by KG MacGregor
By now his face was red, his predicament settling in.
“In fact, I’m tempted to order a review of your financials because it’s clear to this court that you have extra money lying around. We should see if your children deserve more than you’re currently giving them.” She scowled at him to let him know she was serious. “You’d best think long and hard about what you choose to drive, sir. Not only will I not reduce your child support payments today, I’m putting a flag on this case. I intend to follow it closely until your youngest child turns eighteen. If I see so much as a late payment, you’ll be right back here in front of me in contempt of court. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lily slapped her gavel and called for the next case, which she’d squeezed onto her docket at the last minute. Her annoyance immediately dissipated at the sight of Selena Cortes and her attorney, Linda Kovak, who had once worked with Lily at the legal aid clinic.
“Thank you both for coming back to the court on such short notice. Upon further consideration of your case, Ms. Cortes, I reached out to Sandra Henke in the Office of Child Protection and asked her to conduct a reassessment of your current home situation. She has assured me it is safe to suspend my ruling and allow your daughters to be returned to your home without delay. I’ve arranged for a caseworker to collect them after school today and deliver them to your apartment in time for dinner.”
The surprise on Selena’s face was one of the reasons Lily loved her job. After sharing an exuberant hug with Linda, Selena pulled herself together and faced Lily, wiping tears from her cheeks. “Thank you so much, Your Honor. My brother won’t stay there ever again, I promise. I love my girls too much to let him.”
“I’m glad to hear that you understand the seriousness of this, Ms. Cortes.” Underneath her judicial veneer, Lily shared her happiness but didn’t allow herself to show it. Drugs in the home of small children was an issue never to be taken lightly. “I’m providing your attorney with a set of strict guidelines, which I expect you to follow to the letter. Child Protection Services could turn up at any time to check.”
“Yes, Your Honor. They won’t find anything, not ever again.”
Lily dismissed the case and exited through the side door as the bailiff ceremoniously held the courtroom at attention. Only then did she allow herself to grin.
* * *
With Hal and Holly in her office, Anna presided over a conference call on speaker phone with the general managers from all of her dealerships. “Pinnacle put out a press release about fifteen minutes ago, so there’s no embargo on this information. You’ll receive a letter shortly to share with your staff, and there’s an FAQ on the employee website that covers the transfer of benefits. That should go a long way to calm anxieties, but I caution you not to make promises to anyone regarding the workforce. I have no reason to think Pinnacle is planning significant layoffs, but they’ll probably want to bring Premier’s workforce in line with their own. How they choose to do that is, of course, up to them.”
“Anna, this is Mickey.” Mickey Cheung, who managed the BMW dealership in Redondo Beach, asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Do you have any idea how this deal will affect GMs such as myself…and everyone else on this call? Should we be worrying about our jobs?”
“I’ll be honest with you, Mick. I can’t promise anything. In any changeover, there’s always a chance the new owners will want to put their own management team in place. Vivian Zhao has negotiated quite good severance packages for those who are let go. I’m sure Pinnacle has high standards for its leadership ranks. That being said, I believe our leadership standards are even higher, so I’ll recommend each of you without reservation.” It was the best she could do.
“This is Hal Phillips, everyone. We’re turning the process over to an LA firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions so we can get back to what we do best, which is to sell and service cars.” He laid out the steps the firm would take to help complete the due diligence phase, including onsite visits by the Pinnacle brass to all the dealerships. “I don’t need to tell you that’s a great chance for you to make an impression.”
Anna drew a deep breath and consciously relaxed the muscles in her neck and shoulders. As was often the case with Hal, his timely interjection had been deliberate, designed to take some of the heat off her. Her inner circle—Hal, Lupe and Vivian—had advised her earlier to try not to get caught up in a line of questions that might become confrontational. They knew her well enough to worry that she’d take her managers’ concerns to heart and let emotions override the practical decision she’d painstakingly reached.
“If there’s nothing else,” Anna said, “I’ll leave you to share this news with your staff. I know some of you have serious concerns. If you’d like to talk further, my door’s always open.”
When they ended the call, Anna’s first impulse was to hole up in her office with Hal and get his take on how it went. The dejected look on Holly’s face made her think again. “Hal, will you make sure that letter goes out right away? We can talk later.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
With a sheepish smile, Holly waited until he was gone before saying, “Do you mind if I’m first through that open door of yours?”
“Of course not.” Among all the folks who worked at Premier Motors, Holly was her closest friend. In fact, their kids had played together as toddlers in this very room. Since making her general manager of the Beverly Hills dealership nine years ago, Anna had watched with pride as Holly stacked up accolades as one of BMW’s best in service and sales. “How can I help?”
“Does our health insurance cover extensive therapy for depression?”
It surprised her that Holly, of all people, would be the one concerned about the fallout. “To be honest, I’ll probably be the one needing therapy. This is all I’ve known since I was a child. But I’m convinced it’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it. I’m ready for something new, whatever it turns out to be. One of these days you might be ready too.”
