Sutton

A LIGHT FLIPS ON AND MY HEAD pops up, blinking to adjust to the sudden brightness in the room. Vivi plops down onto the couch next to me and offers me the bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. I grab a handful, shoving one into my mouth.

"Thanks," I mumble with my mouth full. I glance at the clock on my laptop. "Shit. I didn't realize it was this late."

"You've been working on this all day, Sutton. I'm sure it's perfect by now." Vivi looks over my shoulder at the laptop screen as she munches on chips.

Ever since Kelly said I should present my idea to Jensen like I would a boss I wasn't related to, I've been working diligently to formulate a plan to show him I'm serious. When I started working today, the sun lit the living room. Apparently, the day passed away without me noticing, and Vivi had to turn on the light in the dark room when she came to find me.

"Look," I say, shoving my phone into my sister's face. "I did an informal poll on Lake Hope's community Facebook page and look at all these comments. People love the idea." I scroll through the comments, stopping to read a few, my face beaming with excitement. "He can't say no now, right?"

Vivi licks the ranch seasoning off her fingers as she looks at me. "You're really getting into this, huh? I've never seen you like this before, all dedicated and shit. What's gotten into you?"

Closing the lid on my laptop, I set it on the coffee table and tuck my feet under me. Shrugging, I grab another handful of chips from the bag. "I don't know. I just believe in this idea. Kelly says if I want Jensen to take me seriously, I need to be serious. So..."

"Kelly, huh?" She waggles her eyebrows at me.

I swat at her arm. "Shut it, sis. I don't want to hear it."

"Is that why you're still wearing his shirt, too? Does that somehow help the brainwaves as you commit yourself to being serious?" When I shoot her a dirty look, she throws her head back and laughs. "God, Sutton. You two are ridiculous. You know that, right?"

I rise to my feet, stealing the bag of chips from her lap. "Whatever, Viv. Just be ready to lead the kid yoga because I'm going to crush this meeting with Jensen tomorrow." With that, I skip out of the room and close myself in my bedroom.

Once I'm settled in bed for the night, I scroll through more of the comments on the Facebook post, smiling at all the interest in Yoga on the Farm. I close out of the app and pull up my texts, typing up a quick message.

ME: It's ready. And I'm gonna crush it. You're looking at the new instructor of Yoga on the Farm.

KELLY: I'm actually looking at a bunch of letters that you just texted me.

Rolling my eyes, I finger open the camera on my phone and take a quick selfie of me sticking my tongue out; and then I send it to him.

ME: There you go, smartass. Now you're looking at the new yoga instructor.

KELLY: Very professional, too.

KELLY: Wait, is that my shirt you're wearing?

ME: Don't think too much into it. I haven't done laundry. I spent all day working on this proposal for J.

KELLY: Whatever you say, baby girl.

ME: *gif of NSYNC doing Bye Bye Bye dance*

KELLY: *gif of Backstreet Boys walking in slow motion down a stage toward camera*

ME: *gif of Taylor Swift talking into a microphone saying "No one knows more about dramatic males than I do."*

KELLY: *gif of Justin Beiber doing mic drop*

ME: The Beibs? Really?

ME: *gif of Prince Harry seated next to Queen Elizabeth doing mic drop with BOOM flashing on screen*

KELLY: *gif of Wayne and Garth bowing down, saying "We're not worthy."*

ME: Careful, your age is showing.

KELLY: You're a shit.

ME: A lovable one at least.

KELLY: Night, Sutton. You're gonna nail it tomorrow.

ME: Thanks, Kelly. Night.

KELLY: Sleep tight, baby girl.

-

I PACE OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE BUILDING ON the farm Monday morning. I can't remember a single time I've ever beat Jensen to work. I consider walking up the stairs to his apartment, but remind myself I'm being an employee today, not a sister. Instead, I glance at the clock on my phone every few seconds.

Finally, I hear footsteps on the stairwell mixed with voices. Jensen and Teddy spill out into the morning air, his hand tangled in her braid with his body pressed flat against her back. She's giggling, trying to swat his hands away, and it takes them a few moments before they realize they aren't alone. I clear my throat to announce my presence, biting my tongue on the remark wanting to burst out. Being mature and professional is very boring, completely out of character for me.

