Sleigh Bells Read online

  The waitress showed up to take their order. Angie ordered a dish called Volcano Shrimp, while Josh ordered a sizzling seafood platter. Both now crunched down on hard noodles, a bit more relaxed with one another.

  As Angie munched, she asked, “What did you think about my idea of having a really huge live Christmas tree in the middle of the floor? And the Santa with his sack of toys?”

  “Great idea, but it will seriously deplete floor space. I’m still waiting to see what kind of merchandise we’re going to be selling. Not to mention where we’re going to get that merchandise. Vendors are notoriously cranky and in no hurry to get the deliveries to you during the year. They’re worse over the holidays. I hesitate to ask this, but is there a Plan B lurking anywhere?”

  “Plan B? More or less. Incentives. Cash on delivery. If the merchandise angle falls short of my expectations, I think we could more than make up for the revenues with services, like cooking lessons, knitting lessons, all kinds of hourly lessons. Kind of like the YMCA. I think I’d like some Chinese beer now.”

  “You like Chinese beer! Imagine that! I like it myself.” Josh signaled the waitress and placed the order. When it arrived, he held up his bottle to clink it against Angie’s. “What should we drink to?”

  “To success, what else?”

  Angie drank from the bottle, ignoring the glass sitting on the table. Josh seemed mesmerized by his dinner companion as she kept upending the bottle. He’d never dated a girl who really liked beer, much less drank it from the bottle. He grinned from ear to ear. He took a moment to wonder what it would be like to kiss those full red lips. He just knew in his gut he’d soar like an eagle.

  Angie and Josh were the last to leave the Jade Pagoda. With way too much Chinese beer under their belts, Josh called for a taxi. “We can pick our cars up in the morning.”

  “What time is it?” Angie mumbled as she looked at the array of beer bottles on the table.

  Josh peered at his watch. He knew he was snookered when he couldn’t read the numbers. “Late,” he said triumphantly. “Do you have to be home before…before…the moon comes out?” Damn, he was witty tonight. And charming.

  “I was…I think I was supposed to…Maybe I wasn’t…Where is my mother, do you know?”

  Angie was looking at him like he had the answer at his fingertips. He didn’t want to disappoint his new friend. “I’m not sure. I’ll help you look for her.”

  “That’s wonderful. Thank you. I think she might be…you know, pissed that I forgot about her.”

  Josh pulled himself up to his full six-foot-two-inch height and said, “We were busy.”

  “Yes, we were. Why don’t we walk home, Josh? We might see them on the way. Oh, I remember now, my mother is keeping your father company. That’s not good. Oh, shit! My cell phone is off.”

  Josh burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. Suddenly this peppery young woman he’d dined with, drunk with, was all too human. “How many times did she call?”

  “Well, guess what, Josh? I can’t really see those itsy-bitsy little numbers. A lot. And who’s paying for this taxi?” Angie asked as it pulled up.

  Josh stepped up to the plate. “Eagle’s,” he said smartly.

  “Tell him to take us to your house. Then he can take me and my mother home. She is going to be so…so…”

  “Pissed?” Josh asked, howling with laughter. “My old man is going to go through the roof. I need to move out and get my own place. I think he needs me, and that’s why he likes me living with him. I bet your mother feels the same way. They’re old. Old people think like that.”

  They got into the cab and Josh gave the driver his address.

  “Nah, it’s all a game to keep us in line. Those two are more independent than either one of us. If you had your own place, I could visit you.”

  Whoa. Josh leaned over and kissed her ruby-red lips. At least he thought they were ruby red. He didn’t care if they were ruby red or purple.

  “You’re a good kisser,” Angie said a long time later. “I think the driver wants you to pay him. Are we at your house? Time does fly when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Yesireee, you are a good kisser.”

  “Damn straight I am. A good kisser. Not because I had…have a lot of practice,” Josh said, handing the driver a twenty-dollar bill for the five-minute ride. “Keep the change,” he said magnanimously.

  “Wait for me, mister, I have to pick up my mother.”

