Sleigh Bells Page 3

  “Oh, no. It doesn’t work that way. You’re the only one who can make this right. I’m willing to cancel that lifetime lease and renegotiate a new one. In fact, I insist. I’ll call my lawyer in the morning.”

  “That’s a drop in the bucket, Eva. The gift-wrapping shop was never about money. In the beginning it was a courtesy to our customers. You’re the one who turned it into a money-maker. Then Josh wanted to use the gift wrap department space to outfit a safari department. He said it was the ‘in’ thing. I’m ashamed to admit I laughed at him. Two days later, I heard a group of men on the golf course talking about all the gear they’d just purchased because they were going on safari. One of the men poked my arm and said Eagle’s didn’t even know what a safari was. Even then, I couldn’t see it. I guess I am a dried-up old fart, just like Josh said I was.”

  “Yes, Angus, I guess you are just one big gas bubble. I certainly don’t envy you.”

  Eva struggled to her feet as she leaned heavily on her cane. She knew she’d been sitting too long. She could hardly wait to get to her room so she could ring the nurse to ask for a bag of frozen peas. She moved off as she tried to figure out how she was going to tell her daughter what Angus had just shared with her.

  Christmas this year was going to be bittersweet, she thought.

  When Eva woke the following morning the first thing she saw was Angus Eagle standing in the open doorway. “How long have you been standing there, Angus?” she gasped.

  “About an hour. You snore. I thought only men snored. Can I come in and sit down? I didn’t sleep all night. I’ve been walking up and down the halls and I’m getting tired.”

  “For heaven’s sake, come in and sit down. For your information, everyone snores, even children.” Eva pushed the button on the remote to raise her bed. She wished she had a cup of coffee.

  “I asked a nurse to bring us some coffee. I hope that was okay. Listen, Eva, you were always so grounded. I assume you still are. That’s one of the things I always admired about you. I need your help and I’m not ashamed to be asking, either. For me to give in now, to give up total control when we’re just months from closing our doors seems a bit silly to me. Josh won’t buy into it. You know that old saying—too little, too late. You know as well as I do that the Christmas season revenues can carry a store for a whole year. We depend on that revenue. What should I do?”

  “Angus, I know nothing about the retail business. My only claim to fame is I know how to gift wrap packages. I think you should talk to my daughter. She seems to have an eye and ear to the business. In the past she spent hours and hours telling me all the things wrong with the store. And I know for a fact she dropped dozens of suggestions in Eagle’s suggestion box on the second floor because she thought if you had more foot traffic, she would have more gifts to wrap. We had a really bad summer, everyone was buying from the discount houses. That’s something else you didn’t take into consideration. They popped up all over town like mushrooms. For the record, all of Angie’s suggestions were ignored.”

  Angus’s voice was desperate when he asked, “Will your daughter talk to me?”

  “Of course she’ll talk to you. What kind of child do you think I raised? It’s your son she won’t talk to. But when I tell her he really isn’t her enemy, that you are, well, I don’t know for sure. There’s no doubt about it, Angus, you’re standing knee-deep in a mess. Of your own making, I might add.”

  “I know that, Eva. Help me out here.”

  “Put yourself in your son’s shoes. What would you like your father to do? How would you handle it?”

  Angus shrugged. “Josh said I never listened to him. It’s true. All of a sudden, I’m going to listen now, when it’s too late? Maybe there’s a way to help him without him knowing I’m helping.”

  “Spit it out, Angus. How? I suspect you have some groveling to do first, my friend. Call him at the store. Ask him to come here to see you. That’s a first step. By the way, Angus, how long are you here for?”

  Angus grimaced. “Today or tomorrow. I’ve been here a week but I stayed in my room because I didn’t want anyone to know I was here. I simply didn’t want to socialize. I wish I had known you were here, Eva. When are you leaving?”

  “Tomorrow, I think. I’ll have a home health aide for two weeks. She’ll come by three times a week and help with my therapy. The rest is up to me. We can talk on the phone if you like.”

