The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “Yeah,” Ramona said. “Come on, Jakey. It was just a party. They get out of hand sometimes.” She put a hand on his shoulder and patted it. Nora saw Grace’s eyes narrow. Jacob looked too upset to notice that the smile on Ramona’s face was more predatory than comforting.

  Men. So oblivious sometimes.

  “Uh, anyway, Nora, this is Ramona Fisher-Ainsworth. A family friend. Ramona, this is my future mother-in-law. Nora, The Super Chef.”

  “Charmed,” Ramona said. “Shall we call the others down, Jakey? Nora and Grace are handling the kitchen just fine, I think.”

  “Ah, why don’t you go call them?” Jacob asked. “I’ll stay here and help out.”

  “Oh.” Ramona looked put out but took the hint.

  Jacob’s mother, Viola, was the first to come down, looking as miserable as a wet cat. She didn’t comment on the state of the living room and the comparatively clean kitchen, but Nora could tell she had noticed.

  Nora was ready to graciously demur any thanks but, instead, Viola clucked her tongue.

  “This isn’t how we set the table,” she said. “Oh, what a mess. Who put out these plates? Honestly...”

  Nora’s face grew red. She opened her mouth to give a scathing retort, but Grace gave her a pleading look, so Nora bit her tongue. All in the name of peace.

  “Mom, the kitchen was a total mess thanks to Lucas’ party,” Jacob said. “You should be thanking Grace and Nora for saving the day!”

  “Well, I’m sure they tried,” Viola said with a sigh. “I’ll just put out the proper plates now.”

  “I’ll help,” Grace offered.

  “Oh, no dear. Just go call the others down, that will be enough,” Viola said, her lips pursed.

  “Ramona’s calling them,” Jacob said.

  “Is she? What a sweetheart.” Viola smiled. “Grace, dear, did you take the turkey out when I’d asked you to? It looks a tad overdone.”

  “I…forgot,” Grace said.

  “Ah,” said Viola.

  Nora was practically boiling under her collar. She had a good mind to hoist up the turkey and stuff it with Viola’s head. She regretted canceling her original plans now. Part of her even wondered if Lucas had thrown that party with Viola’s encouragement. Viola clearly didn’t want Grace or her family here.

  Jacob jumped in, trying to clear the air. With a falsely-cheerful voice, he said, “It all looks wonderful, sweetheart. I’m sure my family will love it.” Then kissed Grace on her cheek.

  Viola only pursed her lips more and Nora, at another entreating glance from Grace, held her tongue…just barely. Viola might need a lesson in politeness, but Nora supposed it wasn’t her place to give it.

  Not yet, anyhow.

  *****

  Chapter 7

  Feuds

  The people gathered at the Thanksgiving table were a curious mix. On one side of Nora sat Viola’s sister, Eugenie, an intellectual looking woman with dark-framed spectacles and streaks of white hair, dressed in a pantsuit. Eugenie sat next to her husband, Dave, a tall, balding man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of baggy cargo pants. On Nora’s other side was Jacob’s Uncle Finley, with his well-cut, expensive suit and botoxed, unlined forehead. Next to Uncle Finley sat Viola’s best friend Sophia, Ramona’s mother. Sophia was short and plump, with a face that rather resembled a pug. Jacob’s niece, six-year-old Kaylee, looking rather bored in the company of these adults, and had her head bent over an electronic game that was emitting chirrups as she smashed buttons.

  Despite Lucas’ pointed absence from the table, the company soon warmed up, especially once they’d opened up a nice bottle of wine.

  Nora found herself chatting with Viola’s sister, Eugenie, and Jacob’s Uncle Finley. Harvey, sitting on the opposite side of the table to her, was deep in conversation with Eugenie’s husband, Dave.

  “Yes, my husband, Dave, teaches art at the high school here in Greenfield, and I work for the government,” Eugenie said in answer to a question from Nora. Then, with a slightly embarrassed laugh, she added, “Well, I used to. I just retired three months ago, actually.”

  “Oh, what kind of work did you do?” Nora asked.

  “I was the mayor,” Eugenie said, looking faintly embarrassed.

  “She should have been the president.” Jacob came around the table and kissed his aunt on the cheek. “You should have seen her in her prime, Nora. She was a firecracker. She even took me to a rally to protest rising taxes when I was a little kid.”

