Chapter Four #3
“Please, please let that part be the one we need.” Isabel stepped out of her sedan, blinking against the bright morning sun as she whispered her plea toward the cloudless blue sky.
She’d rattled off more than a handful of desperate prayers lately.
Cringing, she shouldered her handbag and pocketed her keys.
What God must think of her and her clever little games.
This wasn’t the first time she’d put her faith on the back burner, pretending to have it all together, only to panic when another crisis landed in her path, sending her back to begging for intervention.
Her boots crunched over the packed snow in the Evergreen Candy Company’s parking lot.
Another car door slammed as Jovi climbed out of the passenger side and quickly caught up.
As usual, her sister looked amazing, even after her marathon trip from Kansas City.
She wore her blond hair partially pulled back at the crown, with stylish bangs and a few wispy strands framing her face, but somehow it looked sophisticated.
Her ice-blue puffy winter jacket emphasized her gorgeous eyes.
Tamping down her petty jealousy, Isabel flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder then turned and led the way toward the entrance.
Two towering evergreens stood like proud doormen on either side of the recently shoveled path.
A faux twig wreath with plastic pieces of pink, red and purple candy adorned the glass front door.
Isabel pulled it open, immediately basking in the familiar scent of sugar and chocolate that enveloped the rush of warm air.
Jovi followed her inside, then paused. She squealed with delight. “There.”
Isabel turned and faced her. “What?”
Jovi’s eyes lit up and a broad smile stretched across her face. She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “That’s the aroma. This is what home smells like to me.”
Isabel whirled away, blinking back unexpected tears.
Oh, no, not now. She wasn’t about to tell her sister everything.
She couldn’t unload on Jovi, not on her first day back.
Besides, as the older sister, she’d always been the sensible one.
Practical. The one who didn’t need her sister’s advice.
Instead, she’d taken great pride in handing out the tips, hacks and guidance Jovi often needed.
She stomped her boots on the mat and then stepped into the lobby. Light streamed through the broad expanse of windows overlooking an outdoor patio with picnic tables. Liquid chocolate poured from the iconic fountain in the middle of the room.
Sandra, their faithful administrative assistant who’d sat at this desk for over a decade, stood near the self-serve beverage bar, restocking the baskets with sugar packets and stir sticks. She turned and smiled over her shoulder. “Good morning.”
When her gaze landed on Jovi, her kind brown eyes widened.
She dropped the empty cardboard box in the recycle bin nearby.
The heels of her black knee-high boots clicked on the ash-colored luxury vinyl tile floor as she hurried to greet them.
“Jovi, welcome home, honey. What a thrill to see you today, and Happy New Year.”
“Hi, Sandra.” Jovi stepped into the older woman’s embrace. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Isabel stood back, clutching her handbag.
Her phone buzzed, but she chose to ignore it, because if it was Mason telling her more about how he’d nailed that interview, well, that wasn’t a message she wanted to receive in front of Sandra and Jovi.
She still hadn’t come up with a kind way to respond to the message he’d sent when she’d been at breakfast. Guilt twisted her insides.
She wanted to be happy for him. Oh, how she wanted a husband who loved his job and could advance in his career.
But what if it came at the expense of her happiness?
She couldn’t possibly leave Evergreen. Not now.
Not when her parents wanted to sell the family business.
Sure, her sister was back, but that didn’t mean she was here for good or capable of stepping into the role Isabel so desperately needed her to fill.
Not only a confidante but a business partner as well.
One who wouldn’t leave or agree to sell out when their first-quarter earnings tanked.
“Isabel, did you hear the news?” Sandra pulled her back to the conversation.
“Excuse me. Sandra, I’m sorry.” Isabel offered her most contrite smile. “I was daydreaming there for a minute. What did I miss?”
“The part for the pulling machine has been installed, and the team is about to run a test batch of the mints,” Sandra said.
“Oh, that’s great news. Thank you for letting me—us—know.” The knot between her shoulder blades loosened.
“Of course.” Sandra turned her attention back to Jovi. “What brings you back to town?”
Isabel shot her a please do not tell her everything look.
“I’m a traveling nurse, and I just finished my assignment in Kansas City, so I picked up a thirteen-week position at the hospital here in Evergreen. This seemed like the ideal time to come home.”
“That’s great.” Sandra smoothed her hands over her plum-colored knit sweater dress. “I look forward to hearing more about your time in Kansas City. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”
“Please let me know when those mints are ready for a taste test,” Isabel said. “I’d like to sample one.”
“Me too,” Jovi chimed in. “Even though quality control is not my responsibility, I’d hate to pass on a chance to taste one of Grammie’s mints.”