  “I’d like that. I really would.”

  “How are you going to get home, Angus?”

  “I’ll call a car service. I don’t want to bother Josh. I’m surprised he hasn’t moved out of the house. I’ll have to stay out of his way.”

  “This is not right, Angus. Angie is going to come by this morning with donuts and coffee. She does that every morning. She can give you a ride home if they discharge you today. You can talk to her then.”

  Eva almost felt sorry for her old friend as he made his way to the door. Almost. Angus looked back, his face filled with pain. For some reason Eva thought the pain was more mental than physical. Once, this wonderful man had literally saved her financial life. Maybe with the help of her daughter, she could return the favor. How that would come about, she had no clue. Well, she thought briskly, I can think about that while I’m having my therapy. Perhaps thinking about Angus will help to alleviate the pain of therapy.

  By nine o’clock Eva had finished her therapy, eaten a light breakfast, and showered before she slowly made her way to the sunroom, where she flopped down on a chair, her forehead beaded with perspiration from her efforts. She could hardly wait for Angie and the delicious coffee she was addicted to. Not to mention the donuts.

  Eva looked around, acknowledging the other patients who were waiting for their turn in the therapy room. There was no sign of Angus. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. She leaned back and closed her eyes, her thoughts going in all directions.

  Fifteen minutes later, Eva’s eyes popped open when she felt a light touch to her shoulder. “Morning, Mom. Did you have a good night?”

  “I did have a good night. Angie, I need to talk to you. Pass out your donuts and coffee and hurry back here.” Seeing the alarm on her daughter’s face, she hastened to add, “It’s not about me. I’m fine. Hurry, Angie.”

  A few minutes later, worry lines were etched on Angie’s face as she settled herself next to her mother. She shook her head when her mother offered her a jelly-filled donut. “What? Tell me, Mom.”

  “It’s the store, Angie. Angus and I spoke last night after you left. When I woke up this morning, he was standing in my doorway waiting for me to wake up. It’s not good, Angie. Let me tell it all to you the way Angus told it to me. Don’t interrupt me, either.”

  Angie listened, her facial expressions going from anger to disbelief to sadness. When her mother finished, the only thing she could think of to say was, “We can’t let that happen, Mom. Eagle’s is an institution. We can renegotiate the lease. Oh, God, I need to think about this. I thought Angus Eagle was a nice man. How could he have sabotaged his son like that? I feel terrible about the way I treated Josh. I need to give Mr. Eagle a piece of my mind.”

  “You need to do no such thing. What you will do is give Angus a ride home. He’s finished with his therapy today and was going to call a car service. I volunteered your services, dear. You can talk to him on the way home.”

  “Mommmm!”

  “Sweetie, we’re all in this together. I don’t want Angus to lose his son, and that’s what will happen. Both of them have too much pride to admit when they’re wrong. Because we’re women, we can fix that. At least I think we can. All right, we’re going to try to fix things. All those wonderful suggestions you had over the years might come in handy now. All you have to do is get Josh to think they’re his ideas.”

  “Mom, you can’t undo years of being in the red in a few short months. Yes, profits are greater during the holiday season, but that alone can’t ward off the inevitable.”

  “I’l
l settle for a reprieve. For now, the gift wrap department belongs to Eagle’s. We’ll take 20 percent and the store takes 80 percent. This is just for now. I’ll call our lawyer today to discuss it. We have two short months to turn things around before the shopping season begins.”

  Angie offered up a bitter laugh. “Mom, Eagle’s merchandise is archaic. Where can they get new stuff in two months?”

  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Think about something people can’t do without. Then stock up on that. Fire sales, get rid of the junk they’re stuck with or donate it somewhere. Get some glitter and sparkle in there. I know you’ll come up with something, dear.”

  “Mom! When was the last time you experienced a miracle? That’s what it’s going to take to get Eagle’s to soar again. I’m not…I don’t think…”

  “I don’t want to hear anything negative. From here on in, we think positive. I know we can at least get it off the ground. If we can do that, then it’s up to Josh to follow through. Now run along and pick up Angus and take him home. He is a nice man, Angie. He just didn’t know how to let go, and he didn’t trust his son enough to let him run with the ball. Unlike me, who trusted you completely. Angus is a man,” Eva said, as if that was the only explanation needed.

