Carrolls and Firrs

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Her mother looked puzzled. “Why would I do that?”

  This was not a good sign but not an entirely unexpected one. Her parents were even more clueless about the problems in the business than she expected. “I was just wondering if you knew what the difference in price was.”

  “Oooooooh.” Her mother nodded in understanding. “So we can see how much we’re saving.”

  “Something like that.” Ellie wanted to bang her head on the desk. It would be more productive than anything else she did this week.

  “I think I may sneak out if you’re going to stay.” Cris grabbed her coat from the hook on the wall and slung it on. “Just keep an ear out for the door. Friday evenings aren’t usually too busy so you’ll have plenty of time to package up the cookies for tomorrow.”

  “For tomorrow?” Ellie wondered why her mother insisted on baking so many batches of bucket-o-cookie today and now had a sinking feeling she could guess why.

  “It is more efficient to bake a bunch at once.” Cris paused. “Right?”

  Ellie stifled the urge to tell her mother what she really thought about mass baking disgusting fake cookies. Her mother didn’t really want her opinion. She wanted her agreement. But Ellie struggled to give it to her.

  Luckily Cris Carroll wasn’t one to wait long.

  “Right.” Cris looped her purse over her shoulder and kissed Ellie on the head before breezing out the door. “Bye honey. See you at home.”

  The door dinged as her mother left.

  “Ugh.”

  How in the world was she going to fix this? Ellie laid her head on the desk and tried to relax. She could do this. She successfully ran a three-million-dollar start-up for goodness sake.

  At least until the owners decided to sell out to a buyer located on the west coast and left her with two crappy options. Move or be jobless. Jerks.

  Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Ellie tried to brainstorm. What were the primary problems with the shop?”

  Her parents.

  She thumped her head against the wood.

  What were the problems she could do something about?

  The food.

  Oh. My. Gosh. The food.

  And the smell.

  That one was easy. Ellie jumped up and walked to the ceramic wax warmer on the table just outside the office door. The one her mother replaced daily to make sure the whole shop smelled like a synthetic cinnamon bomb went off. Careful not to dump wax on the floor she picked up the wax dish and tipped it out into the trash.

  Then she dropped the whole thing on the floor. Chunks of pottery scattered across the tile.

  “Oops.”

  It took ten minutes to clean up the mess but the overpowering smell started to dissipate almost immediately.

  By the time Ellie added the shattered warmer to the trash can and went to replace the broom behind the counter at the back of the store the sun was mostly down. The dim light made the shop feel like a basement filled with decorations of Christmas past. Dark, depressing and dated.

  Problem number three. The décor was awful. Heck the way the whole shop was set up was terrible. It was nearly impossible to tell what was for sale and what was for display only.

  Three big problems and who knows how many more she hadn’t yet identified. Retail wasn’t her area of expertise and neither was food service. It was going to take her forever to figure out all the problems and research the options to fix them. But that was what she would have to do to get this place on solid ground.

  And that’s what she wanted. The shop successful enough that she could leave.

  Unfortunately the mess she was seeing was not a quick fix. Not for her anyway. She would have to spend just as much time learning as she would actually fixing.

  Ellie stared out the front window, arms crossed. It looked like her time here in Bradbury was going to be longer than she hoped.

  Unless she had help.

  There was someone in town who knew exactly what it took to be successful here. In retail and in food.

  But to get his help she’d have to tell him exactly who she was and that could go really wrong. Without his help though, she would be here indefinitely and being able to go home sooner was worth the risk.

  Plus the guy smelled good.

  And had dimples.

  Ellie grabbed her coat from the office and flipped the sign off. If her mother could cut out early so could she.

  Not that her mother would find out.

  Keys in hand, she stepped out into the chilly almost December air, wrapping her coat over her chest as she hurried down the sidewalk. Ellie jumped into the Jeep and headed for The Grove. Hopefully she could catch Doug there and beg him to help her fix her parents’ business.

  Ellie took a deep breath as her nerves started to creep in. She swallowed the fear and excitement down. She was going to talk to him business manager to business manager. That was all.

  What’s the worst that could happen?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “DOUG?”

  Even though he’d only heard the voice behind him a couple times in his life, Doug knew who it belonged to instantly. That was a bad, bad thing for a man trying to keep the very pretty owner of that voice off his mind.

  He took a deep breath before turning around. “Hi Ellie.”

  The tentative smile on her face widened. “I was worried you wouldn’t remember me.”

  She must be crazy. How the woman thought he could forget about her was ludicrous. There wasn’t a single thing about Ellie that wasn’t memorable.

  Especially the fact that she was from the city.

  And that meant as much as his stomach was twisting around with excitement at seeing her again, talking to her again, it was going to have to give it up. Girls like Ellie didn’t want men like him. They wanted men with degrees.

  Diplomas.

  At least that’s what he’d been told.

  Doug cleared his throat hoping it would help clear away the disappointment winding through him. “Are you here for dinner?”

