Sisters by Choice

by Susan Mallery

  She sighed. “Never become human,” she told the cats. “It probably seems really cool, but it’s not.”

  She sat up and pulled Lily close. The steady rumble of her purr was comforting. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide an answer about what she should do when it came to Amber, but she would take whatever small win she could get.

  * * *

  Kristine got home a little after two. With Jaxsen gone and the boys spending half their time at their grandparents’ house, there wasn’t as much for her to do, so she’d started working at the winery from ten until two. She planned to put every penny into her bakery fund.

  The work was easy—talking to tourists about the different wines and pouring samples. She’d always liked the interactions and told herself she should have gone to work part-time years ago. So what if Jaxsen had been upset? She deserved a life.

  Brave words, she thought, pulling out ingredients for the carnitas she was going to make for dinner. Especially considering how much she was starting to miss Jaxsen.

  He’d been gone over a week. She hadn’t heard a word from him. Friday his paycheck had been automatically deposited into their joint account—something she hadn’t been sure would happen. But it was still there, so last night she’d paid bills, as per usual. The only withdrawal had been a hundred dollars from the ATM. No doubt for walking around money, she thought. It was the same amount he took out at this time every month. Whatever he was up to, so far it didn’t seem to include destroying her financially.

  If only he would come home, she thought as she sorted through the various chilies she would need for the recipe. She wanted him to walk in the back door and tell her he was sorry and he wanted to come back. That would be—

  Suddenly, the back door opened and Jaxsen stepped into the kitchen. She was so startled she dropped her knife. It clattered to the counter, nearly cutting the side of her arm. She jumped back, staring at her husband.

  He looked good. He was tall, with broad shoulders. He kept himself in shape. His belly was flat, his hips narrow. He wore a plaid shirt tucked into jeans. His hair was too long, but even that was kind of sexy.

  She felt relief and a little hope. He wanted to talk. They would work things out and—

  “Are you ready to give up?”

  So much for working things out, she thought grimly.

  “That’s your opening line?” she asked. “Really? No greeting, no ‘I’ve missed you.’ Just a sarcastic challenge?”

  “I wasn’t being sarcastic. It’s a genuine question. Are you done with your ridiculous game?”

  She shifted her weight so her feet were slightly parted. She consciously lifted her rib cage and deepened her breathing. She wanted to respond from a grounded position where she was centered in herself.

  “I’m sorry you feel the dreams I have for myself are a game. And to clarify that, I mean I have genuine regret, not that I’m apologizing. This is what I want, Jaxsen. I want to open the bakery and sell my cookies and brownies. I want to work hard and stay up late if need be because the idea of it excites me. I want to grow the business because it will be both personally fulfilling and good for the family. Not only because I’ll be bringing in money, but also because it’s a great life lesson for the boys. I love you and I love the boys, but it’s not enough. I need more. I need to have goals and feel as if I’m working toward achieving them. I need to know I’m making a difference.”

  His mouth twisted derisively. “With cookies?”

  “In business.”

  “So that’s a no.”

  Her heart cried out in pain. “I have always supported you. Now it’s your turn to support me.”

  He looked at her for a long time, then slowly shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”

  With that, he turned on his heel and walked out.

  She stood where she was until she heard him drive away, then she dropped to the floor. She pressed her back against the cabinets and pulled her knees up to her chest. There was no quiet, delicate crying, only body-wrenching sobs that clawed at her soul and left her with nothing but a sense of emptiness that she was afraid would never go away.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sophie spent a couple of days trying to figure out how to deal with the Amber problem. Telling herself to never ever hire family again was sound advice but not particularly helpful. She didn’t want to fire Amber, she just wanted her cousin to do her job and hey, not steal.

  She finally called Amber into her office and when she was seated, turned the computer toward her and hit Play on the security video.

  Amber sat in silence as her crime played out. When she walked out of the frame, Sophie turned the computer right side around, then closed it and stared at her cousin.

  “Isn’t it illegal to spy on people?” Amber asked. “You violated my privacy. That’s wrong.”

  Sophie drew in a breath. No way she was taking that bait. “So here’s the thing. We’ve changed the lock on the side door and we’re installing more cameras so there aren’t any other blind spots. I’m implementing a new policy of unannounced inspections of all lockers. The rest of the people who work here will find out via an email going out later today. I don’t know how much you’ve stolen, but I do know what you took that afternoon.”

  She glanced at the pad of paper in front of her. “Two beds and two canister sets. I’m deducting the cost from your next paycheck.”

  Amber stared at her. “You can’t do that. You can’t take money from me. It’s wrong.”

  “Ballsy,” Sophie murmured. “Ironic, too.” She glared at her cousin. “These are your options, Amber. You can accept your punishment and promise to never steal so much as a paper clip again, or you can get huffy and call me names. If you choose the latter, you will force me to call an all-employee meeting where I will play the security video in front of everyone. After publicly humiliating you, I will fire you and press charges. There is no middle ground here.”

  She really hoped Amber went with the first plan because Sophie wasn’t entirely sure whether she could pull off the second one.

