Page 34 of A Secret Chance
“She understands,” Lauren said, but as the words lingered in the air between her and her sister, she heard how terrible they sounded. She hung her head. “I know. But I have to get this done.”
“When is the hearing?” Charlotte asked.
“You know when the hearing is,” Lauren said.
“Yeah, I do.” Charlotte folded her arms again. “It’s Monday.”
“Glad you can read a calendar,” Lauren said.
“Don’t get snippy with me,” Charlotte said. She pointed her finger at her sister. “The hearing is Monday, and according to my stellar calendar reading skills, I have ascertained that today is Saturday. That means there is one more day in between now and then.”
“You have no idea how much work this is,” Lauren said. “I have to go through all of this.” She rested her hand on the pile of paper on her desk.
“So then stay up all night,” Charlotte said. “The Winter Carnival comes one day a year and it’s all that Tabitha’s been able to talk about all week.”
“I didn’t know that,” Lauren said. She had gotten in late every night that week, and Charlotte had already put her daughter to bed for the night.
The door thudded as it opened and then shut again. Both sisters turned their heads to see Tabitha pressing her back up against the glass, trying her best to keep the tray of coffees upright while trying to get inside. Charlotte jumped up from her chair and opened the door for her.
“Coffee delivery,” Tabitha shouted.
“Did the delivery girl already sample her tip?” Charlotte laughed.
“How did you know?” Tabitha smiled wryly.
Lauren stood up and stepped out from behind her desk. “Because you have a purple sprinkle stuck to your face.”
Tabitha handed Lauren the tray of drinks and brushed at her cheek, the offending sprinkle falling to the floor. “Yours is the one with the ‘S’ on top of it.” Tabitha pointed to the to-go cups. “The ‘S’ stands for sugar.”
“Thanks, Tabitha.” Lauren took her coat from the hook on the wall and pulled it on.
“Where are you going?” Tabitha asked.
Lauren slid her hand into her gloves and picked up her coffee. “To the Winter Carnival,” she said. “You coming?”
Even if Lauren had to stay up for two nights straight, the squeal of delight from her daughter had just made it worth it. The three of them put on their hats and gloves and headed out into the snow. As they walked down the street, Lauren’s eyes were constantly scanning the sidewalk for any signs of slick businesspeople. “Have you seen him?” she whispered to Charlotte.
“I haven’t seen any of them,” Charlotte said. “My sources tell me that they’ve been holed up in their chalet.” Then she whispered. “Have you decided what to do yet?”
Lauren pointed to Tabitha who was excitedly walking a few steps ahead of them and shook her head. “Not in front of her,” she mouthed. She would’ve been lying if she said the only reason she’d been holed up at her office was because of work. She had been avoiding any possibility of a chance encounter with a certain executive.
“What if he’s there?” Charlotte whispered.
“At the Winter Carnival?” Lauren laughed. “I don’t think that’s really their scene.”
The Winter Carnival was a local tradition, and Lauren’s pass, a wooden round disk with the year 2020 and a snowman artfully burned into it, bounced against her jacket.
They walked into the community center parking lot and were immediately met with the smell of frying dough and cinnamon. “Mom, can I get a beavertail?” Tabitha grabbed her hand.
“Didn’t you just have a–,” she started to say but was promptly elbowed by her sister.
“Sure,” Lauren said. She reached into her purse to pull out some money.
“I still have some money left,” Tabitha patted her purse and jogged away.
“I wish I could bottle that energy,” Charlotte smiled.
“That energy is fueled by sprinkle donuts and beavertails,” Lauren said. “She’s going to be bouncing off the walls later.”