“One of these days?” Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. “It’s coming sooner than you think, Anna. There’s no freaking way I’ll keep this job once the sale goes through.”
“Why on earth would you think that? Doug Marshall tried to poach you for his Lexus dealership three years ago. He’s going to be thrilled to have you on his management team.”
Her face softened, but her voice remained skeptical. “I guess what I meant was that my job won’t be here.”
“What do you mean, it won’t be here? It’d be foolish for Doug to turn this dealership over to someone else after you’ve made it number one in Southern California.”
“Maybe, but this place is an institution. I love that wall of photos down there, all those Hollywood stars coming here to buy their new BMW. But you’ve said it yourself, the land this dealership is sitting on is worth millions. Pinnacle will probably flip it to a developer and move us out to one of those auto rows next to the 405. Which would suck. I know this is just a building, but it’s also our brand.”
Holly was right about the importance of this location, which to Anna and her father captured the essence of Premier Motors. What you drive is who you are. Luxury cars practically sold themselves in Beverly Hills, where the city’s name on the license plate frame could be worth an extra thousand dollars. It was a perfect pairing, subliminal but deliberate.
“Sorry I’m dumping on you, Anna. It’s totally selfish. I’m sure you’re right about Pinnacle keeping me on somewhere, so I shouldn’t be complaining at all. It’s just that I’ll miss working here…and especially working with you.” Her voice cracked and Anna saw a swell of tears. “You’ve been so good to me, all the way back to when I was a green know-it-all who couldn’t even fill out a simple form without screwing up.”
“Because I believed in you even then.” Anna came around her desk and wrapped Holly in a hug. “Whether you realize it or not, you’ve just hit on the two reasons I almost didn’
t do this—nostalgia and friendship. But here’s what I think.” She loosened her embrace to look Holly in the eye. “What matters is that we hold onto our memories and friends. You and Jai will always be dear to me, your kids too. We don’t have to work together for that to be true.”
“You’d better mean that.” Holly hugged her harder.
“I do. We can be each other’s therapy, save ourselves thousands of dollars. How about that?”
Anna managed to hold it together until Holly left. Then she closed the door, leaned against it and slid all the way to the floor fighting tears. Holly had owned up to her selfishness, but had she? She’d done this deal knowing it would break Andy’s heart, and though convinced it was best for her family’s future, the ripple effects could upend lives in ways she hadn’t considered. People she cared about were anxious and distressed, and she was singularly responsible.
* * *
Lily was glad for the chance to finally accept their friends’ dinner invitation, especially when Sandy called to say one of Suzanne’s coworkers at the ER had gifted her a fresh catch of sea bass. She opened the sliding glass door to Suzanne, who carried her platter around the table depositing grilled kebobs on each plate of wild rice.
Anna rubbed her hands together. “This looks amazing. You’ll have to give me the recipe”—Suzanne gaped at her incredulously—“so I can give it to Serafina.”
“You had me worried for a minute there,” Suzanne said. “I heard about your last adventure in the kitchen. Blackened oatmeal?”
“Hey, the top of it was edible.”
Lily took her usual chair with her back to the door. “I threw the pan out so poor Serafina wouldn’t spend two hours chiseling it. I bet we’re the only ones in LA paying combat wages to our housekeeper.”
Sandy joined them last, carrying a large wooden salad bowl. “Speaking of Serafina, any more word on her immigration status? I bet she’s chewing her nails off. It’s like the laws change every day.”
“Tell me about it. Before I can rule on a case, I find myself looking up everyone’s status so I can decide if whatever they did is bad enough to get deported. I can’t stand seeing these families ripped apart.”
“It’s unbelievable what this administration is doing,” Sandy said. “Snatching children from their mothers’ arms. Lily, you know how hard it is on kids when we have to take them out of the home—it traumatizes them even when their parents are abusive. Can you just imagine how terrified these kids are down at the border?”
“I know, and some of them will suffer for years because of it.”
“If you ask me,” Anna said, “it’s pure evil. I can’t believe they call themselves the party of family values when they’re breaking families up.”
“It’s not just happening to immigrants,” Suzanne said, her voice dripping with scorn. “Families all over the country are being torn apart because of this president. Mine included.”
Lily recalled that Suzanne’s relationship with her family had always been strained, chiefly because they refused to accept her sexuality. Sandy had complained for years about feeling unwelcome at their holiday dinners in Bakersfield. She only went because of Suzanne’s hope they would come around someday.
Lily leaned over and squeezed her shoulder. “It won’t be like this forever, Suzanne. We just have to get out there and vote next year. I honestly don’t think this is the real America.”
“It’s a lot more real than you think. Tell them, Sandy. You’ve seen how they are. The reason they love this president is because he hates all the same people they do. Mexicans, Blacks, Muslims, Asians—”
“Women,” Sandy added. “She’s right, I’ve been around them. It’s always been iffy with Suzanne’s family because of the gay thing, but it’s way worse now. And there’s no reasoning with them. Her brothers wouldn’t know a fact if it bit them in the ass. They actually revel in their ignorance. It’s nauseating.”
