Second Chance at Love

by Joanna Campbell Slan

  “With a dead body dragging along behind,” MJ said.

  “Thanks for reminding me,” I said, but all three of us laughed.

  “Dog food, leash, collar, dishes, and a bed,” said MJ, pointing to a pet shop as she turned into the parking lot. “That's another list you need to tackle.”

  Yet another expense.

  I left Jack with Skye while MJ and I rounded up the necessary products. The big Cadillac made one more stop before returning us to our store. While I sat in the car, MJ and Skye ran into Walmart. They came back with bottled water and more soft drinks for our refrigerator. Just seeing that maroon carton of Diet Dr Pepper made me instantly feel better. Much better.

  Back at The Treasure Chest, I climbed out of the car. “If you two don't mind taking the dog inside, I better call the hospital and check on Poppy.”

  As my friends carried Jack and the drinks into the store, I leaned against MJ's car and dialed the nursing station, only to be told that my grandfather's condition hadn't changed.

  “His doctor wants him to stay the night. That infection in his foot has to be cleared up. We need to stabilize his blood sugar and adjust the insulin pump,” said the nurse.

  “Please tell him I'll drop by later to see him,” I said, trying to make my voice heard over the sound of traffic at the nearby intersection. I had thought being outside would lend me privacy, and it had, but at the expense of noisy vehicles bustling by.

  “I'll tell him you asked about him, but please call before you come. Mr. Potter will be working with a nutritionist most of the afternoon, and I don't want you to make a wasted visit,” said the nurse.

  Facing the street, I ended my phone call. I stood there, feeling a tornado of emotions and breathing the pungent smell of the ocean. As I did, airbrakes hissed as a dump truck stopped for a red light. I couldn't believe my eyes as I looked at its load. An old chandelier sat on top of a heap of junk that the truck was hauling.

  Sprinting into the street, I ran up to the truck and banged on the passenger side door. “Hey, hey, hey!”

  The driver rolled down the window. “Lady! What's the problem?”

  “Where are you taking your load?”

  “To the dump.”

  “Don't!” I yelled.

  Twenty dollars later, I'd convinced him to pull over in front of The Treasure Chest. For another ten bucks, he unloaded not one or two but six chandeliers!

  “Hey, guys! Come see!” I stuck my head inside the front door. MJ and Skye stepped out into the sunshine to admire my haul. Sure, the paint was chipping off, and the arms were dented, but we had lights. Pretty ones at that. When added to the fluorescent fixtures, these would definitely brighten up the shop.

  When Bobby Gander joined us a few minutes later, he confirmed that the wiring actually looked okay. The fixtures had been dumped because of the chips and dents.

  “These will be great,” I decided. “I'm not ready to give up those old fluorescent fixtures, because we need a lot of light. Otherwise this place will continue to look like a cave.”

  Skye climbed on a ladder and tapped on one of the overhead fixtures. “Glass,” she said. “Interesting. Hmmm. The big problem is how garish they look. The bulbs are too exposed. Yes, we need the light, but they look ugly.”

  “You can say that again.” MJ shook her head.

  “Be right back,” said Skye. “I'm going on a supply run. We need masking tape and bulbs among other things.”

  “Keep the receipt,” MJ called after her.

  A half an hour later, she returned with bulbs, a drop cloth, several rolls of blue masking tape, a plastic template, a craft knife, and a couple of cans of a spray paint labeled, “Armour Etch.”

  “First, I'll need to take down all the pieces of glass covering the fluorescent lights. After I clean the glass, I'm going to use the tape to secure the plastic template. It has a pattern of swirls,” Skye explained to MJ and me. “Finally, I'll spray the glass with Armour Etch. It will add a frosty look in swirl patterns. When I peel off the tape, the final effect should be softer and more elegant.”

  Bobby volunteered to climb the ladder. From there he could change the bulbs and retrieve the glass panes for her. I left them to it.

  MJ continued to dial for dollars and looked up to tell me, “Jimmy will be here tomorrow to lay tile. He'll start in one corner and work his way across the floor, so we won't have to drag everything out of the building.”

