“Sure. We know the layout and the faces of some of the players. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
The three men nod.
“Can you get us a key to the room at the Ritz?” James asks.
“Sure. Take mine right now. I’ll grab another at the front desk.” Eddie slides the key to the hotel suite across the sticky speakeasy table. Frankie pockets it.
“So we’ve got who and how. All we need to figure out is when,” Eddie says. “I got something cooking with the Lanzettas. It might spook them if Mickey’s offed. They think that he’s driving the deal when he don’t know nuthin about it.”
Eddie sees Frankie’s raised eyebrow.
“And you don’t need to know nuthin about it neither. Let me get everything set with them, and then you pay a call on Duffy.”
“Yeah, we’ll roll out the welcome wagon.” The Bailey’s snicker.
What a couple of bozos. If I didn’t need to give myself an alibi, I’d shoot Mickey myself. But there’s no way the fellas would follow me if I was the one that actually pulled the trigger. Naw, I gotta play it cool. When these guys get the job done, I’ll plug ‘em. Less witnesses the better.
Chapter 53
I t’s so difficult for courting couples to find privacy. Maggie and Ron are snuggled in the front seat of his car. They’ve snuck away from work for a long lunch, and gone for a drive out of town. Seeing the perfect view, Ron has pulled the car off the turnpike and wandered down a back road to find a quiet spot.
“Mmmm, this is nice,” Ron says, nuzzling Maggie’s hair.
Maggie pushes away from him and turns to face him. “Ron, I have something to ask you.”
“Are you going to ask me to marry you?” His eyes twinkle.
“No, silly. But I do have an important question that involves our future.”
Ron squares himself, hearing the serious tone in Maggie’s voice.
“Okay. What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Ron, we’ve been working together for two years. I know, in that time, that you’ve had a lot of pressure from your father to make a decision about joining the family firm.”
Ron nods. “Are you sure you want to talk business on such a beautiful day?”
“This needs to be said, Ron. I’m so grateful that you’ve stuck by me since Father passed. I couldn’t have kept going without you,” Maggie says, her voice choked with emotion.
“I’d do anything for you, sweetheart, you know that.” Ron tries to take Maggie in his arms, but she pushes him away.
“Hang on, I’m not finished yet. I’m hoping that you might consider something more permanent.”
He tilts his head, a puzzled look on his face.
“Would you consider joining the firm as a partner?”
“You want to bring me in as a partner?” Ron sits back, really considering the offer. “You know, when you got all serious and started talking about the future, I thought you wanted to talk about having children. But a business partnership? That’s caught me off guard.”
We’ll have to have the children talk soon. I have a fifteen year old son. I may be too old to have another child. Maggie tucks the idea away for another time. “What do you think of the idea? You’ve often said you like a small firm. And it’s going to take both our steady hands on the tiller if we’re going to weather this financial crisis. Every day we have another client going under.”
Ron nods. “I know. We might want to think about what services we offer. Maybe some kind of bankruptcy counselling might be valuable. Although, I guess, if they’re that close to filing for bankruptcy, another fee won’t be helpful.”
“Perhaps a third party would pick up the costs?” Then Maggie chuckles and wags her finger at him. “Don’t distract me, Ron. That might be true. And it’s a good idea to widen our services. Anyway, about the partnership, I’m sure you’d like some time to think on it.”
“Maggie, I’ve been at the firm longer than you have. I still have contact with my father’s firm and, through it, I can access other types of clients. What were you thinking of asking as a buy-in? And how were you thinking of splitting the revenues?”
“I like the sounds of those questions. I was afraid you were going to say ‘no’ right off. Not too many men would be comfortable working at a firm where their wife was the senior partner.” The last sentence hangs in the air.
“I’m not sure which part of that sentence to broach first,” he says.
“Always business first, sweetheart. You know me.”
Ron takes her hands in his and gazes into her eyes. “I’ll be straight up with you, Maggie. Your father’s firm and I are a good fit. I had spoken briefly to your father about my future some time ago—at least I’d said I’d rather not join my father’s firm. And then you became part of the firm, and that made things even more complicated. If I did agree to this, I have one stipulation that is non-negotiable.”
Maggie swallows. Money? Can I afford him? “Go on.”
“The name of the firm will have to change. I’m hoping for McNeely and McNeely.”
Maggie gives him a silly grin. Another chapter of my life, another name. “I think that I can agree to that. McNeely and McNeely it is.”
Ron gathers her into his arms. “That’s one of the things that makes us perfect for each other, Maggie. For us, there’s no such thing as separating business and love—it’s all life. And you can’t be successful at one without being successful at the other.”
“Oh, Ron, you know how to win my heart. I love you,” Maggie murmurs into his shoulder.
Unlike most business partnership agreements, this one is sealed, not with a handshake, but a kiss.
