Jake had made his clients and his firm a lot of money on paper. A few of Jake’s clients smartly took their profits while too many others followed Jake’s lead and stared helplessly as the Atkins low-carb craze blistered the doughnut business. Jake continued to hold and hope that the downward spiral would stop. It didn’t. He just loved those doughnuts and refused to sell. Jake and Morgan’s portfolio took an enormous hit. He desperately needed something that would get red-hot fast. His firm was listed as book-running managers on two tech companies for June, and he couldn’t wait. He was also eyeing a way to capitalize on the Dutch IPO of a company that converted used motor oil into low-grade diesel fuel. One big score and she’ll get off my ass, he thought.

Jake saw Morgan was still waiting for an answer about the flower bed. “Soon. I promise. I’ll get to the flower bed.” He planned on doing it. It just wasn’t a priority…to him.

“Load up, Katy. Let’s go.”

“Bye, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Bye!”

“Bye!”

“Bye!”

“Jeez, girls, we’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

“Come on, Katy. Let’s go. I feel like we’re going off to college.”

“Well, Jake…what if something happened? This…this might be our last good-bye.”

Jake really didn’t know what to say to that…what could he say? He just cranked up and waved good-bye.

“We’ll be home tomorrow. Love ya,” he said routinely.

“You, too.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye.”

Rolling down the driveway, Katy waved until she couldn’t see her mother anymore. Turning forward, she said, “Mom doesn’t know what she’s missin’.”

“Well, I’ve invited her plenty of times. Grandpa didn’t hunt, so she didn’t grow up around it and doesn’t understand that it’s way more than killing. Fasten your seat belt, girlfriend.”