  Angie bit down on her lip. “Okay, Mom. I’ll do what I can. I’ll see you tonight. What do you want me to bring?”

  “A hoagie would be nice.”

  “You got it.” A moment later, Angie was gone. Eva closed her eyes and sighed mightily. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was a miracle in Eagle’s future.

  Chapter Three

  The following morning, Angie dressed with care. It was still cool, so she decked out in warm clothes—a plum-colored suit, sensible heels, and a crisp white blouse. Light makeup that her mother said she didn’t need, a spritz of perfume and she was ready to go toe to toe with Josh Eagle.

  There was no point in kidding herself. She was nervous about the confrontation. More so since driving Angus Eagle home yesterday, a drive that had been made virtually in silence. Twice she’d bitten down on her tongue so she wouldn’t say something her mother wouldn’t approve of. Back in the recesses of her mind Angie wondered, and not for the first time, if Angus and her mother had ever had an affair. Lifetime leases didn’t happen for no reason. No one was that kind, that good-hearted. Or, were they? Well, it was none of her business, so she needed to stop thinking about it. Easier said than done.

  Angie ran her fingers through what she called her wash-and-go hairdo. A month ago her mother had finally convinced her to cut off her long, curly hair in favor of a more stylish cut. Her mother said the new hairdo was becoming, and mothers never lied. Well, almost never. After two weeks of staring at herself in the mirror, she agreed with Eva’s assessment.

  Angie realized she was postponing the moment when she had to leave and get on with the day. For all she knew, without an appointment to see Josh Eagle, all this anxiety she was experiencing might be for naught. For naught—such an old-fashioned term. One her mother or Angus Eagle would use.

  On the ten-minute ride down Route 1, Angie thought about her own precarious position at Eagle’s. If the store closed, she would be out of a job. It might be months before she found another one. Being self-employed, she wouldn’t be able to collect unemployment insurance. Her mother would have to start pinching pennies because the medical bills would be coming in shortly. Even with Medicare, her mother would be paying them off for months. With only Social Security coming in, their meager savings would be gone in the blink of an eye. Well, she couldn’t let that happen. She’d always been an idea person, according to her mother. If there was ever a time to come up with a dynamite idea, now was it.

  Angie slowed for a traffic light, then made a right onto Woodbridge Ave. She drove down to the mall lot, left her car, and entered Eagle’s through one of the back doors next to the loading platform. Instead of going straight to her shop, she walked the floor. There were no customers in the store that she could see. The sales help were standing around chatting with one another. She wondered what happened to the rule of look busy even if you aren’t. She winced again as she surveyed the merchandise, which looked like it had been hanging on the racks forever. Hopelessly outdated.

  Was it too late to save this store? She glanced around again and nodded to herself. Well, she’d never been a quitter. But, as Bess would say, there’s a first time for everything.

  Angie walked back to the end of the store to the gift wrap department, rolled up the corrugated shield, unlocked the door, and turned up the heat. In the little alcove at the far end of the room, out of sight, was a little station where she kept a coffeepot. She filled it and waited for the hot water to drip into the little red pot. She couldn’t do anything until she had a cup of coffee. Coffee fortified her, made her brain cells do double-time. The moment she finished her second cup, she would march herself to Josh Eagle’s office on the second floor. She had no clue what she was going to do or say when she got there. She’d always been pretty good at winging it. There was a lot to be said for spontaneity. She didn’t believe it for a minute.

  At the same time as Angie was waiting for the coffee to brew, Josh Eagle was pacing the confines of his office. He hated that he had to go down to the first floor and apologize to the witch with the broom. She looked like the type who might take a swing at him. His stomach started to curdle at the thought. Still, there was no reason for him to behave the way he had at the rehab center the other night. He should have sloughed it off and ignored the young woman with the sparks in her eyes. And, she was pretty. He told himself she could be pretty and still be a witch.