  Ellie tipped her head from side to side and squinted one smoke colored eye. “Sort of.” She stilled, her arms hanging loosely at her sides, fingers rubbing against her thumbs. “I actually wanted to talk to you. Maybe we could do it over dinner?” She glanced around the busy dining room. “If you have time.”

  Saying yes was not an option. His mother and sister would see him having a cozy dinner for two and he would never hear the end of it. Not only that, but sitting at a table, sharing a meal, talking. It would be dangerously close to feeling like a date. A date with a woman he had no business dating.

  Ellie’s grey eyes softened, long black lashes drooping ever so slightly at the corners. “Please?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Shoot.

  That was not what he meant to say.

  But the way her face brightened made it hard to regret his mouth having a mind of its own. “Do you know what you’d like?”

  Ellie took off her white wool coat. “You don’t still have any of that lasagna do you?”

  “We do.” Doug led her across the dining room to the four-seater table in the corner the family always kept free in case they needed it. It was tucked away from the busier area so he could do paperwork while he ate or his mom and sister could have a quiet break from the hustle and bustle.

  Doug pulled out a chair and motioned for Ellie to sit down.

  She dropped her head slightly and gave him a smile. “You didn’t have to do that.” Ellie slipped into the chair and set her bag and coat on the seat beside her.

  “I’ll be right back.” Doug went into the kitchen, trying to act like he did every other time he made himself dinner, hoping no one would notice he was plating for two instead of one.

  He relaxed a little when his back bumped the swinging door and he slid from the kitchen, a plate in each hand, without attracting any attention.

  “That looks a little bigger than I remember it being.” Ellie eyed the slab of lasagna he set
in front of her.

  “I guess I gave you the size I give myself. Sorry.”

  Ellie already had a mouthful. She swallowed it down and gave him a grin as she cut off another bite. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

  Doug watched her for a second, waiting to see if Ellie would start the conversation. She didn’t.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” Now that he was past the initial shock of her being here, wanting to talk to him, Doug was a little thrown off. It was odd a woman he met twice would have anything to discuss with him.

  Ellie put her fork down and looked straight at him, her soft, sweet features becoming more pronounced. Not hard but firm. “I came here to ask for your help.”

  “Okay.” Doug drew the word out as his brain searched for reasons Ellie could need his help. He knew very little about her so the list was coming up short. Make that empty.

  All he knew she needed help with was gas station coffee.

  “First, I need to tell you something that will probably have a big effect on your willingness to help me.” She folded her hands and rested her forearms on the table in front of her. “I did just move here from New York but…” She sipped her water. “I’m not new to town. I grew up here.”

  This was interesting and unexpected information. Doug studied her features. Trying to recall if he’d seen her face before around town. There was something about her nose that seemed familiar.

  The words she blurted out next connected all the dots including ones he didn’t know were there. “My parents are the Carrolls.”

  If her growing up in town was interesting and unexpected, this was mind blowing. “Noelle.”

  She cringed. “I go by Ellie now.”

  Doug took a breath to speak but stopped. He stared at the woman who sat silently across from him, hands still folded her face unreadable.

  There might just be more to the sweet unassuming girl from the coffee shop than he expected. “What is it you would like me to help you with?”

  Ellie looked so different than she had just a few minutes ago. She sat perfectly straight, her face was as indefinable as any poker player’s and her voice was smooth and firm. “I’m sure you are aware my parents are struggling with their business.”

  Doug couldn’t stop the chuckle. Ellie’s parents didn’t hold back with how their business was faring. They also didn’t hesitate to place blame. Publicly. “So I’ve heard.”

  “I came home to help them fix the shop and bakery.” Ellie’s eyes never left his face. She was watching him as closely as he was watching her. This dinner was quickly moving from what Doug was concerned could be considered a date to something he was a little more comfortable with.

  A business meeting.

  Doug leaned back in his chair. “And how are you planning to do that?”

  Ellie was back to eating her lasagna. She shrugged. “That’s why I’m here.” She motioned around the dining room with her finger. “This is outside my area of expertise.”

  “What is your area of expertise?”

  Ellie shoved her half-empty plate to one side. “I majored in business but haven’t really got any experience with retail or food service.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m sure I could do some research and learn but that will take a while.”

  “Are you on a schedule?”

  Ellie gave him a little smile. “Let’s just say I know firsthand how my parents can be and I don’t plan to work with them any longer than I have to.”

  He tried to brush the comment off. Pretend it didn’t matter to him that she knew her parents were a pain. That it meant she might know he wasn’t all they said.

  Doug decided to get back to the reason Ellie was here. “So you are back in Bradbury to help your parents turn around their business and for some reason you want my help.”

  Ellie looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “What do you mean for some reason?” She craned her neck to look around the busy dining room. “This place is unbelievably well run and ridiculously successful.” She turned back to him. “I think I know what the problems with my parents’ business are. I even have some ideas how to fix the issues but honestly I have no clue if I’m even going in the right direction.”

