do it this year, let her. If she wants to pick it up next year, great. If not, I repeat, it’s T-ball.”
She blows out a shaky breath and blinks away the moisture gathering in her beautiful eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Giving me the answer I needed to hear.”
“You’re welcome.”
I lean over and kiss her forehead. “It’s going to be okay,” I promise, though I don’t believe it myself.
“Liar.”
The way she calls me out makes me laugh lowly. “How about this, then. We’ll eventually get there.”
She nods and leans back in her chair.
We sit quietly for a few minutes, listening to the peace that early morning brings. “It’s going to be a pretty day,” she remarks.
“It is.”
After a little while longer, she asks, “What are your plans?”
“For today?”
She turns to face me and gives me a look that says I know what she meant. “Not just today.”
I settle back in my chair and drum my fingers on the arm rest. “Grant and I are sitting down to talk about it when I go back.”
“Which is when?”
“Probably next week. I’m not in a rush, and Grant understands it will be a bit.”
“It’s good that he’s understanding.”
He’s definitely that. He’s a good guy, which is why I don’t want to just leave his company. His offer of buying into his already established business is humbling beyond measure.
“I think I’ll head to Mom and Dad’s today to spend some time with them.”
“Have you guys discussed what they’re doing with his house yet?”
“Not yet. That’s not something any of us are willing to tackle.”
She nods in understanding. “Later. There’s no rush, right?”
“Right. Max and I are going to keep paying on the mortgage until a decision is made. He had a good life insurance plan that I think will cover what he still owed on the house which is only about half of what we think it’s worth. He left everything to you and Zoey, but had me as executor of his estate. He was prepared.”
“I didn’t even think about that,” she whispers. “There are so many things…”
I can see her wheels turning and the panic setting in. What she doesn’t know, though, is that Chris wasn’t just prepared, he was incredibly responsible when it came to the future. The week after Zoey was born, he met with a financial advisor and got everything set up so that if something were to happen to him, Addy and Zoey would be set for life. I had asked him why it was so important to him and he didn’t have an answer other than wanting to do what was right for his family.
Chris loved Zoey more than anything in the world, but Addy was a close second. “It’s okay, Addy. You don’t have to think about anything right now. Just take care of his daughter. That’s your only responsibility. We’ve got the rest of it under control.”
“Okay.”
“You need to go to the flower shop today?”
“Yeah, I do. If nothing else but to check in and catch up on bills.”
“Want me to spend the day with Zoey or what did you have planned for her?”
“You don’t have to do that. She can come to the shop with me.”
“That’s not why I’m offering.”
“Thank you. And, yeah, she’d probably rather do that. I’ll need to figure something out permanently for her this summer because it’s not fair for your mom.”
“You don’t think my mom wants to watch her while you’re working?” My mom loves being both grandma and babysitter for Zoey. And it’s not as if Addy or Chris expected it. It worked well because my mom doesn’t work outside of the home and she wanted to be there. Chris had always had a bit of an irrational fear of Zoey going to a daycare, so Grandma it was.
She shrugs and looks down into her coffee cup. “I don’t know… I feel like such a burden. Or like I’m taking advantage.” That’s nothing new. She’s always felt that way, though not because of anything other than her head getting in the way. That’s Addy, though. She grew up with a single mom who was determined to do everything herself and it trained Addy to do the same. She has a hard time accepting help, but an even harder time understanding that sometimes help from others is necessary. I’ve also learned that nothing I say right now will change the fact that she thinks she’s taking more than giving, but in reality, it’s not a competition. Plus, my mom doesn’t feel like