in, clipboard under her arm. Leah had graduated from Baylor
University the month before and returned to Divine with a freshly
inked degree in business management. Juliana was under orders from
Doug Woodworth, the store’s owner and Leah’s father, to allow her to
implement some of the knowledge she’d acquired. Doug wanted to
put some of that book learning he’d spent so much money on to good
use.
Juliana’s stress level increased with every change. Leah had a lot
of ideas. She’d known Leah since she was a little girl and had even
hired her to work at the store while she was a high school student. But
her head was filled with theory, some of which was not proven in a
small town environment.
“Hi, sweetie. What’s up?” Juliana asked as Leah sat down and
smiled at her.
Spurs and Heels
17
“Is Daddy making you crazy?”
Juliana chuckled and nodded. “A little, but he’s always done that.
I agreed to try your ideas, but you have to give me solid proof before I
lay a single soul off. I know you’ve been observing operations. Can I
give you one piece of advice?”
“Sure!” Leah was a good-natured young woman, and Juliana
could not fault her for wanting to put her degree to good use. After
all, the store belonged to her family, and she only wanted the best for
it. Understanding what was best might call for adjusting some of her
ideas.
“Rather than spending time observing the employees, you should
be getting to know them better. Half of them have known you since
you were in diapers, but you’re making all of them nervous with this
watching and taking notes routine,” Juliana said, gesturing to the
clipboard in Leah’s hands.
“I promise I’ll do that, first chance I get. I have a manpower
management newsletter to put together for them, with helpful hints for
making more profitable use of the hours they spend here.”
“Um, okay.” Juliana had a sinking feeling she would come to hate
the words “manpower management.” They discussed the layoffs Leah
proposed, and Juliana had to admit the two employees that Leah
pinpointed had not been pulling their weight, by her own
observations.
All the documentation and paperwork was in place, and Juliana
pinpointed a date in mid-January for the deed to be done. Nobody got
laid off the week after Christmas. Juliana groaned when Leah once
again brought up the sore subject of doing away with commission
sales. Juliana had an excellent staff of well-trained sales people and
knew that would pull the rug out from under them. She put the
decision off until later, and Leah backed off—for now.
Juliana needed to get the box over to Lawrence’s front porch.
She’d gone on a tear through the house the night before, finding all
his things, surprised that the items filled only one box. After she’d
18
Heather Rainier
finished the clean-out, she’d sat down with a pint of java mocha ice
cream and watched Sense and Sensibility, berating the female lead,
Marianne, for choosing Willoughby over the faithful and steadfast
Colonel. Juliana put on Godzilla instead. A pint of ice cream and two
and a half hours later, she was numb and suffering from a sugar crash.
She didn’t feel any better in the morning and was slightly
nauseated from all the ice cream. After a breakfast taco, she felt much
better, if still a little depressed. She felt no real loss, even over the fact
that the son of a bitch had been cheating on her, merely an ever-
growing irritation that she hadn’t figured it out sooner.
Checking the time, she stood wearily from her desk and picked up
the box as Evelyn, her Yoda-like right-hand person, cleared her
throat. The elderly sprite stood in the office door, looking over her
reading glasses, wearing a Cheshire cat grin. In her wrinkled little
hands was a small arrangement of miniature roses and dark green
foliage displayed in a floral teacup and saucer.
“Someone has an admirer,” Evelyn announced in her
uncharacteristically gravelly voice.
Juliana took the flowers from her. “Who are they from?” she
asked, smelling the lovely yellow roses.
“Now how would I know that, missy?” Evelyn asked innocently
as Juliana placed the arrangement on her desk.
Scoffing, Juliana eyed her and said, “Oh, puh-lease, don’t bullshit
a bullshitter.”
“Who is Ash?” Evelyn asked, cutting the crap.
“Someone I met at Grace’s last night. He had flowers delivered?”
Interesting. She thought after her rudeness last night, he wouldn’t
want to have anything further to do with her.
“Actually, he delivered them himself. His card says, and I quote,