to Kael the second she knew Leonard wouldn’t be able to be your Santa.”
“She should have offered it to me!”
“Agreed. But I’m sure she figured you wouldn’t be able to pull off Santa quite as well as Kael.”
“I would have found someone else. And Kael isn’t even the one wearing the costume. He’s too busy serving hot beverages and delectable goodies to his customers. He’s fucking me on every level, and I’m done. I need you to activate Plan B.”
“Plan B?” Amie chuckled.
“Yes. I need someone to get sick from something in his store.”
“You said that wasn’t your game.”
I sighed. “Yes. When I thought we could survive the loss in profits leading up to Black Friday and the final sprint until Christmas. When I thought the novelty would quickly wear off, and his overpriced oil and vinegar would be too trendy for this town. When I thought Santa Fucking Claus would be at my store today.”
“Whoa … nice holiday language.”
Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temples. “Yesterday, Finn gave a toast. He went on and on about how proud he was of me, and part of the reason is because I’ve kept the store going. I’ve kept our family going. I’ve stayed in the same house. I’ve taken care of his grandparents. And he knows … he knows the truth about the argument that happened before Craig died. So it meant that much more. It’s not like Chase or Linc saying the same thing because they don’t know. Which kills me that they don’t know, but it would equally kill me if they did know. But Finn knows. And he still said it. I can’t be responsible for his father’s death and, only a year later, be responsible for the family business closing its doors while I let our competition literally screw me in every way possible.”
“Well … okay … wow. In every way possible? Does that mean—”
“You know what I mean.”
Amie sniggered. “No. I don’t completely know what you mean. I think further explanation is needed. But we’ll sort out those details later. For now, I’m your person. I will get sick and save Christmas for Smith’s.”
“Don’t sound so dramatic. You don’t actually have to get sick.”
“To sell it … I do. I have to get sick.”
In spite of my brewing anger at the situation, I chuckled. “You can make yourself get sick?”
“Yes. I have some emetic herbs. Harmless, but they will cause vomiting. I’ll head to his store, browse around, sample a little bit of everything and … boom! I’ll get sick. In his store. It’s genius really. It won’t be a minor rumor that I got sick from something at his store. There will be the visual for everyone there. Cameras. Social media. He’ll be out of business by the end of the week.”
Her plan cinched the already tight knot in my stomach. “I don’t know …”
“Elsie! You can’t say that. If you weren’t letting him screw you in very naughty ways, would you be thinking twice about this plan?”
Yes. I would have had many second thoughts about her plan. I wasn’t vindictive by nature. I wasn’t out to destroy anyone.
I was …
Desperate.
Scared.
Drowning.
“We never had this conversation.” I ended the call and hugged my phone to my chest as I closed my eyes. Being mean made me feel physically ill. I felt it after I completely unloaded on Craig the day he died.
“Two,” Linc opened the door to the back room. “We have two customers. Old people, of course, because everyone under sixty is across the street visiting Santa and buying products that don’t have a gazillion preservatives.”
My jaw relaxed to say something. Something about bad luck, bad timing, and Karma. Then his words caught up to me. “You think our store is outdated?”
“Don’t you? And don’t lie. We know you don’t eat anything from here. Even when products get close to expiring, you give them to neighbors, but Dad ate them. Sometimes, he’d live off beef sticks, spreadable cheddar, and popcorn for weeks because he refused to let things go to waste.”
I nodded slowly. “So would Grandma and Papa Smith.”
“And so would most of Epperly. But even before Dad died, things weren’t doing quite as well. Not with online shopping. So it’s not simply a product issue, and you know it.”
We weren’t giving the residents of Epperly a reason to get out of their recliners and go to an actual brick and mortar store. Except for that time of year when people wanted pictures with Santa.