Josh took that moment to look in their direction. He looked so guilty even Eva had a hard time defending his actions.
Together, mother and daughter marched off, Josh calling their names. “Walk slower, Angie. I cannot run. And if you run, he’ll know you’re upset.”
“Damn it, Mom, I am upset. I’m here busting my butt, working round the clock for that jerk so he can prove to his father that he knows what he’s doing. We have a date on Saturday. Won’t it be interesting to see how he wiggles out of it. I was starting to trust that jerk! Did you hear me, Mom?”
“Sweetie, I think the whole store can hear you.”
“Guess what, Mom, I don’t care! I’m going home. Don’t worry, I’ll be back at some point. If that Halloween stuff I ordered arrives, just unpack it. I’ll see you later.”
“Angie, I don’t think going home…”
“Don’t say it, Mom. Don’t call me, either. I’m going to try and catch a few hours of sleep. I was here all night.”
Eva, her heart heavy, watched her daughter as she made her way down the dim hallway that led to the Eagle’s loading dock. She looked behind her to see if Josh was anywhere in sight. He wasn’t.
Angus had only to look at Eva’s face to know something was wrong. “Do you want to tell me about it, or are you going to wear a hole in this new carpet?”
“Your son! He’s a cad! He’s out there on the floor kissing some long-legged woman who looks like she’s been varnished, then shellacked. It seems he has a faulty memory. He has…I guess I should say, had, a date with Angie for Saturday evening, and that shellacked person stopped by to confirm her date with your son for the Harvest Ball on Saturday. I’m going home. You can have your son take you home. I don’t know if I’ll be back or not.”
“Eva…wait!”
“Don’t talk to me right now, Angus. Talk to that son of yours.”
Angus heaved himself out of the rocker. He wondered how in a few short moments things could go from wonderful to terrible. He looked up to see the terrible end of things approaching at breakneck speed, a look of pure panic on his face. For some unexplained reason, the panicked expression on his son’s face pleased Angus.
“Where’s Angie, Dad? Did you see her? Is Eva here?”
“Is something wrong, son?” Angus asked.
“Hell yes, something is wrong. Angie caught—saw Vickie Summers kissing me. At least I think that’s what she saw. Don’t even ask me how Vickie got into the store. That woman can do anything she sets her mind to. I don’t know how long Angie…What I mean is I don’t know what she heard…She wanted…She thinks…I’m not doing it…She won’t take no…Where the hell is Angie? I know her mother said something to you. You two are joined at the hip these days. What’d she say, Dad?”
A devil perched itself on Angus’s shoulder. “You don’t want to know, son. It will only upset you. You can’t dangle two women on a string, Joshua. I think I told you that when you were sixteen, and girls were throwing themselves at you. You should have listened to me back then. Sit down, Joshua.”
Josh recognized the iron command. In no way was it an invitation. He sat down in one of the rockers. “What? I think I’m a little old for a lesson on romance. Where did Angie go, Dad? She was pissed off, wasn’t she?”
“No, son, she was hurt and humiliated. If the situation were reversed, how do you think you would feel?”
“Okay, okay, I get the point. Look, I didn’t invite Vickie here. Like I said, I don’t have a clue how she got into the store. I haven’t seen her in…months. Actually, the last time I spoke to her was back in April. I did not invite her to the Harvest Ball. I didn’t, Dad. That’s the truth. Before I knew what was happening, she planted a lip-lock on me and I had a hell of a time pushing her away. That’s when I saw Angie watching. If you know where Angie is, you better tell me, Dad, or I’m walking out of here and never coming back. I’m serious. She’s my girl! I want to get to know her better. Hell, I think I want to marry her. I can’t pull this off,” he said, waving his arms about, “without her. Will you help me out already for God’s sake?” Josh pleaded.
Lip-lock? It must be a new term for kissing. The devil on Angus’s shoulder started a lively dance. Marriage. Maybe he’d get to rock in a chair with his very own grandchild. He just knew he was going to make a wonderful grandfather. Then he remembered the look on Eva’s face and the way she’d said, your son, like he was the Devil incarnate.
