was only sixteen. I suppose losing your mother at a young age forces a certain amount of quick growing up. “Better to trust things will be okay than worry about the worst-case scenario. Worrying will give you gray hair.” She pointed to hers.
Misty laughed. “You must never worry, then. You don’t have any gray hair.”
“I have the secret weapon.”
“Not worrying?”
“No. A magnificent hairdresser.”
“We don’t have a fancy shop like that around here.”
“Here’s a piece of advice one of my managers told me early on. It’s what I always go back to. Not just in work, but anytime I get worried. He said, ‘Decide what’s more important to you: the dream that’s your desired outcome, or your fear.’”
“The dream,” Misty said. “Always.”
“Right, and as long as you stay focused on the dream, you’ll see opportunities. But if you let the fear take over, all you’ll ever see is obstacles.”
“Like we did with making the posters for Scooter. We saw an opportunity to get the word out.”
“Exactly.”
“Thanks for sharing that. Dad texted earlier. They’ll probably roll in around eleven tonight. I’m going to go home and get some rest. It’ll be busy at the farm getting the horses and gear unpacked.”
“I guess you can’t leave the horses on the trailer all night, can you.”
“Travel is tough on them, we’ll want to get them unloaded immediately and give them some time to move around, stretch and rehydrate. They can lose like five percent of their weight on a ride that long.” She snapped her fingers in the air. “Just like that.”
“They always look so relaxed when you see them on the trailers.”
“Think about standing in the back of my truck for the ride home. You’d be shifting your weight to stay upright with every turn and repositioning at every bounce. It’s a workout.”
“I’m glad this is my stop,” Vanessa said with a laugh. “Go home. Good luck unloading tonight. I’ll be in slumberland by the time you get started.” Vanessa grabbed the door handle and got out of the truck. “Good night.”
* * *
The next afternoon, Vanessa sat at her desk munching on one of Lilene’s Retrops as she went through her notes for the meeting tonight. Lilene had gone down to the retail store to manage getting set up for the meeting. Cookies were layered on raised cake plates on the display tables, and small plates and napkins were put out too.
The shift ended and the noise level rose as more and more of the factory workers made their way into the store.
She walked downstairs to check on things. People were talking among themselves and enjoying Lilene’s cookies. It was apparent Lilene had included an “it’s not bad news” whisper along with the meeting invite, because the vibe tonight was completely different than in the elementary school cafeteria that first night, which was what she’d hoped for.
She spotted Buck and Anna standing at the counter talking to Misty. She waved in their direction and worked her way over toward them. Anna waved and Buck gave her an encouraging smile.
It took Vanessa a few minutes to get across the store, stopping to say hello to the guys who had helped Bill get the warehouse in shape. “Thanks for your help.” She shook hands. “Good to see you.” She was being met with smiles rather than fear and speculation this time.
Bill grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake. “You should stick around and run this shop. I’d consult for you any day of the week.”
The compliment meant a lot to her. Bill had gotten his start at this company. She teased, “Unless it’s a hunting day, and there’s a big buck on the loose, right?”
“I might even sacrifice one of those days for you, Vanessa. I respect your style.”
“Thank you, Bill. You’re a huge part of this success.”
Moving closer to Anna, she thought, This is definitely a different room to talk with tonight.
She paused as she stepped away.
Talk with?
A tiny shock of realization sizzled inside her.
Talk with rather than to the people. It sounded like a subtle change, but was it? She swiveled, taking in the faces around her. The room seemed to silence, although she could still see the people talking. She could name one, two, three … more than twenty-five of the people standing nearby. It’d be easier to count who she didn’t recognize.
Hardworking people who genuinely cared about one another and this town.
As she turned, Buck caught her arm.
“Are you okay?” He put his other arm on the top