  Aunt Eugenie smiled at Jacob. “Well, yes. We Smiths have always had a rebellious streak. Especially us Smith women — we’re all cut from the same cloth. We know what we want and we go after it.”

  Nora didn’t quite agree. Eugenie and Viola might be sisters, but even though she looked ambitious and tough, Eugenie was warm and sweet, very unlike Viola.

  “Look at your mom for example — classic Smith genes. She married a Giordano like a total rebel, you know.”

  “How was that an act of rebellion?” Nora asked.

  “Well, it got her disowned from my family for a while.” Eugenie laughed. “This is all ancient history, of course, but we Smiths have had a blood feud with Giordanos for, oh, about three generations.”

  “Is she talking about the feud?” Finley jumped into the conversation, his ears perked. He had a playful grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

  “Oh, you love to put your own spin on things,” Eugenie said. “Don’t you listen to his lies, Nora. Never trust a gregarious Giordano, as my father used to say.”

  “I believe the correct term is, never trust a silver-tongued Smith!” Finley laughed.

  “Ooh, I’m staying out of this.” Jacob turned back to Grace. “I’ve heard both sides of this story a million times growing up and I still can’t make up my mind who was right.”

  “Well, I’ll save you some time — the Giordanos were right,” Finley said. “This all begins around 1910. My great grandpa, Lorenzo Giordano, started a company with his then-best-friend, Abel Smith. Well, his name might as well have been Cain, instead.”

  “Oh, please,” Eugenie protested.

  “Uh-uh! I get to tell first.” Finley shook his finger. “Well, Lorenzo was a genius, and he was one of the first men in America to create a toaster.”

  “A toaster? Really?”

  “Yes. In fact, I think you’ll find he might have been the first genius to create the concept of the ‘pop-up’. Before this, toasters were a lot more unsafe. Well, they started an appliance company called Giso Electronics and, sure enough, business was booming. The men were such good friends that they even bought a large thirty room ranch house and lived together with their families. Problem was, the wives hated each other.”

  “Uh-oh,” Nora said.

  “That’s right. Uh-oh. Now, tragedy struck the Giordano family when Lorenzo passed away at only forty-five. And that’s when Abel showed his true colors. Probably prompted by his wife, Abel suddenly turned unbearably cruel. He kicked Lorenzo’s widow and three kids out of the house and tried to take over the company completely. He harassed the poor widow and gave her no money. He even tried to use the corrupt police chief to throw Great Grandma in jail!”

  “Goodness!” Nora exclaimed.

  Eugenie was shaking her head in disagreement but, to her credit, she held her tongue, allowing Finley to continue.

  “But the world was changing. In 1917, the USA entered into World War I and Abel Smith was forced to go to Europe,” Finley went on. “In his absence, with nobody to run the company, Giso — that’s our family company — began to flounder. It was nearly bankrupt when Maria, Lorenzo’s wife, offered to take over the reins. And she did. But Abel Smith’s wife thought Maria was a fool and so she unloaded a bunch of her stock —to Maria — which gave her a majority stake in the company. But to everyone’s great surprise, Maria, who had never really been to school, turned out to be a shrewd, tough businesswoman.” Finley looked over at Grace and nodded down at her ring. “You should be
proud to have that ring on your finger, Grace. Maria Giordano was an exceptional woman — big heart and tough as nails. They don’t make ‘em like her anymore.”

  “Thank goodness they don’t,” Eugenie snipped, unable to contain herself. “The truth about Maria is—”

  “That she was a far better person than Abel Smith!” Finley exclaimed. “When Abel was killed overseas, Maria could have used the same tactics on his family that he’d used on hers. She could have cheated the Smiths out of their money. Instead, she took pity on Abel’s wife and his young children. She chose to give them a fair settlement in exchange for the remaining company stock.”

  “Oh…fair. Is that what you’ve been told?” Eugenie laughed.

  “It’s the truth and you know it,” Finley said. “The Smiths, instead of being grateful, grew up resentful of Maria. The more Giso grew, the more they hated her for ‘cheating’ them out of their company. So a feud began. My grandfather, Lorenzo Jr., was bullied badly by Abel Smith’s son, Adam. It all came to a head when Adam started a rival company, Smith Electronics. He used all kinds of shady business tactics to climb the business ladder. Lorenzo Jr., always upright and honest, suffered because he had morals.”