  Walking up the driveway, Josh stopped and reached for Angie’s arm. “Should we have a story? You know, why we’re so uncaring, so negligent, so…”

  “Drunk?”

  “Egg-zactly,” Josh said, roaring with laughter.

  “No defense is the best defense. I don’t really care. Do you care, Josh?”

  “I don’t think I do. Tomorrow I might.”

  Josh was about to open the kitchen door when it swung open. He looked up to see Eva Bradford glaring at him. His father’s face defied description. A sappy expression on his face, Josh said, “Good evening, everybody.” He made a low, sweeping bow. Not to be outdone, Angie did the same thing and almost fell on her face.

  “They’re both drunk,” Angus said.

  Josh straightened his jacket and looked over at Angie. “They’re worried about us while they’ve been here…noodling…canoodling…Oh, shit, messing around. Hrumph!” he sniffed. “Your chariot awaits, Mrs. Bradford. It’s a taxi.”

  “Mom!” Angie looked properly horrified. “I knew it! I knew it! You two…You lied to me. You were doing what he said…noodling around,” she said, pointing to Josh.

  “We were not. You’re inebriated, Angie. Shame on you!”

  “Joshua, go to your room.”

  “Why should I? No! I’m moving out and Angie is going to come and visit me. When I move to England, she’s coming to visit me there, too. So, Pop, what do you have to say to that?”

  “Talk to me when you’re sober, and I will have plenty to say. These ladies need to go home right now. You need to go to bed, Joshua.”

  Josh looked over at Angie and said, “He only calls me Joshua when he’s really mad. Come along, fair lady, I always see my dates home. Do you want me to stay with you until I find an apartment?”

  “Sure,” Angie said agreeably. “Mom can stay here. Win-win. Works for everybody. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Eva fixed her angry gaze on Josh, and said, “Young man, I am holding you personally responsible for my daughter’s condition. Do something!”

  Josh stepped up to the plate for the second time that evening. “And I and I alone accept that responsibility.” He offered up a second sweeping bow and fell over, toppling one of the kitchen chairs. “The meter is running,” he said as Angie bolted for the kitchen door.

  “Do something, Angus!” Eva hissed.

  “It’s your daughter who’s…Well, she’s…”

  “Your son got my daughter drunk. Don’t deny it.”

  From his position on the floor Josh said, “No, no, she got that way all by herself. She had so many ideas.” A moment later he was sound asleep on the kitchen floor.

  Angus shrugged. Eva did her best not to laugh.

  Angie came back and looked down at Josh. “He’s not…dead, is he?”

  “I’m thinking tomorrow morning he might wish he was,” Angus said.

  Angie sat down on the floor next to Josh. “Oh, I had so many ideas. Josh liked all my ideas.” She untangled herself and laid her head on Josh’s stomach.

  “I say we just leave them here,” Eva said. “I’ll let the taxi driver go. You get some blankets and pillows.”

  “Then what?” Angus asked.

  “Do you want me to draw you a map, Angus? Do you want to make your son out to be a liar? We’re going to canoodle.”

  “Oh!” Angus wondered if Eva picked up on the anxiety in his voice.

  And then she was back in the kitchen, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

  Chapter Five

  The sun was just making its wa
y to the horizon when Josh stirred on the kitchen floor. He felt like a ton of bricks was sitting on top of his chest. Somehow, he managed to crank open one eye. A nanosecond later, his other eye flew open. He gasped. The woman wrapped around his torso stirred and mumbled something he couldn’t quite hear. Josh moved. Then the woman moved and rolled over onto the floor. She was awake in an instant, looking around as she tried to figure out where she was and why she was lying on a strange kitchen floor. A tortured groan escaped her lips.

  Josh groaned in sync as he struggled to sit up. His eyes were as wild-looking as his hair, which was standing on end. Angie didn’t look much better.

  “Ah, did we…? What I mean is…Do you remember?” he finished lamely.

  Angie rubbed her temples in an attempt to ease the pounding in her head. “No, I don’t think, and…No, I don’t know,” she said just as lamely.

