by Aimée Thurlo
Joshua had to smile. The one thing he needed right now was work—and this was his second job offer of the day. Two years ago, he would have had to check his schedule, but at the moment, his only plans were buying groceries.
“Yes, I’m available, Mayor Allen, and I’m licensed to practice in New Mexico now. Tell me about the project you have in mind.”
“Providing the town can afford your services, we’d like you to survey several of the abandoned or unoccupied buildings and give us some feedback regarding their potential.”
“By potential, do you mean whether it’s cost-effective to renovate or restore them?” Joshua asked.
“Exactly, and for the buildings where neither option is efficient, we’d like you to determine whether any building materials can be salvaged and reused or sold,” Allen said.
“I see where you’re going with this, Mayor. If I recall, there’s a lot of quality wood and hardware in some of the older structures. Can you email me your proposal with a list of the properties, so I’ll know exactly what I’m getting into?”
“Of course,” Mayor Allen replied. “You’re the only available architect in the area, so I hope we can agree on a price. If you accept the terms, just fax the contract to my insurance office number. Town hall doesn’t keep regular hours.”
“I’m not going to let money stand in the way,” Joshua said, giving the mayor his email address. “I’m away from home right now,” he added, “but I’ll check the email on my cell phone then fax back my signature later. Thinking ahead, where can I get the keys to these buildings?”
“Glad to see you’re already on the ball, Josh. You’re just like your father—sharp and dependable,” he said. “The keys are kept at town hall. When you want to pick them up, give me a call at this number and I’ll meet you there, okay?”
“Sounds good, Mayor. Thanks for your confidence. I’m really looking forward to this. By any chance is the Brooks Mansion on the list?”
“Sure is. It’s a showpiece, and the town’s determined to preserve it.”
“What’s your deadline for the estimates?”
“That’ll be spelled out in your contract. If you need to adjust any of the dates, call me and we’ll work it out,” Mayor Allen said.
“Thanks again,” Joshua said, then ended the call.
* * *
JOSHUA PULLED UP at Daniel’s store ten minutes later. He’d begun this drive knowing he was almost out of groceries, but he’d been determined to buy only what he absolutely needed. Now, with some money coming in, he was in a far better mood and he was ready to remedy the food supply situation.
As he stepped inside, he saw Daniel setting up a display of toys and gifts at the front window. The garland circling the window frame made it clear the grocer wanted people to start thinking of Christmas, though it was still October.
“Hey, buddy,” Joshua said, coming up to him. “Didn’t know your place carried toys now.”
“I’m keeping a low inventory, but I thought I’d give it a try this year since there’s not much competition in town,” Daniel said, looking up from the display showcasing high-end dolls. The “cowgirl” looked downright Southwestern with braids, Western hat, boots, jeans and a concha belt. Another doll wore a dark blue velvet dress in colonial New Mexican style with a shawl over her shoulders and a silver barrette in her long hair.
“Most of the families around here are on tight budgets right now, but I think they’ll move heaven and earth to make sure the kids have a proper Christmas. I’m starting to offer layaway, as well.”
Joshua looked at the price tag on one of the dolls and whistled low.
“Yeah, I know, but these are very popular, and I’m offering them at the same price as the Painted Canyon stores. I’m only carrying two of each, so we’ll see what, if anything, happens.”
“Testing the market is a good idea,” he said, his thoughts drifting for a moment.
“So how come we haven’t seen you in here lately?” Daniel asked, bringing him back to the present. “I figured you’d either given up eating or were driving to the superstore in Painted Canyon.”
He laughed. “I had a short talk with your grandmother while picking up stuff for breakfast a few days ago. I’m not much of a cook, though, so I’ve been eating burgers at Shorty’s.”
Daniel nodded. “He still gets enough business to stay in the black.”
“The food is just as good as when I was a kid. The chicken-fried steaks melt in your mouth, and he’s got the best hamburgers I’ve ever tasted,” Joshua said. “None of that franchise assembly line food.”
When Daniel’s gaze shifted, Joshua turned his head to see what had captured his friend’s interest. Betty was at the front of the store holding Evie’s hand and talking to Daniel’s grandmother.
“Are you ever going to ask Betty out?” Joshua whispered.
“What? Nah, it’s not like that between us.”
A second later, Evie came over. Although she didn’t touch anything, her eyes were glued to the doll in the colonial dress.
“She’s beautiful,” Evie said in an awed whisper.
A second later Betty came over. “Sorry! She wandered off.”
“Mom, look,” she said and pointed.
“I know. It’s the doll you saw in that catalog,” Betty said. “Maybe someday I can get you a doll like that. For now, help me find your breakfast cereal. We also need milk and bread.”
“And popcorn,” Evie said.
Betty laughed. “Okay, get a box of our kind, then go find the cereal.”
As Evie hurried off, Daniel touched Betty’s arm and spoke in a low voice. “We’re all watching our money right now, but since you buy all your groceries here, how about if I let the doll go at cost? You can put it on layaway and pay a little each week through the end of the year.”
“That’s really nice of you, Daniel, but I can’t,” she said. “I don’t want to take advantage just because we’re friends.”
