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 Hopelessly outdated.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 guess 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.
In spite of himself, Josh was intrigued. “It’s the middle of September, Angie.”
“That’s almost two months until the Christmas season kicks off. If we hunker down, with no interference, I think we might be able to make this a banner season. I’m game if you are.” Angie waited, hardly daring to breathe, waiting for Josh’s answer.
“I guess I owe my old man one more shot at it. If nothing else but to prove I wasn’t a know-it-all. If, and it’s a big if, we pull it off, I’m still leaving for London after the first