  Josh diddled around for another twenty minutes before he squared his shoulders, straightened his tie, and shook down the cuffs of his shirt. Now he was ready. His heart was beating way too fast. His mouth felt dry.

  His cell phone rang, jarring him from what he was feeling. He looked down at the caller ID and saw that it was his father, who had come home yesterday and was asleep when Josh got home. He’d said everything he had to say to his father the night before. It was much too late to hear his repeated apologies of I’m sorry, son. I didn’t know, son. Then a few more I’m sorries. No sense beating a dead horse. He ignored the insistent ringing and left his office.

  He met her a foot away from the huge red X. He’d gone ballistic the day he’d seen that red X for the first time. The witch’s biting words at the time still rang in his ears to this day. Step one foot over that X, and I’ll have you arrested! He knew she meant every word of it. And that was three years ago. To date, he’d never stepped beyond the X. How childish was all this? Damn childish.

  Josh took the initiative. “Ms. Bradford, I came down here to apologize to you for my rude behavior the other night. Not that I’m defending my rude behavior, but I have a lot on my plate right now.”

  “I know you do. I was on my way to your office to apologize to you. Would you like to…uh…go out to the food court and get a cup of coffee? Neutral ground, so to speak. If you’re busy…”

  Josh stared at the young woman. Did she just invite him for coffee? “Sure,” was all he could think of to say. How brilliant was that?

  They walked around the corner, down one of the long halls until they reached the food court, which was virtually empty this early in the morning. Neither said a word on the short journey.

  “How do you take your coffee?” Josh asked.

  “Black. It’s not coffee if you doctor it up with cream and sugar.”

  “I feel the same way. Take a seat, I’ll get the coffee.” A black-coffee drinker like himself. Who knew?

  The moment Josh sat down, Angie leaned forward and said, “We’re going to cancel the lease. We can renegotiate it again after the first of the year if the store is still open. Until then, Eagle’s gets 80 percent of the take, we get 20 percent. Look, let me finish what I have to say before I lose my nerve. My mother told me what you told your father. You’re leaving the first of the year. I gu
ess I more or less understand that. Speaking strictly for myself, I’ve never been a quitter, but that’s me and, like you said, you have a lot on your plate.

  “Your father…well, he’s been wrong. Older people have a hard time…What they do is give generously and then they realize they lost their control. It’s hard for them to accept the aging…Help me out here, Mr. Eagle.”

  “First things first, let’s stop with the Mr. and Ms. I’m Josh, and you’re Angie. Okay?”

  Angie smiled. Josh suddenly felt his world rock. “I…I know what you’re saying. For the last ten years I’ve battled my father. He’s stubborn as a mule. I had so many plans for the store, but he shot me down each and every time I presented something. I finally got to the end of my rope. There’s nothing more I can do.”

  Angie sipped at the scalding-hot coffee. “Sure there is. Where are all the suggestions that were in the suggestion box? I used to slip one in that box once a week.”

  “You’re the one who…I still have them all in my office. They were good suggestions. I ran each and every one of them by my father, but he vetoed all of them. I’m being kind when I say he’s in a time warp.”

  “I know. I drove him home from the rehab center yesterday. He didn’t say much to me, but he did open up to my mother, who in turn passed it all on to me, and I am now telling you. What a round-robin. Why can’t people just say what’s in their minds and hearts?”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Josh asked, suspicion ringing in his voice. “I thought you hated my guts.”

  Angie looked genuinely puzzled at his remark. “I don’t hate you personally. I don’t even know you. I hate what you did. I guess I should say I hate what you didn’t do, but I didn’t understand what was going on. I have ideas,” she said quietly.

  “It’s too late, Angie. The store needs mega revenues for the Christmas season or the doors close in January. Dad…”

  “You scared the devil out of your father, according to my mother. He’s onboard now. You have carte blanche to do whatever you want. I have ideas,” she repeated.