by KG MacGregor
“Not that, Dad. I promise.” Anna had pulled him out of retirement twice to take over struggling dealerships. “Hal and I have some pretty fantastic news, but you have to keep it under your hat until the press release tomorrow. I mean it or we’ll all go to jail.”
“Uh-oh, that can only mean…”
“It does. You’re familiar with the Pinnacle Auto Corporation?”
“Pinnacle…sure, that’s Doug Whatsizface. Nice guy.”
Anna nodded. “Doug Marshall. He’s made us an offer for Premier Motors. A very good offer.”
“An excellent offer,” Hal interjected.
“You mean all those dealerships you’ve been collecting like baseball cards? I assume you’ll keep the main one. It was your grandfather’s, you know. The first BMW dealership west of the Mississippi.” It wasn’t, but that brag had been part of his folklore for too long to overcome.
“It’s for the whole company, Dad. All the dealerships, all the outstanding debt. It means us getting out of the car business.”
He was clearly taken aback. “To do what?”
“I don’t know yet. Thought I’d keep my options open.”
“If you want my opinion—I assume that’s why you asked me here—you’re making a big mistake. The car business is in your blood, Anna.” He glanced from her to Hal. “That goes for both of you. You’ll go crazy inside a year. I did.”
Anna nodded along to show she was listening, the least she could do since she’d asked him here. He didn’t have an actual vote on the matter.
“I’m already crazy, George,” Hal said, a timely rejoinder that kept the conversation light. “I’m Jonah’s dad, remember?”
“All I’m saying is you’ll be sorry. You won’t know what to do with yourself.”
Anna considered telling him of her opportunity to work with Helios but decided not to muddy the waters today. She told him instead of the agreement they had in place, whereby most of Premier’s employees would hold onto their jobs and benefits. “I’m really proud of this deal, Dad. It does right by everyone.”
“I knew when you bought Sweeney’s VW dealership you were taking on too much.” He raised his glass to signal the waiter for another Chivas.
While her father’s head was turned, Anna and Hal traded indulgent looks. “I never felt like it was too much,” she said, “even after we bought the Audi group. Thanks to Hal, we knew exactly what we were getting with every acquisition.”
Hal spoke up, “We’re printing money, George. Every single dealership we picked up saw a rise in profits after Anna took over. Wait till you hear what she’s putting in her pocket.” He paused for her nod, then whispered the number into her father’s ear.
The shock on his face was priceless.
“That right there,” Anna said as she smiled. “I believe that’s the same look you had when we told you Lily was pregnant.”
“I believe he’s in shock, Anna. Makes me think of that time Martine donated his golf bag to the charity yard sale. Except it was the one Jack Nicklaus signed at Pebble Beach.”
Anna savored the moment. Her success was so obvious, it hardly was necessary to rub his nose in the fact that he’d been wrong about Sweeney. Still, she deserved a victory lap. “What do you think of that, Dad?”
“I think”—the waiter interrupted with his drink, buying him time to respond—“I think there are lots of ways to measure success. The main one’s being happy. If this makes you happy, then…I can be happy for you.”
It was far from the ringing endorsement she’d hoped for but that wasn’t a complete surprise. His emotions were clouding his business judgment, much as hers had. He didn’t care one whit what she did with the dealerships she’d acquired, but it obviously bothered him that she was selling the one in Beverly Hills. Valued at almost forty million by itself, it was the crown jewel of the deal because it sat on a prime piece of commercial real estate.
The waiter brought their salads, a welcome distraction that eased some of the tension. It was a perfect window for changing the subject, but Anna had one more question. “Any ideas for how I break this news to Andy?”
He shook his head. “I don’t envy you that one. Maybe you ought to buy him a car first.”
Hal spurted his drink and said, “Great idea. Buy him a car he’s not allowed to drive.” He related to George the story of Andy’s unfortunate accident on the Premier Motors lot. “Andy told Jonah they weren’t letting him drive again till he was thirty.”
