Page 78 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Rage made Candace clench her teeth so hard she feared they would crack. Was this really it? After everything they had been through, Bagel Bombs! was finished by her uncle’s whim?
Across the table, the lone woman of the group (who, to Candace’s annoyance, was wearing a duplicate of her cherished seafoam suit) leafed through the papers. She seemed like the analytical type, doing most of the work for her peers.
“DeMarco?” She asked, looking at one particular document, “As in the original owners of the property?”
“Erm, yes,” Uncle Perry replied. “Their daughter still rents a unit from me.”
“A bit cruel to evict her, but it can’t be helped. Beachfront real estate is prime property, and it looks like you snagged this for a song after the ‘08 recession. How unlucky. I’d never speak to my parents again if they’d lost such a valuable investment.”
Candace felt the floor drop out from under her. Was she understanding that right? Her uncle had bought the land and the Bagel Bombs! building from Daisy’s parents? He got some kind of deal?
Did Daisy know?
Uncle Perry twisted the ring on his finger as his dark gazemet Candace’s. There was a warning, there, but also the trace of unease. He was nervous. Beside him, Lamarka smiled with an edge as he moved the conversation forward.
“One person’s loss is another’s opportunity. And here, Mr. Perry and I see a great opportunity for Wonderwood. Why don’t we discuss some logistics? Candy… Make us some coffee.”
When she hesitated to move, her uncle barked her name again. “Don’t be difficult in front of guests.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” bowtie-boy eased. “We’re just about partners here. You take your time, sweetheart.”
Stumbling from her seat, Candace went to the far less opulent kitchenette down the hall. Her hands auto-piloted making a pot, which she dolled out like the good little niece Uncle Perry expected her to be. All the while, warning bells screamed inside. She had finally found a thread to pull on that might lead to her uncle’s misdeeds, one that would lead right back to Daisy.
How much pain had the Perry name inflicted on that poor woman?
Candace needed to learn more. She kept her focus despite wanting to flip the table over. Halfway through that pot of coffee and an hour into the meeting, Candace’s phone rang inside her purse. She silenced it without looking.
It rang again. And again. Ignoring the glares, she took a covert peek at the screen.
Daisy.
While the phone continued to ring in her hand, Uncle Perry asked, “Don’t your friends know better than to call when you’re in a meeting?”
Candace stared at the screen. Something was wrong; she could feel it.
Deadpan, Candace lied, “It’s my gynecologist. I need to take this.”
Without waiting for a response, Candace lightning-stepped outside onto the busy main street. She apologized as soon as the call connected, saying, “I’m sorry! I was stuck in a meeting,are you—?”
Daisy’s sob made her freeze in the middle of the sidewalk. People looked annoyed as they went around her, but she did not care.
“Daisy, what happened? Where are you?”
Broken and watery, she replied, “I’m… I’m at my house. It’s Norman, he’s—” She cut off, letting out a stuttering exhale. “Please, just get here. I need you.”
Candace was already halfway to her car.
Chapter 20
Daisy
Norman had an epilepsy-induced seizure. He was alive, but he had been hospitalized thanks to a head injury he sustained during his fall.
Daisy only found out days later, when she called the local senior center to check up on the man after his unusual absence from the cafe. The very next call she made was to Candace, who now sat at her kitchen table consoling her.
“It’s going to be alright,” she soothed. Her palm worked circles around Daisy’s back, alternating from little to big. Drawing goosebumps along their path, shifting thoughts from concern to—
No, Daisy thought. She thrust up from the table, away from Candace. Why did she call her? She wasfrustratedwith her and this infuriating hot-and-cold dance.