  Amber’s mouth trembled. “Why are you being so horrible to me? You’re my cousin.”

  “Why did you steal from me? You’re my cousin.”

  On cue, the tears spilled down her cheeks. “You don’t know what it’s like for me. My own mother is throwing me out of my house. Did you know that? She’s going to sell it and keep all the money. I don’t have anywhere to go. What am I supposed to do? What about poor Heather? I’m all she has, but it’s so hard on my own and we’re going to be homeless.”

  Her shoulders heaved as the tears took a turn for what Sophie guessed was genuine worry.

  “It’s so awful,” Amber continued. “I don’t have any savings and we’re always so broke. You don’t know what it’s like to raise a child on your own. There’s the responsibility and the worry, plus I never got to live my own life. I was always trapped. I wanted to get away. I wanted to be successful, but I never had the chance.”

  Sophie told herself not to buy into the show. While Amber might have a few legitimate complaints, most of her problems could be traced back to her own behavior.

  “I only took what I did to make a little money so we could move. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I just didn’t know what else to do.”

  Having extracted the promise she wanted but didn’t fully trust, Sophie allowed herself to relax.

  “It is your mom’s house,” she said gently. “I’m sure she needs the money for her retirement.”

  “What about me? What about Heather?”

  “Have you started looking at apartments?”

  Amber raised her head. “That was my home for my whole life. How am I supposed to move?”

  Of all the things Amber had said, this was one that Sophie could believe. “I’m sure that’s going to be hard.”

  “You have no
idea. It’s painful. And sad. I never wanted much—just to feel safe, you know? I know I complain a lot but it’s really hard to be alone all the time.”

  Something Sophie could relate to. Not that she wanted to bond with Amber, but maybe there was a human soul down there, under all the entitlement.

  “I don’t think your mom is going to change her mind,” Sophie said, telling herself not to get involved and yet knowing she really didn’t have a choice. For sure, in her next life, she was going to be a badass. “Find a nice apartment. I’ll be a reference if you need one.”

  Amber brightened. “Will you cosign the lease?”

  And be financially responsible? “No.”

  “Sophie, come on. I can’t afford a nice place on my own. Do you really want Heather to have all that responsibility? She’s so young. Doesn’t she deserve a chance to have a future? She looks up to you, you know. She admires you. Why would you let her down?”

  Sophie felt herself being sucked into the Amber world of victimhood. “Heather isn’t my daughter, Amber. She’s yours.”

  “But you love her and want what’s best for her.”

  “Find an apartment and then we’ll talk.”

  Amber sprang to her feet. “I’ll start looking this weekend. That house is so small and old. It will be nice to be somewhere newer. Maybe somewhere with a view of the Sound.”

  She waved and ducked out of the office. Sophie folded her arms on the desk, then rested her head on top of them. When, exactly, had things gotten so out of control?

  Her phone chirped, reminding her she had yet another meeting. She stuffed it in her pocket and headed for the conference room where Elliot and Maggie were waiting.

  As Sophie took her seat, Maggie typed on her computer and started the PowerPoint presentation. The screen on the far wall lit up with the CK logo.

  Maggie looked at Elliot and nodded.

  “We’re here to talk about expanding CK’s retail footprint,” Elliot began. “Our products are already in chain stores and have a presence online. What we’re missing is access to upscale boutiques. We want to find that high-end cat lover and make her fall in love with the brand. To that end, we need a different distribution stream. We’ve targeted three distributors.”

  The next slide appeared on the screen. Sophie read the three company names.

  “These are in order of preference,” Maggie told her. “The top one is my first choice. They only take very high quality, unique products. My suggestion is we narrow our presentation down to two items.”

  “Two?” Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Why not come in with a few ideas so there are choices?”

  “Because having too many items implies we’re a high-volume business only interested in the fast sale.”

  “Fine. What products did you have in mind?”

  Maggie clicked to the next slide.

  Sophie saw a picture of a cat tree that actually looked like a tree, with multiple platforms. The burled wood was sanded to a smooth gloss. The sisal rope wrapping the base looked very high-end, and the platforms were padded and covered with a brown Berber carpet. There was a cat at the base of the tree for perspective. She would guess the piece was at least five feet high.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, thinking it would look great in the cat room at her place. Lily and Mrs. Bennet would love it.

  “The artists can create the cat tree in various sizes and there are elements that can be customized. The carpet, for example. The wood isn’t varnished, so that color can’t be changed, but the piece is nontoxic and the work is done by indigenous tribe members who live in the Amazon forest.”

  Sophie turned to Maggie. “You’re kidding.”

  “No. The trees are sustainable, as well. We’re trying to hit all the buttons.”

  “What’s the price point?” Sophie asked. “And how long does it take to get one of these things delivered?”

  Elliot glanced at his notes. “We’re thinking three to four hundred for the smaller trees and upward of two thousand for the bigger ones. We could keep a handful with standard options in stock for immediate delivery but if the customer wants something custom, we’re looking at maybe three months to deliver.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “No, that’s exclusive.”