  Leaning forward, Ellie’s grey eyes locked onto his. “You know this community. You know how to build a business here. I need your help.”

  Doug leaned back in his chair needing to put distance between them. “Your parents have said some awful things about me.” He didn’t want to point out the obvious but one of them had to. “Why would they want my help?”

  Ellie took a long slow breath, her gaze never wavering. “They don’t know I’m here.”

  Doug couldn’t help but laugh. “They’re going to kill you then.”

  One of Ellie’s brows cocked and she straightened. “They begged me to come back. Pleaded with me to help them. They’ll have to deal with what it takes to accomplish that.”

  “But what about me? Why would I help the people who’ve drug me through the mud for years?” Helping Ellie was one thing but her parents were another. If they had their way, he’d be out of business.

  Doug rubbed the back of his neck. It was a lot to take in. And a lot to consider.

  “I think some of my ideas could benefit you. Not to mention the fact that another successful business in town will only help drive more people here.” She looked down at her plate. “They’ve got to eat somewhere and this is by far the best place in town.”

  The flattery didn’t go unnoticed, or unappreciated. Ellie was educated. If she thought he was doing something right then maybe he was. Maybe Marcy was as wrong as he hoped when she gave his ring back and tried to explain that he just wasn’t on the same level as she was.

  Ellie pulled out her purse and fished around inside the small bag. She slid a business card from the Carroll’s shop across the table at him. “My cell number’s on the back. Think about it.” She stood up and pulled on her coat then grabbed her purse. She turned to leave, then stopped.

  “I understand how my parents can be and I’m sorry for what they’ve done to you.” She grabbed her purse strap, hiking it higher on her arm. “I’ll make sure that ends either way.”

  Ellie turned back around and wove her way through the Friday night crowd milling around the dining room. Doug watched until she was gone.

  He blew out a long breath.

  That was an interesting turn of events.

  ***

  “How was your first week back at the old stomping ground?” Dale Carroll smiled across the dinner table at his daughter, a pile of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans mounded on the plate in front of him.

  Ellie stared at the insane portion size as her dad dug in, shoveling forkfuls into his mouth. Was he really going to eat all that? Dale must have read her expression.

  “Gotta get my Santa body back.” He rubbed his well-developed gut. “Kids get suspicious if you don’t look like you’ve been eating enough cookies.”

  Her dad didn’t look like he missed a single cookie. Or cake. Or pie.

  “Isn’t that unhealthy?” Ellie could hear her father breathing from the other side of the room and he’d gained at least twenty-five pounds since last Christmas. “You shouldn’t put your health at risk for a couple weeks of role-playing.”

  “What would people think if I wasn’t Santa Clause? Who would head the parade? Who would sit in the gazebo every Friday and Saturday?” Dale shook his head. “Nobody. That’s who. I’m Santa Clause.”

  Cris leaned Ellie’s way. “You haven’t touched your dinner Noelle. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine mom.” Ellie weighed her options. Did she tell her mother she wasn’t hungry and listen to another lecture about how thin she was or did she risk telling the truth. Maybe she could skate around the whole truth. “I already ate.”

  Her mother laughed. “I would hardly call that scone dinner honey.” Cris reached out to squeeze her daughter’s arm. “It’s no wonder you’re s
o skinny.”

  She should leave it alone. Let her mother think she was full of dust bowl scones and bucket-o-cookies. But it was so frustrating having her parents treat her like she was a teenager again. Almost as frustrating as not knowing how to put an end to it. “I’m not talking about the scone.”

  Cris’ eyebrows lifted.

  “I had dinner with a friend.”

  Her mother went back to her dinner, stabbing at the side salad trying to catch a wayward cherry tomato. “I’m so glad you and Betsy could pick up right where you left off.”

  Ellie grated her teeth. She and Betsy had easily picked their friendship back up but telling her mother that would only encourage Cris to continue trying to build Ellie a life here. A life she didn’t want.

  “Actually it was another business manager. I wanted to pick their brain about ways to help the shop.”

  Her dad paused, fork of mashed potatoes suspended mid-air. “Why would you need to do that? You’ve got all the receipts. You should be able to see what the problem is.”

  She could see what the problem was alright. It was looking across the table at her and it was time to start easing into the bad news. “The receipts only tell me if there is an accounting error dad.” How her parents managed to make it this far with the business had to be dumb luck.

  She’d watched them toddle their way through the years, her mother keeping the books and her father ordering new items on a whim. That was what made her want to major in business. She wanted to see how things were really done. Wanted to know the correct way to balance all the workings.

  And maybe because deep down Ellie knew one day their luck would run out and she would be right here. Trying to fix the mess they’d made.

  And what a mess it was.

  “If it’s not that then what is it?” Her dad looked absolutely befuddled. Shocked that she couldn’t simply calculator away years of bad business decisions.

  “It’s a lot of things.” The food, the décor, the atmosphere, the whole darn place was a depressing, low quality, pit of Christmas despair.