Page 12 of She's a Big Deal

“Grace—”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Of course not. Don’t be weird.”

“Is everyone else okay?”

By ‘everyone else,’ Grace referred mainly to their father, to whom she had not spoken for ages. His choice more than hers, though it had been so long now that she wasn’t sure she even cared. She also had two younger brothers; twins. Their mother had died at the age of sixty-two in a road accident.

“What do you care, Grace?” Chloe decided to challenge her. “It’s not like you bother to check in with us the rest of the time, huh?”

Typical. When they’d all made the situation unbearable for her at home, they blamed her for leaving. And now, this kind of bullshit…

“Perhaps if you showed more interest in engaging with me in a peaceful way, I would check in more often,” Grace pointed out. “It’s not like I haven’t been trying to maintain a connection, is it?”

“Have you?” Chloe snorted. “That’s news to me.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why did you call, really?”

“I know you care about Charlie, Grace. So, that’s why. Justbe fucking grateful, okay?”

Chloe was going to stick to her guns, obviously, and Grace did not care enough about her reasons to want to push it. One thing was for sure, she did not believe her sister. Every time one of the siblings got in touch with her over the years was always to ask for something. A favor, money, a business introduction… No matter, she’d find out soon enough. For now, Grace only just wanted to connect with her aunt.

“Thanks for calling,” she said.

“Are you going to—”

Grace did not listen to the rest, and shehung up on her.

chapter 5

Olivia was feeling proud of her latest creation. The sculptural minimalist piece had been a nice challenge for her. Though she loved rescuing pets, especially puppies, this was only voluntary part-time work. The bulk of her time was spent in her workshop on the outskirts of town, shaping big slabs of wood into bespoke furniture for her clients. This latest piece was an epoxy resin wooden table, intricately designed into a leaf, with strategic lines of natural amber and amethyst crystal carved along the surface to simulate the veins of the leaf. Olivia was extra-careful loading it into the back of her van for delivery, and even more so as she drove the twenty miles to the next town on a light dusting of snow. It was a bit early in the year for this, but she was pleased. She loved snow, the colder months, Christmas… And snuggling in front of the fire with a woman in her arms. Well. These days, it happened to be a puppy. She chuckled at the idea, surprising herself in a good way. Too long since she had been able to make light of such things, and it was nice. Dana might be right, after all. Perhaps it was time to get back in the saddle.

“Whoa…” Feeling the van go a little floaty around a bend, she reminded herself to slow down and focus. “Whatever you do, don’t crash the custom piece.”

She made it safe and sound to her client’s house, a retired real estate broker from San Diego who’d made his fortune over there. He greeted her in the driveway with a friendly wave and a cup of hot chocolate.

“Ooh, thanks, Mr. Sorenson.” She laughed. “I could do with one of these.”

“The weather calls for it, I feel. Wonderful, isn’t it?”

“That’s why we moved to Vermont,” his wife pitched in with a happy smile. “California weather is great, but I grew tired of the fires, earthquakes, and staring at blue skies and palm trees for Christmas.”

“I’ve heard we should have an especially snowy one this year,” Olivia shared.

“Great!” they exclaimed in unison.

“And now,” Sorenson added, “let’s unload and take a look at this beauty.”

“Yes,” Olivia approved. “Let’s.”

Every piece was a unique design, and every client’s wishes and instructions were a little different. Olivia was always slightly nervous when she presented the final result. However, after so many years in the business, it was more a sense of anticipation than any real fear of disappointing. This being said, the couple’s initial silence when they first laid eyes on the table made her hold her breath. She relaxed when Sorenson finally whistled in appreciation, and his wife brought both hands to her chest in a similar gesture.

“Oh, my God! This is gorgeous! Jim, look at how intricate it is!”

“A real work of art,” he nodded.

“So much detail… So finely carved!” Mrs. Sorenson leaned close to observe an amber line streaking through the hardwood. “Incredible. It looks just like lace!”

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