Page 34 of After the Fall
“If we don’t get any more customers in the next ten minutes, I’ll close up. I just need to finish a few things in the back.”
Joe squeezed into the small chair beside his daughter. “What are we learning today, Sunbeam?” he asked, peering down at the notebook. “Ah, homophones. My favorite. Say, why did the gardener plant light bulbs?”
Harper groaned. “Because he wanted to grow a power plant.”
“Guess I’ve used that one before, huh?”
She rolled her eyes, but kept a smile on her face. Her dad told the worst jokes, but she knew that one day she’d miss hearing them.
Harper continued working on her English homework while Joe tapped away furiously on his Blackberry. It wasn’t long before Hope joined them. “That’s a wrap, folks.” She hung her apron, embroidered with the Cynthia’s Flower Shop logo, next to the till.
Harper thought the name and pink princess-themed logo was tacky, just like Cynthia, her mom’s flaky boss. She knew her mom dreamed of running her own flower shop. Maybe one day she’d get to work with her mom, doing what they both loved.
Joe paused in the doorway. “I forgot my jacket. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you head to the car? I’ll lock up.” He unlocked their modest four-door sedan.
Minutes later, Joe returned and they were on their way to the small brick duplex they called home, the only home Harper had ever known. The driveway needed repaving, and the porch a newpaint job. But it was a home filled with love, and she knew she was luckier than most, having two parents under the same roof. Best of all, two parents who were still very much in love.
Harper sat at the kitchen table to finish her homework, while her mom put a lasagna into the oven. She tried to focus on her last page of vocabulary homework, but it was hard to ignore the intense whispering carrying from the living room.
The conversation grew more heated. “We don’t know anything about this company, Joe. Have you heard the rumor that the CEO poisoned his own father for his inheritance?”
Harper’s hand suddenly felt clammy, and her pencil clattered to the kitchen floor, where it stayed.
“Since when do we listen to that tabloid bullshit, Hope? Besides, Carder Corporation is offering me double what I’m currently making. You could cut back your hours at the shop, and I wouldn’t have to work so late all the time.”
“I don’t know, Joe. I have a really bad feeling about this.”
Harper tiptoed into the room. “Is everything okay?”
Her mom’s arms were crossed, but she quickly uncrossed them, letting them dangle awkwardly at her sides like two puzzle pieces, unsure where they fit. “We might as well tell Harper, Joe.”
Joe nodded and took a seat on the couch. He patted the cushion next to him. “C’mere, Sunbeam.”
Harper gulped, and reluctantly sat down. Her mom was on her other side, sandwiching her in the middle. She looked back and forth at her parents, a frown building. “Are you getting a divorce?” she whispered.
Her parents laughed. “Oh, honey.” Hope’s eyes softened. “No, of course not. Your dad is thinking of accepting a new job offer, that’s all.”
“Oh. That’s… good, right?” She looked at her dad, who nodded, though it was unconvincing.
“It sure is, Sunbeam.” He glanced quickly to Hope, then back to his daughter. “It’s just a big change, that’s all. SIH has been my home for the last fourteen years, and they’ve been good to us. They funded my research projects when no one else would.”
“Then why do you want to leave?”
Joe sighed, and Harper heard the weariness in his voice. “It’s hard to understand when you’re eleven.”
Her head tilted. “Will this new job make you happy?”
He nodded. “I think so.”
She looked back and forth between her parents. “Aren’t you guys always telling me that you should do what makes you happy?”
It was Hope’s turn to sigh, and with it, Harper knew her Dad had won. “Well, I guess that settles it, Joe.”
Her dad’s eyes lit up, as if a lightbulb had gone off. “Wait. Before I forget…” He disappeared into the front hall and returned, his hand hidden behind his back.
Hope’s eyebrow raised. “Now what have you done?”
He pulled his hand forward, revealing a bouquet of bright yellow tulips. He kneeled in front of Hope, a sheepish grin on his face. “A peace offering. Don’t worry, I paid for them.”