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there. At least...happier. It’s tolerable.”
    “Happy? Who said anything about being happy? That’s a luxury for people like us.” As I spoke, I realized how true my words were, and I wondered if we’d ever laugh again.
    “I know you’re grieving, Claire. We both are. But you’re wallowing in it. Don’t you think I miss Kayla every minute of every day?” I tapped the left side of my chest. “She’s here with me, in my heart, all the time. Or do you think I’ve forgotten?”
    She was crying by this time, but so was I, and I wasn’t ashamed. Grief had a way of sneaking up on a person. It lay in wait and pounced when your back was turned. Or it clung with sticky fingers twenty-four/seven, giving no reprieve. Claire and I had been bungling along day by day, just trying to get through each one without drowning.
    “I know the timing’s awful, sweetheart. But if we don’t change our business model and try to increase sales, we could go under. We’re lucky that Houston’s not been hit as badly as some other parts of the country, but we haven’t escaped either. I might have to lay off people, people you’ve known for a long time. And if I have to hire someone to handle the new design center, that’s money out of the family budget, because you’d be paid instead.”
    Claire rubbed her face with a tissue. “I understand. But you’re scaring me about everything.”
    “I need you, Claire. I want you with me just like we used to be.”
    And with those last words, I knew I’d lost her. She was shaking her head, holding up her hand in a stop motion. Bringing up what “used to be” was a hot button.
    “I don’t want to go backwards and work the business full-time,” she began. “When we first started the company, that was okay. Putting in sixteen-hour days was no problem. But, Jack, it took me twenty years to return to college, and the truth is that, after the accident, I didn’t want to go back there either. Wouldn’t consider it. Maybe I just need a break. Maybe someday I’ll finish up. Someday, I’ll have a showing. I don’t know when that might be, but I can’t give up.”
    Disappointment surged through me. I’d been prepared to be flexible, maybe a part-time schedule at first until she regained her confidence. She’d reduced her hours the past two years anyway. Of course, for the expansion, I’d need her full-time. She normally would dig into a project like this. But going up against her dreams? Her art? I could never win those rounds.
    “Too bad Ian’s not ready to join me.”
    “Maybe I could work from home...?” Claire offered.
    “And turn the house into a design center? I think not. Besides, our subdivision isn’t zoned for business.” Pushing my chair back, I stood, my appetite for dinner gone but not my need for an antacid pill. I popped one in my mouth. “I do my best thinking while walking, so I’ll see you later. Maybe I’ll figure out if I can save Barnes Construction without you. I can’t believe you won’t give it a try. Maybe you should figure out if you need counseling.”
    Claire’s jaw dropped, her eyes bulged. She looked horrified. So maybe I’d been too hard on her.
    “Do you think I’m crazy?” she asked. “It’s only been four months, Jack. Are there rules I’m supposed to follow for this kind of grief? Rules I don’t know about but you do?”
    She stood facing me now, no longer aghast but ready to argue. She almost seemed like the Claire I used to know. I wanted to cheer, but I also wanted to make my point.
    “I don’t know about any rules. All I know is that we’ve lost our daughter. But does that mean we should lose the business too?”
    “The business! The business!” she shouted. “How can you compare Kayla to a business?”
    “I’m not comparing, Claire. I’d give the company away in a New York minute if it would bring Kayla back. But it won’t, and I don’t know what else to do except work and...love you.”
    I took her in my arms. She