You Say It First
Page 26
There were so many ways to answer that question, but only one that made sense to her. “Because it makes me happy.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Pallas put down her burger. “Why is that ridiculous? You don’t believe me? You don’t think it’s possible for me to be happy anywhere else but the bank?”
“You own a small, failing business that has little chance for growth or success. How on earth can that make you happy?”
“Thanks for the support,” Pallas said with a sigh. “To answer your question, everything about it makes me happy. A week or so ago a couple came to see me. They developed a video game and they want their wedding theme to be that game. It’s all the more special because Nova’s father is—”
“You’re making a fool out of yourself,” her mother interrupted. “Everyone can see it but you.”
Pallas pushed away her burger. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry at all. “You’re wrong, Mom,” she said firmly. “I’m not making a fool out of myself. I’m helping couples with the most significant day of their lives. I’m helping them make their wedding dreams come true. Even if they end up divorced, they’ll remember their wedding and I get to be a part of that. It’s good work. It’s fulfilling and I like it. The only reason you can’t accept it is because you didn’t have a hand in picking it for me. You’re upset because I won’t do what you want me to. You think I should have to earn my place in the family.”
Pallas stood and tossed her napkin on the table. “You know what? Today I’m not willing to do that anymore.”
She picked up her bag and walked out. When she reached the sidewalk, she pointed out to herself that this was the second time she’d walked away from a difficult situation. She was going to have to make sure it didn’t become a pattern. Although with Nick she’d bolted out of fear, whereas with her mother, it felt a lot more like standing up for herself—from a safe distance.
Why were relationships so complicated? She knew they didn’t have to be, yet so many of them were.
Back in her office, Pallas checked her email. She had a note from Nova about more wedding details. The words were so happy and upbeat that Pallas smiled as she read. Maybe she had been dragged kicking and screaming into the alien wedding, but now that she’d committed, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Leaning back in her chair, she considered her bank statement and the business cash flow. Nova’s wedding had gone a long way to making it much happier than it had been before. Yes, there was more work, but also more reward. Maybe she’d been shortsighted to want to do everything the way it had always been done. Maybe the real way to grow her business was to think outside of the box.
The idea was still unformed, but she sensed the potential. As she and Nick had talked about, the basic format for a wedding wasn’t going to change, but what about all the details? They could be enhanced.
She looked at the files on her desk—each one represented a pending wedding. She looked through them until she found the black-and-white wedding—where the bride had requested zebras. Maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.
“Hi,” Carol said cheerfully when she answered. “What’s up?”
“I’m working. How about you?”
“I think Millie’s depressed rather than sick.”
Pallas struggled to remember who Millie was. “The giraffe?”
“Uh-huh. She’s listless. I know the move was hard on her, but I think she’s lonely. She needs friends. Anyway, that’s not why you called. What’s up?”
“I have a very strange request. One of my brides is having a black-and-white wedding. She saw the zebras and would like to rent them for ambience.”
Carol laughed. “Seriously?”
“You know I can’t make that up.”
“True. Wow. So they’d be like tea lights or balloons?”
“Sort of. We’d set up a penned area for them. I’d make sure the guests didn’t touch them, although I imagine they would want to take pictures. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. They’re relatively tame, although still zebras, so not exactly as calm as, say, a goat.”
Were goats calm? All Pallas could picture were those little baby goats jumping all over the place.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What does that mean?”
“That I’d have to think about the transportation issues and how to make sure they didn’t escape. I would want a significant profit margin for the trouble and because one of the barns needs a new roof.”
Pallas laughed. “Fair enough. Send me a quote. I’ll pass it along to my bride and let you know. If this comes to pass, I get to have a very interesting conversation with my insurance agent.”
“Zebra insurance?”
“Yup. For you, the zebras and all the guests, not to mention my facility. Should be fun.”
“I also have a couple of black llamas if she’d like to use them. Maybe we could find a local white llama.”
“What I would give to write that Craigslist ad. Wanted: white llama to rent for wedding.”
“You know someone would answer.”
“Scary but true. Thanks, Carol. Send the bid over when you get it ready.”
“I’ll work on it right now.”
“Bye.”
Pallas set her cell phone back on her desk. Zebras and llamas. She wasn’t sure what would be next, but that was part of the fun.
“You look happy about something.”
She looked up and saw Cade standing in the doorway to her office. Pallas jumped up and ran at him. He dropped his worn leather duffel on the floor and held out both arms. She slammed into him and hugged him tight.
“You’re here! When did you get back? How long are you staying? I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, sis.”
They held on to each other for nearly a minute before letting go. Pallas stared at her brother’s face, taking in the new scar by his eyebrow and his tan. He looked strong and fit—a man who worked outdoors.
He had her same hazel eyes and brown hair. Somehow on him, it was more interesting. Maybe it was the cowboy thing, she thought with a smile.
She held on to his upper arms and smiled. “Don’t take this wrong, but why are you here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why are you in Happily Inc?”
“Grandpa Frank wants to talk to me.”
“About?”
Cade hesitated just enough to make her curious.
“The horse ranch.”
“What?” She flung herself at him again. “Are you serious? He’s finally going to let you run it?”
“Looks that way.”
Cade had been obsessed with horses since he was a little kid. Grandpa Frank had a stable full of gorgeous horses outside of town. He’d raised American quarter horses for years and in the past decade or so had taken an interest in Arabian horses. As a teen, Cade had begged his grandfather to give him a job at the ranch, but Grandpa Frank had said he wasn’t ready. When he graduated from high school, Cade had left Happily Inc. In part to follow his dream and in part, Pallas had always suspected, to get away from their mother.
