Page 31 of Broken Promises

“I wish I had some water, but that’s all I can give you now. You’ll love it.” As she took the first sip, I knew I was right. Her face showed it. “And there’s nothing to apologize for, Luce. But I would like to know what happened.”

“I just got overwhelmed. When I first walked in, I saw how…messy it all was, but I guess I didn’t anticipate how hard it would be until I started going through all the sticky notes. I started freaking out, thinking I couldn’t do this, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of a panic attack.”

“Do you have panic attacks a lot?” Concern etched my face, and guilt pounded inside me at the thought of her going through this countless times before without me around.

“I suppose so. They usually pop up when I’m stressed or under a lot of pressure. To be honest with you, I’m surprised the first one hasn’t happened earlier.” She rubbed her forehead. “It started when I was in college. But it’s fine…I can handle it. I always figure it out. I just…I saw the state of my mom’s office and her organizational system—or lack thereof—and it sent me into a tailspin. I’m worried I can’t do this. I’m worried I’ll fail. My mom is depending on me. This is her livelihood, and I could mess it all up.” She looked like panic was rising inside her again, so I lightly rubbed her shoulder to soothe her. “I already left her once, Luke. I can’t mess this up again. She trusts me.”

“Listen to me. If anyone can do this, it’s you,” I told her firmly. She took another sip of the lemonade, shaking her head.

“How do you know?” she asked. “I’ve only just come back. You...you don’t know me like you used to.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Luce. You may think you’ve changed a lot, but at your core, you’re still the same woman I fell in love with all those years ago. I have seen more strength from you in the last week than most people have in their pinkies. When your mom got hurt, you immediately put your life on hold to care for her. You rearranged the whole house to accommodate her needs, and now you’re running her business so it doesn’t go under.”

“Anybody would have done that for family,” she countered, further proving my point. She was stubborn, and if there was one person who wouldn’t give up on this, it was her.

“I can promise you that not everybody would have done that. Plus, I’ll be with you

every step of the way. You’re not alone. We’ll figure this out together, okay? And you can always ask your mom for help.I know you don’t want to, but she’s there to help guide you, sweetheart.”

My words seemed to calm her down. Or, at least, so I hoped. “Thank you,” she responded once my words got through to her.

“Nothing to thank me for. But, if you do want to thank me.” I reached for the bag again, handing her the sandwich I got her. “Eat. You’ll need all the strength you can get to tackling this…together.”

lucy

. . .

If there wasone thing that came in handy in all of this, it was that everyone in the town loved my mom. More importantly, everyone had heard of her accident, so they met her misfortune with grace and kindness.

Again, it wasn’t something that I was used to in the city, so it was refreshing to experience it in Port-Cartier. It gave me the time I needed to readjust my mom’s system.

“Mom, the sticky notes have to go. I’m sorry,” I told her the next morning before I was supposed to head to the shop again. Luke and I spent the entire day—and a good portion of last night—sorting through her sticky notes. It wasn’t just the orders; it was also her stock, her financial records, and everything in between. I had no idea how she managed to function like this for so long, but the lack of digitalization put her at risk. If something happened to her shop, she would’ve lost everything she worked so hard to build.

“I like my notes very much, thank you,” she retorted, crossing her hands over her chest. She had woken up cranky because Ed wasn’t letting her overdue it with walking yesterday, and clearly, her mood was reflected in our conversation, too.

“I know you do, Mom. But it’s not good for your business. If you spilled something over your notes, or, if God forbid, something worse happened, you’d lose everything. So, I’m taking it upon myself to handle everything. I’m implementing changes to help you run your business better and quicker. I’ve already sent a few inquiries about different software. And don’t worry, they still come out with printable sheets if you insist on writing everything down, but all of this needs to be deposited somewhere.” She’d lose a little bit of money this week, but it’d be better for her in the long run. After yesterday’s panic attack, I got to thinking about everything that needed to be done. I decided to take it upon myself to send out the most crucial orders—the wedding bouquets she needed to get done this week, while the flower shops outside our town would handle the smaller orders. It turned out that she wasn’t just beloved in Port-Cartier but also the surrounding towns. A week would be enough to start the software I sent inquiries about and add in the pre-existing data. Luke and Mom would both help out with that. It was a good plan; I just needed to get her on board.

“I’ve run my business for the past twenty years, Luce. And I’ve been doing it well. All these changes are unnecessary.”

I sighed, finally sitting down on the bed beside her. “I know you think so, Mom. I completely understand it. But think about how much time it takes you to write everything down. You could get those things done in just a few clicks when you have software…and then you could give more time to things thatactuallydeserve your attention. Like your customers. Or your arrangements.”Thathad always been her biggest passion. Not sticky notes.

She crossed her arms over her chest. My mom still didn’t look convinced, but if there was one thing I knew that might convince her, it was being able to work even when she was not physically there. We had been on our own for decades before Edcame into the picture, so she was used to working hard and being the breadwinner.

“I don’t know, Luce. I don’t like changes…”

“Well, how about this? When I introduce the software, I’ll get you a second-hand laptop you can use.” The one she had at the flower shop was on its last leg. “Then, I’ll bring over the laptop to you, and you’ll be able to help me as I work at the flower shop. I need all the help I can get, and I…” I trailed off as her face perked up, and I already knew she was convinced. My mom slapped her hands together.

“You know what…maybe you are right. Maybe itistime for a change. I mean, I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I’ll be home-bound for weeks, so if this will allow me to help you out a little…let’s do it. And if it doesn’t work out, I can always return to my sticky notes.” A small laugh escaped my lips as I shook my head.

“I don’t think you’ll be going back once you see how simple the new system is going to be,” I told her. “I’m also going to get you a POS system so you can function like all the other businesses in the twenty-first century.”

“I know I’m not overly fond of changes, but I appreciate all the hard work you’re putting in, pumpkin. I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you with any of this. But Luke seems dedicated to helping you…” Now, there was something else that sparked in her eyes. Curiosity. I already figured out what she wanted to talk about, but it didn’t make saying it out loud any simpler.

“Heishelping you with this new system, isn’t he? That’s why you’re spending so much time together, right?” she asked, trying to make it sound innocent, but I knew she was trying to figure out what was happening with us. The truth was, after we slept together, things got more complicated. I didn’t plan for it to happen, but I also couldn’t help the feelings resurfacing once more. Perhaps they had never left in the first place at all. I’d belying if I said I didn’t think of him over the years more times than I cared to admit.

“He is. He’s been a great help,” I told her. “And before you ask…I’m not entirely sure what’s happening between us. I’m trying to figure it out as I go. I’d just like to leave it at that for now…”

“Can we talk?” Luke asked, pulling me away from the crowd of people. Things have been good. We still needed to sort out some things after graduating high school, but I was looking forward to college life with him by my side. It felt like a new beginning—one where many more important things would happen. In a few years, we’d buy that house we’d been eyeing for a long time, get married, and have a few kids. Everything was going the way it was meant to. And I was content with it all. I liked the simplicity and the security of it.

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