up her cane and waved it around. “I didn’t know, I didn’t know. That’s all you’ve been saying for several days now. What did you know, if anything?” she asked sourly. “Look at the mess you’re in, and now I’m in the same mess because my daughter is going to be out of a job, and I’ll be losing my share of the profits. ‘I didn’t know’ is not good enough, Angus.”
Angus felt his shoulders start to shake. He choked up and turned to Eva. “It’s my only defense. I was so obsessed with the store, keeping it going, trying to stay ahead of all the upstarts coming into town. I didn’t want to fail my father. I see now where I was wrong. I’ll be honest with you, Eva. I don’t know what to do. ‘I’m sorry’ more or less falls into the same category as ‘I didn’t know.’ Can you help me?”
Eva leaned her cane against the sofa. “Was that so hard, Angus? Asking for help? This is the same position your son finds himself in right now. With a slight difference. He had the good sense to ask you for help, but you stomped on him. He’s the one you have to talk to, not me. If you don’t, you’re going to lose him. Open your heart and your mind, and if he calls you an old fart again, suck it up. We’re supposed to be older and wiser, the ones our children come to in need. I think that little ditty just reversed itself.”
Angus forced a laugh. Eva thought it the saddest sound she’d ever heard.
“How’d you get so smart, Eva?”
“By trying not to do the things you did. I had to think about my family. We weren’t well-off like you were. We struggled for everything. More than once Angie had to wait weeks when she needed new shoes. There were a lot of things she couldn’t have when she was younger because they cost too much money. My husband worked on an assembly line. We had a mortgage payment, car payments, appliance payments. Then we had to save for college. Until you leased me the gift wrap department, we barely made ends meet. I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Angus. I want your word that you are not going to interfere with the kids when they do whatever it is they’re going to do. Your word, Angus, or I’m leaving and will walk home, at which point I will collapse and my condition will be on your conscience.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Eva. You have my word. I’m not going to like what they’re going to do, am I?”
“Not one little bit!”
“Can you give me a clue, a hint?”
“Try this one on, they’re going to close the store and get rid of all that stuff that came over with the ark.”
“The merchandise? That represents money. What…What are they going to do with it?”
“My guess is there’s going to be one heck of a supersale followed by a bonfire somewhere real soon. Like I said, Angus, get over it.”
“What the hell, okay. Want to stay for dinner? Dolores is still with me, so you know there’s something delicious waiting.”
“I’d love to stay for dinner.”
“Do we have a date, then?”
“We do indeed have a date. Speaking of dates, Angie and Josh are going out for Chinese this evening. I rather imagine the two of them will be venting to one another about the two of us,” Eva said.
“Imagine that!”
“I think the two of them think you and I had an affair years ago,” Eva said, her face taking on a rosy hue.
Eyes twinkling, Angus said, “Imagine that!”
Eva laughed. “Yes, imagine that!”
Chapter Four
The Jade Pagoda was bustling when Josh held the door for Angie. They were shown to a table into the back section of the room that was separated from the other diners by strings of silver beads—beads that tinkled as the servers walked in and out. It was a pleasant sound, as was the fountain that trickled over lava rocks in the middle of the room. A smiling Buddha holding a fortune cookie sat atop the fountain, welcoming all guests.
“I come here sometimes just to relax,” Josh said, waving his arm about. “Win Lee told me if you rub the Buddha’s belly he’ll bring you good luck. For some reason, that little fat guy never worked for me.”
Angie smiled. “Maybe it’s because you aren’t Chinese.”
“Do you think?”
“No! I just said that to have something to say.”
“Do you come here often?”
“After my father died Mom and I used to come every Friday night. When she went to Florida to help my aunt I stopped coming, mainly because I don’t like to eat alone. When Mom finally came back we just never picked up where we left off. I agree with you, though, it is soothing and peaceful in here. People seem to whisper when they’re here. Then again, they might have some top-of-the-line acoustics.”
Josh held a chair for Angie before he took his own seat. “My mother wasn’t one of those warm, fuzzy mothers. I used to hang out at friends’ houses because I liked the way they interacted with their mothers. It sounds like you and your mother had a good relationship.”
“We did. Sort of. Kind of. I hated you and your family for a long time,” Angie blurted. “That…That probably colored my determination to fight you on the lease.”
Josh looked so shocked at her words, Angie hastened to explain. “My mother spent more time at your house than she did at her own. Every time I needed her, she was at your house. Back then I didn’t understand my family’s need for money. I also didn’t like it that my mother cleaned your house and cooked for you. Our dinners were always late. Then my mother would go back to your house to clean up after your dinner while I was the one who cleaned up ours. I wasn’t always as kind as I could have been to my mother. Of course I regret that now. My dad did his best.”
Josh blinked. He struggled to find something to say. “I guess I would have felt the same way. As a kid you just more or less take things for granted. I’m ashamed to admit I never thought about Eva in terms of having a family to take care of. She was just there sometimes. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, Angie.”
“Well, that was then, this is now. We were both kids back then. You know what they say, you can’t unring the bell. Isn’t it ironic that we’ve come together like this? Your father with his hip operation, Mom with her knee replacement. If it weren’t for that, you and I would still be battling one another. I guess everything happens for a reason.”
“So we have a truce. At least for now.”
“Yes. We have to make it all work. I think we can. Did you look over the suggestions I put in the box?”
“I did. Most of them are really good. I particularly like your idea to turn the gift wrap department into a Christmas wonderland. But the retail side of me can’t quite accept the idea that for a fee you’re willing to gift wrap merchandise from other stores.”
“The idea, Josh, is, those customers will browse the store and buy point-of-purchase merchandise with the money going into Eagle’s coffers. The gift wrapping is not going to be cheap, I can tell you that. Most of that money will now go into your coffers, too.”
Josh