Sandra laughed. “I’ll be sure to keep you both updated.”
Isabel crossed the lobby and turned down the corridor toward her office.
They passed the framed photo of their grandparents posing for the company’s ribbon cutting more than sixty years ago, then stopped and looked through the wall of windows onto the factory floor.
Employees moved about the machines, monitoring progress as conveyor belts zipped along, packaging and sorting a fresh batch of filled chocolate candies.
“Can I just tell you that Valentine’s season is the tastiest and also the most heartbreaking when you’re unexpectedly single?” Sadness tinged Jovi’s voice.
“Oh, come here.” Isabel pulled her in for a side hug. “It’s going to be all right. You didn’t want to spend forever with Michael anyway.”
“You just keep reminding me of that, will ya? My head hears you, but my heart’s not quite on board.”
Poor thing. Breakups were so hard . Isabel pulled away, then found her keys in her bag, crossed the hall and unlocked her office door. She stepped inside and flipped on the lights.
Jovi shrugged out of her coat, then tipped her head toward the hooks on the wall. “Mind if I hang this up?”
“Please do.” Isabel set her bag on her desk chair. “I forgot to ask if you want more coffee. Sandra has about a dozen options.”
“No, thanks. I had plenty at breakfast.” Jovi added her purse to the hook beside her jacket. “All right, put me to work. What can I do?”
Isabel booted up her computer, then flipped open her planner.
She’d blocked out the morning to make sure the pulling machine and the production schedule were both back online.
But she had a long afternoon meeting planned with the VP of marketing.
Diversifying their holiday product line had been the first item on the agenda.
What with Mom and Dad’s emphatic insistence that they wanted to sell by June unless sales significantly improved, maybe the leadership team needed to invest more in their spring marketing campaigns.
Except the advertising budget had already been stretched thin.
She drummed her fingertips on her desk. Since Dad had approved Jovi’s plea to come up with a new product, now she’d have to allocate money for that and gathering feedback from focus groups instead.
Her head started throbbing.
“Isabel? Did you hear me?” Jovi rubbed her palms together. Her charcoal-gray sweater slipped off one shoulder as she wiggled her legs. Clad in black leggings and gray Ugg boots, with oversize silver hoops dangling from her ears, Jovi possessed a stylish flair that wasn’t common in Evergreen.
“How about we discuss specific tasks you can take on?” Her phone rang, and Mason’s name and number filled the screen. Sighing, Isabel silenced the device.
“Is everything okay?” Jovi’s concerned gaze tracked Isabel’s moves as she took off her coat, hung it on the back of her chair, then sat down at her desk.
Isabel hesitated. Tell Jovi everything, or let her figure it out on her own? “I—I’m preoccupied, especially now that Dad wants to travel the world with Mom and stop thinking about running a successful business.”
Sadness flitted across Jovi’s features. “I still can’t believe they want out. I meant what I said at breakfast. There has to be something we can do to boost sales.”
Isabel’s phone vibrated on the desk. She glanced at the screen. Mason again.
“What about Grammie’s salted caramel chews? Those were always my favorite. Even though Grandpa and Grammie said they weren’t meant to be sold, I think customers would love them.”
Isabel didn’t answer. Instead, she eyed the voice mail icon on her phone. Now she had two messages waiting. Her stomach twisted. She couldn’t keep ignoring him.
Jovi perched on the edge of her chair, both hands gripping the armrests. “You seem upset. What’s on your mind?”
“My struggling marriage.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
She pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Oh, dear. “Did I say that out loud?”
Eyes wide, Jovi nodded. “You and Mason are having a tough time?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. We’ll get through it. Everybody hits a rough patch, right?”
Jovi opened her mouth, then closed it, and opened it once more. “I’m probably not the best person to weigh in on that.” She slowly pulled out a club chair and perched on the edge of it. “Do you want to talk about it?”
No.
“Mason wants to move. He just interviewed for a job in Juneau, but I don’t want to leave Evergreen.
I love it here. Not just because of the company, but because this is my home.
I thought he felt at home here too. Which is why I can’t figure out what this is all about.
Clearly, he isn’t interested in seeing my perspective.
And I don’t see his. We’re at a stalemate. ”
There. She’d said it all.
“Oh, Izzy.” Jovi stood and hurried around the desk, then looped her arms around Isabel’s shoulders.
Tears blurred her vision. A sob erupted. She leaned hard against her little sister. “Jovi, help. I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s going to be all right.” Jovi gently rubbed her back. “You and Mason will find a way forward.”
Isabel plucked a tissue from the box on her desk and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. If only she had a fraction of Jovi’s boundless optimism. Then, maybe she wouldn’t feel trapped.