Her mother wore a heavy coat, with a yellow-and-black-plaid scarf wrapped around her neck. Dad had his usual leather jacket on, with a navy knitted cap and gloves, courtesy of her mother. “We just left the doctor’s office and thought we’d take you to lunch,” her mother said.

“I just had lunch at Ruby’s. I wish I had known you all were coming,” she said. “I’ll make tea.” Heading back to the office, she stopped halfway. Her parents weren’t following her, as they normally did. She turned around to find them staring at the shelves, still full of all the extra stock she’d ordered in anticipation of a busy shopping season.

“What’s going on?” her father asked, his voice still sharp. “Why is there so much”—he waved his hand at the shelves and racks—“stock?”

“Because we’re not selling anything,” Lauren explained.

“Oh, dear, it must be this bitter-cold weather. It’s very difficult to drive in. I’m sure as soon as this storm passes, we’ll have these shelves emptied in no time at all. Right, dear?” She smiled at Lauren.

“Let’s have some tea, and we’ll talk.” She went to the office, hoping they’d follow her. She didn’t want or need them staring at what should have been half-empty shelves waiting to be restocked. Maybe seeing this for themselves would give them second thoughts about having the store set up a web page. One thing at a time, she thought.

Her parents sat on the sofa while she made them tea. First, she needed to tell them about her visit this morning and try to get them in a good mood. “I have a surprise; it’s kind of a Christmas gift to myself and you two.” She paused. They stared at her. They could be odd at times, but she adored them. Here goes nothing. “I went to the animal shelter this morning. I adopted a cat.”

“That’s fantastic, dear. We need an animal in the house. I so miss old Buzz,” her mother said. “I don’t know why I haven’t done this myself.”

“Dad, you’re good with this?” she asked him, hoping to break through the wall he’d erected between them.

“Your mother and I adore animals, so to answer your question, I think it’s grand.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Actually, the cat I adopted, she’s four. Daisy is her name, but she just had kittens. Two. A boy and a girl. Evie and Yule. The shelter wouldn’t let me adopt Daisy unless I agreed to take her kittens, too.”

The twinkle that had been gone from her father’s eyes returned like a ray of sunshine that had been hidden behind a dark cloud. He actually began to laugh. Lauren looked at her mother, raising her brows in question.