“So yeah, we can vote this asshole out of power,” Suzanne went on, “but we’re never going to get rid of this shit stain. America knowingly elected a white supremacist who gave them permission to say all those hateful things they used to keep to themselves. Now that we’ve seen them without their masks, we won’t ever be able forget what they look like.”
From the corner of her eye, Lily saw Anna nodding along with every word. Anna knew this litany well, as it was something she repeated almost every time she watched the news.
“Anna and I are lucky that everyone in our family is on the same page,” Lily said. “I honestly don’t know how we’d handle it if they weren’t.”
“There’s only one way to handle it—you write them off,” Suzanne said as her voice began to shake. “Now that I know who they really are, I don’t want them in my life anymore. They won’t ever change. As far as I’m concerned, I no longer have a family.”
Typical Suzanne, brash and resolute. Yet beneath her proud bravado, there was unmistakable anguish. Lily found that heartbreaking, but she didn’t mind seeing this new sense of empowerment. After all this time of waiting for her family to accept her, Suzanne finally had freed herself from caring whether they did or not.
Anna abruptly pushed her chair back and walked around the table to hug Suzanne, who buried her face in Anna’s side and held on. She probably hated the fact that she was crying.
“You absolutely have a family, Suzanne,” Anna said. “You have two sisters right here at this table who love you very much.”
Lily winked at Sandy and said, “She’s right, sister. And whether you like it or not, that makes you and Sandy aunts to our children. Heck, if something ever happens to us, you might even have to raise them.”
Suzanne’s eyes got wide with exaggerated alarm. Then she clasped her hands in prayer and looked skyward. “Dear God, please don’t let anything happen to Lily and Anna. Take good care of them…at least until all their kids grow up.”
On the drive home, Lily replayed the emotional scene in her head. “That was really sweet what you said to Suzanne about family.”
“It’s true, isn’t it? Friends that close are as good as family.”
“They are.” She trailed her fingertips along Anna’s thigh. “I remember back when Mom died. Your father hugged me after the funeral and promised me you all would be my family. I believed him.”
Anna caught her hand and raised it to her lips. “And here we are.”
“And here we are,” she repeated softly. Lily had never been a religious person, but in moments such as this one she liked to imagine that her mom was looking down from heaven, proud of the person she’d become and overjoyed at her happiness. “I’m the luckiest woman on earth.”
“Pfft!” Anna gave her a sidelong look and shook her head. “You’re not even the luckiest woman in this car.”
Chapter Eight
Sitting casually on a desk in front of two dozen girls—Eleanor’s STEM class—Anna advanced the screen to an animation of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. “As the piston rises, it compresses the air and fuel that’s mixed into the top of the cylinder. Then the spark ignites it and forces it back down. That’s what turns the drive shaft. Cars have multiple cylinders—usually four or six, sometimes more—and they fire in sequence to keep the shaft turning. Otherwise you’d get something like this.”
Holding her hands as if on a steering wheel, she took halting steps across the room, triggering a wave of giggles.
“What do you think it means when they say a car has a one-point-six liter engine, or a four-point-four liter engine? Bigger is better, right?”
A few seconds of silence passed before Eleanor raised her hand.
Anna shook her head. “Not you, kiddo. I caught you looking at my slides this morning.”
After another few seconds, one of Eleanor’s friends, a girl of about twelve, spoke up. “Is that the size of the cylinder?”
“That’s a very good guess, pretty close but not quite. What they’re talking about is actually the amount of air that gets p
ushed out when the pistons go down. We call that engine displacement. The more air it pushes, the more force there is on the down stroke to the drive shaft. That makes it a rough indicator of a car’s power. Here’s what the physics looks like, for anyone who’s interested in the technical aspects.”
Her next slide displayed the corresponding mathematical formula, which prompted several of the girls to scribble notes. It thrilled her to see so many of them interested in what she thought of as the “greasy side” of the car business.
“All right, those are the basics of a combustion engine, which runs on gas. Let’s see what happens when we add an electric motor to the works.” She walked them through the mechanics of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric engines before opening the floor to questions.
The first came from one of the older girls sitting at the back of the room. “I’m not trying to throw shade or anything, but…this isn’t really STEM, is it? It’s more for garage mechanics, not scientists.”
The pushback came quickly, not from Anna but from another girl in the teenage clique. “It’s mechanical engineering, Madison. We have to know how things work so we can improve on them, like they did when they turned the gas engines into hybrids.”
“And it’s not just cars either,” another girl said. “They use engines like these in airplanes and rockets too.”
Anna stayed out of the conversation as long as she could to let the group debate among themselves. Only when the discussion died down did she add her perspective. “If I can speak from personal experience, I first began to study the mechanics because I found it interesting. I was about Eleanor’s age when I started going to Munich with my dad to visit the BMW design center, where we’d get to preview the new technology. I still go every year because there’s always something new to learn. Last time I was there I saw a concept car that runs on hydrogen cells. Where do we get hydrogen?”