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advertising?”
    “Women go crazy for them,” she said. With a wicked glint in her eyes, she added, “And some men, too.”
    “It’s too specialized. Even a boutique concept needs something more. Accessories. I don’t know…”
    “Toys? Vibrators and such?”
    To his credit, Nathan didn’t pick up that gauntlet. Instead he responded as a businessman. “Bring me a projected profit and loss, show me the cost of goods sold and make sure the numbers work. Or go ahead and invest your own money. Even if you do that, I recommend you take a hard look at the realities of the business. Don’t let your enthusiasm get in the way of a sound decision.”
    “By that, you mean emotions.”
    Before Nathan could respond, Connor cleared his throat. “Hate to break up this argument…” Not that it was anything unusual. His family had a diverse range of interests, thoughts, opinions, pet projects. Including, seemingly, more plants. “What’s that?” He pointed at the oversized pot in the corner.
    “Hibiscus,” Aunt Kathryn responded, turning around. “I thought the peach blossoms would brighten up the space. Needed something.”
    Besides the bold, red painting on the back wall? “Aren’t they supposed to be outside?”
    “Many people grow them indoors and they do well in pots as long as they’re fertilized properly and kept out of direct sunlight. You can make a tea out of the blossoms. Calms the nerves.”
    “You can muddle them into a mojito, too,” Erin supplied.
    “I’m thinking of replacing this one with a peace lily.” She moved to a counter that held refreshments and a single-cup beverage maker. She brewed a cup of green tea, which she slid in front of Erin.
    His sister wrinkled her nose.
    “Drink it,” Kathryn said. “And I mean it.”
    Erin drew the cup closer.
    “For you, Connor?” Kathryn asked. “Coffee?”
    “Ah, no. As it is, I’ll be awake until well into the next century.”
    “Thompson must have shared his coffee with you,” Erin surmised.
    He nodded.
    “I think he makes it strong to prove something about masculinity,” she said.
    “I think it’s more a statement about moral fortitude,” Connor corrected, taking a seat.
    “Tea for you?” Kathryn asked Nathan. “Something nice and soothing?”
    “Not in this lifetime. I’ll have water.” He grabbed himself a bottle while Kathryn popped another tea pod in the brewer.
    Connor joined Erin. One of his first acts as president had been to replace the more formal oblong conference table with a round one to encourage unity along with a less structured meeting hierarchy. Despite that, they all more or less sat in the same places, the Colonel to his right, Nathan to his left.
    “Any word on Grandfather?” Erin asked.
    Aunt Kathryn sat erect, shoulders pulled back as she allowed steam to waft across her face. Erin ignored her cup of tea. Nathan uncapped his bottle then reached for one of the agendas that had been piled in the middle of the table.
    “He said he’d be here,” Connor replied. And the Colonel would no doubt keep his word, no matter how difficult the challenge. Since his stroke five months ago, he spoke more deliberately, moved slower and he used a cane. He was too damn stubborn to use the walker the doctor had prescribed. He still went to see a physical therapist every day. No matter what the woman suggested, the Colonel did more. “Other than Erin’s corset shop, is there any new business?”
    “About that,” Erin said. “This isn’t the first time one of us have had an idea rejected.”
    “I didn’t reject it,” Nathan countered.
    “Semantics.”
    Connor shuffled his agenda to the side.
    “I think we need another type of investment category.” When Nathan started to interrupt, she held up her hand. “We have a great procedure set up to award grants from the foundation.”
    Nathan nodded.
    “And rigorous guidelines we follow when looking to make a major acquisition. But what about doing some smaller loans, for