by KG MacGregor
A chorus of voices answered, “Water.”
“Right, so we’re talking zero emissions and unlimited range. That would be a game changer.” She returned to sit on the desk, letting her legs swing casually. “There’s another reason I like knowing the details of how cars work, and it relates to this class. Selling cars is like the STEM fields in a way, because our culture assumes men know all about cars and women don’t. I’ve always refused to accept that, and I bet you would too.” There was no mistaking she had their full attention now. “When I’m doing business with someone, I want to be the expert in the room. Why? Because knowledge is power. At my company, the entire sales staff gets trained on how these cars work. All the men, all the women. I believe it levels the playing field and gives everyone the confidence they need to succeed.”
She ended her presentation to polite applause and opened the floor to questions that allowed her to speculate about Helios and its solar cars. Judging from the girls’ enthusiasm, she should have included this in her slideshow.
As the girls dispersed, Anna was approached by Dr. Leticia Johnson, one of the organizers of the STEM group. “You’re a lifesaver, Anna. Thanks for jumping in on such short notice.”
“You’re very welcome. I enjoyed it.”
“So did they.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Don’t worry about Madison. She challenges everyone.”
“Good for her, I say. And I thought she had a point. A lot of what we covered today were the basics for fixing an engine that isn’t firing the way it should. Lots of little boys learn this kind of stuff at their father’s knee, but girls should know it too.”
“I could tell they enjoyed hearing you talk about the business side of things. That’s one thing we could emphasize more in our seminars, I think. Not everyone is heading for a career in the lab or the classroom. They’ll have to learn to navigate the competitive side too.”
“If you need help branching out, I have connections.” She could assemble an army of women business leaders thanks to her stint as president of LA’s Chamber of Commerce.
“Actually…” Leticia walked with her outside, where Eleanor was waiting in Anna’s usual place. “I was wondering if you might consider having a conversation about joining our board. We could use more representation from the business community. I can have someone reach out if you’re interested.”
“I don’t want to muscle in on Eleanor’s turf, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have a chat. You have my contact info.”
Anna was definitely intrigued by the prospect. In her musings about what to do once Premier Motors was sold, she’d toyed with the notion of setting up a small foundation to benefit programs such as this one. But she also could make an impact by volunteering her leadership—especially if she found herself with time on her hands.
* * *
Lily sat with Andy on the bleachers, where they shared a bag of barbecued chips. “Your brother’s really upped his game. See how deep he drives the ball? And he’s hammering his backhands.”
“He ought to be good. It’s all he thinks about. I wonder if that other kid gets private tennis lessons every day.”
“I think we can assume he does since he’s also ranked in the top twenty. You don’t get to be that good without private lessons and tons of practice.”
Andy had been in a sullen mood since breakfast when Anna squelched his request to drive to Palm Springs and back. He then complained that his siblings monopolized every Saturday so he might as well stay in bed all day.
“Wonder how Georgie would feel if you and Mom sold all his racquets and told him he couldn’t take lessons anymore.”
“Andy…”
“Or if you pulled Ellie out of nerd class.”
“Come on, why would we do something like that?”
“It’s what Mom did to me. I go to Premier Motors every day after school, right? That’s just like going to practice, and it’s private lessons too if you count all the people there who teach me stuff.”
Lily let him stew as she weighed whether or not to address his grievances. Was he jealous of his siblings or angry at Anna? He clearly blamed her for his troubles. The two of them often needed a mediator, someone who could head off the inevitable hurt feelings when their emotions boiled over.
“Andy, I remember back when you were little. Most days you and Jonah went to the Big House with Grandma and Grandpa after school, but your mom insisted on having you one day a week all to herself. She’d leave work and pick you up from school, then you’d go back with her and hang out at the dealership. It was the highlight of her week. She blocked it out on her day planner—no calls, no meetings. Did you know that?”
He mumbled, “That’s what I was saying. I’ve been going there for eleven years.”
“Right, so maybe it’s a little unfair to complain about Georgie and Eleanor’s activities, since you had lots of those yourself. And that’s not including six years of Mighty Mite football.”
“But that’s the point. I don’t have any now. I don’t play sports anymore and Mom’s selling the dealership right out from under me. I bet she wouldn’t do it if it was Eleanor because she’s her real daughter.”
Lily was shocked he’d say such a thing. They’d put that issue to bed years ago. “Andy, I cannot believe you said that. You know darn good and well it isn’t true. All three of you are precious to us, and it would destroy your mom to hear you say that. And for the record, it hurts me too.”
He looked appropriately ashamed and mumbled an apology, but it wasn’t the end of his complaints. “Sometimes I feel like Mom hates me. She’s always getting mad at me for something.”
The recent tension between Andy and Anna was undeniable. Lily found the best way to play peacemaker was to play both sides against the middle, push them to understand one another.
“Honey, you’re allowed to feel sad about your mom selling the company, but you need to cut her some slack. I know for a fact that it breaks her heart to see you upset. She would never hurt you deliberately. That’s not who she is.”
His expression was hard to read through his sunglasses, but he had a habit of biting his lower lip when he was deep in thought. “That’s what I don’t understand. She knew how much it would hurt me and she did it anyway.”
