“I know, but what do I tell your clients?”
“That I had a death in the family.”
She was silent for a moment, and I felt bad using Grandad’s death in that way. While it was true his death was affecting me in many ways, all of this stemmed from the trouble that I was having with Frank. He was the one that caused me all kinds of issues.
“Anything you say, Amber. I just want you to know you can count on me for whatever you need. I am here for you.”
The more she talked, the worst I felt. I got off the phone with her, agreeing to meet up with a potential wholesale client that I couldn’t ignore. I’d waited months to get an appointment with her, and Gemma was right, I had to go. I was hoping that by then I would have an answer about Frank. I didn’t know what it would be, but I was hopeful that I would be able to figure something out.
Gemma didn’t settle my mind, so the next morning I was up early, trying to get everything together that I needed for the meeting. Champs was a wholesale clothing line that wanted to introduce my new line to their customers. They had a huge market share, and I was hopeful that they would take me on. That would mean I would no longer have to do smaller sales. I would be a real clothing line, then, and not just a boutique.
Finding out that Grandad didn’t have internet, about three o clock, I was trying to get some work done and my phone just wasn’t cutting it. I needed a program on it, and I headed down to the only place close by that had public internet. It was a hybrid coffee and ice cream parlor. I needed caffeine, and I grabbed a coffee, before I sat down to work a while.
A little girl’s voice made me look up. It was a little dark-haired girl around seven or eight. She had on a school uniform, and she said something about wanting to get her dad some ice cream.
“What do you think he would like, Caroline?”
She smiled and then said without blinking that he wanted Blue Moon.
“It’s Dad’s favorite, just like mine.”
The older woman that was presumably her mother agreed, and they got two cones and left. I know that I was being paranoid now. Blue Moon was a popular ice cream in the area. I knew that it was a lot of people’s favorite ice cream. So, why was I only thinking about Frank? I knew that it was his favorite, so now he was on my mind. I didn’t see a connection to the little girl. It was just a coincidence. Or, it was the universe’s way of driving me crazy. I wasn’t sure which one.
Frustrated that he was now all I could think about, I left not too long after the pair with the two cones did. I went back to Grandad’s place and did a few sketches. I wanted to have some visuals to show to the people I had to meet, to give them an idea of what else was in store.
I spent the rest of the evening working. It was a reprieve from all of the chaos in my head. Soon, I was thinking about fabrics and colors, not Frank and his mysteries.
13
Frank
Caroline was so proud, handing me an ice cream cone.
“I remembered it was your favorite.”
I agreed and thanked her, reminding her that it was her favorite as well. Her cone was almost gone and mine was melting at a rapid clip. I took it to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl, wiping my hands. It was just like her to think of me, and it melted my heart. She was such a sweet kid.
Caroline was full of all kinds of information that she wanted to give me. What they had done that day and how much she had enjoyed it. I was hopeful that I would be able to get a little time to go see Amber later. Caroline was talking a mile a minute, and I tuned out for a few. She noticed and asked me what was wrong.
“Nothing, Caroline. I'm glad you had a good time. Thank you for the ice cream. It's exactly what I needed.”
In truth, it was getting all over me and it even got on the cuff of my sleeve. I tried to wipe it off because I didn't have time to change into something else before another meeting, but that bright blue color wasn't coming off.
“I'm sorry I got it on your shirt.”
I waved her off and told her that it wasn't a big deal. She also wanted to ask a bunch of questions about Halloween that was coming up. I didn't know what to tell her because my mind was on the woman that had gotten away.
“We will just have to see. Have you thought about what you're going to wear? What you want to be this year?”
She said that she didn't know, and I was finishing up my ice cream. I told her that I would see her back in a little bit, but I had a meeting that I had to go to first. I got the same questions about why I had to go to a meeting at all. I was used to them when Caroline was home, but they still bothered me. I wished that I didn’t have to work so much, but running my own business took time, and that time had to come from somewhere.
I promised that I'd be back as soon as I could and made my way to the other side of town for the meeting.
I let work go by the wayside when I was engulfed in Amber for the week. Not only did I need to find time to