  “Why are we…? We slept on the floor?” Josh asked this as though sleeping on the floor was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. “Why did we do that?” he asked as he got to his feet. He stretched out a long arm to pull Angie to her feet.

  “Maybe because we were drunk?” It was a question and a statement.

  Josh looked down at the floor to see the pillows and blankets. He cursed under his breath as he pointed them out to Angie. She looked away in embarrassment. “Are you sure we didn’t…?”

  “I think I would remember that,” Josh said, walking over to the coffeepot. He thought his head was going to pound right off his neck. He filled the pot, measured coffee, and pressed a button. “Do you want some orange juice?”

  “I didn’t even brush my teeth. It feels like something is growing in my mouth,” Angie said. “No on the orange juice. Oh, God, we left our cars at the Jade Pagoda. Now I have to walk there to get it. Damn. I look like someone who just…”

  “Had a wild night of sex?” Josh asked.

  “Stop saying that. We didn’t…I’m almost…No, I’m sure we didn’t. We never should have had that plum wine after drinking beer. This is all your fault, Josh. You said we couldn’t insult Mr. Win Lee by refusing the complimentary wine.”

  “You guzzled half that carafe all by yourself. You even got sick. I did not get sick. I only pretended to drink the wine.”

  “Ha! My mother…Your father…They saw us. They covered us up. Where’s my mother?”

  “How should I know? You’re her daughter, you should know where your mother is at all times. What kind of daughter are you, anyway?”

  “The kind that doesn’t know where her mother is. I bet your father…I bet he took unfair advantage of her with her new knee. My mother is naive and not the least bit worldly. Your father is a shark. Just like you.” Oh, God, did she just say that?

  “Are you accusing my father of attacking your mother? My father, who can barely walk, who just had a hip replacement? That father?” Damn, his head was pounding so bad he could hardly stand it. A shark! Damn.

  “Ha! Your father’s new hip and my mother’s new knee are those titanium joint things. That probably makes them almost bionic. They can walk. If they can walk, they can do other things.”

  “My father would never…”

  “Yeah, well, neither would my mother. Your father is a lot bigger than my little mother. She only weighs a hundred pounds. Your father must weigh two hundred. I rest my case. Oh, please give me some of that coffee before my head explodes. This kitchen hurts my eyes.”

  Josh poured coffee. “Do you always complain like this so early in the morning? What’s wrong with this kitchen?” Josh asked, looking around the ancient kitchen.

  “It’s outdated for one thing, just like the store. I never saw a stove with legs. What the heck is that funky-looking round thing on top of your refrigerator? I don’t see a dishwasher. Not that it’s any of your business, but the only time I complain this early in the morning is when I’m hungover, which is almost never, and when my mother goes missing. Have you noticed we’re fighting?”

  “Everything works. We’re not fighting, I’m discussing things and you’re…Well, what you’re doing is complaining.”

  Josh gulped from his coffee cup. Angie did the same. The word noodling came to Josh’s mind. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if his old man had more action going for him than he did? He started to laugh at the thought. He shared his thought with Angie, who, despite her pounding head, also started to laugh. Sometimes he was so damn witty he couldn’t stand himself.

  Behind the kitchen door Eva and Angus listened to their offsprings’ mating call. At least that’s what Eva told Angus it was. Angus just shook his head. “She’s right about your kitchen, it’s a disgrace. You need to get with the program, Angus.”

  Angus nudged the door open a sliver and let his gaze roam around the kitchen. “I like things I’m comfortable with, and I’m comfortable with this kitchen. Everything works just fine.” Then, tongue in cheek, he said, “Your daughter doesn’t really know anything about you, does she, Eva? You are not naive, and you’re as worldly as they come, if last night was any sort of indicator. Does your daughter know how good you are at improvisation?”

  Eva giggled. “That will be enough of that, Angus. What are they doing now?”

  “My son is whispering in your daughter’s ear. That could mean any number of things. I suggest we go back to our chairs and let them find us. Pretend to be asleep.”

  Twenty minutes later, Eva reared up from her chair. “I don’t think it’s going to happen, Angus. They aren’t going to find us,” she said, limping over to the doorway. They’re gone. What time does your day lady come in? Do you think she can give me a ride home?”