“Because this time it couldn’t be helped. When it comes to business, your mom has to look at the big picture. She watches for warning signs about the economy, trade agreements, politics, driving trends…basically anything that might signal trouble for the car industry.” In light of Anna’s observations about Andy’s limited interest in the inner workings of the business, it struck her that he might not fully grasp the seriousness of the potential risks. “Here’s the deal, son. Our family is very lucky that Premier Motors has been successful, but practically all of our money is tied up in the business of German cars. From a financial standpoint, that’s extremely risky. Mom’s been worried the last couple of years about our trade agreements with the Europeans. If they were to blow up, it could literally wipe us out. If she thinks now’s a good time to cash out, we should trust her judgment. She always puts us first, even if we can’t see it.”
The cluster of parents around them erupted in applause at the heroics on the court, which Lily had missed completely.
“What just happened?” Lily asked.
“Georgie won a point, I think. The other kid ran for it but didn’t get there in time.”
Lily tugged gently at his forearm to remind him not to bite his fingernails. One day he’d stop on his own, when he realized girls found it unattractive.
“Honey, I know this is hard, but your mom’s right about the opportunities you’re going to have. You’ve got your whole future in front of you. You might find something at college that excites you even more than selling cars. But if you finish your degree and still want to be in the car business, we’ll help make it happen for you. That’s an absolute promise you can take to the bank.”
“At this rate, all I’ll be taking is the
bus.”
She decided that was meant to be dark humor and laughed. “I don’t think it’ll come to that, sweetheart. You’ll have your fifty hours in soon. As soon as we think you’re ready, you can get your license.”
He rolled his head and groaned. “But if I do one little thing wrong, Mom will say I’m not mature enough, that I’m not being responsible.”
“Andy, please. She’s not your enemy. She just wants you to do your best.”
“She wants me to be just like her, perfect all the time.”
Lily could hardly push back on that since she’d accused Anna of that very thing. It didn’t make it true. “She’s well aware she isn’t perfect. In fact, didn’t she come to your room last week and apologize for overreacting? When was the last time you apologized to her for something you did wrong?”
Every now and then, she got a glimpse of one of the traits that triggered Anna’s frustration. The complaining, the blaming, the obfuscating. While his stubbornness seemed deliberate at times, Lily wondered if it somehow traced back to the insecurity of his early childhood. Foster kids faced constant upheaval, a lot of which happened without explanation, leaving kids to worry they were somehow to blame for being shuttled from one home to the next. Since joining their family, Andy had faced only one significant change—the arrival of his siblings. That had sparked a two-year stretch of jealousy, hoarding and acting out, which only abated after months of family therapy. She never wanted him to feel like that again.
“Why don’t you talk this out with Mom while we’re down in Los Cabos? Just tell her everything you’re feeling and why.”
“I have!”
“Do it again, but this time I want you to listen too. Really listen. I’ll even sit her down ahead of time and tell her she has to listen to you also. She loves you, and there’s nothing you could ever say or do to change that. If you accept that, it’ll go a long way to helping you understand each other.”
He took a long time to respond, so long that Lily wondered if he’d simply shut down. “Can I ask a favor? It’s important.”
“Of course.”
“There’s this cookout next Saturday at Brock’s house. I’m invited.”
“We’re supposed to fly down to Los Cabos on Friday. If you’re asking not to come with us on our family vacation, that’s probably not going to happen.”
“I’ll come, just not on Friday. I want to stay here long enough to go to the party, and then fly down by myself the next day. I’d only miss two nights.”
The likelihood of Anna agreeing to that was practically nil. “It’s a pretty big ask, Andy. Spring break vacations are a family tradition, all of us together. Jonah, Alice, your grandpa. We’ve booked a huge villa right on the beach.”
“How many times is somebody as cool as Brock going to invite me to a party at his house? With a DJ and everything.”
Lily had to admit Andy’s “pleading voice,” as Anna called it, was world class.
“I have a note from Brock’s mom telling all about it. It starts at one o’clock on Saturday. Evan said he’d pick me up and take me home. And then Serafina could take me to the airport on Sunday morning.”
“We’ve given Serafina that whole week off. She may already have plans. It wouldn’t be fair to expect her to change them.”
“I can ask her though, can’t I? Or maybe Evan will come over and give me a ride. Please, Ma. It’s just this one party. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. All the kids will be there. It feels stupid to be left out when everybody’s talking about it at school.”
It was true that Andy didn’t get many invitations to hang out with classmates at their homes. Brock Diedrich was an exemplary student at Hills Academy, smart and athletic, junior class president. More important to Lily was the fact that he’d stood up for Andy back in ninth grade when the others teased him about his height. Andy had sealed their friendship last summer by helping him select an X2, BMW’s sporty compact SUV, a present from his father for his sixteenth birthday. Anna had even let Andy do the delivery spiel, as if he’d been the actual salesman.
“Let me talk it over with your mom.” As he opened his mouth to object, she added, “And I’ll make sure she strongly considers how important this is to you.”
* * *
“No way, it’s a family trip. Family means all of us.”
