to cancel it. If Iâm not feeling well, I donât have to be there for it. I can visit with a friend for the afternoon. Iâm not going to let a little stomach episode throw off our schedule or Capriceâs.â
Often, when someone thought they had the stomach flu or a virus, it was really food poisoning. Maybe Louise had eaten some bad fish or something. The cause really didnât matter as long as Louise was okay.
Jamie motioned to Chetâs flowers. âThe bouquet you gave Louise is beautiful, even if it did come from Posies rather than Garden Glory.â
Posies and Garden Glory werenât exactly rival businesses. Posiesâ main product was a bouquet like Chet had bought. They were known for their unique flower arrangements and their gift baskets. Garden Glory, on the other hand, was a nursery that specialized in landscaping plants, yet they also arranged planters for gifts and decorated them with flowers.
âWhen Jamie called the house this morning to arrange the delivery of the plants for the open house,â Chet explained, âI told her Louise was in the hospital and that Iâd already put my order in to Posies.â
âIâm just teasing,â Jamie said amiably. She picked up her tote bag purse. âIâd better be going now. I donât want to be late for my shift.â
After there were good-byes all around and Jamie left, Caprice sat by Louiseâs bed and patted her hand. âMy momâs worried about you.â
âSo you came to check up on me by proxy?â Louise asked.
Caprice chuckled. âSomething like that. Iâm supposed to text her or call and give her a full report. Sheâll be here as soon as she can get away from school.â
âYour mother has been a good friend. Even with her life as busy as it always has been, sheâs made time for me.â
âYou make time for her, too.â
âOh, my dear, itâs not the same. Iâve never had children and a job to juggle. Yes, I have commitments, charity work, the Garden Club, friends I play bridge with. But thatâs not at all the same as teaching teenagers English like your mom does, and taking care of all of you at the same time.â
Caprice thought about Bella, how tired she looked, how sleep-deprived she was. She considered her own mother being a young mom, a wife, and a teacher, and handling all of it. Maybe kids never gave their parents enough credit. Maybe she could find a present down in the gift shop for her mom for Valentineâs Day, just to show her appreciation. Sometimes a card just wasnât quite enough. She was sure her dad would send her mom flowers. Nikki might cook her something special.
Bella? Well, her mom would understand if Bella kind of skipped over Valentineâs Day this year. And then there was Vince. Maybe Caprice should give him a call anyway to find out what was going on with him and Roz. Maybe she should call Roz. Sheâd probably get a lot more information that way. Of course, then she couldnât nudge her brother to do something nice for their mom.
Louise studied Caprice. âIs something wrong, dear? We are ready for Saturday, arenât we?â
âIâll certainly be ready if you want to go through with the open house.â
âChetâs already looking at other properties. He was showing me pictures this morning. Thereâs a house out on Lake Road that looks especially nice. The only problem is there are no housekeeper quarters, and weâd have to decide what to do about Rachel. Iâm not sure she wants to move back home with her parents.â
Chet approached Louise on the other side of the bed and patted her arm. âMaybe we shouldnât take Rachel with us. But Iâll keep looking. Now that the housing marketâs picking up, more homes are for sale. Actually, we might even be able to find a bargain or a place thatâs gone into foreclosure. It could take a
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley