“It might.” Gwen leaned forward and took Beckett’s hands in her own. “I want you to buy it.”
“Me?” Beckett’s head snapped up. “I don’t have that kind of money. This place is worth millions. I struggle to cover my mortgage each month, let alone adding on a payment this large.”
“I figure the bank would love to look at profitability reports and expansion plans when you apply for a business loan. No one wants to have anyone from outside here run this place. I’ll cut you a good deal on it since you’re the reason we’re making as much profit as we are. If we lump the expansion funding and the financing into one loan, they might like it better.”
Beckett shook her head. “I appreciate this more than you can know. I’d love to do it, but I have the kids to think about. I don’t know if I can take such a risk. If it were just me, I’d jump on it, but I have to think of them first.”
“Think about it. Don’t say no yet.” Gwen released Beckett’s hand and leaned back in the chair, reaching for her purse and preparing to stand. “I’ll have my lawyer send over the sales proposal, and you should at least go talk to the bank to see what they say. Take two weeks to really vet it out and look into it. Will you do that for me?”
Nodding, Beckett offered a half-hearted smile. “I’ll do that much anyway.”
Chapter 2
Beckett collapsed onto the couch, exhausted from ten hours of work, followed by four hours of feeding two children, managing both third-grade homework and all the forms the school sent out, and getting said children bathed and in bed. She still wore the suit she’d put on at six that morning, and as she propped her feet up on the coffee table she noted absently she was in desperate need of a pedicure.
She idly thought about turning on the television but discarded the notion quickly, knowing she’d only be frustrated with how far behind she was on the few shows she enjoyed. Sighing deeply, she leaned forward enough to slide her arms out of the sleeves of her blazer and draped the fabric over the arm of the couch. She angled her head toward the kitchen and groaned at the sight of the dishes still on the table from her hastily thrown together chicken strips with mac and cheese.
Forcing herself to climb to her feet and stumble into the kitchen to deal with the mess, Beckett had just pushed the button to start the dishwasher when her front door opened. Leaning around the wall, she mustered up a smile for her brother-in-law and jerked her head toward the kitchen.
“Come on in. There’s cold macaroni and cheese, if you’re hungry. The kids ate all the chicken strips.”
Caleb, younger than Murphy by just a year and the middle of the remaining McKenzie boys, grinned and crossed the living room to drop into one of her kitchen chairs. “Busy day?”
“I ended up working two hours past closing. We’re swamped this week, and I’m down a massage therapist. There was a spat between two of my hair girls. If they don’t stop it soon, I’m going to have to yell at them some more, and I really don’t like yelling.”
“Sounds like a hell of a day.” Caleb lifted his feet into one of the other chairs, crossing one cowboy boot over the other. “Murphy said he did child transport this morning.”
“I was planning to do it myself, but my very enterprising seven-year-old figured out how to turn off the alarm on my phone, thinking if he kept me from waking up in time they wouldn’t have to go to school today.”
“Rhys is too smart. That’s a good one. I wish I’d have tried it when we were kids.”
Beckett glared at him. “Don’t even mention such things. I’m amazed Alan and Cassie survived raising the four of you boys.”
“There was a lot of space with Ryan being twelve years older than me. They knew all the tricks by the time Jackson, Murphy, and I made our appearances.”
“I never think about you guys being so far apart.”
“That’s because my cradle-robbing brother was seventeen years older than you.” Caleb accepted the bottle of beer Beckett held out. “What were you? Nineteen when you married him?”
“I was eighteen and working as a waitress outside the base. He came in with a bunch of his buddies. He was so handsome.” Beckett smiled at the memory, leaning against the sink and thinking back to when she’d met Ryan. “God, I was such a kid.”
Caleb chuckled and took a drink of his beer. “I’ve never seen my mother madder then when he called to tell her you were married after four months.”
Beckett laughed and plucked a bottle of wine from the fridge, deftly uncorking it and pouring herself a glass. “I can only imagine. Luckily, she forgave me when I got pregnant.”
“Rhys was the only thing that could make her forgive you for your elopement.” Caleb looked around the kitchen. “And look at you now. Good job, your own house, two great kids, and the best brothers-in-law a girl could ever ask for. You’ve got it made, babe.”
“I don’t know about best brothers-in-law, but everything else is accurate.” She grinned at him. “I wouldn’t have made it through these past few years without you and your family. Cassie and Alan have been amazing. You and Murph and Jax haven’t been too shabby, either.”
“We try.”
Shaking her head to clear the memories, Beckett sipped her wine. “Enough reminiscing. Mrs. D came by Vive today. She’s selling the salon, packing up, and moving Frank to Florida.”
“No way! Mrs. D?” Caleb barked a laugh and took a swig of the beer. “I don’t believe you. That old bat’s been here since before Maine was a state.”
“It’s true. She asked me to buy the salon. I think I may have blacked out for a minute, but I have a vague memory of her asking me to put together profitability reports and projections for expansion to take to the bank and see if I can get a loan. There are supposedly papers coming over from her lawyer outlining what she wants.”
“Mrs. D wants you to buy the salon?” Caleb whistled. “Wow. That’s got to be a pile of money.”
“There’s no way in hell I can do it. I do the books. I know what the place brings in and what it all costs. I haven’t looked at the offer yet, but I know it’s got to be at least two million, maybe more. She’s owned the building forever, so I don’t know what the appraisal is on it.”
“You have the life insurance from Ryan. He had a good policy. And there’s some death benefits from the Army aren’t there?”
“Not millions of dollars worth. I put every penny from the life insurance into a savings account for the kids.” She paused to take a sip of wine, then corrected herself. “Well, I used a little to live on the first couple years, but the rest is for them. What I get from his death benefits for me and the kids is put into savings and their college funds. “She drained her glass and went back to the fridge to pour another. “Need more beer?”
“I’m driving.” He placed the empty bottle in the garbage and trailed into the living room, Beckett following him. “What’ll happen if you don’t do this?”
“She’ll find another buyer. There’s a lot to be done there. I was working on expanding to include a café, and I’d like to start doing home parties with massages, make-up, et cetera. I think it’d be popular with the bachelorette crowd.” She stopped and shook her head. “And here I go again with all the plans I was going to talk Mrs. D into green-lighting. Maybe the new buyers will like the ideas, too.”
“It’s a good idea.”
“I know it is.”
Beckett dropped onto the couch and pulled her legs up, tucking them beneath her, the glass of wine dangling from her fingers. Resting her other arm along the back of the couch and turning to face Caleb, she allowed herself the indulgence of telling him the rest of her ideas.
“The gift shop needs expanded. I’d like to start stocking some books. Think about it. Someone comes in to get their nails done and the café is just there. It’s easy to pick up a book or magazine in the shop, get a table in the café or out on the veranda I want to build, and whittle away an afternoon. The next step would be a health club. One stop shop. Go to the gym, get lunch, oh h
ey, I need a haircut.”
Caleb interjected then, reaching out to pay his hand on her arm. “Why don’t you try to buy it, then? At least see if you could afford it with the money you’d have coming in from the salon.”
“I wish I could do it. I’ve crunched the numbers and started the projections. It could quadruple profits in five years. Bar Harbor pulls in so much business from the cruise ships and tourist crowd it doesn’t take much to get people across the causeway and into Trenton. It could be profitable.”
“I don’t doubt that for a minute. You’ve done a hell of a job with the place in the four years you’ve been there. Mrs. D raves about it every time she comes in to ogle Murphy’s butt.”
“She ogles yours just as much.”
“Beside the point. Point is, is there anything we can do to help you get this?”
Beckett laughed. “I love you for offering, but I don’t think so. I manage a salon, you’re the high school history teacher and football coach, Murphy owns the garage and your parents own a construction company. It’s not like any of us are rich.”
“I have some savings. We’re family, Beck. Any of us would invest in you, you know that.”