  “How'd he get the tiles so fast?” I couldn't believe how quickly everything would be coming together. While Skye had been gone on her supply run, I continued taping around the baseboards and the big display windows as preparation for a new coat of paint. When Bobby got off the ladder, he started replacing the missing and damaged drywall.

  “Jimmy diverted the tiles from another job,” said MJ. “Some big house on Jupiter Island. I believe it was Celine Dion's pool house.”

  I felt my mouth drop open, but I didn't say a word. I was pretty confident that Celine's career wouldn't crash and burn if she had to do without tile for another week or two. On the other hand, my world would come to a bankrupt halt if I didn’t get this store up and running.

  When I needed a break from taping the trim, I picked up Jack and carried him outside to a grassy verge at the back of the building so he could do his business. He proved most cooperative, wobbling around on his three good legs. Even though he wasn't wearing a leash, he clearly wasn't planning on running off. In fact, he piddled and then clumped right over to my side, watching me expectantly, waiting to be picked up.

  “You're a good boy,” I said. As I stroked Jack's ears, I realized how much I'd missed having a dog. I cuddled my new friend, and he licked my face. “What do you know, Jackie? Things are finally looking up.”

  But not for long.

  CHAPTER 48

  Jack finished his business and hobbled a few steps. I let him enjoy the fresh air while I set his photo on to Tommy. Although I loved being outside, there was work to do. Carrying Jack under one arm, I went back into the dark building. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I knew that something was wrong. The hairs on my forearms prickled to attention, a really odd sensation. Hurrying through the back room and toward the sales floor, I tightened my grip on Jack. A soft growl assured me that he, too, felt uneasy.

  I walked up behind MJ and Skye. They were standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at a woman doing a slow turn, taking in the mess. The visitor had rotated away from me. But as I approached, she pivoted. I couldn't help but gasp when I saw her face.

  She reminded me of my mother. A younger version of my mom, of course. But strikingly beautiful…

  The stranger shared our dark curly hair, the shape of my mother's face, and her thin-lipped mouth. When she lowered her designer sunglasses, I could see she also had my mother's penetrating gaze. Our visitor wore a turquoise silk sheath, sleeveless, with a matching floral sweater thrown around her shoulders. The sleeves were tied together to keep the sweater in place. On her wrists were a set of glittery bangles and on her feet were jeweled sandals. Her nails had been done in a crisp French manicure. Perfect.

  I blushed as I imagined how I looked. I was dirty, disheveled, and wearing my daily uniform: a white tee shirt and blue jeans.

  “So you are Cara Mia Delgatto? I've heard so much about you,” said the visitor. She did not offer her hand to me.

  “I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage.” It sounded terribly Victorian, but why wouldn’t it? I felt odd. Bizarre. As if I was dreaming. Or more accurately, having a nightmare.

  I wanted this woman gone. I wanted her to leave immediately. Now. Every instinct told me that she was not the bearer of glad tidings. The fact she presented yet another interruption did not make me happy. Jack growled at her, a long low rumble that vibrated his tiny chest.

  “I'm Jodi Wireka,” she said. “Cooper Rivers' fiancée.”

  “Oh.” What else was there to say? I was at a loss. I couldn’t muster up a congratulations. No way.

&n
bsp; My friends stared at the interloper. MJ chewed on her bottom lip. Skye nibbled a fingernail.

  “What is that?” Jodi pointed a finger at the dog.

  Jack curled his lip and snarled. Yet another surprise in a day full of them.

  “This is my dog.”

  “What's wrong with him?” Jodi asked.

  “A broken leg.”

  “Ah.”

  I knew I should ask Jodi to come back into the office area. I should offer her a cold bottle of water, since the refrigerator was now thoroughly stocked, but I couldn't. I felt painfully embarrassed about how grubby I must look. The voice of my mother roared into my head. “See? Haven't I told you time and time again? Cara, you must always dress appropriately. You never know when you'll need to make a good impression.”

  I mentally slapped duct tape over Mom's mouth.

