Maggy softened her voice. "I know, Mom. I was just teasing. But can you imagine how good it would make me feel to help you for a change? It would be an honor."
That was exactly what Jen had said, and Faith felt her eyes well up. She sniffled as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Are you crying?" Maggy asked, sounding alarmed.
"Maybe," Faith said, figuring if it was a good enough answer for Carrie, it was good enough for her. She tried never to cry around Maggy, not wanting to worry her. But these were a different kind of tears, and she couldn't help herself.
"Mom, listen to me. Big things like this are scary. They make us think about change, and opportunity. But like you've always told me, that's when we need to put on our big girl panties and meet the moment."
Faith laughed and reached for a tissue. "I know. I'm just scared."
"What are you afraid of? The pillows are awesome. People seem to like them."
Faith thought for a moment, wondering what she actually was afraid of. Over the weekend, she'd become a little bit more accustomed to people complimenting the pillows, so it wasn't that. And the money sure was nice, although she'd planned to give it to Patti.
It finally dawned on her, though, and she knew she needed to share it with her daughter.
"What if —what if it doesn't work? What if nobody likes them after all?"
Maggy paused on the line, and Faith could picture the face she made when she was thinking. "Ah, the old fear of failure thing."
"I guess that's it," Faith said slowly. She hadn't been in a position like this in years and years, and it was unfamiliar and —well, frightening.
"Well, a very wise woman has told me that you have nothing to fear but fear itself."
"I stole that from Franklin Roosevelt," Faith said with a laugh.
Maggy tried again. "Okay, how about no pain, no gain."
"Not original either."
"Okay, okay. Well, I know for a fact that it was you who encouraged me to try anything and everything that I was afraid to do, telling me that if I never tried, I'd never get to know how it might end."
Faith took in a deep breath, then sighed. "Okay, that one's mine."
"Yep. So, take your own advice. Let me help you play this out. You'll be so sorry if you don't."
And Faith knew she was right. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't even try.
"When did you get to be so wise?" she asked her daughter, picturing her deep brown eyes shining as they had since she was born.
"I learned from the best, Mom."
They agreed to talk over the week, and Maggy said she'd start with brainstorming business names. She explained they wouldn't need long to get the business cards and they could definitely be ready by the home tour if they decided on something Faith liked. Faith thanked Maggy for all her help, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to do this on her own.
"Okay! I'm on it. And Mom?"
"Yes?" Faith asked.
"I believe in you enough for both of us right now. Just put one foot in front of the other."
Faith held it together until after they ended the call, but her daughter's last words —words Faith herself had said to her daughter for almost thirty years —brought more tears, and she wasn't able to stop them.
Twenty-Nine
The school week flew by—partly because it was the last week before a week-long break and partly because Faith and Maggy spent almost every night talking things over for the new business.
Maggy really was good at her job, and Faith was more impressed daily by the creative ideas she had. They’d decided on a name after hours of throwing things around, and when Maggy had emailed her the final layout for the business cards—including the beautiful logo she’d created—Faith teared up all over again.
They’d agreed that Maggy would come up to Newport Friday afternoon to bring the cards and stay for dinner, and the following day. Faith had to work, but Maggy had said she’d see if Bethany had a tennis tournament she could crash while she waited.
Everything was packed and ready to go for a proper break, with only one last detail. Faith breathed a sigh of relief when Cassandra, her student teacher, said, “Do you mind if I take Jake home for break? I’ve become quite attached to the little guy.”
“No problem,” Faith had said, relieved she wouldn’t have the hamster to worry about in addition to everything else.
She headed down to the beach house, the back of her car full of each and every pillow she could grab. She’d found a couple boxes full in the attic, and although she’d made them years ago, Maggy had encouraged her to go ahead and take them to the boutique when she’d texted Maggy pictures of them.
“Not too dated?” Faith had asked.
Maggy had asked for several pictures at different angles and lighting but had ultimately given her a thumbs-up for each and every one of them.
“What’s the worst thing that could happen? Nobody buys them and they go back in the attic. This is really a no-risk decision,” she’d said.
With that attitude, Faith had calmed down considerably during the week and was feeling much more peaceful. She felt like she could just be grateful, and watch things unfold.
“Fluff by Faith. How perfect,” Jen said when they finally got to relax on the deck.
Carrie agreed. “I love it. It’s great.”
“Whew,” Faith said, letting out a big breath. “We went through hundreds of names. Finally decided on that one. And Maggy’s going to bring down the business cards tonight. Do you think one of you guys could run them over to the home tour house? I have to work all weekend.”
“Of course,” Jen said. “Keith and Earl should be finishing up this weekend, but I can scoot out early. Tour doesn’t even start until noon, if I remember correctly.”
“Thanks,” Faith said. “I wish I could go.”
Carrie leaned back in the deck chair. “Me, too. But we thought we should go spy for you, so we bought tickets anyway.”
“Maybe that’s for the best,” Faith conceded. “I’d probably be way too nervous, wondering what people were going to say about my pillows.”
