Page 75 of Cheap Shot

He laughed and snapped her with a towel, the fabric glancing off her upper arm. “Yeah, but I might have a solution to that,” he admitted.

“What’s that?”

“Catherine O’Shea.”

Brie squinted. “The hockey mom?”

“I think she’s alittlemore than a hockey mom,” Sebastian said. “But yeah. Connor O’Shea’s mom.”

“What do you mean? How would she help?”

“Well, she came into the shop today. Connor had given her my card and rather than call, she stopped in.”

“Okay,” Brie said slowly, passing over another clean dish with a frown.

“She wanted to scope out my work and discuss hiring me to do the florals for the Harriers Foundation’s events.”

“Oh my God! That would be amazing, Seb!”

“It would,” he agreed. “But I told her I didn’t think I could commit to it at this time.”

“What? Are you crazy? You can’t turn someone likethatdown.”

“With where the shop is at with staffing and my responsibilities to you and Harper, I can’t accept it,” he admitted.

She winced. “I am sorry. I hate that we?—”

“No, listen to me, Brie,” he said. “I am not blaming you. This is achoice. One I willingly make. I would make it every time. When I talked to her about my staffing struggles, she suggested I consider her niece. She’s not a florist but she’s an art student with retail experience and availability.”

Brie pursed her lips. “Sounds like Catherine got what she wanted twice over then.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Sure, maybe. Although all I agreed to was considering her niece for a position. I won’t hire the young woman unless I think she’s a good fit.”

“It’s still beneficial to Catherine.” Brie’s tone was a little cynical.

“It is, but she also offered to arrange a playdate for Harper and her grandkidsandinvited her to an arts and crafts thing at the children’s hospital. I don’t think her offer had a selfish motive.”

Brie scoffed.

“Seriously. She—she reminds me ofMomin a lot of ways.”

Brie gave him a skeptical look. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, you know how Mom is. She’salwayswilling to help out someone in need. The neighbor broke a leg? She’ll go buy groceries. Someone had a baby, she’ll cook some meals. That’s just the kind of person she is.”

“And you think that’s the kind of person Catherine O’Shea is too?”

“I really do. And you heard what Connor said about wanting to help when we had lunch with the team.”

“Sure, but?—”

“No,listen, Brie. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon and evening and something she said stuck with me. About people needingcommunity. You and Harper don’t have a community. Sure, your manager is great and you have me, but who elseisthere? Mom and Dad have helped in every way they can and I know they would do so much more if they lived closer and could be more hands-on, but they have Dad’s limitations to contend with too. You don’t reallyhavefriends who can pitch in. You don’t know your neighbors. You’re trying to manage this all alone. Why not let Catherine and the Harriers help out a little bit?”

“I find it really hard to believe that a bunch of rich, bored ladies would care except for the PR aspect.”

“Well,” Sebastian pointed out. “They’re notallladies, necessarily. Remember, the team is pretty inclusive.”

“Sure,” she said. “But my point still stands?—”