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Chapter One
Shanda Morris cursed under her breath as the sound of glass shattering echoed through her shop. She dreaded turning around. Please don’t be one of Granddad’s. It wasn’t as though they held any more monetary value, but since he retired a few years back, each piece was priceless to her.
Holding her breath, she looked over her shoulder and slowly exhaled. Thank God. Brianna was wonderful in so many ways: cheerful, prompt, and polite. What she lacked was an attention span, at least for anything other than her cell phone. Brianna had more important things on her mind, like her senior prom. If the topic wasn’t style of dress, it was the color, or worse, her prom date. It figured someone like Brianna would be going with someone from the football team. But right now, all this excitement added up to one thing: loss of product.
Forcing a smile Shanda said, “Brianna, you’re lucky I don’t start deducting those from your paycheck. I think that was two this week.”
Brianna shrugged. “Three.”
“Three?” Shanda wasn’t that distracted. She definitely would’ve heard the racket when it hit the floor.
“Yes. I may have accidently bumped into the shelf in the corner and…well…”
Shanda looked in that direction and couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed. The royal blue and white vase was no longer sitting on the top shelf. Damn. I loved that one. Actually, she loved them all. It was part of being an artist.
Firing Brianna wasn’t the answer. Neither was garnishing her paycheck. If anything, Shanda was happy that Brianna had a life. She might be a bit envious of it. For last year, all Shanda had done was work or stress over how to keep the shop going. So, in a way, Shanda understood distraction all too well. Just hers didn’t bring the same smile to her face as Brianna’s.
“I tell you what, you clean up this mess and then take the rest of the weekend off. Go finalize all those little details you’re working on, and we can get back to normal Tuesday. How does that sound?”
“Well I like most of that idea,” she replied.
She was afraid to hear what Brianna was going to suggest instead. “What part?”
“Taking the weekend off,” she giggled. “But you really don’t think that I can get a dress, pick out how I want my hair done, and everything else in just a few days, do you? It takes planning. It’s probably easier to run this shop than it is picking out everything.”
Shanda chuckled. “Really? And why is that?”
“Simple. Your senior prom only happens once in a lifetime. You work every day,” she replied with her hands on her hips.
Got to love her logic.“You’re right. I do. So, what you’re saying is, you need next week off too?”
“Maybe two weeks and I come back after the prom. I mean, it’s bad enough that I’m only doing this now. All the good dresses are going to be gone. I don’t want to wear what everyone else is wearing. I want this to be…”
“Special,” Shanda said softly.
Brianna sighed. “Yes. Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Shanda remembered hers. She went to her prom with her older brother as a punishment. She had snuck out of the house to meet up with a guy she wasn’t supposed to date. He was what her parents called ‘a bad boy.’ Looking back, they were right. At the time, all she saw was his leather jacket, tattoos, and motorcycle. But was he worth getting grounded till she was eighteen? Maybe not.
“Okay. Two weeks. But I want pictures.” Brianna rushed over and wrapped her arms around Shanda squeezing her so hard she thought she was going to be lifted off the floor. “I know I’m not as fragile as glass, but I do break,” she laughed.
Brianna loosened her hold. “You’re the best Shanda. And I promise to blow up your phone with more pictures than you want.”
I don’t doubt that.“You better get cleaning before I change my mind,” she warned teasingly.
Brianna dashed into the back and returned with a broom and dustpan. Shanda cringed at the sound of the glass being swept up, but she needed to let it go. It wasn’t realistic to think that every piece she created was going to be purchased and proudly displayed in someone’s home. It was a childish dream, one that she might need to give up. If things didn’t turn around, Brianna might end up getting more than just two weeks off. Shanda might have to close the shop.
A long sigh filled the room and she realized it was hers.
“Are you worried you won’t be able to handle things while I’m gone?” Brianna asked in a concerned tone.
It was nice to see Brianna noticed something other than herself. “I think I can manage.” It’s not like they are knocking down the door.
“Maybe you can come up with a brilliant marketing idea while I’m gone.”
Gee, why didn’t I think of that?She rolled her eyes. “I’ll add it to my list.”
“You could give away some of your stuff. Like buy one and get one free. My mother is addicted to stuff like that. She says nothing is better than getting something for free.”