  “I wouldn’t wait three months for a cat tree,” Sophie grumbled.

  “Are you sure?” Maggie asked. “For your beloved cat?”

  Sophie thought about how she would have done anything for CK. The sweet cat had been her constant companion for nearly sixteen years—Sophie’s entire adult life.

  “Okay, maybe, but I’m the exception.”

  “Happily for us,” Elliot told her, “that’s not true. Are we agreed on the cat tree?”

  Maggie’s gaze was expectant. Sophie nodded reluctantly, hating to commit herself but knowing she had to.

  “What’s the second product?” she asked.

  “We’ve narrowed that down to a final few. The first one is the quilt kit.” She moved to the next slide.

  Sophie looked at the picture of the cat. The pretty Ragdoll had Siamese coloring and big, blue eyes. The next slide showed the pattern for the quilt, and the final slide was the finished product, which looked surprisingly like the photograph.

  “Did someone make a quilt?” she asked.

  “Nearly.” Elliot glanced at his notes. “We hired a local quilter to do a quick assembly of a pattern. If you look at it closely, it’s not finished, but we were interested in speed rather than quality. We smoothed out the rough edges in the photograph. If we pick this product, we’ll have the quilter finish the quilt.”

  They went on to view customizable outdoor “cat rooms,” cat hammocks and art-deco styled cat stairs that were mounted on the wall.

  “They’re all good ideas,” Sophie began.

  Maggie sighed. “No. Just no. We pick one of them and that’s all.”

  Sophie looked up at the slide showing all four products. “The quilt,” she said with a sigh.

  “I agree.” Elliot looked at Maggie.

  “The quilt.” Maggie made notes on a pad of paper. “It will take the quilter a couple of weeks to finish the quilt. I’ll call her today and get her going on that. In the meantime, I’ll work my magic and get an appointment with the first distributor on our list.”

  “I want to go with you to the meeting,” Sophie said.

  Elliot and Maggie exchanged yet another glance. What was up with that? Did they have some kind of telepathic connection?

  Elliot spoke first. “That might not be the best idea.”

  “I don’t care.” Sophie smiled at them both. “My company, my rules.” She held up a hand. “I won’t get in the way. I just want to be in the room.”

  Maggie sighed. “Why do I know you aren’t to be trusted?”

  Sophie smiled. “I have no idea. It will be great. You’ll see.”

  * * *

  Heather hadn’t seen her mother in nearly a week. She wasn’t sure who was avoiding whom, but the distance had been a break she’d needed—right up until she started to feel guilty about it.

  She arrived home after her shift at the winery to find the front yard looking better than it had in years. The beds had been weeded and there were new plants all around. The walkway and front porch had been pressure-washed.

  She opened the garage and put her bike inside, then started for the house. Her mother was waiting in the kitchen.

  Heather froze, not sure if she should acknowledge her or just keep walking. Before she could decide, her mother looked up and smiled at her.

  “Oh, good. You’re home. I spent the morning cleaning out the craft room. We’re going to have to sort through all that and decide what we want to keep and what we’re going to give away. I’m sure I’m never going to finish any of those rug kits. What was I thinking?”
>
  Her voice was light, her tone pleasant. The contrast between happy, smiling Amber and the woman Heather usually lived with was startling.

  “I’ve gone online and looked at apartments for rent,” Amber continued. “There are a few possibilities. I thought we’d go look at them. We’re going to need first and last month’s rent, plus a security deposit. I have a thousand dollars in my savings account, plus whatever you’ve saved.”

  Her good humor faded. “I’m going to tell your grandmother she has to pay something to help us move. After all, she’s the one kicking us out onto the streets. You’d think she would be ashamed to be the cause of her own daughter and granddaughter being homeless, but she’s always been selfish.”

  Heather’s tension eased. This sounded more like the Amber she knew.

  “Where are the apartments?” she asked, hoping to distract her mother with the question.

  “One’s only a couple of blocks behind the stores. That could be convenient. We’d be close to everything. And there’s one out by the crane habitat. It sounds really nice, with a view of the Sound.”

  “Can we afford that?”

  Amber smiled. “We’ll just have to go find out.”

  Heather quickly dumped her backpack in her room and joined her mother in her car.

  “Thanks for doing this, Mom,” she said as they drove to the first apartment building. “I’d thought Grandma had changed her mind, but when the real estate agent showed up, I knew she was moving forward with selling the house.”

  “It’s ridiculous she’s doing that. Maybe she’s losing her mind. I wonder if I should fly down to Arizona and take her to a doctor to find out. If she’s senile then I could have her committed and take control of the estate.”

  Her mother sounded far too excited about the idea, Heather thought, horrified at the line of reasoning.

  “Grandma sounds perfectly sane to me.”

  Amber rolled her eyes. “What would you know about it? Oh, is that the building? I don’t like the outside at all.”

  Heather looked at the address of the three-story complex. There were several well-maintained apartments, a bit of lawn and plenty of parking. The paint was fresh and the roof looked new.