Page 99 of Why Not Now?

“Did you have something else you wanted to do?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No. I think I’d like to spend Christmas with my sister.”

My eyes fill with tears and my throat hurts again, but I just nod and smile. “Tomorrow then.”

After she leaves, I return to my office, opening my budget and seeing what things will look like without the restaurant money coming in. I organize my finances so I can see how much I need to make from photography to make up the difference and realize it’s not as much as I thought. I also note a few ideas I have on how Lacey and I can save money, including one big thing I’m admittedly scared to bring up to her.

I set my alarm early for the morning. When it goes off, I gather up all my notes and spreadsheets, and go upstairs before Lacey wakes. She’s usually an early riser, but I want to make her breakfast today.

As I start the coffee, it occurs to me she’s made it every morning since she was about fourteen. Had she done that to be helpful? Regardless, it had been.

I’m plating the bacon and eggs when Lacey comes out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.

“Merry Christmas,” I say.

She smiles. “Merry Christmas.”

I set her plate on the peninsula in the spot she likes best and place mine beside it along with two cups of coffee.

After the first couple of bites, she points to the papers with her fork. “What’s all this?”

“My plan,” I say, handing her the paper on the top. “I’d like you to read this over and tell me what you think.”

Her eyes scan the letter quickly—it’s only a few sentences long. Then she looks at me with wide eyes. “You’re quitting the Daylight Grill?”

I nod.

“Why?”

I take a deep breath and plunge in. “I’ve been working too much. I haven’t been around enough for you, and I’m also…” I sigh. “I’m tired.”

She nods. “I know.”

“It’s going to be tight financially for a while. But I have a new photography job coming up next year. Vic, Derek’s friend, told someone she knows about me, and he wants to hire me for some promotional work for his bakery. La Dolce Vita.”

Her mouth drops open. Then she grins. “Can you get us some cannolis?”

I laugh. “I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t plan to get paid in baked goods.”

“So what’s the rest?” she asks.

“Some ideas on how we can save money. There’s one idea I had. Well, actually, it was Derek’s idea back when… when Mom and Dad died. What do you think about selling the house? Getting something a little smaller?”

She shrugs. “Makes sense. This place is way too big for us. Especially if I’m going to stay on campus when I start college in a couple years.”

I blink at her answer. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

I laugh. Then I laugh again, harder. I laugh until Lacey starts looking at me like I’ve gone insane.

“What?” she asks.

“Derek said this place was too big for us. He said we should get something smaller. I said I couldn’t uproot you. All this time, I could have asked you and you would have said the same thing he did. Why didn’t I ask you?”

“Well, to be fair, when I was eight, I probably would have had a different answer.” She looks down at her plate, tapping her fork against it. “I have another money saving idea, if you’d like to hear it.”

“Absolutely.”

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