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“Speaking of Thanksgiving,” Harmony said. “What are you doing, Theo? I don’t want to spend it with Mom.”
Theo looked up and then over to Daisy. They hadn’t talked about the holidays once yet. She didn’t know what to do either because her mother had mentioned it but hadn’t brought it up again and she would rather spend it with Theo and hated to think that too.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m on call so I can’t leave the area. Daisy and I need to discuss it too. We haven’t gotten that far.”
Daisy smiled at him. “Time yet to figure it out. I’ll have to work on Black Friday and that following weekend. The store will be nuts if someone comes in with an order or a change. So I’ll be in town too.”
She was going to take Wednesday off and they’d be closed Thursday. Heather had mentioned she might go home with Luke, and she encouraged it knowing that Heather hadn’t gone to see her family in the past because she didn’t want to leave Daisy alone.
She wouldn’t be alone this year. If her mother wanted her to meet Charlie, Penny didn’t seem to have a problem coming to visit for a day or so. It was more about what was going on with Theo.
“I’ll find out what Dad is doing,” Erica said. “I’m not dealing with Mom this year either. I’m not sure she wants to deal with me. Maybe we should have Dad at our place. What do you think, Harmony? We can cook for him.”
“Yes,” Harmony said. “If Theo is here, we can say we are cooking and invite Dad. Then Mom won’t say a word.”
“The cold shoulder,” Theo said. “Do you want it?”
“I’m getting it now anyway,” Erica said. “What’s another day?”
Daisy finished breakfast and started to clean the kitchen, but Harmony jumped up. “Erica and I have it. You cooked for us and didn’t need to do that.”
“Thank you,” she said. No reason to tell them no. Both of them were up and taking things out of her hands.
“Since Theo is working, can you take us to your store and show us some of the pieces you’ve made?” Harmony asked.
“Daisy is off this weekend,” he said. “That means no going into the store.”
She wanted to argue with him but realized he was right. “I can show you pictures on my phone of things I’ve made. Or online.”
“That works,” Erica said. “I understand the need to disconnect. I didn’t even bring my laptop with me and I’m not answering one work email while I’m here.”
“She says that now,” Harmony said. “But her boss will call her and she’ll end up taking it.”
“I told them I was out of town this weekend, but we’ll see,” Erica said.
“What do you do?” she asked Erica.
“I work for an acquisition firm,” Erica said.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I know what that is.”
Harmony laughed. “Neither did I. And when she told me, I found it more frustrating and maybe a bit mean.”
“I provide all sorts of services to our clients who are in the process of purchasing businesses,” Erica said.
“Sometimes businesses that don’t want to sell,” Harmony said.
“We don’t always get what we want in life,” Daisy said.
“That’s right,” Erica said. “So I have to be pretty much at a client’s beck and call when we are in the middle of things. I’ve got a slow quiet period and I’m taking it.”
“If you don’t like it, why stay?” Theo asked.
“I told you why,” Erica said. “I love the actual work. It’s the people I’m coming to detest.”
“That’s too bad,” Daisy said. “I know what it’s like to have a job that you don’t like. But when you find what you’re looking for, life is just grand.”
She was staring at Theo when she said it. She wasn’t only talking about her job but him too.
