Page 14 of Rescue
Chapter 7
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Miles
I stayed later at work than usual because I had a meeting with my kayak vendor and he got hung up in some traffic coming up the mountain. That kind of thing happens all the time up here. The main road in and out is only two lanes so one bad accident can snarl traffic for hours. Fortunately, he only ended up being about an hour late, but then he wanted to chat all evening. Only good thing to come of the whole mess was a little extra time to work on some inventory I’ve been meaning to get done.
By the time I head home I’m exhausted and in no mood to cook. I stop by a local fast food place to grab a quick dinner and am heading home to eat when I see smoke billowing out of the windows of Mabel’s Manor. I immediately pull into the parking lot and jump out ready to help. When I see Penny coughing and panicking I start to panic myself, but I focus on the issue at hand and quickly identify that it is a problem with the flue. It’s fairly common for folks around here to forget the damper the first time they light a fire for the season. I burned my hand a little on the damper knob, but I’ve certainly had worse. Afterwards, I could swear Penny was going to ask me to stay, but then she got this look in her eyes and I knew I shouldn’t push it.
I think about her my whole way home and through my entire evening routine. Every time we’re together she sets off sparks inside me that I have a hard time quieting. I don’t know what it is about her that makes her different from every other woman, but when she trains her smile on me, my whole world seems to somehow brighten. I haven’t had someone make me feel so good since . . . I push those thoughts away, not allowing myself to go down into that dark place.
I’ll admit to having avoided the cafe this morning on my way to work. I don’t want anything more than friendship, but it seems my body has other ideas where Penelope Collins is involved. I made a foolish decision thinking that I could go without my usual morning pick me up. I attempted some of the ‘Janis Special’ she’s so fond of and was once again reminded why I never do that. That stuff will put hair on your chest and have you breathing fire for the rest of the day. I vow to either make it at home or go to the diner before attempting Janis’ coffee of death again.
Honestly, I should just grow up and go back to Mabel’s. She’ll be offended if she hears I haven’t been coming by and it really is the best in town. There’s no reason why Penny and I can’t be in the same room together. We’re both adults. We are capable of friendship without any extra strings attached. If nothing else, this evening proves we can spend time together platonically. I resolve to stop by tomorrow morning for my usual coffee and sticky bun.
I go to bed that night thinking about Penny and the cafe, her green eyes haunting me with questions about my past and her sad smile disappearing through clouds of smoke. As I search for her, the smoke turns to snow and it starts to close in on me. I hear a woman’s voice calling out to me, but I can’t find her no matter how long I search. I startle awake, out of breath and sweating profusely. It’s early, well before my alarm, and I know I’m not going to be able to get back to sleep. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a nightmare like that. I thought I had put those behind me.
I get out of bed and forgo my usual shower in favor of throwing on some shorts and heading to my home gym. It’s not much, just a treadmill and a few free weights, but it gets the job done most days. When the weather is nice, I prefer to run outside, but since it’s so early I choose the treadmill. I run for what feels like hours but what turns out to be about an hour and a half. It’s enough to beat back the dreams and put me into a better mindset.
I decide uncharacteristically to work from home. I’m planning on devoting the morning to figuring out what I can do to convince the Callahans to sell me their business. The more I think about it, the more I worry that nothing I say will be enough to convince them to put the past behind us and let me buy them out. I know our family’s history is complicated, but it’s been nearly 10 years since the accident. If they only knew how much I lost that day.
I call the store to check in on everything and let Janis know I’m working from home if she needs anything. More than likely I won’t hear from anyone all day. The business Dad built from scratch runs like a well-oiled machine. I want to make my mark on the business and I know this is just what we need. If the Callahans say no, we’ll be alright. There are other businesses and it’s not like we couldn’t build our own version of what they have somewhere else. The fact of the matter is, they’re our neighbors and if we built what they have somewhere else we would be directly competing against them. That kind of dirty business doesn’t sit well with me, and I’m sure it wouldn’t fly with my dad either.
The Callahans are getting older and I know they’ve always talked about retiring in San Diego, where their son and his wife live now. I know they are looking for someone to buy their property, but I also know they wouldn’t welcome me on their doorstep with an offer. Maybe they’d be more receptive if Dad went to speak with them, but he says if I want this, I have to get it myself. I suspect he feels like he's helping me work through my past. I’m just not sure I’m ready to dredge it all back up.
