Aftershock

by K. G. MacGregor

  “We’re opening the books to auditors.”

  Anna blew out a breath. If Kimble’s books were as solid as she expected, financing the deal wouldn’t be a problem. The bigger roadblock would be paperwork, most of which Hal would have to handle.

  “I can send a team down on Monday morning. Is that soon enough?”

  “That works. I’ve had some interest from one of the national investor groups, but I’ll tell you up front that price isn’t my only concern. I’ve worked with this staff a long time, and I’d hate to see them pushed out for someone else’s people.”

  Anna would feel the same way if she were selling Premier, but she couldn’t do a deal that tied her hands with staffing. “You realize an acquisition only works for me if I can bring it under one management umbrella.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t have to mean mass layoffs. My people could help you.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I’ll be looking for you next Monday then.”

  “Thanks for your call, Ted.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ve always enjoyed my dealings with Premier.”

  “We feel the same about Desert Imports.”

  She hung up and twirled around in her seat. The financials were already set for the Sweeney acquisition, so Hal could easily shift his focus to Kimble. The downside was she had been looking forward to an easing of her workload once the Sweeney deal closed, but this would keep things in high gear for at least another two or three months. If she wanted time away with Lily, it had to be soon.

  She picked up the phone again and dialed the familiar number. “Pauline, it’s Anna Kaklis. I need to ask a favor. Do you have Lily’s calendar handy?”

  Hard at work on a brief, Lily slapped absently at the button for her speakerphone. “Lilian Stewart.”

  “Raw fish?”

  She smiled at once, recognizing Anna’s typically disjointed greeting. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Thanks for asking. Are you inviting me for sushi, or was that a reference to something else?”

  “The former, actually. But I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

  Things were smooth again between them after their flare-up over the weekend. They had spent all of Sunday afternoon in loving pursuits, and she had vowed to herself not to drink at all until Anna was comfortable it wasn’t a problem. “That sounds promising. What time will you be home?”

  “How about seven?”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “Oh, and I have a surprise for you . . . two, actually.”

  Lily changed into jeans as soon as she got home, anticipating Anna would do the same. But Anna never came inside, honking the horn from the driveway at ten till seven.

  “You’re early.”

  “I couldn’t wait,” Anna said. “I got a call today from Ted Kimble. He owns the BMW and VW dealerships in Palm Springs, and he’s looking for a buyer.”

  “Are you . . . ?”

  “We’re salivating. Our assets more than cover the risk.”

  “But I thought this was your long-range plan.”

  “It was, but these dealerships don’t come on the market all that often, especially with the investor groups buying up everything.”

  Lily listened as Anna excitedly described her new plan, including the likelihood they would keep the Palm Springs staff intact. The best news for Lily was that Anna didn’t expect it to put a strain on company resources, including her time. It was a profitable, turnkey operation, just like Premier Motors, she said.

  They reached their neighborhood sushi restaurant and went in, snagging a table for two in the center of the room. The waitress recognized them and hurried to take their order.

  “How about a dragon roll, a spicy tuna roll, a spider roll, four pieces of unagi, two salads with ginger dressing, two hot teas and edamame.” Lily looked over the menu at Anna. “You want anything?”

  Anna rolled her eyes and waved the waitress away. “One of these days I’m going to order a bento box and watch you try to eat all of that by yourself.”

  Lily stretched her hands across the small table and grasped Anna’s. “You said you had two surprises. What’s the other one?”

  “Oh yeah. I promised you another surprise, didn’t I?” She reached into her purse for a folder of documents, which she passed across the table.

  Lily recognized the papers as a travel portfolio and eagerly looked to see where they were going. “Maui! We’re going to Maui!” Her excited shouts turned the heads of several adjacent tables. “When?”

  “Next weekend. We leave Friday night at seven fifteen and come back on the redeye in time for work on Tuesday morning. I wanted it to be longer, but Pauline said you had a court date on Tuesday afternoon.”

  “You already called Pauline?”

  “I had to make sure you could go. I thought we could use some time away together.”

  Lily couldn’t contain her glee. It didn’t get any better than Maui with Anna. “You’re the best, you know.”

  “Yes, I know.” Anna winked. “I’m sorry I’ve been working so much lately. We’ll be wrapping up the Sweeney deal soon and things should calm down.”

  “Oh, believe me. This makes all of that worth it. I’m going to have you all to myself for three whole days on a beach and I’m not even going to let you think about cars.”

  Lily set out three mugs and poured coffee. She was glad to have her mother visiting, especially after Anna explained she needed to work most of the weekend.

  “It’s great you could come down with Bill. Where is his conference?”

  “He’s staying at one of the downtown hotels. But I saw his golf clubs in the trunk, so I don’t expect much conferencing.”

  Lily chuckled and eyed her mother’s basset hound, who watched her every move in the kitchen. “Did you feed Chester already?”

  “Yes, but he thinks if he looks sad enough, you’ll fry him some bacon.”

  “I doubt we even have any.” She addressed the dog. “Anna would go get you some, because she spoils you rotten.”