Jen set out the evening’s appetizers. “That might be tough for you. True. We’ll report back, and you can just focus on selling more pillows at the shop.”
“I promise I’ll take pictures,” Carrie said, holding up her phone.
“I want to go, too,” Maggy said as she stepped onto the deck, her laptop and a box tucked under her arm.
“Maggy!” Jen cried, jumping up for a hug, and Carrie did the same.
“Hi, Mom,” Maggy said, her smile wide. “How you doing?”
Their hug lasted a little longer than the others, and Faith draped her daughter’s hair back over her shoulder.
“I’m good, thanks to all of you.”
“You’re easy to love,” Jen said as she offered Maggy a glass of wine.
“Long drive. Lots of traffic. Sorry I’m late,” she said, gratefully taking the wineglass.
She took the top off of the box she’d brought in and handed Jen, Faith and Carrie each a business card.
“What do you think?”
“Wow,” Carrie said as she looked at the card and ran her finger over the raised lettering.
“I second that,” Jen agreed, holding it up to the fading sunlight.
Faith couldn’t say anything at all. She just stared at the card with her name on it, a lump in her throat.
“What’s this? Fluff by Faith dot com? And my email? Faith at Fluff By Faith dot com?”
Maggy looked like a cat who’d swallowed a canary. She opened in her laptop, typed something in quickly and turned it around so Jen, Faith and Carrie could see.
They each lowered their reading glasses from their heads and leaned forward.
“Oh. My. Gosh,” Jen said first.
“Well, look at that, Faith. You’re famous.”
Faith glanced over the website with her name at the top, and a picture of her—one of the
rare good ones—taken not too long before.
“Is that—is that ours?” she asked when she finally found her voice.
Maggy nodded, looking quite pleased with herself. “It sure is. I bought the domain name, created the website. And there’s even a store for people to place orders. You just need to tell me the prices and I can put them in.”
Faith clicked on the link that said ‘shop’ and took in a sharp breath. Maggy had used the pictures she’d sent to show off all of her pillows—even the old ones.
“We can change those out after you settle on which designs you actually want to showcase. But you have some of those now, so I thought I’d go ahead.”
“Wow, smart cookie,” Jen said. “You’re really good at this.”
“Thanks, Aunt Jen. I’ve learned a lot at this job and, of course, in school. And it was fun to do for somebody I really want to be successful.”
“Yes,” Carrie said, lifting her glass. They all toasted to Fluff By Faith and planned to do their spying at the home tour the following day
“Thanks, guys,” Faith said, re-filling her wine glass. She realized that there was no backing out of this now—her friends and family weren’t going to let her off the hook. But she was definitely relieved that the conversation turned to preparations for Thanksgiving the following week, and she almost—almost—was able to stop worrying for a while.
Thirty
Faith and Mrs. Grover had just finished tagging and organizing the new set of pillows when the little bell on the door jingled.
“I love the smell of patchouli in the morning,” Patti said.
Faith almost dropped the crystal figurine she was holding as she turned and saw Patti had returned.
“Oh, welcome back,” Faith said, and she hugged Patti back when she wrapped her bracelet-laden arms around her.
“Thank you. Thank you very much. It feels like I just left,” Patti said, taking a spin around the shop.
Faith thought it felt like she’d been gone for a year, with all that had happened but thought she probably shouldn’t say that out loud.
“We’re happy to see you. It’s been interesting around here,” Faith said.
Mrs. Grover nodded. “We ran out of most inventory a long time ago. We’ve been selling Faith’s pillows, just to have something for customers to look at.”
Patti cocked an eyebrow and swooshed toward the pillow section, her colorful skirt billowing behind her.
“Faith, I didn’t know you made pillows.” She picked one up and ran her hand over the cool satin. “How ingenious. And they’re beautiful.”
Faith was relieved that Patti thought it was a good idea, as there really hadn’t been any other option.
“She even sold some to a customer who’s using them in her living room on the home tour today,” Mrs. Grover blurted out, much more interested in divulging information to Patti than Faith herself was.
“Oh, that’s today? I always try to go, but I’m so happy to be back I just want to start unpacking. Wait until you see what I’ve brought back.”
Mrs. Grover narrowed her eyes. “What I meant to say was Faith’s very excited about her pillows being on display, and since you’re back, maybe she could go meet her friends. See her pillows in the wild, so to speak. I can stay here and help you.”
Patti looked up from one of the boxes she’d just opened and blinked a few times at Faith. “Oh, certainly. Yes, of course. Faith, we can catch up later.”
Faith hadn’t for one second thought she might be able to go, as she’d never leave Mrs. Grover alone on a weekend. This turn of events was a little disconcerting—she wasn’t completely sure she wanted to go “see her pillows in the wild” as Mrs. Grover said. But since Mrs. Grover had stuck her neck out on Faith’s behalf, she thought she should.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll check in later, and fill you in about the books whenever you’re ready.”
