Chapter Ten #2
“I’m sorry. I guess part of me was testing you to see if you’d give up.
” Tilly opened her mouth to blast her sister, but Chrissy held her hand up.
“I know. I know it was a rotten thing to do. Not to mention, childish. We’re grown women.
You’ve been living by yourself for a while now.
You’ve had your job for a couple of years, although I think it’s the wrong one, but that’s an argument for another day. ” She smiled, softening her words.
“I’ll look forward to that one too,” Tilly said dryly. Chrissy laughed, the tension between them easing. It was hard for her to stay mad at anyone in her family for long.
“We’ll do it. We might miss a couple of rehearsals while we’re away getting married, but we’re only going for a weekend.”
“Oh, no don’t change your plans for me. I’ll find someone else.”
“Nope no take backs. I want to do this for you.”
“Are you sure?” Tilly wanted to make sure that Chrissy wasn’t saying yes because she still didn’t trust Tilly to complete the task.
“Very.”
“Thank you. It means so much that you’re willing to do this, even with getting married.”
“I’m not going to let my sister down. Ryder may grumble, but you’re right.
He’ll do it for me. And he’ll do it for you, because we’re family and that’s what family does—help each other.
I’m really sorry that I forgot that for a while.
I’m your sister and I should do what Zach said when I first met him—have nothing but belief in you.
” Chrissy grabbed her hands and squeezed tight.
“I believe in you. You’re going to pull off an amazing event. ”
The tears that Tilly had managed to keep at bay welled up again and spilled over. “That means so much to me.”
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Chrissy sniffed as she began to tear up as well. Tilly pulled her close and together, they comforted each other, their sisterly bond as strong as ever.
“Right, well, now that’s out of the way, I’ve got something else I want to bring up with you. I’ll be right back.” Tilly pulled away from her sister and wiped her eyes before going to her office to pick up a folder with a picture of a poinsettia on the front of it.
“What do you have there?” Chrissy asked as she entered the kitchen again.
“As part of the Carols by Candlelight, I want pots of poinsettias at the front of the stage. Like a barrier, but not really. I also think that the farm should look at growing them. It would be another income source. Since you’re working with some venues to supply flowers for events, you can also offer these during the holiday season. ”
In between work and all the planning for the event, she’d done research on growing poinsettias. Tilly had been determined to show Chrissy that her idea was solid, and she believed she had enough information to prove that to her.
“I admit that’s not something I’ve considered before. Tell me more.” Chrissy’s interest wasn’t faked. If she didn’t want to know, she’d say so.
Tilly opened the folder and pulled out some papers and handed them over.
“I’ve done some research on what’s needed to grow them, and I think the farm can certainly handle it.
I also contacted the florists I know that has the farm supplies and asked if they stocked poinsettias.
And if so, where they got them from. What I found was that some did and some didn’t, and the ones who did had to source them from out of state.
That was the reason that others didn’t bother having them. ”
Chrissy perused the papers. “Wow, this is great, Tilly. You could be right. It could be a new option for us.”
“They’re not that difficult to grow. I’ve had one for a few years, and each year I get some beautiful blooms from it.
” Tilly pulled another sheet of paper and put it in front of her sister.
“Because I need them urgently, I found someone who could supply what I need for the stage, and I thought you could use those as a starting point for growing our own. I know Sunny will be able to find out how to graft them and the best way to do it. It might take a couple of years before you can sell them to everyone, but that’s what happens with every new variety of flower.
In the end it will be worth the initial outlay.
Can you imagine every shop front on Main Street having bursts of color from our poinsettias?
It will only enhance the town’s Christmas spirit. ”
Tilly waited as her sister read over the report she’d put together, optimistic that this would be something that Chrissy, Ryder, and Sunny would get on board with.
“I’m thoroughly impressed by your research, Tilly-Pilly. It’s very concise.”
“I know it’s always a risk to branch out, but you and Ryder have done so much since you’ve taken over. Diversification is good for business.”
Chrissy laughed. “It really is. I’ll take this to both Ryder and Sunny, but I do like it—a lot.” She looked at her watch and let out a little yelp. “I’ve got to go. I’m glad we did this, Tilly, and when you need Ryder and me for rehearsals or whatever, call, and we’ll be there.”
Tilly helped her sister gather up the papers and slipped them back into the folder before handing it to her. “Thank you for everything, Chrissy. For being Mary and Ryder being Joseph and for listening to my idea and not shooting it down.”
“Always. Again, I’m sorry about what I did. And I love your poinsettia idea. I think it’s excellent.”
They shared a hug, and Tilly saw her sister out. Once the door shut, she did a little happy dance. Now that the main players were sorted out, she could tick that off her list. She had so much to tell Zach. All that she’d achieved since she’d last seen him.
If only she could share that she’d locked in the celebrity.
After what she’d seen about Kathryn, and Zach’s reaction to her—one she respected—she’d crossed the talk show host off her list. Unfortunately, none of the other celebrities she’d emailed had responded, and time was running out.
Tilly didn’t want to panic, but the reality was—with no star drawcard, the chances of them winning were dwindling with every day that passed.