“Look at it as payback then. Your brother helped me out when I had a shoplifting problem last summer.”
“That’s his job,” Betty answered. “I really appreciate your offer, Daniel, but I just can’t. Not even on layaway. I’ve been living strictly off my savings and what the town pays me for delivering meals to our seniors. You know I’m also trying to get the inn back open for business, so any money left over goes to that. Evie and I have enough to get by, but not for extras.”
“I’ll tell you what. This doll’s my display model. I’ll set it aside for her at the end of the season and write it off my taxes.”
Betty started to decline but then looked at her daughter, who’d returned and was arranging the cereal and popcorn in the shopping cart.
“Evie needs a little magic this time of year,” he said quietly. “Let’s see what we can do to bring it to her.”
Betty hesitated, shook her head, then gave Daniel an impromptu hug. “Thanks for the offer.”
As Betty walked away with Evie, Daniel looked at Joshua and shrugged. “I’m not her type, Josh. She always went for the ultramacho guys—the knuckle dragging ‘me want woman’ type.”
“Seems to me like she might be ready to change that.”
Daniel shook his head. “Don’t try to set things up. Look around you. My only full-time employee is Grandma Medeiros, and this store’s on life support. Take on the responsibility of a woman and a child, even if she’d have me? No way.”
Even as he spoke, Daniel picked up the box with the doll and took it off the display.
“You’ll find a way to get it to her,” Joshua said as Daniel put the box behind the counter.
“Yeah, yeah.” Before he could say anything more, Betty came back.
“I forgot to ask, Daniel. Are you coming to the town meeting tonight?”
“Yeah. I hear there’s big news in the air. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“He better show up,” Grandma called out. “Or he’s never going to hear the end of it.”
Betty laughed. “I’ll save a seat for you, Daniel.”
“Sounds good. You want me...us...” he said, glancing at Grandma Medeiros, “to pick you up?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll meet you there.”
“Sure,” Daniel said. As Evie and Betty left, he glanced back at Joshua and growled, “One word and I’m going to deck you.”
“You mean you’ll try,” Joshua said, laughing. Then he looked around the store. “Do you have any rawhide bones?”
Daniel pointed. “There, at the end of the aisle. Did you find Bear?”
“No, but I was thinking of putting out a special treat. So far he hasn’t touched the kibble Myka leaves out, so I thought I’d tempt him with something else. Myka really wants to take care of this dog, so I figured I’d try to help.”
“Better get the large ones on the bottom shelf. That’s the kind your dad used to buy for him,” Daniel said. “One more thing, Josh. Bear’s slow to warm up, but once he’s your friend, you’ll never have to worry about him again.”
Joshua heard the warning woven into Daniel’s words. “Slow to warm up? Does he bite?”
“Don’t think so, but I once had him sit on me for a half hour until Adam came home. The dog could have torn my face off—his head’s beyond huge—but he just sat there, looking down at me and drooling. Just don’t make him nervous or suspicious, and let him decide whether to approach you.”
Grandma Medeiros came over. “I’ve been listening in and, Josh, I wanted to tell you not to worry about Bear. You are your father’s son and he’ll know. Pheromones and all that.”
Ten minutes later, groceries in hand, Joshua left the store. As he looked at the bone in one of the bags, he thought about the big mutt. All things considered, that was one meeting he wasn’t looking forward to.
* * *
MYKA AND JOSHUA set out in his truck a little before seven that evening. “I spent the past hour on the phone getting the word out,” Myka said. “So did the rest of the women. I really hope this works, but I’m also worried about giving people false hope. There are no guarantees.”
“Everyone knows that by now. What’s needed is a goal, a mission. There’s nothing worse than sitting around feeling helpless.”
He paused, then said, “Let me tell you about the last few months of our firm.” His eyes never left the road. “We all knew that, logically, we should walk away but, instead, we put our own money together and gave it one more try. In the end, it wasn’t enough, but you know what? None of us regretted that final push. We were all broke by then, but we went down swinging.”
He glanced over at her and shrugged. “If you don’t fight for what you want, you’ve already lost something that’s far more important—a piece of yourself. Stay confident and look to the future.”
“I’m not looking toward the future, Joshua. We have to deal with the here and now first. But, yes, I’m ready to come out fighting.”
They pulled into the parking lot, and in the glow of the light posts, she could see that nearly every slot held a vehicle. Cars and pickups also lined both sides of the street.
“I think your phone tree worked,” Joshua said, finding one of the few remaining spots at the dark end of the lot.
“Wow. I didn’t even know there were this many people left in town. Any hints on how to persuade them to get involved?”
“When you address the group, try to make eye contact with as many people as possible,” Joshua said. “Speak from the heart and make it personal.”
“Got it.” As she exited the truck, Myka felt her hands shaking. She never had any problem speaking in small groups, but tonight’s large crowd was another matter entirely.
Together, they walked inside the meeting hall, which was filled almost to capacity. People were seated side by side on rows of gray metal folding chairs. There was an aisle in the center, but even that was crowded with recent arrivals searching for a place to sit. A big folding table had been placed at the front of the room, where Mayor Allen and three councilors were seated.