  “She’s due right now. Of course she can take you home. Will you come back, or should I have her bring me to your house later on? Better yet, why don’t I call a car service so we can have a driver at our disposal. Will that work for you, Eva?”

  “Yes, I think it will. You have my cell phone number. Call me when your day gets under way.”

  Thirty minutes later Eva entered her own house. She stopped at the refrigerator for a bag of frozen peas, then made her way into the family room, where she settled herself in her favorite chair. She sighed with relief when the cold from the frozen peas seeped into her swollen knee. With the three Advil she’d just taken, she knew she would feel better in a little while. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Overhead she could hear the water gurgling in the pipes; Angie washing away the night’s activities.

  Soon after, Eva’s eyes snapped open when she felt a presence near her chair. “Did you have anything to eat, dear?”

  “No, but that’s okay, I’m not hungry. I’ll get a bagel or something in the food court later on. What are you going to do today, Mom?”

  “Well, Angus said he was going to hire a driver and come over later. We’re going to do our best to pitch in and help Josh with the store. I worry that Eagle’s will go under. If that happens, Angus will be destroyed. Did Josh…Is he still planning on going to England after New Year’s? Did he say?”

  Angie perched herself on the arm of the sofa and stared at her mother. “He’s still going. Mom, the guy tried for ten years to get Eagle’s off the ground. I think I’d pack it in after ten years myself. His father is a selfish old man. You can tell him I said that, too. You stayed there all night, didn’t you?” Her tone was so accusatory, Eva flinched.

  Eva brushed at the hair falling over her forehead and adjusted the bag of peas on her knee. “I think I’m a little past the stage where I have to account to you for my whereabouts, Angie. Where I was or wasn’t last night has nothing to do with our current situation. I’m sure you noticed I didn’t say anything to you about how you spent your night or the condition you were in. Because, my daughter, you are old enough to make your own decisions, and you are accountable for your actions. Now, run along so you aren’t late.”

  Angie bit down on her lower lip. She debated presenting an argument but didn’t think she could possibly win any war of words with her mother. “Mom, where are a
ll those cottage-industry magazines you subscribe to?”

  “In the basement in the cabinet over the washing machine. Why?”

  “I’m going to contact some of them. Everything for the most part is homemade. Small businesses like that have a hard time marketing their wares. I’m thinking…Now, this is just a thought…But maybe we can make this Christmas season a homemade, down-home Christmas. People love to buy things that are made by hand. If any of those little businesses have inventory, that will help us. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I really do. I worry that vendors won’t be able to get merchandise to you in time for the holidays. It might be too late, dear.”

  Angie stamped her foot. “No negative thinking, remember? Anyway, we won’t know if we don’t try. Josh wants to go off knowing he did the best he could. Failure isn’t an option at this point.” Angie pointed a finger at her mother and said, “Since you seem to have the inside track with Angus Eagle, it’s your job to keep him out of our hair so we can make it happen. The minute he sticks his nose into this venture, I’m outta there, and I feel confident in saying Josh will flip him the bird and leave on the spot. Do you think you can convey all that to Mr. Eagle? While you’re at it you should get him to work on that kitchen of his. In case, you know, you ever want to move in there.”

  A minute later, Eva could hear her daughter stomping her way to the basement. She made three trips carrying the boxes out to her car. One of the things she loved about her daughter was that she always followed through on things. If there was a way to make Eagle’s Department Store soar, Angie was the one to make it happen.

  The second Eva heard Angie drive off, she picked up the phone to call Angus. “I’m ready, Angus. Have your driver pick me up; we’re going to take a trip. And, Angus, bring your check book. Where are we going? To the Amish country, where we’re going to buy everything they have that’s for sale. We’re going to eat homemade bread, homemade soup and homemade pie for lunch. I’m excited, Angus. Almost as excited as I was last night. Like I said, I’m ready. I’ll be waiting on the porch. I don’t like to be kept waiting, Angus.” A low, throaty, intimate laugh erupted when she heard Angus’s reply.