him Tom, or everybody in the bar will start snickering at him and then he’ll have to punch somebody. You have a place to stay yet?”
Deirdre nodded. “My cousin’s letting me stay in her apartment.” Of course, she currently had no furniture and only the basics in the kitchen. But she figured furniture could wait until she had enough to pay cash for her shop space.
“Well, then, I’d say you’re on your way.” Clem stood, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Now, come on with me and I’ll show you everything Tom and Bobby Sue forgot to mention about how this place runs.”
Docia had just put Rolf down for his nap when the phone rang. Not that the phone would have awakened him—like his father, once Rolf was out, he was out. Docia shook her head as she headed toward the kitchen. Rolf. Geez. We might as well enroll him in therapy now.
She checked the number and grimaced. “Hi, Mama. Rolf is fine, and I don’t have time to bring him down to San Antonio this weekend. Anything else?”
Docia could almost hear her mother’s pout. “Well, shoot. I’ve got the cutest outfit for him that I picked up at La Cantera yesterday.”
“Bring it up the next time you come. He’s not growing that fast.” Although he did seem to be growing out of his clothes at a terrific rate, now that she thought about it.
“I’ll do that, but to tell you the truth, that’s not exactly why I called.”
Docia sank into one of the kitchen chairs. A day when her mother didn’t call just to talk about Rolf was pretty rare right now. “What’s up?”
“I had an interesting visitor today. A Mr. Craig Dempsey. He said he works for your uncle.”
“Uncle John?” She managed to keep her voice light, while her mind worked furiously. She hadn’t told her mother anything about Deirdre yet because she wasn’t entirely sure whose side she’d be on.
“He’s looking for Dee-Dee. Apparently, she’s disappeared. Have you heard anything from her?”
Docia paused just long enough to let her mother know she was considering a lie.
“Oh please. Don’t bother making something up. She’s there, isn’t she?”
She sighed. “Yes, ma’am. She came here a couple of days ago. I let her have the apartment since she wouldn’t stay out here with us. You know Deirdre. She didn’t want to be a bother.”
“Is she all right? Dempsey said she and John had had a fight, hard as that is for me to believe. I can’t picture Dee-Dee fighting with anyone, can you?”
“Maybe not Dee-Dee, but she’s Deirdre now. And yes, I think she’s finally found enough backbone to fight back with Uncle John. She’s always been pretty good about taking care of herself with everybody else.”
Her mother chuckled. “Well, good for her. John needs someone to stand up to him—it’ll be good for both of them. But what’s this Dee-Dee-Deirdre business?”
Docia poured herself a glass of iced tea. “She’s changed, Mama. She wants people to call her Deirdre now. And she’s here because she wants to go into business for herself—she wants to open some kind of coffee shop.”
“Coffee shop?” Her mother sounded confused. “You mean like a Starbucks?”
“No, she wants to actually roast the coffee beans and sell custom blended coffee. She’s got her business plan all worked out. It looked good to me, but I told her to show it to Lars.”
Her mother snorted. “Deirdre doesn’t need to get any accountant to look at her business plan, even an accountant as good as Lars. That child was always smart as a whip, and she graduated from McCombs with honors as I recall.”
Docia nodded, then remembered her mother couldn’t see her. “She did. And she is. But she’s also never had to do much with her smarts. Uncle John always had her life planned out for her. And he never seemed to realize how smart she was, anyway.”
“John didn’t want to realize it.” Her mother sighed. “He wanted a son. He never knew what to do with a daughter
Deirdre nodded. “My cousin’s letting me stay in her apartment.” Of course, she currently had no furniture and only the basics in the kitchen. But she figured furniture could wait until she had enough to pay cash for her shop space.
“Well, then, I’d say you’re on your way.” Clem stood, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Now, come on with me and I’ll show you everything Tom and Bobby Sue forgot to mention about how this place runs.”
Docia had just put Rolf down for his nap when the phone rang. Not that the phone would have awakened him—like his father, once Rolf was out, he was out. Docia shook her head as she headed toward the kitchen. Rolf. Geez. We might as well enroll him in therapy now.
She checked the number and grimaced. “Hi, Mama. Rolf is fine, and I don’t have time to bring him down to San Antonio this weekend. Anything else?”
Docia could almost hear her mother’s pout. “Well, shoot. I’ve got the cutest outfit for him that I picked up at La Cantera yesterday.”
“Bring it up the next time you come. He’s not growing that fast.” Although he did seem to be growing out of his clothes at a terrific rate, now that she thought about it.
“I’ll do that, but to tell you the truth, that’s not exactly why I called.”
Docia sank into one of the kitchen chairs. A day when her mother didn’t call just to talk about Rolf was pretty rare right now. “What’s up?”
“I had an interesting visitor today. A Mr. Craig Dempsey. He said he works for your uncle.”
“Uncle John?” She managed to keep her voice light, while her mind worked furiously. She hadn’t told her mother anything about Deirdre yet because she wasn’t entirely sure whose side she’d be on.
“He’s looking for Dee-Dee. Apparently, she’s disappeared. Have you heard anything from her?”
Docia paused just long enough to let her mother know she was considering a lie.
“Oh please. Don’t bother making something up. She’s there, isn’t she?”
She sighed. “Yes, ma’am. She came here a couple of days ago. I let her have the apartment since she wouldn’t stay out here with us. You know Deirdre. She didn’t want to be a bother.”
“Is she all right? Dempsey said she and John had had a fight, hard as that is for me to believe. I can’t picture Dee-Dee fighting with anyone, can you?”
“Maybe not Dee-Dee, but she’s Deirdre now. And yes, I think she’s finally found enough backbone to fight back with Uncle John. She’s always been pretty good about taking care of herself with everybody else.”
Her mother chuckled. “Well, good for her. John needs someone to stand up to him—it’ll be good for both of them. But what’s this Dee-Dee-Deirdre business?”
Docia poured herself a glass of iced tea. “She’s changed, Mama. She wants people to call her Deirdre now. And she’s here because she wants to go into business for herself—she wants to open some kind of coffee shop.”
“Coffee shop?” Her mother sounded confused. “You mean like a Starbucks?”
“No, she wants to actually roast the coffee beans and sell custom blended coffee. She’s got her business plan all worked out. It looked good to me, but I told her to show it to Lars.”
Her mother snorted. “Deirdre doesn’t need to get any accountant to look at her business plan, even an accountant as good as Lars. That child was always smart as a whip, and she graduated from McCombs with honors as I recall.”
Docia nodded, then remembered her mother couldn’t see her. “She did. And she is. But she’s also never had to do much with her smarts. Uncle John always had her life planned out for her. And he never seemed to realize how smart she was, anyway.”
“John didn’t want to realize it.” Her mother sighed. “He wanted a son. He never knew what to do with a daughter
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