  “No wonder poor Hal Humberger got you two confused.” MJ looked from one of us to the other.

  “Holy moly,” said Skye, regarding each one of us in turn, her head swiveling back and forth. “I can't believe this! You two look so much alike.”

  “Not really,” said Jodi.

  That was a dig. She was dressed to the nines. Me, not so much. Also, I had about twenty pounds on her. Maybe more. Of course, she was wearing makeup, while I wasn't.

  “It's nice to finally meet you, Cara. Cooper pays you all sorts of compliments. I am sure we can be good friends. In fact, I dropped by to hand-deliver an invitation to our wedding.”

  Skye reached for Jack, and I passed him to her. As we made the swap, a look passed between us. Her eyes said, “It's okay. I've got your back.” She lifted her chin as a reminder that I should do the same.

  “Is there some place we could talk in private?” Jodi raised one eyebrow.

  I led us toward Essie's desk and made a mental note that I should eventually have the storage closet converted to an office, since that was the only space had a door to it.

  “This is such a…surprise,” I said.

  “I'm sure it is.” She played with her bracelets and looked around in distaste. “I always assumed we'd meet someday. I've seen your picture, you know. Cooper tossed out a package of old photos just the other day.”

  That hurt.

  “Of course, you are older…than the pictures I mean,” she added.

  Her tone was perfectly pleasant, but the jab landed nonetheless. What would Kiki do? I wondered. She dealt with a lot of tough situations in her store. In response, I offered Jodi something cold to drink. I grabbed a Diet Dr Pepper for myself.

  “Thank you, but I'm fine,” Jodi said as she took the folding metal chair. With a sniff, she took in her surroundings. After a shudder, she set a beautiful blue Coach purse onto her lap so it wouldn't rest on the floor.

  I opened the cola and sank into the big chair behind Essie's desk. Immediately, I regretted my choice. The seat was far too big for me. I probably looked like a kid playing grownup at her father's desk. However, I wasn't about to get up, walk around Jodi, and drag over another chair.

  She reached into the purse and withdrew an ivory envelope, which I presumed was the wedding invitation she’d mentioned.

  “Thanks. I'll try to make it.”

  “I hope you will.”

  “It's nice of you to invite me.” I didn't mean a word of it, but I didn't know what else to say.

  “Yes, well, I have to be candid. That's not the only reason for my visit. You see, I came to warn you.”

  “Warn me? About what?” After tripping over a dead guy and being interrogated by the police, I figured there weren't any more minefields left for me to cross.

  “Look,” she said and her eyes narrowed, “you and I know that Hal Humberger made a simple mistake. His wife Philomena is furious. She's been working on this franchise deal for a year and a half. You've gone and spoiled it for her. Philomena is in partnership with Cooper. Because you took this building out from under them, they'll lose the Fill Up and Go franchise, and all the money they've already invested in the project.”

  I took my time answering. “I've spoken to Cooper. He never said a word about a partnership with Mrs. Humberger.”

  “Of course he didn't. The building was going to be in Cooper’s name because he's the one who secured the financing. Even so, he was shocked by the turn of events. Since you're an old family friend, he didn't want to pressure you. The money doesn't mean that much to him. Cooper has so many irons in the fire, but Philomena is furious. Not only is Hal dead, but she's unable to consummate a business deal that she's worked very hard to secure at great cost.”

  I nodded, but I wasn't sure I believed Jodi.

  “So you see,” she said, reaching into her purse, “you would be smart to relinquish your claim on this property. I have a check in the amount of the earnest money.”

  CHAPTER 49

  Although she offered the check, I did not take it. Instead, I chewed my lower lip. I'm not a cheat or a crook. I could understand why having a deal fall through after working on it for a year and a half would be disappointing. But if that was how Philomena felt, why didn't she call me herself? Why didn't Cooper tell me what was involved? He could have shared this the other day when we bumped into each other at Poppy's gas station.

  “Isn't there another property somewhere in Stuart that would be available and acceptable to the franchise?”