  “Oh, please!” Eugenie snorted. “The better man won and that was that.”

  “Adam was even caught in a scandal once or twice, when he tried to cheat on taxes,” Finley said.

  “Oh? And what about that time Giso was fined by the IRS for cooking their books? Lorenzo Jr., so upright and honest, was nearly thrown in jail!”

  “That entire scandal was sabotage!” Finley said. “Adam Smith did it!”

  “Rubbish. Lorenzo Jr. was crooked and you know it! As for your great grandmother, Maria…” Eugenie said. “Well, you’re all wrong about her. There was a reason my great grandfather, Abel, hated her. He knew she was evil, you see. He wanted to adopt his dear friend’s sons himself, but she never let him. When World War I broke out and the country was in chaos, Maria took her chance and wrestled away control of the company. She cheated the Smiths out of their share by lying to Abel’s wife about the company’s true value. She took advantage of the war for her own greed and grew the company to new heights. Lucky her.”

  “Oh, that’s just jealousy talking,” Finley said. “You of all people should know that, when a woman succeeds, society is not always kind to her. And, back in those days, a woman running a company was unheard of. Of course jealous men said all kinds of things about Great Grandma Maria. But what was so evil about being a shrewd businesswoman? No. It’s Abel who was evil for trying to take her kids away from her!”

  “Well, of course he wanted to take her kids away!” Eugenie exclaimed. “Do you think it was an accident that Lorenzo died so young? No. Abel had a perfectly good reason to treat Maria the way he did. You know it.”

  “It’s a lie!” Finley said.

  “It’s the truth. There’s a reason it was so easy for Maria to adapt to the ruthless world of business. There’s a reason that she could so easily learn all the shrewd ways of the world and end up on top. She was tough as nails, alright. But a big heart? What a laugh! It’s no coincidence that Lorenzo died young. Everyone in town knows it. Great Grandma Maria murdered him!”

  *****

  Chapter 8

  Murder!

  There was a hush at the table when Aunt Eugenie said her piece. For a moment, Nora wondered if Finley would burst out in anger, but then Viola stepped in.

  “Oh, you two. Every thanksgiving is the same story. Giordano vs Smith. Give it a rest, won’t you? Everyone who was there is in their graves now and we have no way to ever know the truth. Even if we did, it wouldn’t matter at all! For the rest of us, it’s the future we must look to, not the past.”

  Aunt Eugenie nodded and raised her glass, pointing it at Jacob and Grace. “My sister’s absolutely right. It’s the future that matters, not the past!” she said. There were smiles all around the table as glasses were raised. Nora noticed that Ramona just sipped her wine with a scowl instead. Ramona’s mother didn’t look too pleased, either. As for Viola, her lips were pursed again in a familiar expression that Nora had come to despise.

  “I hope your life together is like this table of food,” Aunt Eugenie said to the young couple. “May your life together be smooth as these mashed potatoes, sweet as the cranberry sauce and stuffed full of good things like the turkey!”

  There was laughter all around the table. Kaylee spilled some water on herself as she tried to reach over to grab a biscuit and Grace rushed her away to grab some paper towels.

  For the first time since she’d entered the house, Nora felt some measure of peace descend upon it. The conversations grew slower as bellies grew fuller. With some pleasure, Nora noted that nearly all of the mashed potatoes she had brought were finished, though a small portion would be leftover. Jacob, especially, took several helpings and gave her a thumbs up. Kaylee actually put away her gameboy and began telling Harvey all about her favorite new TV show.

  Surprisingly to Nora, the men actually cleared the table once dinner was done and, although everyone was stuffed, Viola insisted on bringing out the apple pie immediately and giving everyone a huge slice with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top.

  As she sat on the sofa eating her ice-cream and pie, half-listening to Kaylee rattle on about princesses vs. fairies, Nora noticed Ramona whispering something to her mother, Sophia. Sophia’s brows drew together and she whispered something back. Ramona pointed to her phone and made a gesture to the door. Sighing, Sophia got up and headed towards Grace. Out of the corner of her eye, Nora saw Sophia draw Grace away into the kitchen, talking merrily about something or another. At the exact same time, she saw Ramona move towards Jacob, who was now sitting alone.

