She picked up the case of cat food and put it on the cart, then logged out of the computer and shut it off.
“This whole pallet is logged in,” she said. “The others aren’t. You’re right. I shouldn’t have started messing with things. I promised I wouldn’t. I’m sorry you had to come out on a Sunday afternoon.”
He stared at her, obviously unconvinced. “And?”
“And that’s all. I’m leaving now.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I’d say it won’t happen again, but it probably will.”
“But you’re actually leaving now?”
“We can walk out together if you’d like.”
“Huh. Every now and then there’s a miracle. Who knew?”
* * *
Kristine sat across from the barrel-chested manager of the CK warehouse. She was nervous and excited and ready to absorb whatever information he was willing to share with her.
“Thank you again for meeting with me,” she said. “I know you’re busy.”
“You have excellent timing,” Bear told her. “I’m feeling pretty good about Sophie these days. That’s going to spill over to her cousin.”
Kristine laughed. “Okay, I don’t know what it means, but I’ll accept the spirit of your statement. As I explained on the phone, I’m opening a bakeshop in town. I’m going to be selling cookies and brownies. I’ve sold out of a cart and through the winery gift shops, so my customers have always simply taken their orders with them. Now I’m looking at shipping. I’d like your advice on that.”
Bear nodded. “I can see how you’d have a big market for shipping. For gifts and the like. You know before I worked here, I ran a few fruit warehouses back in Yakima. Different from cookies and brownies.”
“They are.”
He turned around and took a small box off a shelf, then handed it to her. The box was white, with the CK logo. It was about six inches square.
“Open it,” he told her.
She did and saw a mug inside. But what really caught her attention was the box itself. It was shaped to hold the mug securely in place with no additional protection.
“This is clever,” she said.
“It works. The customers get a mug that isn’t broken and we can save time on the packing. The boxes cost double what a standard box would cost but I’ve run the numbers and it’s worth it. Nobody wants to get a broken mug and have the hassle of getting it replaced. Cookies are different. Broken tastes the same.”
“But they’re not as nice and my clients won’t be as excited if the cookies are always broken.” She thought about the YouTube videos she’d watched on how to ship cookies. “You’re saying I should spend a little extra up front to make sure my products arrive the way they’re supposed to.”
“Yes. You’re going to have to test out your methods. Toss them around a few dozen times to see what happens to what’s inside.”
“I was going to use a box inside of a box method I saw online. Testing how that works is a really good idea. I have three boys. They’ll be happy to help with that.”
He showed her how cat beds were boxed. All of them were in a box printed with the CK logo. “When it’s a custom order, we wrap it in CK tissue paper. More expensive, but if the customer is buying something special, we should treat it that way. You might want to look at custom paper or bags or whatever. Give them the experience, then charge them appropriately. You’re going to have to start building your mailing list.”
“I know. I wish I’d been collecting names and addresses for the past year or so, but I didn’t so I’m starting from scratch.”
“You can buy mailing lists. Physical mailing lists. It’s not cheap and then you have to have something printed. But it might be worth it. You give a discount code and then cross your fingers. If you buy a truly targeted list, then you should get a reasonable return. You might want to talk to Elliot about that sort of thing.”
“Elliot?”
“Our marketing guy. That’s more his area of expertise.” He hesitated. “Sophie’s not going to give up the CK list. Just so you know.”
“I’d never ask her for it.”
“Cat people probably like cookies.”
“Yes, but this is Sophie’s business. I need to find my own way.”
He talked to her about different label programs and which ones worked best, then took her out to the warehouse and showed her how they went about packing up their orders. An hour later she thanked him and left.
Once she was in her car, she paused to make notes while the information was still fresh in her head. She wanted to talk to Sophie about scheduling a meeting with Elliot. Once that was done, she tucked the pages into her briefcase and glanced at her watch. She was right on time to go pick up the boys from school.
On her way she thought about how great the day was going. Just that morning she’d had a meeting with the owners of the Blackberry Island Inn. Michelle and Carly had been excited about her new retail space and had loved her samples. They’d agreed to sell cookies in the gift shop. If that went well, they wanted the option of offering the cookies to guests in the lobby, in the evening. Kristine was going to keep her fingers crossed for that.
Things were moving forward, she thought happily. Jerry was due to start working on the remodel. In the meantime, she had plenty to do. Bear had given her a lot to think about. Buying a mailing list scared her, but she would run the numbers and see if it made sense.
The only dark cloud in her otherwise sunny sky was Jaxsen. Although she supposed he was more a storm than a cloud. She hadn’t heard a word from him—not since he’d come by the house to ask if she was “ready to give up.”
The boys knew she’d leased the property, so she assumed they’d told him. Was he even more upset now or did he understand what she was doing and why? Were they ever going to talk about any of it?