Anna chimed in with how she and Lily were dealing with the aftermath. “If it hadn’t been for Lily, I probably would have yanked his learner’s permit for good and made him wait till he was eighteen to get his license. He was already on thin ice from his report card, and that sent me over the top. But Lily’s right. He’s doing better in school, so that’s worth a reward. Once I cooled off, I decided to go ahead and let him get his practice hours in. He still needs about twenty more to qualify.”
“There’s a good time for you, George,” Hal said. “You can teach the boys to drive a stick shift. Andy first, then Jonah.”
“Why not? I’ve got plenty of Xanax. How about I swing by on Sunday, Anna? We’ll take your car and head down the One to Palos Verdes…terrorize the neighborhood. That’ll knock a good four hours off.”
“Are you serious? He’d love that. So would I, as a matter of fact. You’d save me a patch of gray hairs.”
George yanked his thumb at her and addressed Hal, “You should’ve seen this one when she was learning to drive. So precise about every little thing, holding her hands at ten and two on the wheel, five miles under the speed limit, complete stop, all that. Lasted about a week. Next thing you know she’s whipping in and out of traffic on the freeway, swearing like an old pro.”
“Oh come on, Dad. I only swore that one time when I thought we were going to die.”
“The FedEx truck,” she and her father shouted simultaneously.
Anna playfully glared as they laughed at her expense. “Promise me you won’t let Andy drive like that. Any chance you could pick him up late in the afternoon? It gets dark around five thirty and he needs to get some nighttime driving in. He’s still about seven or eight hours short.”
“Your wish is my command.” He sat back and shook his napkin as the waiter delivered their entrees. Then all too casually he continued, “And now I have a favor to ask of you, Anna. All of you, really.”
Here it comes. The unavoidable conversation she’d been dreading. Lily and Kim had primed her to listen with an open heart. This was her father and she loved him.
“I suppose you’ve heard by now that I’ve been spending time with a new friend. Her name is Lois, she’s a docent at the Getty. She’s sixty-three, a widow.” He briefly described the circumstances of their meeting and how their friendship had grown. “I figure it’s time I put my cards on the table so we’re all clear about what’s going on—and what isn’t going on. All right?”
Anna nodded, managing a stiff smile for all of three seconds.
“Lois and I have a special relationship. We share our thoughts and feelings, something I can’t do with Martine anymore. I miss that. But Lois and I, we’ve agreed that sharing certain other things would be inappropriate at this time, so we’ve set some rather old-fashioned boundaries.” His face reddened slightly and he cleared his throat. “A kiss on the cheek here and there. She takes my arm when we walk. I like that. Makes me feel manly, you know? And it’s nice having someone to spruce up for, something to look forward to. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to think I’m sneaking around and doing something I’m ashamed of.”
He made it sound quaint, like a bashful courtship from an 1880s costume drama. Put that way, Anna found herself strangely warming to the idea of her dad having a friend who could comfort him at this difficult time, especially if it wasn’t the torrid affair she’d imagined.
She proffered a genuine smile and clasped his hand, a gesture he clearly relished. “It sounds nice, Dad. Thanks
for telling me. I kind of knew but not the details. So what’s the favor?”
“The favor is don’t give me any grief about it. No more whispering behind my back. And whatever you think of all this, don’t hold any of it against Lois. You might meet her one of these days and I don’t want her to feel any resentment.”
It briefly crossed her mind to needle him about his resentment of Lily when they first began seeing each other. She was a bigger person than that.
* * *
Lily breathed a sigh of relief as Anna entered the school office and took a seat beside her on the bench. “Thought for a minute there you weren’t going to make it.”
“Lunch with Dad was a real adventure. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Normally they took turns meeting with the kids’ teachers, but Andy’s guidance counselor had specifically asked both of them to attend so they could go over his achievement test scores and plan for his critical senior year. They already were on a first-name basis with Mark Harper, who’d kept them apprised not only of academic hurdles but also of problems with peers. Andy’s small stature and Latino heritage occasionally made him the target of bullies.