  “I do what?” Anna asked, sweeping into the kitchen and dropping her blazer on the counter. “I can’t believe you guys are up already. You were still talking after midnight.”

  Chester’s toenails clacked on the tile as he danced excitedly at seeing Anna. She responded by squatting and scratching his chin.

  “Mom hasn’t slept past six for as long as I’ve known her.”

  “Boy, it’s easy to tell you’re adopted,” Anna said, dodging Lily’s swat.

  “I think you ought to play hooky and come with us. We’re going up Strawberry Peak.”

  “I can’t.” Anna gulped her coffee and set the mug down. “I gave Brad the weekend off so he’d cover for me next weekend.”

  Lily turned to her mom. “Did I tell you we’re going to Maui?”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  Anna put on her blazer and picked up her car keys. “I hope you have a good time today.”

  “Don’t forget, Amazon. We’re going to your mom and dad’s for dinner at six, so I expect to see your smiling face by five thirty.”

  “I’ll be here.” Their plans set, Anna stole a quick peck on the lips and disappeared out the door.

  “I like her,” Eleanor declared, as if saying it for the first time. In fact, it was something she said often, a regular affirmation that she approved of Lily’s choice.

  “I like her too, Mom.” Lily finished making sandwiches, and filled sealable plastic bags with carrots, trail mix and orange sections. She then filled her two-liter Camelback water bladder, adding three one-liter bottles of water, and lifted the pack. It was heavier than what she usually carried, but not more than she could manage. “Are you ready?”

  “Do you have room for my camera in your daypack?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll take my turn carrying that thing, you know. Tell you what, you carry it until lunch then I’ll carry it the rest of the day.”

  Lily frowned. “But after lunch,
it will be practically empty.”

  “Yes, I know,” her mom deadpanned, walking out the door.

  Lily had picked a moderately challenging ten-mile hike for their outing. That would get them home by three, in plenty of time to rest a bit and get ready for dinner at the Kaklis home. She was looking forward to finally introducing her mother to Martine and George—especially George. Lily had the feeling her mother would handle him perfectly.

  They parked the SUV at the trailhead and gathered their things. Lily strapped on the pack, which her mother lightened immediately by removing a bottle of water.

  “Mom, can I ask you a personal question?”

  “I bet you want to know what’s up with Bill.”

  “Yeah. You used to talk about him all the time, but I get the impression you guys are cooling off.”

  Her mother chuckled. “I’m not sure you could say we ever heated up. I think he still misses Liz more than he’s willing to admit.”

  “They were married a long time, weren’t they?”

  “Twenty-eight years.”

  “It’s so ironic, an oncologist losing his wife to cancer.”

  “He says he felt helpless.”

  “That’s really sad.” Lily thought of Anna’s mother, and how difficult such a loss must have been for George. “Anna’s father married again four years after her mom died.”

  “Some people can do that. Others move on, but they go to a different place. Bill’s like that.”

  “But you still enjoy each other’s company?”

  “Very much. I think we’re both getting what we need.”

  Saddened by the melancholy in her mother’s voice, Lily hooked their arms as they trudged up the wide shaded path.

  Two and a half hours later, they were standing at the pinnacle of Strawberry Peak. From this vantage point, they could see the Pacific Ocean to the west, Mount Baldy to the east, and the entire LA basin. Or at least, they could have seen it, had it not been blanketed in smog. Still, it was beautiful and sunny where they stood.

  The peak was a stopping point for dozens of hikers and bikers, and Lily couldn’t resist asking another hiker to snap a picture of her with her mother, here in one of her favorite places. “I don’t think we’ve had our picture taken together since I graduated from law school.”

  “Then we should get copies made, so we can both have one.”

  “One of these days you’re going to have to break down and get a digital camera.”

  “But this one’s more fun,” her mother said, replacing the lens cap and dropping it inside the backpack. True to her word, she strapped on the pack for the return trip.

  “This has been such a great day. Hiking with you on the weekends is the thing I miss most about leaving home. I wish you could get down here more often.”

  “And you could come home too, you know.”

  “Yeah, maybe I will. Anna’s been so busy with work, and it’s probably going to pick up again for a while if she buys the dealerships in Palm Springs. Maybe I’ll come up in a couple of weeks and we’ll do the Priest Rock Trail.”

  As they descended in comfortable silence, Lily acknowledged her attitude about Anna working so much recently had softened considerably since the Maui surprise. She appreciated that Anna had recognized her frustration and done something about it. And Lily knew she had to respond in kind, by being more patient and understanding about the long hours. This was a short-term issue, and Anna needed her support.

  Anna’s slightly late arrival had her rushing to get ready, but by six, she was piling into the X3 with Lily, Eleanor and Bill for the short ride to her parents’ home. “What about Chester?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Eleanor said from the backseat.

  “Let’s bring him along,” she said, hopping back out before anyone could object. Chester was still near the front door, and she quickly clipped his leash in place and led him out to the car. “It’ll be fun to see how Jonah reacts. That’s my nephew,” she explained. “He hasn’t been around many dogs that I know of.”

  “How old is he?” Bill asked.

  “Ten months. He’s walking already.”