She knew they had to. They couldn’t simply ignore each other indefinitely. But he was waiting for her to cave and she was waiting for him to show a little understanding. She didn’t know who was going to give in first.
Maybe she should find a therapist and talk to him or her about what was going on. Maybe she could get some advice and figure out what to do next.
She spotted JJ and Tommy racing toward her. She unlocked her SUV.
“How was school?” she asked, hugging them as they tumbled into the car.
“Good,” Tommy said. “Are we going to the store now?”
“We are, but first we have to get your brother.”
JJ fastened his seat belt. “I told Dad what we were doing today and said he should stop by but he couldn’t get off work.”
And there it was, she thought. Confirmation that Jaxsen knew she’d moved forward with her plan. “It’s late spring,” Kristine murmured, careful to keep her voice even. “The road crews are extra busy.”
The conciliatory thing to say. The mature thing, despite the fact that Jaxsen could easily take off a couple of hours from work if he wanted to.
She drove to the elementary school and picked up Grant, then took the boys to her new store.
Once she’d unlocked the front door, she showed them where everything was going to go and how the counter would be moved and where she would put the mixers she’d already bought.
“I want to help,” Tommy told her. “Can I work here?”
“I think you’re a little young.”
“But I can do laundry.”
She ruffled his hair. “Yes, you can, but I’m afraid the state thinks you’re not old enough to have a job. But you can help at home if you want, and keep me company here sometimes.”
“Me, too?” Grant asked.
“Of course. In fact, you can all start tonight. I’m going to pack up some cookies as if I’m mailing them to a customer, then I want you three to toss around the box so I can see if the cook
ies break or not.”
JJ grinned. “I’ll help with that. Plus, you can hire me, Mom. For real.”
“You’re only fourteen.”
“I know, but I looked online. Because I’m family and you own the business, you can hire me. I can only work a certain number of hours and you have to keep my employment records for three years, but that’s all.”
“You want a job?”
“Uh-huh. Mom, I’m going to be sixteen in two years. Grandma and Papa are buying me a car, but what about insurance and gas and maintenance? I have to help with that. I want to start saving money.”
He looked so earnest as he spoke. And mature.
“You’re okay with me starting the business?”
JJ hesitated. “I wish Dad was okay with it, but I understand what you want to do.”
“Plus, it gives you a job.”
He grinned. “Everybody wins.”
She hugged him. “I appreciate the support and we will talk about you working for me once I have things up and running.” She was sure she could use the help, even if it was just a couple of afternoons a week.
“I can’t wait to be fourteen,” Tommy grumbled.
“Me, too,” Grant added.
Her boys, she thought, love filling her heart. They were sweet and kind and she would walk through fire for them. If only Jaxsen were here, sharing the moment.
But he wasn’t and she didn’t know if he ever would be. She had the sudden thought that she might very well be looking at her future—that of a single mom, starting a business and going it alone. She didn’t want that. She wanted her marriage and her husband, but she wanted the business, too. Only right now that didn’t seem possible. With surrendering not an option, she was going to have to have faith in herself and the future, even though as of now, there wasn’t very much to believe in.
* * *
Sophie sat cross-legged in the middle of her living room. She’d downloaded a meditation app and was listening to the soft voice of the narrator telling her to inhale through her nose, then exhale through her mouth. Which wasn’t natural and felt awkward and really?
The doorbell rang, rescuing her from the nightmare of trying to be centered. She scrambled to her feet and found Jaxsen standing on her front porch.
Her relief quickly faded into annoyance when she saw him. She thought about Kristine’s worry and tears and wondered how hard she could punch her cousin-in-law.
“Are you still being a dick?” she asked bluntly.
He pushed past her and walked into the house. “You could start with hi.”
“Hi. Are you still being a dick?”
He glared at her. “No. I’m the injured party here, Soph. I’m not the one taking money from the family to start a business that’s likely to fail. I’m not the one taking time away from my own children to—”
“Just stop. Jaxsen, please. You are so full of shit. You’re the one who walked out without a word. Even worse, you’re living in your parents’ basement. That’s just pathetic.”
“You’re not taking my side in this?”
“No. Of course not. If Kristine murdered someone, I’d help her bury the body. Take your side. Seriously?”
“But we’re family. And I’m not wrong.”
Sophie wondered if she had a shovel or something in her garage. Jaxsen obviously needed a good beating. Someone had to knock sense into him. But violence wasn’t really her thing and even though Jaxsen was being awful she didn’t think Kristine would appreciate her maiming him.
“You make me tired with your stupidness,” she muttered, and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on.”
She led the way into the kitchen and pointed to one of the chairs at the table. After collecting a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses, she got out salt and sliced a lime, then joined him. The tequila was decent quality so she was ruining it with the lime and salt, but what the hey. It was a tradition.