Chapter 54
S aturday night. All over Philadelphia, singles and couples are primping and fussing, getting ready to entice and beguile. The Barnes household is no different. Maggie is sitting in front of her dressing table mirror, agonizing whether Crimson Blush is too forward, or Blushing Bouquet too demure. What is the message she wants to send? Rooting through her tubes and compacts, she finds the perfect shade, Tender Promise.
Across the hall, Tommy is undergoing his own transformation. “Big date, sport?” Dick leans against the doorframe of the bathroom door. Tommy’s been standing in front of the mirror, rubbing his chin and twitching his face this way and that for a while.
“Yeah, kinda. I’m meeting a girl at the community center dance. But don’t tell Mother. I don’t want her to make a big deal about it.”
“Mum’s the word. What’s with all the grimacing? You know you’re mug won’t get any better looking the longer you stare at it.”
“What do you think, Mr. Beamish? Do I need a shave?” Tommy asks, making another facial contortion.
“Ah,” Dick says, keeping the amusement off his face. “Here, let me look.” Tommy turns, and Dick leans down and gazes intently at the chin. “Yeah, I think a few scrapes with a razor might be a good idea.”
The two turn to gaze at the reflection of Tommy’s face in the mirror.
“You have a razor?” Dick asks.
Tommy shakes his head.
“Here, I’ll let you borrow mine. And the rest of my kit. But we’ll have to take you shopping and get you one of your own, eh?”
Dick pulls out the safety razor from his black leather shaving kit. He twists the handle, putting in a new blade. “Watch now, it’ll be sharp as the dickens.”
He gets out the shaving cream and the brush. “Here ya go. Get the brush wet and work it around to lather it up. Now spread it around on your cheeks and your chin.”
Tommy mops the lather around from under his chin to just under his eyes.
Dick holds back another smile. “Good. Maybe a little less lather next time. You look like you got a bad case of rabies.” Tommy peers at his image—his face is under a blanket of foam. Also through the mirror, he sees Dick grinning at him. “Now, take the razor and stroke down across your cheeks. Never side to side, always up and down.”
Tommy starts working away. �
�I do this when I get to my nose,” says Dick, making the face to shave close to his nose and mouth. “Good. Good.”
“Ouch.” Tommy jerks back. A small bubble of blood begins to well up.
“Not to worry. Take a bit of toilet paper and lick it, then stick it on. Just like that, yeah.”
“Now that you’ve got the whiskers shaved off, you need to wash off all the bits of shaving cream.”
Tommy takes the cloth and cleans his face.
Dick hands him a bottle of after-shave. “This is my secret weapon.” He winks. “Now, put a few shakes of after-shave on your palm. Not too much.”
Tommy gives the bottle too many shakes, and Dick wrinkles his nose. “Whoa. A bit much, Tommy. Wash your hands and use about half that much. Just one shake or two. All you need is a few drops. With after-shave, more is not better. Now pat your face. That will make your face feel great, and the ladies love it.”
Tommy pats, and then checks first one side of his face and then the other. “Oh, it stings.”
“Looking good, champ.”
Later, Dick meets Tommy at the bottom of the stairs. He’s plucked one of the flowers from Maggie’s mortgage-burning party bouquet and wrapped the end with a wet tissue. “Here ya go. Ladies love flowers.” He’s about to hand it to Tommy but, instead, hides it behind his back.
“Tommy, where are you off to with your suit jacket on? And a tie?” Maggie asks. She’s also coming down the stairs, dressed for her night out with Ron.
“You look like a million bucks, Mother.”
“Why, thank you young man. And so do you. Where are you off to?”
“Um, I thought I’d check out that dance at the hall. It’s a couple of blocks away. I’m meeting some friends there. The community center is organizing it.”
“A dance? That sounds like fun. Don’t be late.” She leans down to kiss him on the top of the head and then sniffs. Dick catches her eye and shoots her a knowing look.
“You look very handsome, Tommy.” When Maggie turns away, Dick hands him the flower. “Knock ‘em dead, champ.”
Chapter 55
O ne of the side benefits of working downtown in the Center City district is its close proximity to Green’s and other favorite hangouts—Maggie can easily meet Edith on short notice for lunch.
“Hiya, Edith, sorry I’m late,” Maggie says, standing next to her friend at the counter. The two gals are planning to indulge in the sweet goodness at Child’s Place Ice Cream Parlour. Some days a triple chocolate fudge sundae is just the only thing that will do.
“No problem, doll. I just got here myself,” Edith says, staring up at the board where all the flavors are listed. “I don’t know. Am I in a berry mood, or do I want something with nuts?”
Maggie clears her throat and slowly tugs at the fingers of her gloves. When she has Edith’s attention, she whips her left glove off for the big reveal. There, twinkling on her finger, is a square-cut diamond engagement ring.
