Page 29 of Whispers at Seaside
“We’ll probably finish it up in a month or so,” his father said.
Thinking of Hagen, Matt said, “Hagen wants to build a boat, and I told him we’d start with a raft. Would you like to build it with us? I could sure use your help.”
His father’s eyes narrowed and his lips curved up in a smile that told Matt he knew what he was up to. “You don’t need help with anything. You could build a raft when you were thirteen without anyone’s help.”
Matt laughed and got up to flip the steaks. “Fine, you got me. I miss you. I want to build a raft with Hagen, and I want to spend time with you. Is that a crime?”
His dad joined him by the grill. “I’d like that, Matty. That boy is sharp as a tack, isn’t he?”
“He is. We built a robot last weekend.”
“I know. Mira told me. That’s where the boy gets his smarts, you know. She’s a bright woman. Pushy as can be, but—” He laughed and patted Matt on the back. “You know I like that in a person.”
“You must. You raised five stubborn children.”
They joked about what it was like when Matt and his siblings were growing up, and they reminisced about his mother, easing some of the deep-seated pain of her absence. When dinner was ready, they ate out on the patio, and Matt eased into a conversation about the hardware store.
“How are things at the store, Pop?”
His father waved a dismissive hand. “No sense in getting all wrapped up in that.”
“I don’t want to getall wrapped upin anything.”Besides Mira.“I’m just wondering how business is going.”
His father pushed to his feet and carried his plate into the kitchen. Matt gathered the other dishes and followed him in. He wasn’t about to let him get off that easy.
“Come on, Dad. Please talk to me.”
With a heavy sigh, his father turned to face him, his features lined with regret. “You only call me Dad when you are being serious. Let’s not get serious, Matt. The business isn’t going to stay in the family, so what’s the use of pouring my energy into it? I want to retire in a year or two. Heck, I’d like to retire now, spend more time with Bea and you guys. But I’ve got to keep the business going long enough to get Mira through her CPA exam.”
Hearing his father refer to Mira as if she were his daughter should have surprised him, but it didn’t. He’d seen the picture of Hagen above his father’s desk at the store. No one besides family hadeverbeen pinned to that wall. That was more telling than any words could ever be. But he was surprised that his father knew about Mira’s plans to take the CPA exam.
“You know about that?”
“Of course I know about that. She’s too smart not to try to do better for herself. The way I figure it, when she passes the exam, she’ll get another job, and I’ll close up shop. Pretty simple.”
There was nothingsimpleabout his father closing the business he’d worked his whole life to create. “You worked hard to make Lacroux Hardware mean something to this community, and to our family. Even if none of us want to spend eight hours a day there, that doesn’t mean we want to see it fail. Is that what you want? To close the business as if it never existed?”
His father shook his head and shrugged. “Matty, I built the business to leave something to my children. You know that. And it’s not surprising that you all went out in the world and found your own paths. That’s what your mother and I wanted for you. It’s what we encouraged each of you to do. The store is an outdated dream. A dream that had legs and gave us a comfortable life. But time has passed, and its legs aren’t what they used to be. It served its purpose, and it’s not going to stay in the family, so it’s time to think about letting it go.”
Matt didn’t know if it was because of Mira or his father, or because he was in a nostalgic frame of mind and thinking about a future with both, but when the words “What if I’m not ready to?” left his lips, he didn’t try to fight them.
“Then I’d say that makes no sense. You’ve got a career at Princeton and a big book deal, promises of a lecture circuit. What would you want with the business?”
“I’m not sure I’d disagree with you, Pop, but would you be opposed to me and Mira taking steps to see if there’s a way to make the business more competitive? You never know. Maybe it will stay in the family after all.”
His father crossed his arms, a Lacroux habit when confronted with a situation they didn’t want to deal with. He lowered his chin, and Matt knew he was weighing his answer.
“It won’t cost you a penny,” Matt assured him. “Let us do a little research, talk to a few people, and see if there are any viable solutions.”
“She’s talking about new computers and an accounting system, Matt.” He lifted his hand and rubbed his finger and thumb together, indicating a pricey endeavor.
“Talking and buying are two different things.” Matt moved to the sink and began washing the dishes. “She’s thinking of a co-op, where you and other small-business owners work together and form a business so—”
“Form a business? Why would I want another business when the one I have is already in trouble?” He grabbed a dish towel and began drying the dishes.
“Because there are plenty of small businesses just like yours out there. Mira has a list of a dozen other family-owned hardware stores already, and they’re probably struggling just like yours is. In order to compete, you have to be creative. Working together, you can all reap the benefits of bulk buying and passing on larger discounts to your customers.”
His father set the plate he was drying down and shook his head. “Running another business to save this one? I don’t know, Matt. I’m getting closer to retirement every day. I don’t have the energy to run another business.”
