Keely’s mother stood up. “I will not have you talking about him like that. Show him some respect. This is why I’m taking back control. Keely needs someone to… restrain her.”
Keely gritted her teeth. Someone to restrain her. All she’d ever done is give her all to Magnolia Cafe.
Her mother’s footsteps echoed down the hall, and she braced against the inevitable almost door slam that her mother had perfected.
Keely sank to the couch, reeling from her mother’s words, and struggling to absorb all her sister had said. Her father had known he had heart disease. He’d known it. And ignored it. She remembered how he never took an aspirin for a headache or back pain. Refused to take antibiotics. Gutted his way through any illness. But sometimes medicine could save your life…
“What was Mom talking about? Taking back control?” Katherine transferred from her wheelchair to the couch.
Keely didn’t want to burden Katherine with the mess.
“You need to tell me.”
Keely sighed. “She transferred all the cafe money to a new account. I don’t sign on it. She wants to okay everything we spend.”
“She didn’t.”
“Ah, but she did. The check to the electrician bounced. I assume I’ll get calls very soon from our suppliers. I need to look and see what’s outstanding on the account.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I knew that she was upset. She doesn’t do change well.”
“Really? You noticed that?” Keely forced a weak smile. “And she needs to restrain me.” She was used to the feeling she’d never win her mother’s approval, but this last move of her mother’s stuck a nerve deep inside, a hurt she tried to keep hidden, even from herself.
“You know, you could just walk away from it all. Let her deal with the consequences.” Katherine shifted on the couch.
“I can’t do that. If it fails you’ll have nothing for your future.”
“I can work. I can find a job.”
“We can’t just let her ruin the family business.”
“But, the cafe isn’t your dream, anyway.”
“No, it isn’t, but it’s my responsibility.”
Katherine took her hand. “No, Keely, it isn’t. It was Mother and Father’s responsibility. Mother could have helped, but she just left it all to you to figure out. You’ve spent years keeping things running. I want to help you now. You need to let me help you now.”
Keely looked at her sister, at the woman she’d become. The strong woman. The capable woman. Keely sighed. “I have a hard time accepting help after all this time of going it alone.”
Katherine squeezed her hand. “I know you do. You’ve been fighting giving me things to do, ever since the fire.”
“I have. I know that. It’s just you could have been hurt worse than you were. I felt like I shouldn’t have left you.”
“It’s not your fault Dad had a heart attack, and it’s not your fault there was a fire when you went away for a few days. You need to let it go. Move on. Let me help you.”
Tears brimmed in her eyes. “I could use help. I’m so worn out. Tired of arguing with Mother. Tired of working every single day.”
“So, first things first. We need to find a way to get Mother to let you sign checks again.”
“How do you think we’ll ever get that to happen?”
“I’ll think of something.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Izzy closed her notebook, the last item on the list checked off. “I think we have it all set.”
“You have it all set. I don’t know how we would have pulled off this wedding without you.” Jenny pushed back from the table at the Magnolia Cafe.
“I love to organize events. You know that.”
Izzy sat at a table at the Magnolia cafe and drummed her fingers on the table. Jenny looked at her friend and smiled. Izzy always did that when she was deep in thought, sorting something out. Jenny leaned back and sipped her sweet tea, waiting for Becky Lee to finish up her shift. They were meeting to iron out the last of the wedding details. Jenny’s stomach fluttered when she realized it was less than two weeks away. All these years and she was finally going to become Clay’s wife.
Though, she still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had been swirling around her all spring.
Becky Lee plopped down beside Jenny with a large slice of chocolate cake and three forks. “Thought we could use a bit of reinforcement. Don’t tell your kids you had dessert before dinner.”
“Sworn to secrecy.” Jenny smiled.
“So, do we—and by we, I mean Izzy—have everything all set for the wedding?” Becky Lee nodded toward the notebook in on the table.