You Say It First
Page 17
“I’m not sure I’d enjoy being a maid at one of the hotels here,” she admitted. “You know everyone’s been having sex.”
“I’m sure they wear gloves.” Natalie chuckled as she spoke. “I know I would.”
“Me, too. Although sex would be nice.”
“Dry spell?”
“I think I’ve moved past a spell and into a season. Or epoch.”
Natalie laughed. “If it’s any comfort, I’m right there with you. I remember it being good, so that’s something.”
Pallas thought about her brief kiss with Nick. He was amazingly talented with wood—she wondered if that skill translated into other areas of his life.
“I wish I could get into the idea of hooking up with a groomsman,” she admitted. “I just can’t seem to summon any interest in a brief encounter.”
“Not the one-night stand type? Me, either. I want to know the guy before I meet his penis. I guess we’re old-fashioned.”
“Or not yet desperate enough.”
They went into the restaurant and claimed a table. Pallas ate there enough that she didn’t have to look at a menu. Natalie glanced at it before putting it down.
“How was the princess wedding?” Natalie asked. “I saw some pictures and it looked beautiful.”
“Everything went smoothly, which is my main goal. No one had a meltdown that I saw. A total win.”
Natalie studied her. “But?”
Too many people were reading her emotions these days, she thought. She either had to have fewer problems or work on her poker face. “Just stuff. My mom and the bank. Do I keep the business or sell it?”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “You’d sell Weddings in a Box? But why? It’s such a great business and you love it. Pallas, no. Don’t conform. Seriously, anyone can work in a bank, but how many people can do what you do? It would be like Ronan taking a job in window repair and installation. Sure he could do it, but what a waste of talent.”
Pallas laughed. “Thank you for that, but I’m hardly in Ronan’s league.”
“Close enough. I don’t know the whole story with you and your mom, but honestly, Pallas, don’t give in to her unless it’s everything you want.”
“I worry that I’m not doing well enough.”
“By whose standards?”
That was an interesting question. Libby was all about success, but only on her terms. “I want to be able to grow the business,” Pallas said. “Right now that’s not possible.”
“All the more reason to keep it. You’ve only been running things for a few months. It’s going to take time to make changes. Give yourself more time. I know it’s your life and you have to decide, just please, please think long and hard before you consider selling. I think you’d realize too late that it was a mistake.”
She dug in her bag and pulled out a flat, plastic box. When she set it on the table, Pallas couldn’t help smiling. She knew what was going to happen next.
Natalie opened the box and took out a purple square of paper. She waved it at Pallas. “This is what working at the bank looks like. It’s perfectly fine and very respectable.” She took out several more sheets.
She began to fold the paper, her fingers moving more quickly than Pallas’s eyes could follow. In what felt like seconds, there was a small, purple origami owl sitting on the table.
“You’re wise,” Natalie told her. “Listen to yourself and believe.” She held up both hands, palms facing Pallas. “This is me officially stepping back. I’ve been bossy enough today.”
“You haven’t been bossy at all. I appreciate your advice and I trust it.” She touched the small owl. “How do you do that?”
“Years of practice.” Her smile faded. “Please, don’t let Libby win. She has her own agenda and I’m not convinced any part of that is your happiness. Gerald left you Weddings in a Box for a reason.”
Pallas grinned. “This is you stepping back?”
Natalie groaned. “Sorry. I’m really, really done now. I swear.”
“Want to take a bet on that?”
* * *
PALLAS LEANED AGAINST the tree and told herself a second brownie wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t help, but she wasn’t going to go there. It was a brownie kind of day.
She’d brought in leftovers from the most recent girlfriend dinner and had made coffee, then asked Nick if he was interested in a picnic break in the courtyard. He’d joined her outside. As she stretched out her legs, he lay on his back, on the grass, staring through the tree leaves to the sky.
“You’re thinking about something,” he said. “I can hear your brain working.”
She smiled. “I’m contemplating a second brownie.”
He rolled toward her. “That’s not good. When women start talking about a second anything with chocolate, there’s a problem.”
“You think you’re so smart.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong, not exactly. There isn’t a problem, I’m just thinking.”
He shifted onto his back. “Which is where I came in. Start at the beginning and remember I’m a guy with all the emotional intelligence of a plant.”
She laughed, then grabbed a second brownie. “I went to the gallery yesterday.”
“Okay.”
“I saw the ballet dancer you carved or made or however you want to describe it.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might have tensed. “And?”
“She’s beautiful. Amazing. I kept waiting for her to come to life.”
He glanced at her, his expression wary. “But?”
“There’s no but. She’s incredible. You’re so talented.” She took a bite and chewed. “The price tag was three hundred thousand dollars.”
Nick returned his attention to the sky. “Atsuko sets the prices.”
With his input, she thought. There was no way he would agree to just any price. “Will you get that for the piece?”
“Maybe.”
Which she took to mean yes.
“You’re not going to start in about me working on the panels, are you?” he asked. “I like the work. It’s important.”
“I think important is stretching it, but no, I’m not going to start in on you. I appreciate the restoration.” She loved the panels and wanted them to last a long time. “It’s just... My business is so small by comparison to what you do, or the bank or a zillion other companies or people doing things in the world.”
“You make memories happen. That’s important. Probably more important. No one dies thinking ‘gee, I’m really glad I bought that piece of art.’”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m pretty sure.”
“I wish I could do better with Weddings in a Box,” she admitted. “We’re doing okay. I’m paying the bills and I get a salary, but there’s not much left over. If I want to grow, I need to change that, only I don’t know where to start. Worse, I have a degree in finance. I should be all over the money.”
“You could sell the panels. Atsuko could find you the right dealer.”