“I do. But I’m not asking you to. There’s a lot of risk associated with taking on a business like this. If we have another market crash it could easily go under. We’re barely recovered from the last one. Mrs. D had four years of operating in the red. It’s only been back in the black for three years now.”
“Hypothetically speaking, what would you need for a down payment?”
“Twenty percent of the purchase price. If I scraped my savings dry, drained the kids’ savings, used every single penny of all the life insurance I got after Ryan died, and cashed in my IRA I’d have almost half a million. And by almost I mean sixty percent.”
Caleb whistled under his breath. “Don’t make a decision just yet. If you’re willing, I’d like to talk to Mom and Dad. Mom loves Vive and has for years. If they’re okay with it and it all makes sense, would you at least be up for talking to them about investing together?”
Beckett nodded slowly. “I could do that. Mrs. D gave me some time to think it over, so nothing has to be decided tonight.” She turned sideways and laid her feet across his lap, sinking down to lay her head on the arm of the couch. “I totally spaced on why you came by. What’s up?”
“You’re on my way home, and I thought I’d stop by for a few. The team is looking real good this year. I think we might have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe you can bring the kids down to watch Friday night?”
“We wouldn’t dream of missing the first game of the season. Especially not when Uncle Caleb is coaching. Is Murph helping this year?”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “He’s doing his version of helping, which is advising them on girls and goofing off like he’s still in high school.”
Snorting, Beckett reached for her glass of wine and drank deeply. “Because you are just the pinnacle of maturity and good behavior. Wasn’t it just this past Saturday night I was hauling both your drunken asses home from that crappy bar downtown?”
“There’s nothing at all crappy about Johnny’s.” Defensively, Caleb glared at her. “And nothing at all wrong with two grown men having a few beers with some friends.”
“Nope, nothing wrong with it at all. But when a few becomes a few too many and hanging out with friends becomes drunkenly singing karaoke and getting into a scuffle with the local riffraff over which of you is going to hit on Missy Stevenson first, it’s a bit of a problem. Missy’s husband would have broken you all into pieces, by the way. I’ve seen him when he brings her in to get her hair colored. He’s bigger than you and Murphy put together.”
Caleb chuckled. “It was fun.”
“The McKenzie brothers. They will all always be wearing cowboy boots, jeans, plaid shirts, and have hair in need of cutting. Teenage girls’ hearts still go pitter patter when any of them walks by.” Beckett laughed and drained her wine. “How in the world do you manage to teach girls at school? Don’t they all fawn over you all the time?”
“Well, I can’t wear jeans and boots to work, so that must be the difference. They’re immune to me when I’m wearing khakis and polos.” He patted her knee and moved her legs out of his lap. “I should get home. Murphy’s likely wondering where I’ve wandered off to, and the dog’ll be wanting fed by now. Do you want me to pick the kids up on my way to school tomorrow?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got them. I plugged in an alarm clock. It’s old technology. The kids won’t know what to do with it.”
“Sneaky.” Caleb leaned down and brushed a kiss over her forehead, squeezing her shoulder before striding to the door. “Lock up after me.”
Chapter 3
Beckett glanced up when Halle knocked on the door, waving the younger woman in. “What’s up?”
“Mrs. D’s lawyer sent over some papers for you to look at. The accountant sent the reports you asked for, and there’s a package that arrived from an architect in Portland.”
“Busy day.”
“I know something’s going on. Mrs. D never just stops by, and you’ve been stressed out ever since she was here. Now there are lawyer papers coming over.” Halle shifted uncomfortably. “Am I going to lose my job? Because if I am, tell me now so I can start looking.”
“You’re not losing your job. Mrs. D is retiring, so there’s some logistical stuff going on behind the scenes. The paperwork from the accountant and the architect I had requested before I knew about the other. I was planning to pitch an expansion to Mrs. D, and now I’m just gathering all my proposals so they’re ready for whatever happens.” Beckett gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “No one is losing their job. I promise.”
