have anything I wanted because you keep missing Christmases with us?”
Oh no. “You mean…when I offered to buy you a house or send you and your family on a round-the-world cruise?”
“Yes.”
I don’t like where this is going. “Sure, I remember. Where would you like your new house to be? May I recommend Aspen? You’ve always liked to ski.”
“We have a perfectly good house in Florida, and the family house in New York. If we want to ski, we can book a hotel room. I’m calling in that favor. I want you to rehire her and give her another chance.”
“What the hell?” I splutter. “You barely know her.”
“Yes, but I’m a good judge of character.”
“She worked here one day and ruined my life!”
Alice snorts. “Over-dramatic much? Then again, you’re the man who’s twitching over a few espresso beans and a spilled drop of coffee.”
“Spilled coffee? Where?” I panic. Then I spot it and pull out my handkerchief, quickly blotting it. I smack my handkerchief into Henry’s hand with a glower. He arches an eyebrow and drops it into the trash can.
“Come on!” I say irritably. “Do I come to your house and spill things on your stuff?”
“You don’t come to our house, period. I can’t remember the last time you left New York when it wasn’t work related. And Steve and I have a child, Blake, we’re used to stuff being spilled.”
“Please,” I groan. “Pick a different favor. You’re seriously turning down a house? A Lamborghini?”
Alice snorts. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.” True. She and her husband have a family-friendly SUV. As in, only one vehicle. They aren’t into sports cars, and they live a middle-class lifestyle and seem very happy with it.
“She handled everything horribly.” Am I whining? I am, a little.
“From what I gather from my spies, of whom I have many, she started a new job, she tackled her tasks with great enthusiasm, and she did the best she could. Thérèse was sick and wasn’t there to give her any guidance.”
“Why didn’t she call me and consult with me before she went off the rails?”
Alice bursts out laughing. “Are you seriously asking that question? You’re hardly the most approachable person. Here’s a question for you. Why didn’t she know that you and Sloane broke up? Why was Sloane still on your birthday list?”
“That…” I scowl. “That is a fair question,” I admit.
I glance at Henry, who swallows hard. “Sir. I am so sorry. I neglected to tell Thérèse.”
“Henry.” I’m appalled. “How could you? Seriously. That is a really big deal.”
He looks uncharacteristically shaken. That’s because Henry never makes mistakes. He messes with me on purpose from time to time, but it’s always deliberate. “Would you like me to resign, sir?”
“I can hardly spare you, can I? Besides, nobody else would put up with me.”
He nods. “Very true.”
“Of course, I do pay you very well,” I say in a slightly sulky tone. “Amazing benefits. Free suits.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alice has gone all bossy. “Stop being so needy for approval, and hire her back. I’m calling in my favor. When a Hudson makes a promise, he keeps it.”
“Et tu, Alice?” I sink into the chair facing my desk. “Et tu?”
“Your uncle’s on his way in!” That’s my intercom, squawking a warning at me.
Alice makes the sign of the cross. “Wait, I think that only works if they have a soul,” she mutters.
The door bangs open, and Uncle Bill bustles in. Tall and fit, he has a thick shock of silver hair that he wears in a Cary Grant style quiff, and lines corrugating his tanned forehead. He looks achingly like my father, and sometimes I can’t help but study his face and imagine what my dad would have looked like if he’d made it to that age.
“Don’t bother to knock,” I say mildly.
“I heard that Alice is here trying to save that hippie’s job.”
“Hippie?” I mock him. “Is she also a lousy pinko commie?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he says, missing the irony by a mile. “There’s certainly something un-American about the way she dresses. I don’t like the look of her. She doesn’t represent the Hudson’s customer at all.”
“She represents the younger generation of Hudson’s customers perfectly. You do have customers who don’t need to eat with dentures, and it’s smart to hire employees who speak their language.” Alice meets my uncle’s glower with cool challenge in her eyes. The two of them have never liked each other. Well, nobody likes my uncle, but Alice actively loathes him.