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Benjamin tapped the pencil on the clipboard while Louie weighed the penny nails. The day before holidays were always slow at the store and Independence Day hadn’t been any different. So he made good use of the time for inventory checks. He had a system in place for ordering all the binned hardware based on how many pounds were remaining. On average, a customer would buy a set number of pounds depending upon the type of nail, screw, bolt, or nut. He would review the sales figures from the last three months and be able to calculate how much to stock. Of course, these types of items were in higher demand during the building season so he had to keep that in mind too.
“Eighty-d is two and three-quarter pounds.” Louie unhooked the chain hanging from the scale and dumped the contents into the wooden bin. “That’s the last of the nails. What do you want to weigh next?”
“How about the nuts.” Benjamin leaned over the counter, writing the tally in the appropriate column.
“That reminds me of your ex-fiancée. A nut who doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Louie slapped his leg and laughed. “You haven’t seen her since that time at the pool, have you?” He grabbed a handful of nuts and dropped them onto the tin scoop.
“It’s an apple, Louie. Are you ever going to get that saying correct? And no, I’m hoping she’ll stay away. Lily doesn’t need to keep running into her when we are in public.” Benjamin sat on the stool. “The last couple of times I made certain we didn’t cross her path.”
“Don’t you realize she’s still carrying a torch for you? I think you shouldn’t have let her off so easy the first time she came prowling around. Did you ever wonder how she knew you were even there? She probably hired a dick to keep tabs on you.” Louie hung the scoop on the scale. “Three-quarters a pound for the quarter-inch nuts.”
“You slay me! A private dick, really?” Benjamin chuckled. “Vivian would never go that far. She’s done nothing remotely close that would make me any more cautious than I already am. What’s the next size you have there?”
“Five-sixteenths and there’s only two.”
“Benjamin!” Hefty footsteps clomped about on the wooden floorboards in the back area. “Benjamin! Where are you?”
He twisted on the stool. “I’m out here, Father.”
“I need to speak with you. Come back to my office.” Father spun around, treading heavily in the opposite direction.
Louie pulled off his glove and tapped his finger on his lips. “What have you done now?”
“I have no idea, but from the sounds of it, he isn’t in a good mood. I’d better get back there.” Benjamin hustled over and gave Louie the clipboard. “Here, this will keep you busy so you don’t eavesdrop outside the door.”
“I don’t need to be a spy. I’ll leave that up to Vivian.”
“Humph! Just concentrate on the inventory, will you?” His heels made a one-eighty as he hurried toward the office. He’d learned at an early age when his father was displeased to get it over with as soon as possible. Otherwise, the stewing might make matters worse. But he couldn’t imagine what he had done wrong. He stepped into the doorway as Father jammed a handful of papers into his desk, banging the drawer closed.
Father jerked his head up. “Shut the door.” His chair rolled closer to the desk.
Benjamin took a couple of paces inside. Slowly, he swung the door until the latch clicked. His father’s present irritated reaction caused more of an alarm than when he initially called him. He walked over toward the chair situated in front of the desk.
“Have a seat, son.”
He rubbed his sweaty palms across his pant legs and sat near the edge while awaiting a reprimand.
Father’s lips were pinched in a straight line. He rested his forearms on the desk, leaning forward. “Your mother and I have given you a good life, haven’t we?”
“Yes, you have.”
“And you know we depend on you to take over here.”
Benjamin’s eyebrows drew together. “You’re not sick, are you?” Anxiety tightened around his abdomen.
“No, it’s nothing like that. But someday we all pass on.” Father straightened his spine. “This place is your legacy, along with Eva’s.”
A wave of relief allowed him to breathe easier. “I appreciate how hard you’ve worked all these years. I’ll try and make you proud when the time comes.” Father couldn’t have called him back here for this. Nothing was making any sense. “You seemed agitated before. I know something is bothering you.”
“I think that intuition is what makes you such a good businessman. Your brother didn’t hone in on his as we wanted.” Father sighed. “Instead, he found it easier to be reckless and obstinate.” He shook his head. “And now, you’re going down the same path.”
“What?”
“Your mother told me how you lied to her.”
“I didn’t.”
“You haven’t been completely honest with Miss DuCate regarding your broken engagement and another woman, have you?” Father’s tone sharpened. “Our reputation is important. So is the DuCate family’s. Sowing your wild oats elsewhere wouldn’t be the right choice.”
“It’s not like that with Lily.” Benjamin’s heartbeat resounded in his ears. “I don’t understand where all this is coming from. Two weeks ago, you said you’d handle everything. What’s changed?”
“I’ve already explained it to you. I can’t be any plainer. What happened with Robert can’t happen again.” Father’s jaw clenched. “Your uncle pulled us out of the predicament last time and we don’t have any more family members willing to do the same.”
“What do you expect me to do?” As soon as he asked the question, tunnel vision set in and he didn’t like who awaited him at the end.
“Exactly what you were intended to do all along.” Father stood, towering over the desk with a stern intensity about his reddened face. “Marry Vivian.”
“You can’t be serious.” He rubbed an unsteady hand across his forehead.