Mark entered the room with a wide smile. “Mrs. and Mrs. Kaklis. I love saying that. How are you both?”
Lily liked knowing that students at Hills Academy, an exclusive private school for grades K-12, had such a great role model in Mark, a gay man in his late thirties. She wondered if Andy got special attention because he had two moms, but Anna guessed all the parents felt Mark cared especially for their kids.
After exchanging pleasantries, they followed him to his office, a spacious room that looked out on a beautifully landscaped courtyard. At Mark’s invitation, they helped themselves to flavored coffees from a pod brewer and sat side by side in cushioned armchairs waiting anxiously for news about Andy’s progress.
“Let me paint you the big picture which we can then discuss in more detail,” he said, handing them a custom one-sheet with numbers and bullet points. “Andy is doing just fine, as you can see from his test scores. He scored above standard in both areas of the test, math and language arts. That’s what we like to see, though I should tell you his math score was a real squeaker.”
“I’m not all that surprised,” Lily said. “He’s always had a hard time with numbers. If you want to know the truth, I’m proud of him for doing as well as he did. He’s been working much harder on all his subjects since that last report card.” She looked to Anna for confirmation. “What do you think this means for the SAT, Mark? He’s supposed to take that in April.”
Andy had a B average overall in his coursework. He’d need a high score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test for acceptance into a good college.
“To be honest, I think he’s going to struggle with it, which is one of the reasons I thought we should start strategizing about how we’re going to help him reach his goals. The last time I had him in here, he was pretty set on going to work at Premier Motors. Said he planned on being the boss someday.”
Anna’s deep sigh gave away her frustration. “That could be a problem. Andy doesn’t know about this yet, but I’m considering some big changes. I have a feeling he’s not going to take it well.”
Lily laid a hand on her shoulder. “One thing at a time, Anna. Let’s hear what Mark thinks about Andy’s academic plan. Once we settle on that, we’ll have a better idea how to approach his future.”
They returned to the one-sheet, which Mark used as talking points to describe Andy’s aptitude across several areas of study. “Andy’s definitely college material, although I don’t see him qualifying for either of his dream schools, Cal Poly or UCLA.”
“Those were our colleges,” Lily said. From the first time Andy visited the BMW dealership, she had known he’d want to follow in Anna’s footsteps at Cal Poly. She felt a small swell of pride to hear that he’d considered her alma mater too.
Mark went on, “Personally, I think Andy’s better suited to a smaller school where he’ll have more access to individualized instruction. Perhaps a liberal arts college like Pepperdine or Whittier. There’s also Westmont in Santa Barbara. It’s a Christian school, nondenominational.”
“To study what?”
“Psychology? Business or communications? Andy has a real aptitude for sales, and I’m not just blowing smoke. After our last chat I came this close”—he pinched his forefinger and thumb—“to trading in my Nissan for a BMW. He rattled off all the features, the packages I could get. He even looked up my trade-in value right here in my office. I swear, if I’d had a couple thousand more to put down, I probably would have come in that day for a test drive—all on the strength of his sales pitch. He’s a natural.”
Lily had no trouble believing that. When something piqued Andy’s interest, he explored every detail and committed it to memory. Just like someone else she knew.
Anna gave her a wink as if reading her mind. “Mark, you should know that Andy and I can put you in a BMW if you’re still interested.”
He smiled. “You never know.”
* * *
Lily pulled the blanket up to Eleanor’s chin and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Sweet dreams, Hedy.”
Eleanor had been reading about Hedy Lamarr, the actress-turned-inventor credited with developing war-time technology that led to modern day Wi-Fi.
“Don’t call me that. I’m saving it for my kitten’s name.”
“We haven’t decided on a kitten yet. Georgie might be allergic.”
“He’s not allergic to Gracie. He petted her and didn’t sneeze or anything.”
“Hmm…we’ll see.”
Eleanor’s face soured. “That always means no.”
