Victoria rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, it’s so obvious. Go into business with Aaron. You love him, you love his company. But you’ll want to make sure there’s a prenup in place saying you get a piece of the business if things go south.” She paused. “I know, you’re desperately in love and will be together always, but shit happens, and if you’ve given fifteen years of your life to grow his business, you should get a cut of it.”
Shannon shocked expression was almost comical. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open. “I can’t go into business with Aaron.”
“Why not?”
Shannon tried speaking, but failed. “Can I?”
“You kind of already are. Why not make it official? And if you’re worried about—to quote my mother, and let’s all pause and think about how much I hate doing that—bringing somethingto the table, go to trade school. They have to have some kind of Life with Plants certificate you can earn or even an AA. You’d learn things and, you know, hang with dirt.”
“You’re making sense.”
“I resent that you sound surprised.”
“Sorry. I meant, wow, that’s so smart and specific, and why didn’t I think of it?”
“You would have gotten there. Besides, the writing thing? I’m very good at brainstorming.” She glanced toward her office where the offending and unhelpful index cards were stacked. “At least, most of the time.” She looked at Shannon. “You good?”
“I’m better than good. I have direction and a plan, and thank you.”
“Anytime.”
24
Shannon drove home with her head spinning. She was still processing everything Victoria had suggested. Going into business with Aaron made so much sense. They worked well together, and she was enthused about what he did. But before she talked to him, she wanted to figure out a plan, which meant doing research.
Javiar was out when she got in, so she went right to her room and turned on her laptop. While it was doing its thing, she dug out the technical college brochure her mother had given her months ago. She scanned it and saw that they had an environmental horticulture program. She went onto their website and read about the program. If she wanted to get her AAS, she would need about seven quarters, so nearly two years of full-time college. Or she could get a growing certificate in eight months.
She opened Excel to start a spreadsheet, then logged into her banking app to figure out how much money was still in her college fund. There were pros and cons to each path. Money was a factor, as was time. And she was going to have to talk to Aaron because maybe he didn’t want her working so closely with him. It was a lot to think about, but for the first time in forever, she felt happy about her career future and excited about what tomorrow might bring.
Her good mood lasted well into the next morning. She wokeup excited and got to the office at nine, ready to start her workday. She figured she would spend her lunch break fleshing out her new and exciting plan. But when she walked into her office, she found her mother waiting for her, and Cindy didn’t look happy.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, instantly concerned. “Mom, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not.” Her eyes filled with tears. “How could you not tell me? I’m your mother. We’ve always been there for each other. I thought we were close, but we’re not. Maybe we never have been.” She covered her face with her hands and began to sob. “It’s like I don’t even know you.”
Shannon went cold as dread swept through her and she thought she might throw up. Part of her wondered who’d spilled the truth, but part of her knew that whatever happened was only her fault.
“Mom, please,” she whispered, knowing it was too late to apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re engaged! You have been for weeks. You and Aaron are getting married, and you never said a word.” Her mother came to her feet, tears still pouring down her cheeks. “We tried on wedding dresses together. Do you know how that makes me feel? I’m humiliated and ashamed. My own daughter lied to me and betrayed me. You’ve ripped out my heart.”
Shannon’s chest was so tight, she could barely breathe. Shame and regret immobilized her.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“Now,” her mother snapped. “But apparently not before. You kept one of the most important decisions of your life from me. I don’t understand. What did I do to make you act like that? Why did you think it was all right?”
Shannon hung her head. “I didn’t think it was okay. I kept promising myself I would tell you.”
“But you didn’t. That’s what I don’t get. Why didn’t you runinto my office the second he asked? Why keep it a secret?” She wiped her face. “Everything is different now. Are we even important to each other?”
Shannon gave in to her own tears. “Don’t say that. I love you, Mom. I’m sorry. I just wanted to have a little space between your engagement and mine.”
“What does that mean? Did you think I’d take over and make it all about me? I’m not like that.”
“No, I’m not saying that. You were so happy with Luis, and I thought it should just be about that. I didn’t want to get in the way or steal your spotlight.” Which was partially true. No way she was going to mention the double wedding thing now. “Then the longer I went without telling you, the more I didn’t know what to say.”
“But you told Ava! You told her and not me. Who else knows? I assume everyone but your own mother.” Cindy wiped her face again. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You hurt me in a way I hadn’t thought was possible. I’m devastated, Shannon. I didn’t deserve any of this.”