  “No,” Jodi answered quickly. Too quickly. She waved the check at me. I ignored it.

  “How about in Tequesta? Port Salerno? Jensen Beach? Palm City?” I stopped because I realized that I sounded desperate. One of Dad's rules was never let the other guy see you sweat. Especially if you are in a negotiation.

  “No,” said Jodi with a sigh. “Philomena did her homework. She's a real estate agent after all. This deal means the world to her. That's why she partnered with Cooper. Now that Hal's gone, she'll really need the income from the franchise.”

  “Why did she send you rather than come herself?” Jodi’s story didn't make sense to me. If Philomena was in on the deal, why was Hal so excited about getting the commission? Of course, it was possible that the Humbergers kept their finances separate from each other. A lot of married people did. I had reason to think that might be a good idea, actually.

  “For goodness sakes, Cara. Have a heart! Think of the fix that Philomena is in. That poor woman has a funeral to plan. I don't know if you've ever had to make those kind of arrangements, but it can be terribly draining.”

  I held my tongue rather than explain that I knew exactly how draining the task was.

  “Poor dear. Philomena is beside herself. I took over a casserole, and she cried on my shoulder. That's why I'm here. Cooper has always spoken of you in such glowing terms. I wanted to meet you, and he insisted about the invitation, so I thought,” and here she gave a tiniest shrug of her shoulders, “that I might be able to do Philomena a good turn as well.”

  The silence that followed was truly awkward. Now I knew why Kiki was such a big believer in soft drinks. Holding the cold aluminum can gave me something to do with my hands. Lifting it to my mouth helped me hide the onslaught of emotions. Gulping the sweet liquid bought me time to think.

  “Of course, I feel awful for Mrs. Humberger, but what about my grandfather? If I turn this building over to you—and I'm not saying I will, because I need to think this through—my grandfather will be run out of business. There's no way he could compete with a modern convenience store and gas station.”

  A spark of emotion flickered in Jodi’s cool hazel eyes. However, it came and went so quickly that I couldn't guess what it signified.

  “Your grandfather,” she repeated. “That's another story, isn't it? Honestly, Cara, wouldn't it be doing him a favor? Everyone knows that Dick Potter needs to move on. It's past time for him to retire. He's got diabetes, and he needs to get it under control.”

  The jungle telegraph system in Stuart was definitely a 3G network.

  “That shop is Poppy's reason for getting up in the morning. With
out it, he'd roll over and die. It's especially important to him right now, because the station gives him a reason for him to get better.”

  “How ironic that you are so concerned about his health,” she said, pursing her lips and finally putting the check back into her purse. “Especially considering the damage to our environment caused by his leaking gas tanks.”

  “What?”

  “The leaking gas tanks. Those old gas tanks at the station have been leaking for some time now. Your grandfather is polluting our ecosystem—and he knows it!”

  “Oh, come on. If that's true, then why hasn't the EPA shut him down?”

  “Because your grandfather used his connections to stay open. The first EPA inspector was a friend from his days in the service. That fellow never followed up on the problem. The second inspector came, and your grandfather denied him access. As you may or may not know, the downturn in the economy has hit the state of Florida particularly hard. The state government has been forced to cut back the number of inspectors in the field. We haven't seen another inspector yet. Sadly, because no one has put a stop to the leaking, the damage continues.”

  I couldn't believe this. My grandfather was polluting the environment? This pristine Paradise? And he knew what was happening and refused to fix it?

  To cope with the pain of my emotions, I relied on a trick I’d learned in Lamaze class. I squeezed the rounded arms of the office chair as hard as I could. When I had control over myself, I said, “This is all news to me. I appreciate your dropping by.”

  Not.

  “What are you planning to do?”

  “I'm not sure. I need to think things through.”

  “The longer you wait to relinquish your claim,” she said, with a sad look on her face, “the more problems you'll cause for yourself, for your grandfather, and for Philomena.”

  Somehow I didn't buy the fact that Jodi felt bad about this. In fact, I would have pegged her as jubilant. There was a light in her eyes that seemed almost triumphant.