“She did. And not only that, he gave her a VIP ticket to the after party.” She then begins shooing her hands towards me. “Go on, show her the napkin.”
My mom, completely confused, waits for me to make a move. I reach down, grabbing my purse and pulling out the sealed sandwich bag I decided to use to keep the napkin safe. I open the bag, handing the napkin to my mom, watching her as she reads. Her frown deepens when she reaches the end and then she looks up at me, biting her lip to hold in her emotions.
“He used your father’s little saying.”
“That’s what I mean by they had quite the conversation,” Victoria sings.
I see a small hint of sadness in my mom’s eyes—almost like she remembered that she forgot he was dead for a few minutes.
“He asked about the café, so I told him about Dad. He seemed fascinated by it all. I guess I got carried away and told him a lot.”
“He was leaning on the counter, taking in her every word. It was like he was smitten with our Audrey.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Number one, he’s married, so that’s bullcrap. Number two, not only is he married, it’s to the most beautiful woman in the whole world. There’s no way he would even look my way.”
I hear my mom tsk beside me. “Audrey, that’s a lot of nonsense and you know it. Some people are the most beautiful you have ever seen on the outside, but the ugliness within them shatters that illusion. You, my dear, not only have beauty on the outside, but also the most loving, caring heart.”
My cheeks blossom at my mother’s compliment. “Thank you,” I manage to say, knowing that’s the only thing I can say without bringing up an argument. “In any case, Eli is married to Kendra and they seem head over heels in love. That’s why they’re Hollywood’s ‘It’ couple.”
“Perceptions can be deceptive,” Trent jibes, raising an eyebrow.
“In my dreams!” I shout, causing everyone to laugh.
“Anyway, enough of that,” Jason states, raising his champagne glass, and causing everyone else to do the same. “Audrey,” he begins, his dazzling brown eyes smiling in my direction. “I hope this day onwards brings you all you have ever wished and dreamed of. You deserve it all, baby. Happy birthday.”
“Happy birthday!” they all join in.
“Now you can drink legally,” Victoria shouts with a giggle.
“Yeah, not that it ever stopped her before,” Jason butts in, causing me to gasp.
“Jason, shh, my mom’s here.” I turn to her, seeing tears in her eyes. Immediately, I put my glass down, placing a hand on her arm. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Grabbing a napkin, she dabs her eyes, waving a hand in front of me. “It’s… it’s just… you’re all grown up.”
Victoria reaches over the table, grabbing my mother’s other arm. “You did a fine job, Mrs. S.”
“I know,” she replies with a smile, dabbing her eyes some more.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly as the others talk amongst themselves, allowing us a moment.
“I’m fine, dear.” She sniffles a little, blinking away her unshed tears. “Why don’t you take this moment to unwrap your present?”
I squeeze her arm once more and smile. “Okay,” I reply, grabbing the box from the table. I carefully untie the blue ribbon on top and pull the box open, revealing some folded papers. I frown, carefully pulling the sides down to find that my mother, since today, has relinquished her remaining shares of Full of Beans to me.
Gasping, my eyes widen before snapping my head in her direction. “Mom, I can’t…”
“Yes, you can,” she admonishes, wagging a finger at me. “You have worked your butt off these past five years, giving up college and all your possible dreams. You have shown true dedication to what once was your father’s business. It’s only natural now that you’re officially an adult to fully take over. This is what your father would have wanted. Take the shares and use the extra money you earn from it to hire someone else so that you can start taking some time off. Make the business run, and don’t let it run you.”
With tears in my eyes, I try and smile. “Oh, Mom.”
She waves her hand in front of me again, her eyes watering at my reaction. “Don’t, or you will make me start all over again.”
“I love you, Mom.”
With a soft smile, she pulls me in for a hug. “I love you too, darling.”
When I pull away, a thought pops into my head. “But what about you and money…”