This was how life was for her and her dad.Plans were made and altered over and over.It wasn’t his fault that there were people with furnace issues today or that he was scheduled to be on call.Well, maybe that was partly his doing since he was filling in for someone else, but he was doing that because he cared about people.
Do what you have to do, Dad.I’ll have some extra breakfast that you missed while I wait and enjoy a movie before I make the Yorkshires.But once those are made…She added a wink emoji.He loved Yorkshire Pudding almost as much as she did.
I know.I know.They have to be eaten right away.I’ll be there.
Hey, Dad?If you want, you can shower here while the Yorkshires are baking.
A heart popped into the message app.Followed byWays you know your daughter loves you number 4782: She’ll let the old man dirty up her pretty bathroom so he won’t miss out on just-from-the-oven Yorkshire Pudding.
She shook her head and sent a laughing emoji.
Love you, Dad.
Love you, too, kiddo.
Well, the carrots and potatoes had to be peeled and cut up eventually.She might as well do that now.And… she could start a movie while she did.
So that’s what she did.She prepped everything she possibly could while she watched some fictitious “teacher” who obviously didn’t earn a teacher’s salary – based on what she wore, the house she lived in, and the car she drove – get ready for the town Christmas bazaar because she obviously didn’t need to plan lessons or grade papers.Of course, there was a grumpy, but handsome, single father, who was also the principal, causing all sorts of issues.It was idyllic and utterly impossible.Normally, these movies were a lovely escape.Today, this one was hitting a little different.
With the veggies hanging out in some cold water, the pie ready to put in the oven as soon as the turkey came out, and everything set to whip up those Yorkshires, she grab a plate of breakfast casserole, a cup of hot chocolate, and a cranberry muffin and snuggled into her favourite corner of the couch to ignore the too-perfect romance that was streaming on her TV in favour of picking at her food while trying to sort out her thoughts and feelings about what Mandy had shared earlier.
Chapter 15
“Hey,bro,”Fredsaidas he waved to Henry as he scoured the shelves in the automotive department at Drummonds looking for the product he wanted to recommend to Mr.Boucher.
“Hey, late riser.It’s about time you got to work.”Henry came down the aisle and leaned against the shelving unit behind Fred.
Fred grabbed the item he was looking for “It’s not my fault you don’t work in the cool department that opens at seven AM every day, regardless of things like Boxing Day sales.How’s it going in crazy land?”
Henry huffed.“Crazy is the right word for it.We ran out of the stand mixer that was on sale by nine AM.”
Fred chuckled and shook his head.It was never a good day when the discounted item intended to lure in the after Christmas shoppers ran out before the customers who didn’t want to stand outside in the cold, dark morning showed up at a reasonable hour.“So does that mean lots of irritated women or men?”
“Both,” Henry said with a laugh.“There are some unhappy female shoppers and then, there are men who are unhappy to have to report back home that they did not get the item.But the most unfortunate shoppers are the men who have had to endure a lecture about ‘I told you we needed to be here earlier’ all the way out of the store.”
“I take it you heard a few of those?”
“Boy, did I.”
“But I guess the good news is that you now know another item that is a great door crasher for these sales days.”That was always something Henry, as the manager of the home goods department, was looking for – the draw, the loss leader featured item.Something that would get customers in the door.
“I sure do.”He tipped his head and studied Fred for a second.“How are you doing today?And I don’t mean in the automotive department.I mean you, personally.”
Fred shrugged.“Better than yesterday and worse than before Steve showed up.I sent out the email about the worship team lead position being open before I came to work, and I got an offer to join the kids worship group about half an hour ago.”
“Are you going to take it?”
Fred shook his head.“Nah… I don’t know.I mean, Madison has been attending so I’d still have to see Steve and Esther.”
Henry ran his hand through his hair.“Sorry, man.I really thought giving her a choice would have solved things.”
“It’s not your fault.”Again, he shook his head.“The way she replied to me on Christmas Day made me think you might have been right about that, but we’re now nearly forty-eight hours past that, and I haven’t heard anything from her.”Not a peep.Not that he had expected to if she didn’t want to move past friendship.But his heart had hoped that she would drop Steve and jump into his arms.He turned to go back to the automotive desk.“I need to get this to the customer.”
“Yeah, I should get back to my section, too, to see how things are going.But Fred?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t give up hope just yet.It’s only been forty-eight hours.”