Halle sank gratefully into the plush chair. “Thank God! I don’t know what I’d do without this place. You guys have become more like my friends than my employers, and all the staff is so nice and has always been great to me. I can’t imagine ever working any place else.” She sniffed. “Not many people would take a chance on a girl who dropped out of high school after getting knocked up.”
Beckett folded her hands on the desk. “And I made you get your GED as a condition of employment, now didn’t I?” She smiled softly. “When Mrs. D hired me, I had a screaming baby and a toddler at home. We all pay it forward. Someday you’ll give a chance to another girl who needs it because you’ll remember the one you got.”
Halle wrung her hands together. “Do you know who’s going to buy this place? What if it’s someone who’s going to change everything? Or some company that just cares about making money?” She dropped her hands to her sides and rubbed her palms on her pant legs, tears shining in her eyes. “I just don’t know if I could stand someone changing everything you’ve built!”
“I don’t know. There are a couple things in the works. We’ll see what happens when we get to it. “Beckett leaned back in the chair and toed off her heels, enjoying the plush carpet beneath her toes. “Don’t worry about it too much and certainly don’t tell any of the other staff.”
“My lips are sealed. I called the staff meeting you wanted. Everyone is clear at four this afternoon and will be waiting for you in the conference room.” Cocking her head, Halle studied Beckett closely. “Can I ask what the meeting is about? Or is it a secret, too?”
“No secret. I got Mrs. D to sign off on moving to an employment model. I’m passing out information on it. It’ll save everyone money on health insurance, ensure some vacation and sick leave, and end up making Vive more money. No more worrying about people reporting their books accurately, which none of them do.”
Halle snorted. “Would you?”
“Not a chance in hell.” Beckett grinned. “I know the tricks of the trade. Mrs. D doesn’t.” She fiddled with the ends of her hair, scowling at the red strands. “Would you schedule me for a haircut and mani/pedi sometime this week? Maybe on my lunch?”
“Sure.” Halle stood, taking that as her cue. “I’ll put it on your ca
lendar.”
****
“As you all know, there have been some issues around here lately regarding scheduling, hours, clientele retention and so on.” Beckett lifted her voice so all of the staff could hear her, her eyes raking over the gathered group. “I’ve discussed the conflicts with Mrs. DeLaurentis. After much discussion and thought, she has signed off on the plan to transition Vive from working with independent contractors to a traditional employee approach.”
While waiting for the expected grumblings to quiet down, Beckett surveyed the crowd. Most of the staff was waiting for her to continue, but several, including Paulina, were loudly complaining about the announcement. After giving them a full thirty seconds to vent, Beckett held up her hand.
“I know there are going to be a lot of questions and concerns about a move like this one. It’s not something we take lightly, and this has been in the works for a long time. We’ve done the research to know we’ll all likely be better off.”
“If Vive is going to be better off, you can bet your ass we’ll be taking home less money.” Paulina crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “I don’t want anyone telling me when I work.”
“You’re already limited to the hours Vive is open, so it won’t make much of a difference in the hours you’re working. The goal is for every person in this room to transition and grow with us. Your tips will still be your own. We’ll install central computer systems in each area and hire a dedicated scheduler and receptionist for each branch. That way there’s no doubt about how many clients each person has, how much they’re making, and the hours being worked.” Beckett placed her hands on her hips and nodded to Halle. “Halle is passing around a chart with the breakdown of pay and benefits.”
Paulina again drew the attention of the room. “If you think I’m going to be someone’s employee, you’ve got another thing coming. There’s no reason for this. We’re all accountable and work fine under the contractor system.”
Getting frustrated, Beckett crossed her own arms to mirror the stance of the other woman. “Is that so? Then why is it you report only about sixty percent of your appointments?” When she was met with stunned silence, she continued. “There’s the issue. You’re not the only one who does it. Our monthly statement from the security company even shows some of you coming and going after hours. I know how much it sucks to get a client and know ten percent of everything I make is going to the owner plus my chair rent. But without Vive here keeping everything maintained, running smoothly, and advertising to bring in the clients, you’d all be a hell of a lot worse off. Including you, Paulina.”
The Soldier's Wife Page 3