Angus pulled his pipe out of his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed on the stem, his eyes on his son. “I’m too old to be offering advice. You’re on your own, son!”
“That’s it? I’m dying here, and you’re telling me I’m on my own? What’s wrong with this picture? Thanks for nothing, Dad.”
Angus removed the pipe clenched between his teeth, and stared at it. “In my day, which was a lifetime ago, a fella would crawl on his knees, flowers in hand and the truth on his lips. If that didn’t work, then the fella would throw a pebble at her bedroom window at night, and when she opened the window he’d sing her a song. Doesn’t matter if the fella sounds like a frog. It’s the thought that counts.”
Josh was listening intently. “Yeah, yeah, what else would that fella do?”
Angus shrugged. “I never got beyond the singing part.” He watched his son out of the corner of his eye and was pleased at what he was seeing.
“How far did you have to crawl?”
Angus wanted to laugh out loud, but he didn’t. “Up the walkway, up the steps, across the porch, and into the foyer. She kicked me out. I got two holes in my trousers for my efforts.”
Josh looked down at his jeans. They were sturdy. What’s a few holes? I can always buy another pair. “Thanks, Dad! I knew I could count on you. Take care of things, okay? I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Angus was so pleased with himself he made his way out to the loading dock, where he fired up his pipe and smoked contentedly. There was a lot to be said for experience.
Eva opened the front door. How quiet the house was. The first thing she saw was the brown envelope on the foyer table. It had enough stamps on it to go around the world at least three times. Eva’s heart fluttered when she looked down at the address on the envelope. In a few minutes the mailman would be here to deliver the mail.
“Angie!”
“I’m up here, Mom. Do me a favor,” she called down. “I see the mailman coming up the street. Give him the envelope on the table.”
“Sure, honey.” Eva picked up the envelope and slid it into the drawer of the table. The only way Angie could see the mailman was if she was sitting on the window seat in her room. Crying, from the way she sounded. Carrying out her charade, Eva opened the door a few moments later to accept the mail. She commented on the weather for a minute, then closed the door.
She called upstairs. “Angie, come down and talk to me. You know I can’t do the stairs comfortably. Please.”
Eva was right, she saw as Angie descended the stairs and stood next to her—her daughter had been crying. “How about a nice cup of hot tea? Tea always makes things better. At least that’s what my mother always said.” She wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulder and led her into the kitchen.
“I don’t want to talk about this, Mom.”
As Eva bustled about the kitchen, she said, “Well, I for one can certainly understand that. Men are so callow. They don’t have the same feelings women have. I guess that might be a good thing. I think I would be remiss as a mother if I didn’t point out to you that there are two sides to everything. You should ask yourself how that young woman got into the store. If she came uninvited, then you can’t blame Josh for that. Ask yourself if Josh acted like he was enjoying the meeting. He looked kind of stiff to me, like he didn’t want her there, but that’s just this old lady’s opinion. I didn’t see him return her kiss. He just stood there. That’s the way I saw it. You only heard the young woman say they had a date for the Harves
t Ball. You didn’t hear Josh agree, now, did you?”
“Whose side are you on, Mom?” Angie sniffed.
“The right side. I happen to think Josh is a stand-up kind of guy. He didn’t beat around the bush the day he eavesdropped on you. He fessed right up, didn’t he? It’s when things fester that the problem gets out of hand. In short, my dear, I think you saw something you never should have seen. Having said that, it probably meant nothing. That’s why you shouldn’t have seen it—because you reacted without giving Josh a chance to explain or defend his actions. Now, drink your tea.”
Angie picked at the fringe on the green-checkered placemat. “So what you’re saying is I should go back to the store and wait for Josh to come to me and…explain what I saw.”
“See! Now you’re getting it! Yes, in my opinion, that’s what you should do. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder what he would have said. You did tell me you really liked Josh. You told me you dream about him. He might be the one, Angie.”