Patti’s nose was already back in the box, and she handed Mrs. Grover figurine after figurine. “Of course. No rush,” she said.
Faith gave Mrs. Grover a quick hug and whispered, “Thank you,” before she headed out the door.
Jen, Carrie and Maggy had already left for the tour, but Faith texted and asked what time they’d be at the house where her pillows were.
Jen said they’d meet her there at two, and said there was a map on the kitchen island.
* * *
Glad you can come! These houses are gorgeous!
* * *
The butterflies came alive in Faith’s stomach, and she had second thoughts about going at all. But she remembered Maggy’s words—one foot in front of the other—and decided she’d head out.
Faith wasn’t very familiar with this area of Newport—it was on the other side of the harbor, and high on a hill. She got lost several times before she realized she’d kept passing the house, as they were set far back from the street.
She double-checked the address on the map and tried to see past the tall pillars at each side of the gate, but she couldn’t. They each had statues of leaping dolphins, and the driveway turned a corner right after that. She finally saw Maggy standing out front, and sighed with relief.
Slipping her car into one of the few parking spots on the street, she couldn’t help but admire the spectacular view of the harbor and the ocean beyond. She couldn’t imagine living in a house like that, and couldn’t imagine her pillows there, either.
Jen, Maggy and Carrie were waiting outside the gate, and they all walked up the driveway together, admiring the beautiful landscaping.
“I can’t even imagine what a gardener here would cost, let alone a mortgage,” Faith whispered as they smiled and nodded at people leaving the house.
“I know. You should have seen the last house. Oh, my gosh. I have no idea what kinds of jobs these people have,” Maggy said, her eyes wide.
They stood back while another group exited the foyer, and then walked in. Faith’s eyes adjusted to the change from very bright outside to a little dim inside, and it took her a moment to pick out her pillows in the living room as they entered.
“There they are, Mom,” Maggy said, her voice filled with excitement.
They walked around the back of the couch, and Faith fought an urge to pick one of them up. They weren’t really hers anymore, but it felt like they were.
“Look at those interesting pillows,” a woman said to the friend she was with. “I’ve never seen anything quite like those.”
“Fluff by Faith,” her friend said after she’d reached for a card on the table that Jen had dropped off earlier that morning.
They both tucked a card into their purses, and Faith thought she was going to pass out.
“Did you hear that?” Jen whispered. “They loved them.”
Faith let out a sigh, taking a quick look over her shoulder as she followed her friends through the remainder of the house. It was very unique, with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the bay, and onto a smaller, private garden in the back. Faith couldn’t imagine living in a place like that, and it sort of felt like she was in a museum.
The had wandered through the entire house and were heading back through the living room toward the front door when Faith stopped in her tracks.
“Aren’t those the most ridiculous things you’ve ever seen?” a woman with a large diamond sparkling at her throat said, pointing to Faith’s pillows.
The three woman she was with laughed—actually laughed. Faith wanted to crawl in a hole when one of them said, “Looks like maybe she found them at Pillows R Us.”
“Fluff by Faith. What a ridiculous name,” one of the others said, and they all twittered as Faith’s card fell back onto the table where the woman tossed it.
Jen, Carrie and Maggy all three turned to look at Faith at the same time, their faces white.
Faith was positive her face matched theirs, and she felt like her knees might buckle.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Jen said, grabbing Jen’s elbow and leading her
directly back to her car, with Maggy and Carrie right behind them.
Thirty-One
“I don’t even want to look,” Faith said when Maggy asked before they went to bed if she wanted to check for sales. “You can.”
Faith knew she’d been a wet blanket all evening, but she couldn’t help herself. Mrs. Grover had come over to ask how it went, and after re-telling the story, they’d all pretty much just fell silent.
They’d tried, though.
“Faith, those people just weren’t your audience,” Jen said.
“Exactly, Mom. Remember the first people who loved them?”
Carrie tried as well, in her own inimitable fashion. “They should be thrown off the pier in the dead of night.”
Faith did chuckle at that one, but it didn’t help for long.
But she didn’t want to ruin everybody else’s night, and she pitched in as much as she could when they made a shopping list for Thanksgiving later that week.
“I think I’ll just do the traditional Thanksgiving, like we talked about last night,” Jen said, mercifully taking the spotlight off of Faith—and her failure. At least she’d have something to focus on for the rest of the week, even if it was mostly cutting up onions and celery for the stuffing.
She slept fitfully, and woke up still feeling a little blue. Maggy had spent the night, and they both snuck out with Daisy to take a long walk on the beach.
“I’m proud of you, Mom,” Maggy said when they reached the shoreline. “I really am.”
Faith looped her arm through her daughter’s, glad that she was proud but not at all sure she deserved it. “I have no idea why. It was a bust.”
Maggy shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. You put yourself out there. You were brave, and I admire you for even trying. And something else will come along, I’m sure of it. There are other things we can try. We can go to stores, see if we can place the pillows there.”
A Newport Sunrise Page 11