I work for most of the morning, crunching numbers I’ve crunched at least 10 times before, going over every single facet of my plan to make sure it would work. The way I see it, it would be a win for everyone involved for them to sell to us, but I don’t think they’ll see it the same way.
I pause for lunch and a handful of ibuprofen. My knee has really started to ache after sitting all morning. I make a sandwich and grab a bottle of water and take it out to my back deck to enjoy the weather. It’s about 65 degrees outside and sunny. One of the last nice days of the year I think. The nip in the air and the ache in my bones tell me colder temps are coming soon. This weekend is Labor Day and with September comes unpredictable weather and the promise of snow. I take a few extra minutes to enjoy the sun once my sandwich is done and then head inside to finish the day’s work.
After I finish up the restock orders for the store, I decide to give my dad a call and check in with him. It’s been a week or so since we’ve talked and I like to keep in touch with him. I might not admit it to most, but my dad is one of my best friends. He’s always there with great advice when I need something, and he’s been an incredible business mentor. He’s slowed down some now that he’s semi-retired, but he’s not any less formidable. My dad has always been something of a force in this town. Bound and determined to make a name for himself, he put everything he had into his little ski rental company and he succeeded beyond what anyone else thought he could do. Carter’s Extreme Sporting Goods is known for miles around and sometimes people come to town just to shop with us. The San Bernardino Mountains supply several towns with enough snow that you could hit pretty much any peak for enjoying the snow, but people come to Piney Grove to get the best equipment around and they stay to enjoy our fresh powder.
The phone rings a couple times and then I hear Dad’s booming voice on the other end. “Hey!” he says like he was waiting for me to call, “How’s it goin’? Wondered when I was going to hear from ya.”
“Hey, Dad, I’m good. Just working from home, trying to get some paperwork done.”
“Good, good,” he says, followed by a pause like he’s waiting for me to get to the bottom of why I called. I know I can call anytime, but Dad isn’t the kind of guy that likes to beat around the bush.
“I talked to our kayak vendor yesterday and he’s got a couple new models he’s looking at for next season. Wants us to try them out and see if we could sell them. I told him we’d take a look.”
Dad does a lot of the vetting for the new brands, styles, and products that come through the store. Says if he can’t use it, his customers won't be able to either. It’s something he can still do since he’s more or less turned the business over to me.
“When will he have them to us?”
“He dropped them off last night when he was in town. They’re at the store in the back whenever you’re ready for them.”
“Maybe I can convince your mother to go out with me later this week,” he says in a thoughtful tone. “Anything else?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking, and I’m ready to talk with the Callahans. Would you mind setting something up?”
He’s quiet for a beat too long, then says, “You sure you’re ready for this? There’s no rush, son.”
I love him for giving me an out right now. He’s been in my corner 100% every day of my life, including the darkest day I’ve ever lived. I don’t deserve his unwavering love and understanding, and I’ll never take it for granted. “I know, Dad, but I think it’s time.”
“As long as you understand. I’ll set up the meeting and I’ll even come with you, but this is your show, Miles. They’re going to want to hear what you want to do with their business, because they know I’m on my way out the door.”
“I’m not sure I’m the Carter son that they’ll want to sell to, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
“That’s all I’m asking for, son. I know it’s going to be tough on you to go over there, but nothing worth it was ever easy. You’re doing an excellent job with the store. Your mother and I both think so. We’ve seen the numbers coming in from Willa and we have no regrets with turning the business over to you. You’ve made us very proud and I have no doubt you’ll continue to do that, no matter how you grow the business. If the Callahans don’t sell, we’ll figure something else out.”
I appreciate his support and I let him know that. We talk for a few more minutes and then he says Mom needs his help with something and he says goodbye.
I think about our conversation for a few minutes before I get back to work. I don’t know what I would do without my dad and I’m so thankful for everything he’s done for me. He built this business from the ground up without help and for that I commend him. I know it wasn’t without a lot of sacrifice and effort. Now he intends to hand the business down to me and I have to admit to being a little intimidated by the shoes he’s leaving to be filled. If I do half the job he does, I know I’ll do alright.