“She kissed him. You saw her. Kissing is…Kissing is…”
“Quite wonderful, depending on who is doing the kissing. I did not see Josh returning the kiss in question. There was no passion there that I could see. No reciprocity. That’s about all I have to say, Angie. Think this all through, and don’t throw away something on a jealous whim that could otherwise turn out to be wonderful.”
The doorbell rang, cutting off whatever Angie’s response was going to be.
“I’ll get it, and then I’m going back to the store,” Eva said. “Finish your tea. By the way, I won’t be home for dinner this evening. Angus and I are going out for Japanese. He loves the knife show the chefs provide.”
Outside, after Josh Eagle had run up to the Bradfords’ front porch and rung the bell, he ran down the steps and out to the walkway, where he dropped to his knees. He sucked in his breath and proceeded to knee-walk his way to the Bradford front porch the moment the front door opened.
“Angie! Angie! Come quick! Hurry, dear!”
Thinking her mother fell or banged her knee, Angie barreled to the foyer. She almost screamed in relief when she saw that Eva was all right. She turned and looked where her mother was pointing. Her jaw dropped at what she was seeing. Josh waved. Angie, more or less, wiggled her index finger as she watched the man’s progress. She could tell it was slow going for the tall man on his knees.
Eva tactfully withdrew and left by the kitchen door. She peeked around the corner of the house. He was still crawling. She laughed all the way to her car.
Angie walked out to the porch, her arms across her chest to ward off the October chill. By the time Josh reached the steps, Angie took pity on him and motioned for him to get up. “Do you mind telling me what you’re doing?” There was a bit of frost in her tone that did not go unnoticed by Josh.
Josh struggled to his feet. “Angie, look, what you saw…It wasn’t…It isn’t what you think. Vickie is someone I used to know. And I didn’t know her that well. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since way back in April. She was looking for an escort to take her to the Harvest Ball. I have to assume I was a last resort because I never pretended to be anything other than a distant friend. She kisses everyone. I just found out that she bribed one of the workers with twenty bucks to let her into the store. If you hadn’t turned tail and run, you would have heard me tell her I was seeing someone and had other plans for Saturday evening. So, are you okay with this? Please tell me you’re okay with this so I don’t have to do that singing thing under your window tonight.” Josh wondered if he looked as exhausted as he felt. Would Angie take pity on him? Childishly, he crossed his fingers.
He was seeing someone and had other plans. That almost makes us a couple. It sounds like we are a couple. “I didn’t know you could sing. Do you want a cup of tea or a beer? I can make some coffee.”
“I’ll take a beer and I can’t sing. My father…”
“Offered you advice. Yeah, my mother stepped in and offered some, too. Okay, you’re off the hook.”
“Thank God! I’m going to have to guzzle that beer and get back to the store. Are you staying home?”
“No. I just got…miffed and came home. I did…I think I did something I might come to regret. I reacted and I…I signed that damn contract and it went off in the mail. The mailman came a little while ago, and Mom gave it to him.”
Josh looked at her as though she’d sprouted a second head. “You were that angry? Damn, now what are you going to do? Are you sorry you sent it off?”
“Yes. Yes, a hundred times yes. I was going to call tomorrow and explain that I wouldn’t be accepting the position. I never did tell my mother.”
“Get your coat. Maybe we can catch the mailman. Do you know in which direction he goes when he finishes up your street? Never mind, you go one way and I’ll go the other. It’s still early so he won’t be returning to the post office. If I find him first, he won’t give it to me, so I’ll call you on your cell. If you find him first, call me and I’ll meet up with you.”
Thirty minutes later the couple sat down on Angie’s front steps. “He said Mom never gave him any mail. That has to mean she knows and kept the envelope or hid it. Parents are so devious,” Angie groused.
“Oh, I don’t know, sometimes they’re pretty smart. Your mother saved your butt by not mailing that contract. My father gave me some shitty advice, but here we are with a better understanding of what’s going on.” Josh reached for Angie’s hand and squeezed it.
“I think your father and my mother are going to end up together. They get along so well. And, they’re great company for one another. Tonight they’re going out for Japanese food. I’m okay with it, are you?”