“You are the dumbest of the dumb,” she said, pouring them each a shot.
“I’m not. I want her to stop what she’s doing.” He swallowed the drink, then sprinkled salt on his hand and licked it off before sucking on a wedge of lime.
“So she can what? Sit home waiting for you? The boys are growing up. She needs something else in her life and you know it. Her business idea is sound, the start-up costs are low and the chance for success is excellent. What’s your problem?”
He averted his gaze. “I don’t like it.”
“So I’ve gathered, but why? What’s the big deal? Come on, Jaxsen, tell me the actual problem. Do you really want to be the kind of man who feels the need to lock his wife in a cage?”
She drank her shot. The liquid burned her throat. She followed with salt and lime, then went back to glaring at him.
“You’re really going about this all wrong,” she continued when he didn’t answer her. “She is a terrific mother, a great wife. She treats you way better than you deserve and you walked out on her.”
His expression got even more stubborn, which was hard to believe. Honestly, he was so annoying. Even so, she recognized that she wasn’t getting through to him and decided to try a different tactic.
“Remember when we were in high school?” she asked. “Remember how frustrated you used to get with your parents? You didn’t like how your dad treated your mom and you didn’t like how she took it. You wanted her to stand up for herself. You wanted your dad to remember what century it was.”
“This is different.”
“How?”
He took another shot. “It just is.”
“Jaxsen! Come on. I’m being serious.” She reached across the table and touched his arm. “You love her. I know you do.”
“Loving her isn’t the problem. Of course I love her, but she can’t do this.”
“You know it’s too late, right? She’s already signed the lease.”
“The boys told me.” His gaze hardened. “It’s not my problem. She’ll have to figure a way out of it.”
“Jeez. Who are you? Do you understand you’re asking her to choose between you and a dream she’s had for years? You’re telling her the price of staying married to you is to give up growing as a human being. You’re telling her you’re going to make all the decisions in her life—that you don’t trust her. That she never gets to have what she wants. What’s next? Are you going to lock her in the house? Start hitting her? Will that make you feel like a man?”
He flinched. “That’s not fair. I would never hit her.”
“Abuse comes in all forms, Jaxsen. You should think about that.” She stood. “I really thought I knew you. I thought you were just scared of I don’t know what, but that you would come around. I told her to hang on to you and your marriage. I told her you were worth it, but I was wrong. You’re not and honest to God, she’s better off without you.”
The color drained out of his face. “Is that really what you think?”
“It is now.”
He rose and glared at her. “You don’t know anything.”
“Neither do you. The difference is you’re going to lose Kristine over what you don’t know.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it and stalked out of the house.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Heather tried to convince herself she wasn’t going to die. Whatever she’d eaten would eventually work itself through her body, but until then, she wasn’t sure how many more times she could throw up.
The sense of something being wrong had come on so suddenly, she’d barely had time to make it to the bathroom at work before puking out her guts. Elliot had walked by her as she’d staggered out of the bathroom, only to have to turn around and race back inside to throw up again. When she’d managed to stand up and consider maybe splashing water on her face, Office Manager Tina had been waiting for her.
“I already have y
our handbag,” the other woman had said kindly. “You’re going to leave your bike here and I’m driving you home. You need to be in bed. Do you have something like ginger ale to help settle your stomach? Plain crackers would help, as well.”
Heather nodded, sure there was some kind of sweet, carbonated something in the pantry. And crackers. Not that she could ever imagine eating or drinking again. She really just wanted to lie down and if it was her time to go, then that was fine with her.
Tina helped her out to her car, then put a small plastic trash can in by her feet. “Just in case. Don’t worry about grossing me out. I have children. I’ve seen it all.”
“Thank you,” Heather managed, rolling down the window and letting the cool morning breeze blow over her face.
“You look terrible.”
“That’s good. I feel terrible.” The combination of cramping and writhing in her stomach and the general shakiness had her wishing she were already in her own bed.
The drive took less than ten minutes. Heather managed not to throw up even once—an accomplishment. Once Tina pulled into the driveway next to a large van, Heather dragged herself out of the car.
“I’ll be better tomorrow.”
Tina shook her head. “We have a very detailed policy. You are not to come back to work until you’ve gone at least twenty-four hours without a fever or vomiting. Don’t make me use my stern voice on you. It’s not something you’ll enjoy.”
Heather felt too awful to smile. Instead, she offered a half-hearted wave and headed for the front door.
It was only when she was by the front door that she thought to wonder why there was a van in the driveway. Her mother drove a Subaru and was at work.
The bathroom, she thought with a groan as her stomach twisted and turned.
Today was the hall bathroom redo. The tub-shower combo was getting one of those re-covering jobs and the vanity and sink were being replaced. For the next couple of days she was going to have to share her mother’s bathroom.
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