  When they arrived at the Kaklis home, Anna led them through the house to the patio, where everyone was gathered by the pool to watch Jonah splash in the water with his dad. She wanted to join them, but tonight was really about her parents meeting Eleanor.

  She put her arm around Lily’s mother and led her to the umbrella table, where her parents suddenly stood. “Eleanor Stewart, I’d like you to meet my mother, Martine, and my father, George.”

  “How do you do?”

  Martine addressed her warmly. “We’re very pleased to meet you, and so glad you could come. We think the world of your daughter.”

  “She feels the same way about you two.” Her eyes twinkled at George. “And she’s particularly fond of you.”

  Anna chuckled at her father’s obvious surprise. “And this is her friend, Bill Mueller. He drives a Mercedes,” she hissed.

  “We can fix that,” George said, extending his hand. “Just have Hal hold his head under water until he sees the light.”

  Bill laughed amiably. “Actually, my lease is up this month, and I thought I’d like to drive something different. The 750Li is one of the three cars that I’ve been studying.”

  “What are the other two?” Anna and George asked their question in perfect synchrony.

  “Well, I was looking at the Jaguar.”

  “They’re alien droppings,” George said, shaking his head.

  “What he means,” Anna interjected diplomatically, “is that you don’t see very many older Jaguars out there. They don’t exactly have a reputation for being well-built. What’s the other one?” It was the usual good guy-bad guy routine, but Bill didn’t seem to recognize it.

  “The other is the Cadillac.”

  “Ah, the Cadillac,” George remarked. “Well, there’s one good thing about driving a Cadillac.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Tell him, Anna.”

  “If you’re driving it, you can’t see how ugly it is.”

  Bill threw up his hands in surrender, laughing. “I suppose BMWs are the only cars anyone here recommends.”

  “Bill, if you really are considering the seven fifty, I can set you up tomorrow morning,” Anna offered. “Just tell me what color you want and I’ll have it ready to go by early afternoon. No pressure, but you can have the family discount—what I’d pay myself if I were buying it. You won’t get a deal like that anywhere.”

  “White.”

  “Purchase or lease?”

  “Lease.”

  “Three years or five?”

  “You pick.”

  “Three. That way, I get it back sooner to sell again.”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to turn in the Mercedes at the local dealer first thing tomorrow.”

  “Oh, no. We’ll deliver it for you. That’s our favorite part.”

  With business out of the way, Anna left Bill and her father to chat about the Greek Isles. Eleanor and Martine were off exploring the garden, and Lily was sitting with Kim by the pool. Suddenly aware of how tired she was, she stretched out in a lounge chair to relax. Chester nuzzled her hand before hopping up into her lap. It was idyllic, and striking in its contrast to how hectic things had been at the dealership since her father had stepped down.

  Chapter 6

  At noon on Sunday, Lily drove her mother and Chester to Premier Motors to meet Bill so they could get underway back to San Jose. Anna was waiting for them beside the new vehicle, beaming with obvious pride.

  “Drive carefully, Bill. When Lily got her X-three, I couldn’t keep her under eighty. And then there was that time out of Tahoe—”

  “Hush, Amazon! Are you trying to give my mom a heart attack?” Shaking her head, Lily turned to reassure her mother. “I’m a very careful driver.”

  “I know you are. So are you coming up in a couple of weeks like we talked about?”

  Lily lo
oked back at Anna to indicate they would discuss her plans later. “Yeah, I’m going to try to get up soon. I really enjoyed our hike yesterday.”

  “Me too, sweetie.” Eleanor wrapped her in a mighty hug. Next, she broke up the lovefest in the parking lot between Anna and Chester in order to extricate her hound.

  “You can leave Chester with us, Eleanor. We’ll bring him back one of these days.”

  “You can’t have my baby,” she said.

  Bill guided Chester into his crate, which he had strapped to the backseat. Immediately content, the dog settled down with his rawhide chew.

  After one last hug for Anna and Lily, Eleanor got in and rolled down the window. “Love you both.”

  “Love you too,” they shouted as they watched the sparkling BMW pull out.

  “You and your mom really had a good visit, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, it was too short though. But our hike yesterday was really special. We talked a lot. It was like the old days.”

  Anna put her arm around Lily’s shoulder as they walked back into the showroom. “I wish I could come home with you right now.”

  “You’re still the boss, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, but I need to stick around. I can’t leave Holly on her own just yet. She needs a little more management experience.”

  Lily knew Anna thought a lot of her new sales manager, but that Holly had trouble with paperwork. In fact, she and Holly had been working late together quite often to resolve errors.

  “What time do you think you’ll be home?”

  “I promise not to work too late. As soon as we get everyone off the lot, I’ll pack it in.”

  “I’ll make it worth your while, Amazon.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt.”

  Lily was relieved to hear that things had calmed down at Premier Motors, though Anna said it was only temporary. She was holding off on the offer for the dealerships in Palm Springs until they completed negotiations with Sweeney. But for at least a couple of weeks, it meant they had a home life again. Anna was sleeping in until six thirty and getting home in time to eat dinner together. Or, as was the case tonight, to have dinner with Kim and Hal at their home.