Page 78 of A Flower for Angus

“Take the rolls out of the oven and turn on the pot of green beans,” Andrea instructed. “By the time those are ready, the casserole should be cooled enough for the kids to eat.”

Morgan eyed Poppy sympathetically. “Are you going to Scotland too?” It was the wrong thing to ask. He held up both hands and backed away as the women hit him with stony stares. “Take your time, I got this,” he amended.

Morgan’s question only made Poppy feel worse. She and Andrea were both silent as they walked out to her daughter’s little black Ford Escape. Andrea navigated her way through traffic and finally pulled into a stall on the east side of Sonic. One they had visited many times in the past.

“Are you hungry?” Andrea asked.

“No, I don’t feel like eating.”

“You know Angus won’t like that.”

“Screw Angus,” Poppy snapped. “He’s not even here, so what he does or doesn’t like won’t matter anymore.”

Sighing, Andrea pushed the red button to place an order for two sets of crispy chicken sandwich meals with fries and cherry cokes. When she was finished, she turned to Poppy.

“All right, Mom, spill it. What’s going on?” she asked gently. “Why did Angus really leave? Did you two have a fight?”

Poppy’s throat started to close, but she took a deep breath and sighed. “He really did have to go back, I get that.” She explained to Andrea how big Neamh was, how many men they were down, and about getting the wool to market on time. All the same stuff Angus had explained to her.

“He asked me if I was ready to go yet, but I still have a lot to do right now and I can’t. I told him I’d take him to the airport,” she confessed, a few tears straggling down her cheeks. “I just don’t understand why he left like he did.” Turning to stare out the window, she waited as Andrea rolled down her window to accept their food.

Then Andrea handed her some fries. “Eat. The hot salty flavor will make you feel better.”

Poppy chuckled and wiped her face. “You’ve always loved Sonic fries, haven’t you?” She took the bag of fries and gingerly bit into the hot goodness and then blew on it to cool it. “These really are hot.”

“Just the way I like ’em,” Andrea agreed, her head sinking back as she groaned in pleasure. After she wolfed down the first one, she turned to Poppy. “Are you in love with Angus, Mom?”

“Of course, but that doesn’t really matter right now,” she growled impatiently. “I have responsibilities to take care of, people who are counting on me to make this merger work. I love being with Angus and I miss him already, but I need to be here. I’m just so mad at him for leaving like that.”

“Has he asked you to marry him?” Andrea persisted.

Poppy snorted. “He’s offered himself up for marriage, a housekeeping job, an investments counselor, or just living together. Any way that I’ll take him,” she replied, remembering his crazy declaration. “He’s such a tease.”

“Has he offered the three magic words though?” Andrea persisted.

“If you mean I love you, yes. He’s told me that many times.”

Andrea nodded. “And you do say you love him?”

“Of course I love him,” Poppy insisted, trying to remember if she’d actually told Angus that. She assumed he knew, why else would he get away with spanking her? “What are you getting at, Andrea?”

“If he loves you, and you love him, then nothing else matters. Responsibilities can fit in around love. You have to find a way to make it work. He came here because he loved you. Maybe now it’s your turn? Do you love him enough to support him in his responsibilities to this huge sheep croft, or station, or farm, or whatever they call it in Scotland?”

Poppy stared at her. “I can’t do anything to help Angus in Scotland, I don’t know anything about sheep.”

“There wasn’t anything he could do to help you here either,” she pointed out. “He doesn’t know anything about corporate finance, but he came anyway. He handed his responsibilities over to those he left in charge and followed you to support you. At least that’s the way I see it.”

She took a big bite of her chicken sandwich. Then she wagged her finger at her mother after she swallowed. “And he took care of you, made sure you ate and that you rested, and almost got shot because you thought you had to meet that man in a deserted office late at night.”

“But...t-the way he left,” Poppy stuttered, bewildered, starting to feel guilty at what Andrea was saying. Angus had done all that and more. She was right in that respect.

Andrea had one more thing to say. “Did you ever think that he just didn’t want to say goodbye like that?” she asked gently. She reached over and took her mother’s hand. “Mom, I know you didn’t love Julian. Dad’s been gone a long time but you rarely talk about him. Your eyes light up when you look at Angus in a way I’ve never noticed before. You love him and you trust him. And I know that man adores you. So, what are you waiting for? Is there really anything you need to do here that’s more important than your relationship with the man you love? Go get him, Mom.”

Poppy stared at Andrea in wonder. She thought about the company, the merger, and all the business decisions that kept cropping up. Was there really any reason she couldn’t handle them from Scotland? Was she being selfish and controlling when Angus needed her with him? In an instant, joy filled her heart as the decision she needed to make was as plain as the nose on her face. “W-Would you be upset if I happened to move to Scotland to stay?”

Andrea shrugged and grinned. “You’re rich, you can jet over here anytime you like. And Morgan has applied for anything open in the UK, especially Scotland. He’s always wanted to go there, it’s where his ancestors are from. You can even loan me money to come over on my own, I’m not too proud to take it. Wait...do they have Sonic in Scotland?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

Poppy burst out laughing. “Inverness has a MacDonalds, I’m not sure about Sonic, but if they don’t, there’s a great little pub called The Waterfront. I can find out.”

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