Jody froze, uncertain what Denise's reaction might be. Denise's only response was to quickly avert her eyes.

"Obviously, I'm not going to get a response from anyone this morning. Oh, well, I'm going to feed you breakfast anyway," Ellen said as she headed toward the back. "Then I'm sending you both home to rest and, well..." She stopped and looked back at them. "I don't mean to be rude, but it's growing extremely obvious that neither of you has been home in way too many hours."

"What do you mean?" Jody asked.

"She means you're rancid," Eric called out.

Jody turned to find him behind her. She hadn't heard him come in.

Denise pulled at her shirt and grimaced. "I guess I could use a little freshening up."

"Honey," Eric chirped, "chipped paint needs a little freshening up. You two need a full renovation."

He ducked as Jody hurled a sales pad at him.

Chapter Fourteen.

They cleared a section on one of the worktables and sat together to eat their breakfast tacos. Eric and Ellen kept up a steady conversation with little input from her or Denise. As they planned their day, Jody wondered how she was going to tell Ellen that she would be leaving on a month-long vacation in a few days.

"I'll be back around ten," Denise announced as she stood and threw her paper plate into the trash.

"Mom, stay home and rest," Ellen said. "Eric will do the deliveries and I can help out at the shop today."

Denise and Jody smiled. "It's the day before Mother's Day. You have no idea how busy it's going to get," Denise said. She took her purse from the desk, and with a small wave she left.

Eric eyed the arrangements. "Speaking of deliveries, I'd best hit the saddle."

"I'll help you load the van," Ellen said as she joined him by the table.

Eric shook his head. "No, thanks. I have my own system, and besides, I think you're needed more in here."

Jody looked up in time to see him nod toward her. "I'm neither dead nor deaf, Mr. Eric. Let's get the van loaded so I don't have to look at your smiling face all morning." She tried not to groan as she pulled herself up from her chair.

With a lot of direction from Eric, they finally had the van loaded exactly as he wanted it. After he drove off, Jody and Ellen went into the shop where Jody plopped into her chair.

"I've never been so tired in my entire life," she said, rubbing her hands over her face.

"Two more days," Ellen said. She planted a kiss on Jody's head before pulling a chair over next to her. "Then Eric will be here, and you and Mom can start taking a few days off."

No time like the present, Jody thought. "I'm starting my vacation on Monday."

"That's great," Ellen said and smiled. "A few days of sleeping late, and you'll be back to your old self in no time."

"Denise requested I take my full vacation. I'm going to take a couple of weeks to go see my folks in Missouri, and I may go on to New York from there."

Ellen nodded. "Of course."

Jody sensed Ellen's disappointment. "If I skip New York, could you take a few days off when I get back? Maybe we could get away for a long weekend. Or if not, we can just lock ourselves in my house and not come out until Monday morning."

Ellen smiled. "Maybe I'll have my own place by then."

"Any prospects?"

"I looked at an apartment off of Thousand Oaks yesterday, but it faced the street and the traffic noise was horrible."

"Oh, no. Thin walls will never do. You're way too noisy."

"I'm glad to see you remember that. I was beginning to get a little nervous."

Jody took Ellen's hand and kissed it as she gazed into her eyes. "If I weren't so tired, I'd refresh your memory."

Ellen moaned and ran her fingers through Jody's hair. "Then by all means, go home and sleep. I'll stay here and help Mom. After the store closes, I'll come by and you can rub my poor tired feet."

Jody's fingers trailed up Ellen's leg. "It won't be your feet you'll be begging to have rubbed."

The phone started ringing.

Jody sighed and shook her head. "I'll be back by ten."

"Jody," Ellen started to protest.

Jody held up a hand to stop her. "You'll be glad to see me by then."

Ellen gave her a quick kiss. "I'm always glad to see you."

Jody went home. Even though she was exhausted, she ran for the first time in days. It took her longer than usual to find her natural stride, but when she did, the stress of the previous few days began to melt away. She ran a shorter, easier route than her usual one, and took a slow leisurely stroll back home where she showered in the hottest water her body could tolerate. As the water pounded the tiny kinks and knots out of her muscles, she thought about what she would do if Denise insisted they dissolve the partnership.

During her eighteen years as an investment broker, she had managed to build herself a sizable portfolio. Through careful planning and low-risk investments, she hadn't taken the financial beating that many had when the stock market turned sour, but most of her investments weren't liquid a.s.sets. Dipping into them would incur severe tax consequences. She kept a reasonable emergency fund set aside that she could fall back on, but it wouldn't last long.

As the water pounded down on her, she allowed herself to admit that money wouldn't be the issue. Losing Denise's friendship would be. Denise had been her best friend for nearly thirty-five years. What would she do without Denise in her life?

How could she make things right between them again? Stop seeing Ellen was the obvious answer, but that was not an option.

She turned the shower off and stepped out. She toweled herself dry while trying to decide what to do.

As she used the end of her towel to wipe away the steam on the mirror, it struck her full force that Denise could disappear from her life. She held on to the vanity for support.

Losing Denise wasn't an option. She turned the faucet on and splashed her face with cold water. She would do something to change her mind. There had to be a way to save her friendship with Denise without giving up Ellen.