“Oh-oh-oh,” Edith squeals, hugging her friend. “You didn’t say anything.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. Ron gave me the ring yesterday.” Maggie wiggles her fingers to make the diamond sparkle.
“It’s a gorgeous ring, doll. Let’s hurry and place our order. I want to hear all about it.”
A few minutes later, the gals are sitting in front of banana splits with extra sprinkles. “Tell me, tell me. How did he propose?”
“Well, it was the most romantic thing. We’d gone for a drive in the country—”
“Yes, yes.” Edith interrupts, nodding.
Maggie smiles. “And we were parked, just enjoying the view and talking—”
“Ha, I bet the view wasn’t the only thing you were enjoying, but go on. I want the real version, not the Tommy version.”
“And he swept me up in his arms—”
“Oh, yes much better. More arm sweeping.”
“And then I asked him if he’d consider being a partner in the accounting firm.”
“Yes, no—what? You asked him about a business partnership? Oh pooh, that sounds just like you. Please tell me you’re teasing?”
“I needed to get that issue resolved. It had been wearing on my mind, and it just seemed like the right moment.”
“You are one weird gal, Maggie Barnes.”
“Well, if you must know, he said yes,” Maggie says, a blush on her cheeks.
“Of course he did. You’re giving him a great opportunity, especially these days. So how did the diamond come into it, or is this a business practice that I don’t know about?”
“He said he’d do it, but only if the sign over the door said ‘McNeely and McNeely’. And I said yes.”
“That is the most un-romantic engagement story I’ve ever heard, Mags. Didn’t he get down on one knee?”
“Oh yes, don’t worry. He was all romance yesterday. After work, he ran me home. Everyone was there waiting for dinner. He came inside with me and took Tommy outside to the veranda and asked his permission, then the two of them came back inside and he proposed on one knee, right in front of the whole crew. Then he slipped the ring on my finger and stayed for supper.”
“Well, that sounds a bit better. So, when’s the wedding?”
“Oh, we’ve not had time to make plans like that. I’m going out to have brunch with his mother and father on the weekend. And then they’re coming in for dinner to meet Tommy. I’m going to send the lodgers off to a restaurant one night when Sadie has the day off. So, it will be just us, the McNeelys, and Cordelia.”
“Cordelia. I forgot about your mother. What did she say?”
“She’s over the moon, of course. Apparently, the McNeely’s of Bryn Mawr are a well-respected family, and she’s happy for me. Said he’s a good catch, considering the bait I was using.”
Edith almost chokes on a cherry on her ice-cream. “What did she mean by that?”
Maggie chuckles, shaking her head. “You know Mother. There’s a barb in every good word. I suppose it was a comment about my advancing years, a son, strong opinions, a mind of my own. It’s hard to say.”
Edith laughs merrily. “You gotta hand it to the old gal. She never quits. I thought maybe your father’s passing might mellow her, but I guess not.”
“No, definitely not. If anything, it’s made her crustier. I never appreciated how Father managed to buff her sharp edges smooth.”
“And Tommy? He’s okay with it?” Edith asks.
“You know boys that age. It’s hard to tell. He’s wrapped up over school ending and no summer job. He’s suddenly got a need for cash. I think there may be a girl in the picture.” Maggie giggles. “Dick showed him how to shave.”
Edith rolls her eyes. “Between you, Sadie, and now Tommy, the Barnes household is just a little cupid’s bower these days. I wish you much happiness, kiddo. I may not be the expert on happy marriages, but I know you, Maggie, and this is absolutely the right thing for you to do.”
“How are you, I mean really?” Maggie asks, holding Edith’s hand.
“Lonely: it’s a big house for one. Scared: can I make it on my own? Panicked: especially when I find another one of those traitorous gray hairs.”
“You’re not on your own. You have me.” Maggie squeezes Edith’s hand.
“And for that, I thank my lucky stars. Now, here’s to wedded bliss,” Edith says, picking another cherry off the banana split. She raises it, toasting Maggie, and pops it in her mouth.
Chapter 56
S unday afternoons echo carefree times. The work week is either ahead or behind, social obligations have been met, household responsibilities are for another day. The place Edith likes to spend Sunday afternoons, especially in summer, is on the stone terrace overlooking her garden. This afternoon, however, there’s a sharp edge.
Edith pours Mickey another martini, and then sits on the garden chair next to his.
“Thank you for seeing me, Edith,” he says, taking a sip. “Delicious. Good gin. Imported?”
Edith nod
s. “We have a lot to discuss, and it’s cheaper to do it here than in a lawyer’s office.”
Mickey flinches and looks at her. “It’s come to that? Can’t we at least pretend for a few minutes that this is a pleasant social call?”
“Mickey, I won’t put up with your stupidity anymore, not knowing which Mickey Duffy is going to walk through that door. Unless you tell me right now that you are going to take the medicine, we’re through. Done.”
Come at the King Page 23
