🌹Every Rose Has Its Thorn🌹

Chapter Eleven ~Chattered Glass

While Lou and Alex are with their father Josie thinks about everything that has happened over the last couple of days and she has no idea how to handle it. She can't ignore Lou's feelings but when she thinks about going back to a life without Harry, her heart gets filled with sadness.
Since the talk with her children Josie has barely slept and she looks like a walking train wreck.

When Josie comes into the store on Friday with blue bags under her eyes, a pale face and with a big frown on her face Katherine decides that enough is enough. After Josie mumbles a "Good Morning," she goes to her office, like she has done all week. She tells Katherine that she is catching up on paperwork, but Katherine has seen the tear stains on her boss cheeks when she comes out of her office because it's too busy at the shop for Katherine to manage alone.

Today Katherine follows Josie to her office, it's early and it's still very calm at the shop so she decides it's time for a conversation.

"Do you need something?" Josie asks when she notices her employee leaning against the door of her office.
"I need you to talk to me. I'm not only your employee, I'm also your friend and I don't like to see you hurting like this so please tell me what's going on?" Katherine says.

"I don't know what you are talking about?" Josie replies.
"Oh come on Josie!" Katherine raises her voice a bit.
"You are hiding in your office to cry, you look like a zombie, you are moody and not only to me, also to the customers and to Harry. He always takes you out for lunch but this week you've brushed him off twice and I heard you arguing with him yesterday because he wanted to come over but you said you were to busy which is bullshit." Josie already feels the tears burning at the back of her eyes.

She sighs loudly and slumps back in her chair, maybe she should talk to Katherine? Maybe she will have some advice? Josie starts to tell Katherine everything while hot tears spill over her cheeks, she has to stop three times because it all gets too much and she isn't able to talk for a moment.

When Josie is finished Katherine sighs and rubs her hands over her chin, something she always does when she is stressed.
"I never expected this from Lou. She is that tomboy who likes football, hates to wear dresses or anything girly and has that "I don't care" attitude, but it looks like under that cover she is that little girl who wants mummy for herself." Katherine says, biting her lip.

"I just don't understand. Since Ted moved out they visit him while lives with his boyfriend every other week for five days. She never said anything about it, she adores Jonas. But now I have a wonderful man in my life, that's a problem?" Josie can't control the situation and this makes her very frustrated.

"Lou was five when her father moved in with another man, she doesn't remember it. For her Ted and Jonas living together is the most normal thing in the world. But she always had you to herself, she's never had to share you with anyone, except Alex and now you tell her you have a boyfriend, someone she doesn't know and she doesn't know how it will go and she doesn't want to share you. It's unfamiliar territory and it probably makes her insecure."

"What should I do?" Josie asks hands rubbing her face.
"Give her some time and then you let Harry meet them. Harry is a great guy, if she meets him she will turn around." Katherine knows her friend well enough to know deep down she already had made a decision.
"If Lou isn't okay with it I can't let them meet. You know my daughter, she is stubborn and if she says no, it stays no." They get interrupted when the bell of the store rings and Katherine gets up from her chair.
"Think about what I said and don't make an impulsive decision." the woman says to her boss before she walks out the office to the front of the shop.

Josie thinks about Katharine's words and doesn't know what to do so for now she decides to go with it and see how it goes.

When the kids come home on Sunday, Ted tells Josie they had a good time and the kids behaved very well. It looks like Lou is in a good mood but once her father has left everything changes.
Like every time they come home from a weekend with their father Josie wants to cuddle on the couch with them while they tell her about all the things they did.
This Sunday, it's only only Alex and Josie who are cuddling, Lou sits in the armchair in the corner and is playing with the black cord of her hoodie.