Chapter 60
Cori
Be calm. Be calm. Be calm. I take a deep breath and lead my mother through the first floor. According to the carpenter, he’ll be done in another week, and all I’ll need is for the furniture and decorations to be brought in.
“It looks beautiful.” I try not to be annoyed by my mother. Her voice is soft and soothing, and I believe her compliment is sincere. “What color are you painting the walls? Are you going with white or beige?”
“Aaahaa!” Ruby grabs a portion of my hair. I bounce her and gently pull her hand down.
“I want more colors. I’m thinking of a light pink or even lavender. I’m meeting with an interior decorator tomorrow.”
Mom pushes her wheelchair around while she looks and admires the place. Dad dropped her off, but he got a call as soon as he got here and left. What I didn’t know was that they were bringing Ruby with them.
It wouldn’t have been a problem if Dad were here, but Mom can’t hold her in her chair, so I had no choice but to hold her since she can’t walk yet.
Dax is not available, and I couldn’t call him to take her, not that I would. I think that’s what my mother was hoping for, but I didn’t offer.
Ruby babbles nonstop. She pulls my hair and sticks a finger in my ear. She puts her face to my cheek and tries to kiss me, but she slobbers on my skin. I wipe it with my hand and continue the tour.
“There’s an elevator in the back if you want to see upstairs.”
“I’d love to.” While she follows me, I tell her that I’m close to hiring two seamstresses and will be making a choice on the hostesses this week.
“If everything goes well, I should be able to open in three to six months. I want to have a good supply before I do. Of course, I’ll sell shoes and accessories, too, and I’ve found an overseas supplier already. You and Daddy should come over for dinner this week, and I’ll show you.”
“You let us know when, and we’ll be there,” Mom says. She wheels around until she gets to the loft. There will be a structure there for the brides to showcase their dresses. It has a balcony feel, and the downstairs patrons will be able to see the brides.
“I was thinking that once a bride chooses a wedding dress, she can toss a flower downstairs to one of the other customers, and then we can ring a bell.”
“That sounds fun.”
“And my website is getting a complete makeover. I hired a professional this time. I’m not going to do it myself like I did before. I’m also going to ramp up my social media presence.” I tell my mother my other plans while I bounce Ruby, who is now getting fussy.
“Her bag is downstairs. She has a bottle and some snacks in there.”
I try to keep my irritation at bay, but a loud sigh slips out. Unable to help myself, I roll my eyes and go down the stairs.
My mother finds me in the kitchen in the back of the room a few minutes later. She doesn’t speak right away, but I can sense the disappointment in her silence.
“Ruby is just a baby, Cori. She can’t help it.” I put Ruby on her lap while I mix her formula. I watched Dax do this before, so I hope I get it right. “She’s my only grandbaby. At least for now.” I hear her kiss Ruby’s cheek.
“I have no issues with Ruby. It’s her father and his entitlement that I have a problem with, but I don’t want to talk about that. How about we go to lunch? We can go to my place. I want to show you my sewing room.”
Instead of taking the elevator to the second floor of the house, Mom uses her cane, and she slowly takes the stairs. With Ruby in my arms, I follow her. She’s exhausted when we get to the sewing room, and she drops herself on the couch. I sit next to her and rest my head on her shoulder.
I see tears stream down her face, but I don’t make mention of them. Mom has always been the type of person who cries when she’s emotional or overwhelmed. I imagine this is both.
Ruby smiles at me and slaps her hand on my cheek. I put her on the floor. She grabs my pants and stands herself up.
“You’re a big girl, aren’t you?”
I catch myself and don’t say more. Luckily, Mom doesn’t comment on my moment of weakness.
“Show me around, baby,” Mom says. She reaches for the cane again, and I pick up Ruby. Once Mom is upright, I take her elbow.
I give her the tour of the room, and she gushes. Ruby babbles, and after a few minutes, I hear footsteps. Finch makes it into the sewing room first. She runs around my legs and rubs her head on my pants.
“Oh, calm down,” I whisper to her. She gets on her hind legs and puts her front paws on me. I pat her head, and she barks, so I rub behind her ears.
“See, Finchie, I told you Mommy would come around eventually.” Dax plants a loud kiss on my cheek, but his attention is on Ruby, who extends her arms and starts to bounce.
He quickly takes her and kisses her fat cheeks. Finch runs around him, gets on her hind legs, and rubs her head on his shirt.
“I’m just going to show my mom around this room, and then I’ll make lunch.”
“I’ll order something. Come downstairs when you’re done.” He walks out with Ruby, but Finch doesn’t follow him. Instead, she follows me while I hold my mom’s arm and show her around my sewing room.