"Hi sweetie." Elena smiled. There was nothing like looking into her beautiful daughter's face to brighten her day. "I'm ordering roses for the Kapinski-Taylor wedding." She stood and hugged Cassie, inhaling the fragrance from her apple-scented shampoo. Her daughter wrinkled her nose. "The Kapinski wedding? As in Mindy Kapinski?" When Elena nodded, Cassie continued. "I hate her. She's such a snob, and Scott is a total sweetheart. He deserves someone way better than her." "Right now, I can only see Mindy and her family as clients. Being asked to do their wedding is huge. If I pull this off to their satisfaction, which of course I will, I'm going to approach Mr. Kapinski about being a regular provider for their hotels and inns as well. Besides, you had your chance with Scott." She shrugged, teasing her daughter. "He asked you out first, and you turned him down. What's a guy to do, but take second best?" Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Mom. I was dating Timothy Brown at the time, remember? You were certain he was perfect for me." She remembered. The guy turned out to have a drug problem and broke her daughter's heart. "It goes to show that even wise old women like me can make mistakes." At that, her daughter laughed. "You're not old." She gave her mother a once-over. "You're a hot thirty-something. Even hotter now that you have your south-of the-border tan, and your jellyfish stings make you look cool. Whatever they got going on down there in Mexico looks good on you." Elena sat and shifted her gaze to her computer screen. She didn't want to talk about Cabo or think about what she'd left there seven days ago. Leaving Joe behind had woken the loneliness monster who had been hibernating in her soul. She'd been just fine doing things on her own before Cabo. And now? Now every spare minute was filled with thoughts of how life would be different if Joe was not a haunted memory.