“I’d love having you close,” Pallas told him. “Can you handle having Mom in the neighborhood, as well?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Pallas put down her burger. “Why is that ridiculous? You don’t believe me? You don’t think it’s possible for me to be happy anywhere else but the bank?”
“You own a small, failing business that has little chance for growth or success. How on earth can that make you happy?”
“Thanks for the support,” Pallas said with a sigh. “To answer your question, everything about it makes me happy. A week or so ago a couple came to see me. They developed a video game and they want their wedding theme to be that game. It’s all the more special because Nova’s father is—”
“You’re making a fool out of yourself,” her mother interrupted. “Everyone can see it but you.”
Pallas pushed away her burger. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry at all. “You’re wrong, Mom,” she said firmly. “I’m not making a fool out of myself. I’m helping couples with the most significant day of their lives. I’m helping them make their wedding dreams come true. Even if they end up divorced, they’ll remember their wedding and I get to be a part of that. It’s good work. It’s fulfilling and I like it. The only reason you can’t accept it is because you didn’t have a hand in picking it for me. You’re upset because I won’t do what you want me to. You think I should have to earn my place in the family.”
Pallas stood and tossed her napkin on the table. “You know what? Today I’m not willing to do that anymore.”
She picked up her bag and walked out. When she reached the sidewalk, she pointed out to herself that this was the second time she’d walked away from a difficult situation. She was going to have to make sure it didn’t become a pattern. Although with Nick she’d bolted out of fear, whereas with her mother, it felt a lot more like standing up for herself—from a safe distance.
Why were relationships so complicated? She knew they didn’t have to be, yet so many of them were.
Back in her office, Pallas checked her email. She had a note from Nova about more wedding details. The words were so happy and upbeat that Pallas smiled as she read. Maybe she had been dragged kicking and screaming into the alien wedding, but now that she’d committed, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Leaning back in her chair, she considered her bank statement and the business cash flow. Nova’s wedding had gone a long way to making it much happier than it had been before. Yes, there was more work, but also more reward. Maybe she’d been shortsighted to want to do everything the way it had always been done. Maybe the real way to grow her business was to think outside of the box.
The idea was still unformed, but she sensed the potential. As she and Nick had talked about, the basic format for a wedding wasn’t going to change, but what about all the details? They could be enhanced.
She looked at the files on her desk—each one represented a pending wedding. She looked through them until she found the black-and-white wedding—where the bride had requested zebras. Maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.
“Hi,” Carol said cheerfully when she answered. “What’s up?”
“I’m working. How about you?”
“I think Millie’s depressed rather than sick.”
Pallas struggled to remember who Millie was. “The giraffe?”
“Uh-huh. She’s listless. I know the move was hard on her, but I think she’s lonely. She needs friends. Anyway, that’s not why you called. What’s up?”
“I have a very strange request. One of my brides is having a black-and-white wedding. She saw the zebras and would like to rent them for ambience.”
Carol laughed. “Seriously?”
“You know I can’t make that up.”
“True. Wow. So they’d be like tea lights or balloons?”
“Sort of. We’d set up a penned area for them. I’d make sure the guests didn’t touch them, although I imagine they would want to take pictures. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. They’re relatively tame, although still zebras, so not exactly as calm as, say, a goat.”
Were goats calm? All Pallas could picture were those little baby goats jumping all over the place.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “What does that mean?”
“That I’d have to think about the transportation issues and how to make sure they didn’t escape. I would want a significant profit margin for the trouble and because one of the barns needs a new roof.”
Pallas laughed. “Fair enough. Send me a quote. I’ll pass it along to my bride and let you know. If this comes to pass, I get to have a very interesting conversation with my insurance agent.”
“Zebra insurance?”
“Yup. For you, the zebras and all the guests, not to mention my facility. Should be fun.”
“I also have a couple of black llamas if she’d like to use them. Maybe we could find a local white llama.”
“What I would give to write that Craigslist ad. Wanted: white llama to rent for wedding.”
“You know someone would answer.”
“Scary but true. Thanks, Carol. Send the bid over when you get it ready.”
“I’ll work on it right now.”
“Bye.”
Pallas set her cell phone back on her desk. Zebras and llamas. She wasn’t sure what would be next, but that was part of the fun.
“You look happy about something.”
She looked up and saw Cade standing in the doorway to her office. Pallas jumped up and ran at him. He dropped his worn leather duffel on the floor and held out both arms. She slammed into him and hugged him tight.
“You’re here! When did you get back? How long are you staying? I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, sis.”
They held on to each other for nearly a minute before letting go. Pallas stared at her brother’s face, taking in the new scar by his eyebrow and his tan. He looked strong and fit—a man who worked outdoors.
He had her same hazel eyes and brown hair. Somehow on him, it was more interesting. Maybe it was the cowboy thing, she thought with a smile.
She held on to his upper arms and smiled. “Don’t take this wrong, but why are you here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why are you in Happily Inc?”
“Grandpa Frank wants to talk to me.”
“About?”
Cade hesitated just enough to make her curious.
“The horse ranch.”
“What?” She flung herself at him again. “Are you serious? He’s finally going to let you run it?”
“Looks that way.”
Cade had been obsessed with horses since he was a little kid. Grandpa Frank had a stable full of gorgeous horses outside of town. He’d raised American quarter horses for years and in the past decade or so had taken an interest in Arabian horses. As a teen, Cade had begged his grandfather to give him a job at the ranch, but Grandpa Frank had said he wasn’t ready. When he graduated from high school, Cade had left Happily Inc. In part to follow his dream and in part, Pallas had always suspected, to get away from their mother.
“I’d love having you close,” Pallas told him. “Can you handle having Mom in the neighborhood, as well?”
