okay, darling.” Her mom patted Brooklyn’s arm. “I’ll be curious to hear what you come up with.”
The doorbell rang and Virginia looked at the clock on the wall. “I need to get my butt in gear. Probably our first trick-or-treaters. Can you two take Dallas? His candy bucket is by the door.”
“We need to go before the good candy is gone,” Dallas frantically pled. “I need help with my hand.”
“I’ve got you, buddy.” Alec grabbed the glove from the kitchen counter.
“Brooklyn, one more thing,” her mom said, beckoning her to the far corner of the room with a curl of her finger.
“What’s up?”
She glanced over Brooklyn’s shoulder. “I like him. He’s not as stiff as he seems on TV. And he’s cute with Dallas.”
“Thanks.”
