text. He read it and responded. “I’ve got to go. She’s getting vocal and it’s worrying Toby.”
She grinned as he ran upstairs. “But I bet you’re still going to shower first.”
“Of course. I can’t go to work smelly. She can wait ten minutes before chewing my butt about Toby’s unwillingness to let her go home.” He disappeared up the stairs.
“Some people,” I said to Emma. She doggy grinned at me like she totally agreed. But she typically agreed with me as long as Greg wasn’t there with her favorite treat or offering her a ride in his truck. I got out a piece of paper and started writing my to-do list. I had to go into Bakerstown because Emma was almost out of food. And if Esmeralda was going to check on her, she needed enough to get her through next weekend.
Amy had invited Esmeralda to go, but this was a busy weekend for her other job. She had lots of clients coming in due to the moon’s positioning. Which was great for me, because both Toby and Greg were going to Vegas to hang out with Justin. We’d already made plans to shorten hours at the shop to just Deek’s shift. I hoped Amy had made her choice and the arrangements like she’d said, or we’d just be hanging out at the casino or walking the strip looking at the sights.
I added “call Sadie” to the list. One, I needed to let her know that we’d be closed, so we didn’t need a large order this weekend. And two, I wanted to feel her out about Nick and his summer plans. I sure hoped I could count on him. I glanced at the clock. It was almost eight. If I didn’t call now, she’d be down until after noon with her nap.
She picked up on the first ring. “I know why you’re calling. I’ll come by on Friday morning and refill what you need. Lille’s did a double order of desserts, knowing you’d be closed up most of the day.”
“Well, I’m glad everyone is excited about me being out of town this weekend.” I kept writing notes on my to-do list as we talked.
“She’s just expecting more traffic, that’s all.” Sadie always saw the good side of things. “Bill is taking me out to dinner after services on Sunday. He’s such a kind man.”
Oh, it was Bill now, not Pastor Bill. I was happy for my friend. She deserved a good man in her life. “That will be fun. Hey, have you heard from Nick lately? Did you ask him what his summer plans are?”
A pause over the line told me my answer before she responded. “He’s got an amazing opportunity in London this year. He’s working for a law firm in their administration department.”
“What? He’d rather do that than sell coffee out of a hot food truck at festivals?” I joked. “That sounds awesome. Is he coming home first?”
“No. He’s going straight from school. I guess he’s all grown-up now.”
I heard the wistfulness in my friend’s voice. Nick’s change in plans had hurt her. “You’ll always be his mom.”
“It’s silly, I know. I was just so excited to do our summer stuff. Like the first beach visit of the season. And a trip to the Castle for a swim. We always went into the city for a week’s vacation.” She paused. “But this is an amazing opportunity for his future. I can’t be selfish.”
“Maybe he’ll come home before he goes back to school.”
Sadie’s voice brightened. “He is. He’ll be here a week before he goes back. I guess next year will be the same. I’ll just have to make my own summer plans, right?”
“Exactly. Maybe there’s someone nearby who’d like to do those things?”
She chuckled. “Stop teasing me about Bill. We’re taking this slow. He’s got a lot on his plate right now.”
“You better be a big part of that plate,” I chided. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.”
“You’re a good friend. You know just what to say to get me out of the dumps.”
I crossed Nick off my list. “I was the one who put you there, so I should be willing to help. I’ll see you tomorrow at the shop.”
“Bright and early.”
We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I went through my computer files and found the last ad we’d run to get staff. I pasted it into an email to my aunt and asked if I should post this in the newspaper