Page 21 of A Lesson for Laurel

She was right: her aunt had long pointy nails, in a shade of hot pink. At least her aunt kept up with nail styles. Though she wasn’t a fan of the pointy look herself.

“Need to get ready for spring,” Aunt Helen said.

“Speaking of spring,” she said. “I’ve got products for you.”

She went and got the bag she’d left by the door and brought it in. She handed out some soap and shampoo from the men's line to her father. He liked it and said it was all he’d use.

For Aunt Helen, she got a few lotions, soap, no shampoo because her aunt was fussy with her hair. Then there was a scarf and a few more hair accessories.

“These are great,” her aunt said, picking up the scarf and putting it on. The scarf was bright yellow with a big daffodil on it. It’d been marked down in a bin of leftover pieces from last summer.

It’s not that she was cheap. It was more that her aunt was bold and that just screamed a piece Aunt Helen would love.

With the way her aunt had it on her neck already, she knew it was a winner.

“Glad you love it. How about I treat you both to lunch? It’s a little early.”

“We can go soon,” her father said. “Sit and relax. Tell us about your job and what is going on.”

“Work is great. It’s getting there. I love what I do. Not a lot of staff issues.”

“Not a lot means some,” her father said.

“There are always going to be some. New people are let in slowly, but I get along great with the owners and the key people and that is what matters to me.”

“It does,” her father said. “But it can also put a target on your back.”

She’d been there before. She was used to it.

“It’s all good,” she said. “I’m busy and like it that way.” She debated for a minute and decided to let them know about Philip. “I had a visitor last weekend.”

“Who?” Aunt Helen asked. “I didn’t think you knew many people there.”

“Everyone is new to me but coworkers now. The visitor was Philip. Guess he found me, not that I’m hiding, but I didn’t think it’d be that easy to find where I moved to.”

Her father started to grind his teeth. “I wanted to break him in half months ago and would love to do it now.”

She smiled and walked over to kiss her father on the cheek. He was a big tough man. What she liked in a guy and still couldn’t believe she fell for the fancy soft one.

“He’d wet himself if you growled at him,” she said. “And then his father would sue you to replace the pants. Not worth it.”

“I still don’t know what you saw in him,” Aunt Helen said. “Unless it’s that he was just different.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” she said. “He came knocking on my door and wanted to talk. I put my finger in his chest and all but shoved him off the porch and told him to get lost. I’m sure his mother sent him. They are probably still pissed at the money they lost when I called off the wedding.”

“I wasn’t happy when you didn’t want me to pay for your wedding, but I guess there was a reason it worked out.”

“I would have been livid if you lost the money they did, but I still wouldn’t have married him.”

“I wouldn’t have let you,” her father said. “Money means nothing. And I want to know if he bothers you again.”

“He won’t,” she said. “At least I don’t think so.”

“I still want to know,” her father said. “I’m not afraid of a lawsuit. No one is going to sue me for talking with him.”

She laughed. “It’s all good. I’ve moved on.”

“That is right,” her aunt said. “You need to move on. Maybe you can find a nice man there. You keep saying we have to find someone, but it’s you we are worried about.”

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