“End of discussion.” Father yanked down his sleeves. “I’ve got some work I need to tend to. Please see yourself out.”
Benjamin stood. Nothing worthwhile would come of attempting to continue the conversation. Father had spoken. He rotated the doorknob and swung the door open. Until he figured out Father’s reasoning, he couldn’t address the situation any further. He wandered past Eva’s office into the parking lot. The sun shone on his face and he held a hand over his brow while the other clung to the metal railing. He wanted to run down the stairs and never come back. That would show his parents they couldn’t dictate his life. Robert didn’t let them, so why should he? The discussions between both parents seemed too coincidental. Each of them had mentioned his brother when they brought up his future. What could that mean? Had Mother finally convinced Father to accept her rationale? He couldn’t just leave like this. There had to be a way to straighten out this mess. He may be defeated right now, but the war wasn’t over.
Turning around, he gradually meandered inside toward his office. Why was this happening right now when he’d finally found Lily? His head hung low while he stared at his feet as he walked through the hall and into his office. A figure moved. He lunged backward. “What the—!”
“Shh!” Eva motioned with her hand. “Close the door.”
“I’d rather be alone.” He gave the door a shove and it clicked shut.
“I’ll bet I can guess why.” Eva stood in his pathway. “You look awful.”
“Thanks for letting me know. What do you want?” He sidestepped around his sister, heading toward his desk.
“Tell me what happened with Father.”
He plopped into the chair. “If you only came in here to snoop, you can leave now.”
Eva leaned against the corner of his desk. “I’m here to help—not pry into your personal life.”
“How do you know what Father talked to me about then?” His eyes narrowed. “You had to be listening.”
“I wasn’t, I swear.” She traced an x over her chest with her fingertip.
“All right, you have one minute to convince me of your good intentions.” He pulled out his pocket watch and pushed the latch release on the crown. “Go.”
“Walter.” She crossed her arms.
The hairs on his arms stood. “What about Walter?” He closed the lid on his watch and stuck it back into his pocket.
“Father had a heated conversation with him.” She fiddled with the dial on the desk calendar. “As soon as he left, you were called back to Father’s office. My guess is whatever was said had to do with Vivian.”
His brow furrowed. “I didn’t see Walter come in. Besides, Louie and I were out front all morning. And why didn’t I hear either of them yelling?”
“Walter used the side door to the parking lot right outside my office. As for you not hearing them, I can only assume if their speech was muffled for me through the adjoining wall, you’d be out of earshot out front.” She pushed a stack of papers aside and sat on the edge of the desk.
“What you’re saying sounds logical.” He leaned backward in the chair. “So, what did they say?”
“Honestly, I heard only bits and pieces but enough to understand Mr. DuCate had an agenda. The conversation lasted only a few minutes. And at one point, Walter raised his voice like he had authority over Father. I heard the word agreement but that’s all I could make out. I went closer and Walter mentioned you and Vivian. But by then, he must have finished because it was quiet. Until Father’s office door slammed. I got startled and almost tripped over my feet backing away from the wall.”
Benjamin rubbed his chin. “What you overheard can’t be a coincidence to what happened with me afterward. Father had the audacity to order me to marry Vivian.” His chest tightened. “There is no way I’m making that woman my wife. Not after experiencing what love really should be. Lily’s more important than any legacy.”
“I’d vote for love over Vivian any day.” Eva slid off the desk. Whoosh! A stack of papers cascaded off after her. “Oops, sorry.” She bent over, gathering the pieces. “Even if Walter told Father you had to marry Vivian, why would he listen? Father never changes his mind after he makes a decision. Besides, didn’t he tell you he’d take care of the issue with the DuCates?”
“That’s what doesn’t make sense.” Benjamin scratched his temple. “Three minutes with Walter and Father surrenders. What could he have over Father? Do you think he threatened him? But with what?”
“You’re the one who goes to all the movies.” Eva sorted the papers in one pile and the envelopes in another. “What kinds of devious schemes have you seen?” She tapped an envelope on her palm.
He flung forward, sitting up straight in the chair. “Maybe it’s like that new movie coming out. You know, the one about the con artist and the botched blackmail scheme.”
“Hold Your Man?” Eva placed the envelope on top of the others. “Don’t you think you’re letting your imagination get away from you?” She laughed.
His gaze followed the envelope and an idea popped into his mind. “No. I might be on to something, and you can help. Remember when you had me mail the payments?”
“She nodded.”
“There was one in there for Walter.”
“So?”
“Why would the company send Walter a check? He buys from us. We would get a check from him.” He grinned. “Can you look into how many times we’ve sent Walter money and how much we’ve sent him?”
“Sure, I’ll get right on it.” Eva twirled around and exited the office.
Maybe, just maybe, this idea of blackmail was far-fetched. But right now, it was the only thing that was a plausible explanation as to what had just happened. If Father was paying money to Walter, he had to figure out why. And if Father did give Walter money—what dishonest, immoral, or unjust thing could Father have done? That part in his theory didn’t add up. Father was honest, moral, and just. Except for this one time with him when Father had been completely unfair. No matter what, he couldn’t give in. He couldn’t give up on love. And he couldn’t lose Lily. Not now.