“Not always,” Lily admonished. “Mom and I will talk it over, I promise. You should save the name, just in case.”
Putting the twins to bed was normally Anna’s job, but Lily was making herself scarce while Anna broke the news to Andy down in the family room. She’d stalled long enough though, so it was time to go down and help clean up the aftermath.
She arrived to find Andy sitting on the floor, his knees pulled to his chin. If the swollen eyes and red nose were any clue, he’d taken the news hard. A quick glance from Anna told her the situation had gotten testy.
“They’re going to laugh their butts off at me,” he groused.
“Who is?” Lily asked, taking a seat beside Anna on the sofa. While she didn’t want Andy to feel ganged up on, they needed to present a united front so he wouldn’t make Anna the “bad mom.”
“The guys at school. Premier Motors was the one thing I had that made me halfway cool. I told them I was going to run it one day, that they could come to me when the new models came out and I’d hook them up. Now I’ve got nothing. They’ll all be calling me Poco Niño again.”
Little boy. Lily and Anna had spoken with his teachers about the bullying when he was younger, but after seventh grade he’d asked to handle it himself. He had, with a fistfight that got him and the other boy suspended for five days.
Anna shook her head. “Come on, pal. You’re not a little boy. And that kind of name calling is third-grade stuff. It says way more about them than it does you.”
“Easy for you to say. You aren’t the one who has to deal with it.”
“Andy, your mom’s right. Besides, you can still be their go-to guy for cars. You don’t need Premier Motors for that. You could start your own business one of these days. Think about it. High-end custom cars for serious drivers. With all you know about cars, you’d be an expert at something like that.”
Anna cast her a dubious look out of Andy’s line of sight. “Or who knows, pal? You might change your mind when you get to college and decide you want to do something else. Now you have a blank slate to recreate yourself. Anything you want.”
His scowl grew even colder and he rose to go upstairs. “What’s wrong with the way I am?”
Lily caught him by the sleeve. “Nothing, sweetheart. We didn’t mean it that way. There’s a
bsolutely nothing wrong with you.”
“That goes for me too, Andy,” Anna said, sounding more than a little exasperated. “Your ma and I both believe you have a bright future. Whatever you want to do with your life, we’ll help you get there.”
They listened as his footsteps faded and his bedroom door closed.
“He’ll be all right, won’t he?” Lily asked.
“Eventually. But I have a feeling he’s going to be mad at me for a very long time.”
Chapter Seven
Lily looked down at the petitioner, whose brown sport coat had been brushed with dirt, perhaps to make it appear old and worn. “Mr. Seaver, I’m having some trouble with this. You’ve gone out and purchased a new car. And now based on those car payments, you’re asking the court to have another look at your financial situation and reduce your child support payments accordingly. Do I have that right?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“And then what? Will you buy a sailboat? A weekend house in Malibu?”
Wringing child support out of divorced fathers was notoriously difficult, especially with men who imagined their ex-wives living in luxury off what was meant for their children.
“I don’t need any of those things, but I do need a car so I can keep my job. If I can’t drive to work, I can’t pay child support at all.” He said it emphatically, as though he’d practiced in a bar to a chorus of “Hell, yeah!”
Lily held up the dealer’s invoice, which he’d provided to document his claim. “Mr. Seaver, I happen to know a little bit about cars, so I looked into this. It says here you purchased a brand new Dodge Charger. Not the base model or even the GT, both of which would have gotten you to work just fine. No, you chose the R/T with the V8, which I’m sure is sweet. And I see that you even paid an extra thousand dollars for something called ‘dual carbon stripes.’ Seriously…a thousand bucks for decorative racing stripes. Everyone should drive to work in such style.”
Seaver had pulled his head in like a turtle, obviously taken aback by her challenge.
“And now you come to my court asking me to take food off your children’s plates and clothes off their backs in order to lessen the financial pinch you’re feeling from lavishing such a gift upon yourself. That deeply offends me, Mr. Seaver.” She shook her gavel at him.