At one time there had been eight people in the town council, but the three men in the group had resigned and moved away with their families, taking jobs in other communities.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, customary reading of the minutes, and some announcements, Mayor Allen told everyone about the possible school closing. Though the news had already spread, there was an angry rumble around the room.
Someone in the back shouted. “I don’t want my seven-year-old daughter to spend an hour each day on a bus when we have a perfectly good school just down the street.”
“We have to face facts,” Mayor Allen said. “There’s no fast or simple solution to what we’re facing. Some of our craftspeople want to start a new business selling online, and that’s all good, but this town needs major surgery, not a Band-Aid.”
Grandma stood, threw her shoulders back and faced the crowd with an air of authority. “We keep hearing about what we can’t do. Let’s hear from someone who actually has a plan. Myka Solis has an idea, and we need to hear her out. It’s not a cure-all—the mayor’s right about that—but it’s a step in the right direction.”
Exasperated, Mayor Allen ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Elise, starting a new business now will take funding, and the one thing we all need to hang on to most of all is our money.”
Knowing she had to speak now, Myka stood. Her hands were shaking so badly, she hid them inside her pants pockets. “We’re all in trouble, and we can’t continue on the way we have been. We’ve got only one choice now—to go forward.”
Myka began to explain how they could bring the town’s most talented artisans together. “Made in the U.S.A. means something to Americans and we’re second to none here in Independence. We’ve got something special to offer.”
“Myka, girl, you’re dreaming.” Chuck Martinez’s voice echoed from across the room. “You think a bunch of artsy-crafty women are going to jump in and save our economic butts? It won’t happen unless you have some golden fleece I don’t know about.” Several people laughed.
Anger rose inside her, but she forced herself to clamp a lid on her temper. Chuck was a chauvinistic jerk and she wouldn’t let him derail her. “I’m not talking about saving the town, Chuck, I’m talking about reversing the slide, and giving some families a chance to turn things around. I’ve been selling skeins of my own hand-spun yarn for the past seven months and making a good, steady profit. I even have a waiting list for some of my dyed lots. Working together, we could double our output, and by purchasing the raw materials we need locally or regionally, we’d also be infusing cash into the economy here. That would eventually create jobs, too. Shipping clerks and website people, for example.”
“And those of us who can’t knit will herd sheep down Main Street. You’re kidding, right?” Chuck shot back.
He was the only person who laughed this time.
“That’s enough, Chuck,” Mayor Allen ordered. “I think we all need more information on this proposal. If it’ll help keep just five or ten families in their homes, I’ll learn to crochet. And who knows? The wealthiest company in the country began with two college-age kids in a California garage.”
Myka continued her presentation, wrapping up by mentioning the possibility of local woodworkers creating crafts and toys to add to the inventory. She finished by saying, “This is our chance to help ourselves.”
“Let’s open the meeting to questions,” Mayor Allen said.
The hall became so quiet Myka was sure that if she tried, she’d be able to hear the heartbeats around her.
Will Solis, who’d been sitting in the back wearing civilian clothes, sto
od. “You all know me. I’m a no-nonsense kind of man. I listened to what Myka proposed, but I stayed grounded on the facts, and here’s what I see. An operation like the one Myka described will require licenses, tax accountants and maybe even a start-up loan. Or let’s say that we pony up the cash ourselves. How many of you can afford to gamble on something like this?” He looked around the room.
Myka jumped to her feet. “Are you saying it’s better not to try at all? Nothing worthwhile ever gets done without taking a risk. Let’s not give up yet.”
“Great words, Myka, but that’s all they are,” Will said gently. “You need to face facts. You just don’t have the necessary know-how to start up anything bigger than your online store.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of, brother-in-law. Don’t ever sell me short!” Her words came out more forcefully than she’d intended. “Besides, I have backup—someone who does have those skills,” she said calmly, looking over at Joshua.
Mayor Allen followed her gaze. “Josh? I’m not sure I understand. You had your own architectural firm in San Francisco, and you’re doing some consulting work for the town, but what’s that got to do with the type of company Myka’s proposing?”
Josh stood and looked at the people gathered there. “For those who don’t know me, I’m Joshua Nez. I grew up in Independence. Most of you probably remember my dad, Adam. Like the mayor pointed out, I’m no expert in selling handmade crafts, but I did start my own company, and most of the initial steps are the same. I can help you all navigate the sea of forms and licenses that the chief mentioned.”
“Folks, take a hard look at who’s talking,” Will cut in. “Are you really ready to trust someone with a history as a troublemaker? Here he is back out of the blue, telling you how to spend your hard-earned money. Does listening to him sound like a good idea?”
There were several murmured comments among the crowd.
“I seem to recall you standing in front of the high school principal more than once, Will, yet you’re the town’s police chief now. I’ll match my integrity to anyone else’s in this room, including yours,” Joshua said, then he turned away, clearly dismissing Will. “What I’m offering you are the skills I’ve acquired since leaving this community. I can help with the paperwork, but I won’t join the partnership Myka’s proposing. The company will belong to you all.”