“No, I can’t do that. They’re a part of the business.” A part of Gerald.
“I’m sure they wear gloves.” Natalie chuckled as she spoke. “I know I would.”
“Me, too. Although sex would be nice.”
“Dry spell?”
“I think I’ve moved past a spell and into a season. Or epoch.”
Natalie laughed. “If it’s any comfort, I’m right there with you. I remember it being good, so that’s something.”
Pallas thought about her brief kiss with Nick. He was amazingly talented with wood—she wondered if that skill translated into other areas of his life.
“I wish I could get into the idea of hooking up with a groomsman,” she admitted. “I just can’t seem to summon any interest in a brief encounter.”
“Not the one-night stand type? Me, either. I want to know the guy before I meet his penis. I guess we’re old-fashioned.”
“Or not yet desperate enough.”
They went into the restaurant and claimed a table. Pallas ate there enough that she didn’t have to look at a menu. Natalie glanced at it before putting it down.
“How was the princess wedding?” Natalie asked. “I saw some pictures and it looked beautiful.”
“Everything went smoothly, which is my main goal. No one had a meltdown that I saw. A total win.”
Natalie studied her. “But?”
Too many people were reading her emotions these days, she thought. She either had to have fewer problems or work on her poker face. “Just stuff. My mom and the bank. Do I keep the business or sell it?”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “You’d sell Weddings in a Box? But why? It’s such a great business and you love it. Pallas, no. Don’t conform. Seriously, anyone can work in a bank, but how many people can do what you do? It would be like Ronan taking a job in window repair and installation. Sure he could do it, but what a waste of talent.”
Pallas laughed. “Thank you for that, but I’m hardly in Ronan’s league.”
“Close enough. I don’t know the whole story with you and your mom, but honestly, Pallas, don’t give in to her unless it’s everything you want.”
“I worry that I’m not doing well enough.”
“By whose standards?”
That was an interesting question. Libby was all about success, but only on her terms. “I want to be able to grow the business,” Pallas said. “Right now that’s not possible.”
“All the more reason to keep it. You’ve only been running things for a few months. It’s going to take time to make changes. Give yourself more time. I know it’s your life and you have to decide, just please, please think long and hard before you consider selling. I think you’d realize too late that it was a mistake.”
She dug in her bag and pulled out a flat, plastic box. When she set it on the table, Pallas couldn’t help smiling. She knew what was going to happen next.
Natalie opened the box and took out a purple square of paper. She waved it at Pallas. “This is what working at the bank looks like. It’s perfectly fine and very respectable.” She took out several more sheets.
She began to fold the paper, her fingers moving more quickly than Pallas’s eyes could follow. In what felt like seconds, there was a small, purple origami owl sitting on the table.
“You’re wise,” Natalie told her. “Listen to yourself and believe.” She held up both hands, palms facing Pallas. “This is me officially stepping back. I’ve been bossy enough today.”
“You haven’t been bossy at all. I appreciate your advice and I trust it.” She touched the small owl. “How do you do that?”
“Years of practice.” Her smile faded. “Please, don’t let Libby win. She has her own agenda and I’m not convinced any part of that is your happiness. Gerald left you Weddings in a Box for a reason.”
Pallas grinned. “This is you stepping back?”
Natalie groaned. “Sorry. I’m really, really done now. I swear.”
“Want to take a bet on that?”
* * *
PALLAS LEANED AGAINST the tree and told herself a second brownie wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t help, but she wasn’t going to go there. It was a brownie kind of day.
She’d brought in leftovers from the most recent girlfriend dinner and had made coffee, then asked Nick if he was interested in a picnic break in the courtyard. He’d joined her outside. As she stretched out her legs, he lay on his back, on the grass, staring through the tree leaves to the sky.
“You’re thinking about something,” he said. “I can hear your brain working.”
She smiled. “I’m contemplating a second brownie.”
He rolled toward her. “That’s not good. When women start talking about a second anything with chocolate, there’s a problem.”
“You think you’re so smart.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong, not exactly. There isn’t a problem, I’m just thinking.”
He shifted onto his back. “Which is where I came in. Start at the beginning and remember I’m a guy with all the emotional intelligence of a plant.”
She laughed, then grabbed a second brownie. “I went to the gallery yesterday.”
“Okay.”
“I saw the ballet dancer you carved or made or however you want to describe it.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might have tensed. “And?”
“She’s beautiful. Amazing. I kept waiting for her to come to life.”
He glanced at her, his expression wary. “But?”
“There’s no but. She’s incredible. You’re so talented.” She took a bite and chewed. “The price tag was three hundred thousand dollars.”
Nick returned his attention to the sky. “Atsuko sets the prices.”
With his input, she thought. There was no way he would agree to just any price. “Will you get that for the piece?”
“Maybe.”
Which she took to mean yes.
“You’re not going to start in about me working on the panels, are you?” he asked. “I like the work. It’s important.”
“I think important is stretching it, but no, I’m not going to start in on you. I appreciate the restoration.” She loved the panels and wanted them to last a long time. “It’s just... My business is so small by comparison to what you do, or the bank or a zillion other companies or people doing things in the world.”
“You make memories happen. That’s important. Probably more important. No one dies thinking ‘gee, I’m really glad I bought that piece of art.’”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m pretty sure.”
“I wish I could do better with Weddings in a Box,” she admitted. “We’re doing okay. I’m paying the bills and I get a salary, but there’s not much left over. If I want to grow, I need to change that, only I don’t know where to start. Worse, I have a degree in finance. I should be all over the money.”
“You could sell the panels. Atsuko could find you the right dealer.”
“No, I can’t do that. They’re a part of the business.” A part of Gerald.
