Page 13 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
The edge in Candace’s voice surprised even her. Discomforted glances were shared around the table. The conversation had turned too personal, too real, even though these people were the ones who had been prying.
Almost imperceptibly, Uncle Perry turned the class ring on his finger.
That ring was the only jewelry he wore, unless one countedhis watch collection. When Candace was a child, he used to turn that gaudy hunk of metal whenever she set off his temper. Uncle Perry never raised a finger against her, but the threat worked well enough. Even now, she had to hold back from flinching.
In a gross, patronizing tone, Uncle Perry soothed, “Candy, baby. I’m on your side. I only want you to be realistic about what you can do.”
“Then let me prove it to you.” The words left Candace’s mouth, and she could not take them back. Steeling herself, she barreled forward. “I heard about Mr. Leary. You need someone you can trust to take over the pier’s books.”
“... You… wantmeto hireyou?”
“Give me a chance to help with the family business. If you find someone else, go with them. But, I promise you, I can do this.”
Candace felt her uncle’s laughter before she heard it. Years of derision, insults laced with levity, made her keen to his moods. As the rest of the table echoed his amusement, she shrank. She tried to defend herself, but her voice came out small and wavering.
“I’m as qualified as any other candidate. I know the pier inside and out. If you just—”
With a handwave, Uncle Perry cut Candace off. He flagged down their server. Gesturing to Candace, he asked the young, nervous teen, “Has this woman paid her bill?”
“Uh… I haven’t closed out your table yet.”
“But will she? A big girl pays her own way, right?”
“Uncle, please…”
Candace wanted to disappear. He loved making her look small so that he could look big. “No. I’ve got this, and whatever else you need. All you’ve got to do is ask, Candy. And you know how I’m able to do that?”
Uncle Perry waited painfully long while his cronies snickered amongst themselves. Candace squirmed, which was exactly what he wanted.
Defeated, she gave in. “I don’t know, uncle. Howdoyou do it?”
“I stay in business, whatever it takes. I make deals and moves. In fact, I’ve started preparations for a massive expansion. Gift shops, new rides, a resort-quality hotel with a multi-level parking garage… Millions of dollars in contracts, meetings with multiple banks and investment firms, miles worth of financial documents… Which means I’m going to find the right man for the job. Or, hell, I’d even take a woman. If a pierced, tatted up dyke can handle the pressure, they’re in. Unlike you. See? You can’t even be told no without tearing up.”
Candace wanted to leave. She wanted to so badly, but she knew it would only make things worse. As long as his money was lining her account, she had no choice but to take whatever he spewed.
Her voice was foreign to her ears as she agreed with her uncle. “You’re right. Yuck. That’s way too much responsibility for me. Congratulations on the expansion.”
From there, the conversation went on without Candace. She became the pretty background feature her uncle wished her to be. After ordering herself a mojito from the still-hovering server, she at least had that to focus on. While she sipped at a drink she was sure had been upgraded to a double, the others offered their well-wishes for her uncle’s upcoming business venture.
“So, it’s all coming together, then? You secured the funding and you got your permits sorted? If not, I know a gal in the planning office who might be able to move some paperwork along.”
The person who spoke, Rhonda Moss, was the only other woman present. In her early fifties, she’d spent her most early career clinging to a middle management county government role in Wonderwood’s planning office. She cozied up to her uncle’s ilk and, like magic, she ended up managing the whole department.
If Candace’s spirit weren’t in tatters at her feet, she wouldhave laughed at the small town Deep State they had going on. Instead, she took a long, loud sip from her mojito. Idly, she wondered where her uncle was planning this grand expansion. The pier was already overdeveloped, so he’d have to build a whole new one. Or, take over half the boardwalk, but both of those options would be crazy. Her ears tuned back into the conversation as a name caught her attention.
“—few holdouts,” Uncle Perry told them with annoyance. He turned the ring on his finger while he spoke. “Pests, that’s all.”
“Can’t just throw on the ol’ Perry Pocket Change charm and convince them to sell? How much could it cost to buy a couple of tee-shirt shops out?”
“Those were the first ones to fold. It’s the family business that’s giving me trouble.” He said the term ’family business’ with a sneer that turned gleeful. “No matter what, I’ll get my way soon enough. They’re out at the end of the season. No way that bagel bitch can match the terms I’ve set in her lease.”
At that, Candace could not stop herself from letting loose a dull-sounding, “What?”
That same sneer stayed on her uncle’s face as he answered her with the patience of an adult speaking to a child.
“A lease is something that says a poor person owes someone like me money. I have a very well-worded stipulation in my leases stating that if my tenant’s business doesn’t make a gross profit of a certain amount by the end of the boardwalk season, I am free to terminate our agreement. It’s going to be a blowout summer for her, just not the kind she’ll enjoy.”
Candace gaped.