  Harvey, who was sitting next to Nora, was engaged in a fierce debate about politics, when he felt his plate being taken away and a new one being put in his hand. Surprised, he looked up to see Nora had sneakily exchanged plates with him. She’d barely taken two bites of her pie, while Harvey’s plate was empty. With no explanation but a wink, Nora walked away.

  “Please, Jacob,” Ramona was saying. She had him cornered by the doorway and Jacob was looking very uncomfortable. “For my sake?”

  “Look, Ramona, I don’t think I—”

  “Oh hello, dear. It looks like I’ve lost my way.” Nora gave a laugh.

  “Nora.” Jacob looked downright relieved. “Can I help?”

  “Oh, I’m being so greedy. I polished off the pie and I was wondering if I could get a second helping. It was just so delicious!”

  “Was it? Ramona made it herself.” Jacob smiled.

  “Oh, did she?” Years of being a chef had taught Nora the difference between home-made and store-bought pie. “Wonderful job, dear.”

  Ramona smiled, though it looked more like she was baring her fangs.

  “Well, come on. The kitchen is that way.” Jacob took Nora by the arm and led her away from Ramona, who stayed behind with a sour look on her face.

  “Man, I’m glad you walked by, honestly,” Jacob said as they walked to the kitchen. “Ramona’s a really old friend but sometimes...” He sighed. “Well, never mind.”

  “Is there a problem, Jacob?” Nora asked.

  “Problem? No… not at all. At least, I hope not,” Jacob said. “Hey, I noticed both you and Harvey talking to Kaylee. Thanks for that. She often feels left out at these events. Too bad there’s no kids her age to play with.”

  “She’s a real sweetheart,” Nora said. “Grace loves her, you know.”

  “I know. That really helps,” Jacob said. “I feel responsible for Kaylee, you know. My dad died when I was only twenty and then, only a few years later, my sister died and left Kaylee behind...” He shook his head. “Well, never mind. The point is… I love how Grace is with Kaylee. They’ve bonded so well.”

  “Viola’s raised Kaylee, then?”

  “Yeah,” Jacob said. “So have I. In some ways, I feel more like her dad than her uncle. But
Mom’s wonderful with her. I guess, in a way, having to take care of Kaylee helped her with the grief of losing my sister, Anne.”

  “She must have been devastated when Anne passed,” Nora said.

  “More than you know. Mom’s got a lot of stress in her life. When Dad died, she was the one who took over the family business. Uncle Finley looks put together, but he’s never really worked a day in his life. He just gets by being charming to people. He calls it ‘sales’ but, really, he just wines and dines old clients. So the entire responsibility is on Mom’s shoulders, really.”

  “And does Eugenie handle the Smith family business?” Nora asked.

  Jacob shook his head. “There is no Smith family business. It folded years ago. Couldn’t keep up with changing times. Besides, Aunt Eugenie has always been a politician. She was a wonderful mayor.”

  Nora paused, then gently asked Jacob. “So Viola raised Kaylee and she’s been handling the business simultaneously, too?”

  Jacob nodded. “Uncle Finley’s no help, and neither is Lucas. Actually, it’s Ramona’s mom, Aunt Sophia, who’s really helped Mom. She’s been her right-hand-woman forever at Giso. She’s indispensable.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Nora said.

  “Yeah...” Jacob looked troubled. “The thing is…Mom is stressed. I never really wanted to join the family business. It’s not my cup of tea. But now I’m wondering if I should just quit my job and help her out.”

  “Have you talked to Grace about it?” Nora asked.

  Jacob shifted. “She isn’t too keen.”

  “Why not?”

  “She thinks…well…she thinks I wont’ be happy.” Jacob sighed. “Neither do I, for that matter. But Aunt Sophia and Ramona are both pushing me to consider it.”

  I’ll bet they are, Nora thought. “Is that what Ramona was talking to you about just now?” she asked.

  Jacob nodded. “She’s been guilt-tripping me a lot more lately.” He laughed. “I don’t mean to dump my problems on you. I didn’t mean to say any of this.”