Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House)

“It’ll just take a little time to shake off the awkwardness.” I print out the two new orders and the shipping labels to go with them.

“I still can’t believe he said no. He was there for three hours. We came back while you two were having lunch, and you were so engrossed in whatever you were talking about, you didn’t even notice us. So we went out for lunch and then picked up a few more things because we didn’t want to interrupt.”

“You should have come out, you might have saved me the humiliation.” I keep playing it over in my mind. It was just so abrupt. One second we were talking about dating apps and the next he was running for his car.

So mortifying.

“You were deep in conversation. All signs pointed to go. Or at least that’s how it seemed.” She flops down on the couch.

“I guess we all read it wrong.” Me included.

“When do you have to meet with him again?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully not too soon. I need some time to get over the rebuff. Although with their new office opening in Denver, I imagine he’ll have to come back sooner than later. He said he was buying a place here.” Not that I’ll need to be aware or involved.

“Denver’s pretty close to Colorado Springs. Maybe he’ll change his mind about the date,” she offers.

I laugh and shake my head. “There’s zero chance I’m going to put myself out there again after that. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough. I should have thought it through before I said anything. Now I’m locked into working with him until the charity event is over.”

Harley sighs and makes a face. “I don’t get it. He doesn’t have to be involved in any way in this charity thing. I bet if you asked his team, they’d all tell you it’s the first charity project he’s been this heavily involved in.”

“That’s untrue. Earlier this year, he was in Peru helping clean up a community that was devastated by a chemical spill. He was right in there, helping build a holding facility for all the displaced people, and he helped fund a relief hospital as well.”

“And how do you know all of this?”

“Jackson and I talked about it.”

“Exactly my point.” Harley picks up one of my finished flowers and helps curl the edges.

“What’s exactly your point? I think that proves my point.” That he gets involved in things he’s passionate about, regardless of potential awkwardness.

“Usually business associates don’t talk about personal stuff. Or show up for what was supposed to be a phone call with a picnic basket. It just doesn’t make sense that he said no to the date.”

“His assistant sent the picnic basket. Maybe he’s in a relationship. I didn’t even think to ask.” The thought makes me cringe again.

“Maybe. Things just don’t add up.” She drops the finished flower on the coffee table and flounces off to the kitchen.

“Can you pour me a coffee?” I call after her.

All talk of Jackson ceases when Avery shows up fifteen minutes later with cinnamon buns from Sweet Sensations. It’s part of our yearly tradition and how we celebrate the memory of our parents. It’s always a bittersweet day, full of comfort food, a little sadness, and a whole lot of special memories.

Like every other year, we pull out the photo albums our mother made when we were growing up. She was big into holding onto our memories. And it’s something the three of us have continued. Harley always takes amazing pictures, and I pick out a bunch for her to print, and then we spend part of the day working on a new album while we watch our parents’ favorite movies. It was something we started with our grandmother, and we’ve carried on the tradition.

Last year she was away in Italy. She came back for a few months, but she met someone during her travels, and now she has a boyfriend. They decided to head back to Europe this spring and who knows how long they’ll be gone this time. I’m happy that she’s found someone. She deserves happiness after all she’s lost.

Around two in the afternoon, the door to our apartment buzzes with a delivery. “Did one of you order takeout or something?” I ask my sisters, who are busy shoving popcorn in their faces and laughing at When Harry Met Sally playing on the screen.

“Nope. Maybe you ordered something for one of your projects and you forgot about it?” Harley motions to the coffee table, which is now filled with my Etsy creations.

“That’s always a possibility.”

We’re barely into summer, and I’m already thinking about the holidays because I like to plan ahead. And I have boxes and boxes of puffy stars hanging around. I use them often for centerpieces, but I have so many extra stars that I’ve decided to fill those clear Christmas globe ornaments with them and sell them in sets of six. I’ve also started shellacking the bigger ones so I can use them as decorations on refinished photo frames. It’s like adding a finish coat of nail polish so they stay in their shape and won’t disintegrate when they’re wiped down.