Things had gone downhill from there. Shortly after construction began, she’d gotten a call from her mother. Mom, who had been so entrenched in the café plans that Anita couldn’t pry her loose, had a crisis with Paisley’s wedding—a real one this time.
“She’s getting cold feet!” Mom had exclaimed over the phone. “She can’t get cold feet, Anita. We put the deposit down on her dress and the reception hall.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Anita hadn’t had time to talk her mother down. She was supposed to be at a meeting with the contractor. Rusty had fixed her car two days after he towed it and had even given her the Maple Falls family discount that was available to everyone living in Maple Falls. She was grateful for any break she could get. But having a working car had meant she was driving when her mom called. She’d been trying to figure out directions and needed her phone screen.
She glanced at the phone, fastened to a hands-free mount. “Can I call you back? I’m trying to find this guy’s office—”
“This is a catastrophe,” her mother had wailed. “I’m sorry, Anita, but Paisley needs me right now.”
“All right. Call me back when you can, then.”
“I’m going to Waco tomorrow night. I’m not sure when I’ll be available.”
Anita frowned and realized she’d missed taking a left turn. Crud. “She’s not going to like you crashing her last semester of school.”
“I still can’t believe she had to take summer classes to graduate. I finished my bachelor’s in three years. Did I ever tell you that?”
“Mom, let Paisley work this out.”
“I will, when I get to Waco.”
Her mother was serious about this. Anita started to panic. “But what about the café?”
“Oh, honey, you’ll handle things. You wanted to do this on your own, remember?”
She couldn’t tell if that was a passive-aggressive dig or if her mother was stating a fact. At that moment she hadn’t had time to figure it out. “I have to go, Mom. I think I’m lost.”
“Did you use your GPS? I always use my GPS.”
“I’m talking to you on my phone. That’s my GPS.”
“You should have a separate GPS. I’m never without mine. I’ll text you the name of the one I use. They have a less expensive version, although it doesn’t have the functionality of the deluxe model, which is the one I own.”
Anita had about lost it. She’d started counting to ten.
“I’ll be out of pocket for a while, dear. Paisley needs my complete focus. Oh, and please don’t bother your father. He’s been overwhelmed with patients lately. Ta-ta for now.”
Anita had finally managed to find the contractor, and shoving her mother and Paisley out of her mind, she’d listened as he talked about plumbing, carpentry, ordering supplies, one-third down, and other things that made her head spin. On the way home she’d tried to process everything the guy had told her, but she had forgotten most of it and kicked herself because she should have been taking notes.
Now she stared at theAccounting for Dummiesbook.Although she’d read the same page four times, she still didn’t comprehend the information. Her mind kept stewing on all her problems, which were coming in droves lately.
Her ringtone sang out “I Will Survive” again.
She wasn’t sure she was going to survive at this rate.
She picked up her phone and answered it. “Hello?”
“Ms.Bedford?”
“Speaking.”
“I’m calling on behalf of Mendelsohn Interiors to let you know that the check you wrote to us last week came back as ‘insufficient funds.’ As you know, we require a down payment before we can implement the design plans we developed for your café.”
Her check had bounced? How? Had she forgotten to write down the amount in her check ledger? Or had she used her debit card for the plans? She couldn’t remember.
“Ms.Bedford?”
Maybe she didn’t need a designer. She’d save money if she could design the café herself. How hard could it be? “I’m sorry, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t be needing your services.”