When Jody returned to the shop shortly before ten, Ellen was on the phone and two customers were waiting. Jody dropped her backpack behind the counter and began helping the customers. There was a steady stream of walk-ins, and the phone would ring almost as soon as Ellen hung up. Things were still hectic when Denise came in a few minutes later.

The day became a blur of a ringing telephone and people. Jody and Denise worked nonstop in a futile attempt to keep up with the incoming orders. When the rush became too heavy for Ellen to handle alone, they took turns helping her with the walk-in customers and the telephone. When Eric came in from the morning deliveries, they quickly loaded the van for another round. By three they were so backlogged with deliveries, Jody loaded up her Wrangler with arrangements destined for a nearby hospital.

It was after four when she returned. Eric was in helping Denise. The four of them worked together until after seven when Denise finally took the phone off the hook. Jody saw the last customer out and locked the door behind him.

Denise removed the cash drawer from the register and started the cash register tape, while Jody submitted the credit card batch. Eric and Ellen moved the live arrangements to the cooler.

The cash register receipt was still running when the exhausted group made their way to the workroom. They collapsed wherever they could find a spot free of flower debris or floral supplies. Jody looked around. Everyone looked sh.e.l.l-shocked.

"I don't know what I would have done if you and Mom hadn't come back," Ellen said as she removed her shoes and rubbed her toes.

"Tomorrow will be worse," Denise predicted. "The last-minute shopping is always hectic."

They all groaned.

"Well," Jody said. "I should have turned down that big order for the hotel. If we hadn't spent so much time on it, we would've had most of the FTD arrangements already."

FTD blitzed the airwaves just before Mother's Day. When people saw an advertis.e.m.e.nt for a certain arrangement on television or in a print ad they tended to request that specific item. She and Denise usually prepared a few of the featured arrangements and kept them on hand.

"This is the first time I've worked Mother's Day," Ellen said. "I didn't usually start working until June."

"It's usually not this bad," Jody said. "It's just hard playing catch-up all weekend." Jody slowly stretched her arms over her head.

"That order will bring us four times the business those individual sales will," Denise said.

"You're probably right," Ellen said. "Those organizers won't forget how you saved their b.u.t.ts."

The cash register finally stopped printing. No one moved.

"Should I go get the tape for you?" Ellen asked.

Jody already knew that this had been the busiest day the shop had since Valentine's Day. "No, rest. I'll get it." She pushed herself up. Was it her imagination or did her muscles and joints ache more with each major sales holiday? She ripped the tape from the register, rolled it into a loose bundle and read it. She smiled tiredly as she waved the tape. "This might make everyone feel better."

"How'd we do?" Denise asked.

Jody studied the total. "I'd say roughly ten percent over last year and we still have tomorrow."

"Now that's a cause for celebration." Denise raised an imaginary gla.s.s.

"Let's celebrate with food. I'm starving," Eric said. "What are we bringing in tonight?"

"You and Ellen go home and rest," Denise said. "Jody and I can finish the orders for tomorrow morning and close up."

"I don't think so," he said, standing. "We're in this together. I'm in the mood for a big, juicy hamburger. How does that sound to everyone?"

There was a chorus of agreement.

"I'll go pick up the food and we'll eat. Afterward, we'll get started and get a jump on tomorrow's madness. Then we'll all go home and enjoy a good night's sleep."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ellen said.

Denise followed Eric to the front to lock the door behind him, and Jody sat down beside Ellen. "Spend the night with me," she whispered, brushing Ellen's hair away from her face.

"Do you think you can stay awake long enough to show me that good time you promised?"

"Probably not, but I always wake up fully energized after a couple of hours of sleep." Jody winked at her suggestively.

Jody heard Denise returning and moved away from Ellen.

"Christ, I feel like a teenager again," Ellen complained. "This has got to stop."

"What has to stop?" Denise asked as she came through the door.

"Eating out," Jody said quickly. "She thinks all this takeout food is unhealthy."

"She's right," Denise said as she headed toward the restroom.

When she was out of earshot Ellen turned to Jody. "Why did you do that? She has to face the fact that she can't keep trying to control my life."

"Tomorrow will be hard enough. Let's try to keep everything as calm as possible, at least until closing time tomorrow."

"Yeah, about the time you take off on vacation," Ellen said.

"You're welcome to come with me," Jody said.

"You know I can't take vacation now. I haven't been here long enough to ask for vacation. Besides I'm sick and tired of living in a hotel. I've got to find a place to live."

"I've been meaning to ask. Can you afford to continue living in a hotel?"

"The company gets a corporate rate and that helps a lot, but I hate staying there. I want to get settled into a place of my own."

Jody gazed into her eyes. "I can't believe you've only been back three weeks. So much has happened."

"Jody, I'm scared," Ellen said, taking Jody's hand. "What are we going to do if she doesn't change her mind?"

"She will. She has to." Jody stopped and looked toward the restroom. "I don't want to lose you or her, and I don't want a rift between you two, but if she doesn't change her mind, I'm afraid we're all going to lose."

Neither of them spoke as the uncertainty of their future stared them in the face.

Chapter Fifteen.

Ellen followed Jody home. It was after one o'clock when they fell naked into bed.

"I'm so tired," Ellen said, snuggling into Jody's arms.

"Sleep," Jody urged, fighting to keep her own eyes open.