Sleigh Bells - Fern Michaels Page 0,11
it for a minute.
At the same time as Angie was waiting for the coffee to brew, Josh Eagle was pacing the confines of his office. He hated that he had to go down to the first floor and apologize to the witch with the broom. She looked like the type who might take a swing at him. His stomach started to curdle at the thought. Still, there was no reason for him to behave the way he had at the rehab center the other night. He should have sloughed it off and ignored the young woman with the sparks in her eyes. And, she was pretty. He told himself she could be pretty and still be a witch.
Josh diddled around for another twenty minutes before he squared his shoulders, straightened his tie, and shook down the cuffs of his shirt. Now he was ready. His heart was beating way too fast. His mouth felt dry.
His cell phone rang, jarring him from what he was feeling. He looked down at the caller ID and saw that it was his father, who had come home yesterday and was asleep when Josh got home. He’d said everything he had to say to his father the night before. It was much too late to hear his repeated apologies of I’m sorry, son. I didn’t know, son. Then a few more I’m sorries. No sense beating a dead horse. He ignored the insistent ringing and left his office.
He met her a foot away from the huge red X. He’d gone ballistic the day he’d seen that red X for the first time. The witch’s biting words at the time still rang in his ears to this day. Step one foot over that X, and I’ll have you arrested! He knew she meant every word of it. And that was three years ago. To date, he’d never stepped beyond the X. How childish was all this? Damn childish.
Josh took the initiative. “Ms. Bradford, I came down here to apologize to you for my rude behavior the other night. Not that I’m defending my rude behavior, but I have a lot on my plate right now.”
“I know you do. I was on my way to your office to apologize to you. Would you like to…uh…go out to the food court and get a cup of coffee? Neutral ground, so to speak. If you’re busy…”
Josh stared at the young woman. Did she just invite him for coffee? “Sure,” was all he could think of to say. How brilliant was that?
They walked around the corner, down one of the long halls until they reached the food court, which was virtually empty this early in the morning. Neither said a word on the short journey.
“How do you take your coffee?” Josh asked.
“Black. It’s not coffee if you doctor it up with cream and sugar.”
“I feel the same way. Take a seat, I’ll get the coffee.” A black-coffee drinker like himself. Who knew?
The moment Josh sat down, Angie leaned forward and said, “We’re going to cancel the lease. We can renegotiate it again after the first of the year if the store is still open. Until then, Eagle’s gets 80 percent of the take, we get 20 percent. Look, let me finish what I have to say before I lose my nerve. My mother told me what you told your father. You’re leaving the first of the year. I guess I more or less understand that. Speaking strictly for myself, I’ve never been a quitter, but that’s me and, like you said, you have a lot on your plate.
“Your father…well, he’s been wrong. Older people have a hard time…What they do is give generously and then they realize they lost their control. It’s hard for them to accept the aging…Help me out here, Mr. Eagle.”
“First things first, let’s stop with the Mr. and Ms. I’m Josh, and you’re Angie. Okay?”
Angie smiled. Josh suddenly felt his world rock. “I…I know what you’re saying. For the last ten years I’ve battled my father. He’s stubborn as a mule. I had so many plans for the store, but he shot me down each and every time I presented something. I finally got to the end of my rope. There’s nothing more I can do.”
Angie sipped at the scalding-hot coffee. “Sure there is. Where are all the suggestions that were in the suggestion box? I used to slip one in that box once a week.”
“You’re the one who…I still have them all in my office.