"Sutton!" Teddy screeches.

Jensen's head lifts up, finally noticing me. "Hey, sis. You lost? The flowers are that way." He points in the general direction of the flower gardens, smirking at his own joke.

Teddy swats his stomach. "Behave." She kisses him quickly before heading toward the animal barns.

"I'd like a meeting," I say before my brother can brush me off. "A real meeting. Where you sit and I talk, and you take me seriously. Please. If now is a bad time, I can come back later. But I'm not taking no for an answer, even if I have to follow you into the bathroom and talk to you during your morning shit." I cringe, realizing I've veered off the professional route. "Please, J. I want a real meeting. Just a few minutes of your time."

He assesses me, then nods. "Fine. Come on. But let's stop at the break room for a coffee first."

Once we're settled in his office, him sipping his piping hot coffee at his desk and me in a chair before him, I'm suddenly filled with nerves.

"Sutton," he says softly. "It's just me."

His reassuring face has the opposite effect, and I fight back the urge to cry. I bow my head, taking a few breaths. "Ok," I say, meeting his eyes. "I've put a lot of time and thought into this, and I am confident that Yoga on the Farm is an excellent addition to Anderson Farm." I pause to hand him a stack of papers I only just printed from Vivi's office this morning. He reaches for the papers, but I hold them between us, my eyes trained on him. Finally, I release the papers and he sifts through them.

"As you can see, I've provided research on other communities who offer this and all the positive feedback. Plus, I conducted an informal poll on Lake Hope's community Facebook page and the response has been astoundingly positive. I included some of the comments for you as proof of the interest this idea presents. And it's not only the stay-at-home-moms like I originally thought, there is a whole group of older women looking for ways to get out of the house and get physical activity that doesn't include a gym membership. There's a real market for this right here in our town, Jensen. And I bet with some marketing, we could even pull in people from neighboring communities."

I take a deep breath and prepare to continue with my planned spiel, but he cuts me off with a wave of his hand. "Sutton," he says, a smile curving his lips. "You did all this?" He waves the papers in front of me.

"Well, yeah. I wanted you to know I'm serious. I realize you only see me as your baby sister, but I can be a great asset to the farm, too. I'm more than just flowers, you know? I've got a big brain with lots of ideas circling around."

"I know all about your big brain, sis. I've never doubted your intelligence. Or that you're not an asset. I just didn't realize you wanted more than just The Flower Shop. You've never brought it up before."

"Sure I have," I say defensively, but then I struggle to find one suitable example. "Or maybe I haven't. I don't know. I guess maybe I've been selling myself short and blaming it on you in my head."

He laughs as he rises from behind his desk to sit next to me in the open chair. "Sutton, I'd gladly give you all the responsibility you want. You know I hate this office. Hell, you could take over if you wanted. I'd rather be out there..." He gestures to the walls behind us.

"Nah, I don't want this office either. And I mostly am happy with just The Flower Shop. It's my happy place. But I guess I didn't realize until you shot down my yoga idea that I wanted more. Kelly convinced me that if I presented myself as a serious, professional employee, then you'd see me that way. I guess your best friend knows you better than me."

He sits back in the chair, resting his foot over his opposite knee. "Kelly said that? Huh. He sees more than he lets on. He's had some 'Come to Jesus' talks with me lately, too."

"When you were an idiot and almost ruined your chances with Teddy?" I guess and then duck before he can flick me in the forehead.

"Hey, I thought this was Professional Sutton!"

I leap from the chair and cross the office, lingering at the door. "So that's a yes, right? Yoga on the Farm is a thing now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Get with Vivi and Rylie to set it up. They're better at that stuff than me."

I whoop and do a little dance. "You're the best, J!"

I run down the hallway of the offices yelling, "He said yes!"

Vivi and Rylie stick their heads out of their offices and watch as I make a fool of myself. I slap their hands as I pass them on my way outside. I fling open the door, doing a pretend mic drop before the door slams behind me. I can hear their laughs from outside and it only makes my smile widen.

I'm laughing as I pull out my phone to call the only person I want to celebrate with.