“Yeah, you bet. My father is a different man these days. He hasn’t given me one moment of grief as the bills come in. I think it’s all due to your mother.” This last was said so shyly, Angie smiled.
Angie held up her hand palm out and high-fived Josh. “To our parents!”
“To our parents and to us.”
A red ring of heat popped up on Angie’s neck. Then it crept up to her cheeks. She didn’t know what else to do, so she smiled.
Chapter Eight
On a cold, blustery November day, everything Eagle swung into high gear. Announcers on the local airwaves invited shoppers to soar with the Eagle and avail themselves of the hospitality that was being offered by the Eagle family to all the families the store had served in the last hundred years.
Flyers and giveaways were handed out at all the mall entrances and parking lot to entice people into the store. There were flyers for the day care unit, flyers for the knitting and cooking classes. Flyers for sale after sale on just about every item in the store.
When the doors opened at ten o’clock, Josh, attired in a power suit and tie, stood next to his father to welcome and greet old and new customers alike.
Standing on the sidelines, Eva and Angie sighed with relief as shoppers flooded the main floor. They watched for a while, amazed and delighted that all their hard work was paying off with cash register activity. “I think we did okay, Mom. Now, if the merchandise keeps flowing in, and no one screws up, we just might make it through the holiday season and, if we’re lucky, pay the bills and maybe show a tiny profit. If we’re lucky,” she repeated.
“Honey, we agreed, no negative thoughts. I have to get back to the second floor. We have a good crew to help with the kids. I’ll see you later.”
Angie meandered over to the cosmetics counter. She was pleased to see the free Vera Wang samples going like hotcakes and being followed up by sales. She looked around and realized the salesgirl had been right. Too much variety and people can’t decide, so they walk away. Her advice had been to go with three manufacturers, and it now looked like she was right.
Josh had taken the salesgirl’s advice to heart and instructed the few new buyers he’d hired to do the same thing. It looked like the strategy was working throughout the store.
Angie was so pleased with the way t
hings were going, she gave herself a mental pat on the back as she walked the floor, hoping to hear comments or criticisms she could relay to Josh. She moved over closer to the door to better observe Josh and his father. How tired they both looked. But it seemed to her like a happy kind of tiredness.
Angie crossed her fingers that things would continue through the end of the year. Her eyes were everywhere as she continued to meander around, then made her way back to the front door, where she leaned up to whisper in Josh’s ear. “Your father needs to get off his feet. Tell him to go up to the day care so he can sit down in one of the rockers. I can take his place if you like.”
“I like. How’s it going?”
“I think it’s going very well. The big fishbowl for the nine o’clock drawing is almost filled. When school lets out, the kids will be here in droves in the hopes of winning the iPod. The safari department appears to be doing a brisk business. Cruise wear is beyond brisk. It’s happening, Josh. How much longer are you going to do this meet and greet?”
“Not a minute longer. I want to check the stockroom. What’s on your schedule?”
“I’m going to float around, check on Mom and your dad, that kind of thing. If Bess needs me in gift wrap, I’ll help out. It’s really working, Josh,” she whispered.
“Because of you,” Josh whispered in return. “When you’re done, why don’t you meet me in the stockroom?”
Angie wiggled her eyebrows. “That’s one of the nicest invitations I’ve ever gotten. I’ll be there. Wait for me.”
Angie thought her heart would leap right out of her chest when she heard him say, “Forever if I have to.”
Angie flew to the second floor. She skidded to a stop at the small desk to take in the scene in front of her. Angus and Eva rocking chubby babies, who were gurgling and cooing as Eva sang a lullaby. Angus looked so contented and peaceful, she felt a lump rise in her throat. Toddlers crawled through a maze of colored plastic tunnels, giggling and laughing. Infants in swings, their eyes following the mobiles overhead. Juice and cookies were being laid out on the play tables, after which it would be nap time. When she left the area her only thought was that the day care was going to net a profit. She couldn’t wait to share her thoughts with Josh.
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