Page 31 of Cakewalk
Mom and Dad sat opposite each other, doting on their daughters and son-in-law like they hadn’t seen us in ages, even though the last time we had dinner was a few weeks ago. Mom started, brushing her gray hair behind her ear. “Courtney tells me you quit the cake shop. Do you have something else lined up?”
Courtney added, “And she has a new car. How’d that happen, Jade?”
“It’s a rental,” I started out defensively, setting down the cornbread. Ugh, couldn’t these questions wait until after I had a few bites? “It’s a work car.”
“Well,” Courtney continued. “Who’s the lucky employer? You haven’t told me yet.”
“You’ve met him already. He’s renting the apartment above the cake shop.”
Courtney frowned and started putting things together. “Griffin? What’s a spiffy-looking guy like him doing here, anyway?”
“I’ll just say it.” I took in a deep breath, bracing for impact. “His full name is Griffin Reed.”
My sister set her fork down, no longer interested in her steak. “Wait. He’s Calvin Reed’s son?”
“Yep,” I said stupidly. What else was I supposed to say?
Courtney let out a little, “Uh huh,” then grabbed her knife and started making short work of her poor steak. “So Griffin is Calvin’s son. And he’s renting our apartment.” Half of the steak was damn near shredded now. “And you’re working for him. For the company that routinely stormed into towns, paid the absolute minimum in wages, bled all the subsidies and tax breaks, then left without so much as a ‘Thank you, ma’am.’ That’s the company you’re working for.”
“It’s under new management,” was my whimpered response. Did I really stand a chance at explaining myself, or was Courtney going to steamroll ahead on her crusade? “He’s different from—”
“The peach doesn’t fall far from the tree, Jade. Everybody here knows that.”
“Okay, but really, he’s estranged from his father. They don’t talk anymore.”
“Then how’d he get the company?”
“It was part of his… severance package, I guess you could say. It’s entirely his to do as he wants with, and he’s going to turn it around. He’s not like his father.”
Courtney’s eyes narrowed, and it was like our parents and James weren’t even in the room anymore. It felt like I was sitting in an interrogation chair in some dank basement, a hanging light bulb above me. And that made Courtney my interrogator, with her instruments of torture gripped tightly in her hands, a fork and a steak knife.
She continued, “Is that right?”
“Give him a chance. You can put him through the wringer at this upcoming town hall meeting. He’ll be there to address any concerns.”
“Sounds like corporate speak to me.”
“Honestly, I took the job to see for myself if he could be trusted. He opened everything up to me. He needs some guidance, but he’s fully willing to listen and has already started to put into effect some of my suggestions.”
“Like what?”
“The clean-up, for one. It’ll be a community event, and he’s going to set aside part of the land to plant trees and build a park.”
“Sounds like empty PR to me. What’s a park when he’s robbing the rest of the town blind?”
I had to hold in a groan. Instead, through gritted teeth, I said, “But he’s not going to do that.” It was my turn to murder my steak. “Can’t you just trust me, Court? Mom and Dad didn’t raise a dummy, did they?”
Mom and Dad both pulled back a little, as if they wanted no part in this.
Courtney thought about it, looking between Mom and Dad, then settled her eyes back on mine. “Fine, Jade. I’ll trust you. But I hope you know you’re risking your reputation on this. Nobody in town supports this development.”
“Yet. But I think they can be convinced.”
Courtney nodded, and I felt the interrogation room fade back into a cozy little kitchen.
Lord help me if she learned about his criminal record or our little fling. I dug into my food while I could, worried the next set of questions would be incoming at any moment.
To my relief, Courtney changed the conversation topic over to the local festival scheduled in two months. She insisted Dad bake his county-famous apple pie, and have Mom pause her retirement for just a few days to decorate the cupcakes for the cake shop’s booth.
