So cute. “Here.” I surrendered the wand with the bottle.
“I want bubbles,” Daisy demanded.
So Meg handed over her bottle. The twins zigzagged across the yard, giggles rising in their wake like soap bubbles.
“They’re getting so big,” I said.
“They turn five this summer.” A sideways look. “You should come for their birthday.”
I made a noncommittal sound. “They must be starting kindergarten soon.”
“In the fall. Daisy is ready. DJ...”
We watched as DJ sputtered soap bubbles all over his shirt.
“I’ll do it,” Daisy said, grabbing the bottle from him.
He swiped it back, sloshing on his shoes.
“Sharing!” Meg called. She smiled ruefully at me. “So, how did things go with Phee? Is she going to help you finance your new space?”
“Nope. Not without ‘conditions.’” I drew the quotes in the air.
“What kind of conditions?”
“She wants me to move back home. Can you imagine the four of us, all living in Bunyan?”
“I don’t have to imagine,” Meg said mildly. “I can remember. Anyway, Beth won’t be here much longer. She’s going back on the road with Colt.”
“No, she’s not. He dumped her from the tour.”
“He fired her?”
“Not exactly. He still wants her to write songs for him.”
Meg raised her eyebrows. “Well, at least he came to the wedding.”
“Maybe he got spooked by the whole family scene.”
“Poor Bethie.”
“At least she can work from home. I can’t.”
Meg smiled. “All right, I admit Bunyan isn’t exactly Paris, but—”
“Paris? It isn’t even New Jersey.”
“But couldn’t that be an advantage?” Meg pressed. “You’d have an identity as a local, regional designer. The cost of living is cheaper. Your rents would be lower. You already have a good client base in stores. If you developed more of an online presence...”
“Why are you saying all this? You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“I am. Which is why I think you should consider your options.”
Meg had always been a bit of a Momma Hen where I was concerned. But I was not some brainless, fluffy Little Chick. “I am not moving my business to North Carolina. I thought maybe ifyoutalked to Aunt Phee...”
“Nobody can get around Aunt Phee better than you.”
“But you helped write my business plan. And you speak her language.”