Lily had known that would be Anna’s first reaction. She clung stubbornly to traditions. “Please don’t say no yet. Let’s at least talk about it.”
“Eeeka brrr ownow,” she replied emphatically.
“Once more without the toothbrush.”
Anna spat in the sink and wiped her face. “I said, he could burn the house down. Remember that time we let him stay home by himself for three hours while we took Eleanor and Georgie to see Shaun the Sheep? He left the stove burner on the whole time we were gone.”
“Honey, he was twelve. I’m sure he knows to be a lot more careful now.”
“Easy for you to say. He just rammed one of my brand new cars into a stack of tires.”
“All I’m asking is that you consider what this party means to him. The poor guy’s been teased for years by the cool kids and now all of a sudden here’s a show of acceptance. And I bet you anything Vanessa McFarland’s going to be there. That’s the girl he likes. This is a huge deal for him.”
“So are family traditions. This year’s already going to be sad because Mom can’t come with us. The rest of us need to be there for each other. Plus I don’t want us to have to worry about him. It’ll ruin the fun for everyone else if we have to keep checking on him.”
Lily peered around Anna so she could see her face in the mirror. “He’ll only miss a couple of days. Sixteen-year-olds are perfectly capable of staying home by themselves for two nights without being checked on a million times. Besides, I’ve already spoken with Serafina. There’s an eight o’clock flight on Sunday morning and she’s more than happy to take him to the airport. But there’s a tradeoff for Andy—he has to go with her on Saturday night to the Los Amigos Festival at Hollenbeck Park. That’s her and Enzo’s old neighborhood.”
“I take it this means you’re on Andy’s side?” Anna’s glum expression signaled her impending surrender.
“Yes, but I’m on your side too. That’s why I’m letting you have the honor of going in there tonight to give him the good news. It’ll mean a lot more coming from you because he’s still upset over the dealership.”
She threw the hand towel on the counter. “I wish you hadn’t put it that way. Now it feels like emotional blackmail, like we owe him this. Especially after he tried to make us feel guilty this morning about Georgie and Eleanor. What’s he going to ask for next?”
The last thing Lily wanted tonight was another parenting tiff, but it drove her nuts that Anna sometimes showed little empathy for Andy’s feelings, as though she expected him to think and behave like a miniature adult. Clearly she couldn’t relate to his ordinary teenage anxieties. She probably had floated through high school as the prettiest, smartest and most popular girl in her class, to say nothing of her family’s wealth. How could she possibly understand Andy’s insecurities and struggles with his peers?
“Honey, I don’t think he’s trying to manipulate us, but I can vouch for the fact that he feels let down about the sale. And he’s super frustrated over not getting his driver’s license. It may not seem like a big deal to us, but it’s a lot for him to have on his plate. Why don’t we give him a little freedom and let this be a chance for him to earn our trust?”
Anna pursed her lips pensively. “I sometimes get the feeling all of you are ganging up on me.”
“Because we are.” Lily stood on her tiptoes to nibble her ear. “Now go tell him. By the time you get back, I might just have a surprise waiting.”
Anna tilted her head to open her neck for more kisses. “You should have led with that. I’d have said yes right away and saved us all this trouble.”
Chapter Nine
“Wish I coul
d’ve stayed home till Sunday too,” Georgie grumbled from his window seat. By the line of lights below, they were flying just off the coast of the Baja Peninsula.
Anna brushed his wavy golden hair back with her fingertips. “And miss all the fun we’re going to have at the beach tomorrow?”
“I’ve won five matches in a row. Coach Bobby says I’m in a super zone. I was supposed to play Lucas O’Brien tomorrow. He’s ranked sixteen. I could’ve jumped two whole spots on the ladder. Instead I’ll get dropped a spot for missing a match. Probably even two since we’ll be gone next Saturday too.”
Anna squeezed his shoulder. “Lucas will still be there when you get back, and I bet you’ll still be in a super zone. Maybe you should consider taking a little break and resting those muscles. Instead of tennis, you can surf and snorkel with us.”
“Coach always says to practice at least three times a week unless I’m sick, or my muscles can forget. A whole week and I’ll be rusty. I’ll probably lose my next match and drop some more on the ladder.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I booked you for three lessons with the resort’s pro, huh?”
His mouth dropped open in surprise. “Awesome!”
“I thought you’d like that.” She was proud of Georgie for his dedication to excelling in the sport. On the other hand, his competitiveness on the court often struck her as overly intense for a ten-year-old. “It’s not all about winning, is it? Do you still enjoy it even if you lose?”
“Sometimes…but only if it’s really close and the other guy beats me instead of me beating myself.”
“You mean by making mistakes?”
He nodded. “Yeah, unforced errors. It means your opponent didn’t hit a good shot and make you miss. You just flubbed it.”
As they chatted, Anna was disappointed in herself to realize she hadn’t had a real conversation with Georgie about his tennis in weeks. She couldn’t blame that solely on the sale, since she’d found time for both Andy and Eleanor. “Ma says you get better every time you play. Tell me how it feels during a match when you know you’re hitting the ball well.”