| |
Victoria
After another long and restless night of tossing and turning, Victoria felt like a walking zombie. Thanks to Santana Construction’s relentless pursuit of her property, she was not only exhausted—she was stressed to the max. She hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in weeks. Her mind was too preoccupied with worry. If her mind wasn’t cluttered with thoughts of being homeless, they were consumed with the possibility of having her and Jennifer’s business ripped out from under them. And yesterday’s arrival of a fat manila envelope in the mail had only made matters worse.
Barefoot, Victoria plodded half asleep down the staircase. She’d been disoriented when the alarm clock buzzed and had hastily donned her bathrobe, tying it around her middle as she walked toward the kitchen to make her cup of coffee. Of course, had she actually gotten more than twenty minutes of sleep, she’d have remembered to put her slippers on and her feet wouldn’t feel like ice cubes now. Something she wouldn’t have forgotten to do had Henrique Santana and his group of hoodlums left her alone.
The large glass windowpanes rattled from the ocean’s brutality; its gusts battered around the corners of the old home. Raw drafts seeped through the seams of the weathered wood paneling. Victoria shivered and tightened her fingers around the oversized coffee mug, its warmth providing a welcome relief against her palms. She took a sip, savoring the nutty flavor of the fresh brew as it coated her throat, and folded her legs beneath her, slumping onto the wicker chair. Eyes closed, she wondered what Nana would think if she knew Victoria had been offered a generous seven figures to buy their old colonial home. After all of Nana’s hard work and sacrifice, Victoria couldn’t imagine selling out to those land-hungry vultures. They’d never appreciate what this home meant to her, nor how hard her grandmother had worked to maintain a roof over their heads after Victoria’s parents’ untimely death in an automobile accident. There was no way she’d willingly allow Santana Construction to rip her inheritance away.
*****
TWO HOURS LATER, VICTORIA had arrived at the Literary Ladies’ Book Nook and Café. “Good morning,” she called out, stepping into the semi-dark room.
Seated at a table in the café, Jennifer rested her forehead against her palm. “Too loud,” she grumbled.
“Late night?” Victoria turned the open/closed sign on the door and flipped the light switch on, pretending not to hear Jennifer’s muffled expletives at the unwanted brightness.
Jennifer squinted toward her, her eyes mere slits. “Is it necessary to turn all the damn lights on?”
“I’m afraid so. We won’t have any business if nobody thinks we’re open.” Although experience had proven that it was best not to bother Jennifer when she was nursing a hangover, Victoria simply couldn’t wait. After all, she’d spent a good portion of her night thinking about the upcoming city council meeting. Entering the café, she dared to broach the subject. “We need to discuss our plans for the city council meeting.”
Eyes squeezed tight, Jennifer released an unrecognizable, not-quite-human sound. “Now?”
Victoria lowered herself onto the chair across from Jennifer, ignoring Jennifer’s obvious irritability. Jenn would have to deal because their futures were at stake. “I thought maybe we should have some notes written up. Maybe practice possible Q&A.”
Face scrunched up, Jennifer slowly moved her head back and forth in opposition. “We’ll sound too rehearsed if we do that.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
“No, it doesn’t. But I know you, Vicki. You’ll never sleep as you plan what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to.” Jennifer cupped her head in her palms and released a loud sigh. “Can’t you just have faith that our reputation as quality women entrepreneurs will work to our advantage over some unknown, big-ass conglomerate?”
I don’t sleep now, Victoria thought in protest when the chime signaled a customer had just entered the shop. The interruption put an abrupt end to their discussion.
Jennifer looked toward the entrance and groaned, lifting her hand in a halfhearted wave.
“Good morning!” Mrs. Burton bellowed throughout the room.
“Good morning.” Smiling, Victoria moved toward the woman. “I’m happy you came in today. We have some great new mysteries that just arrived.”
“How wonderful!”
Victoria flinched. She might not be hung over, but it was still too early for Mrs. Burton’s boisterous voice. “Follow me.” Victoria motioned to a nearby bookshelf. “I’ll show you to them.”
*****
ONCE THE LUNCHTIME rush had passed, Jennifer left early for a doctor’s appointment. Victoria had tidied up the bookshelves, as well as vacuumed and dusted the shop. Since there had been little traffic all day and she was caught up on inventory, Victoria decided to take advantage of the quiet afternoon by spending the remaining hour before closing drinking a cup of tea and flipping through the latest issue of People Magazine. In a few days, the holiday season would be in full swing and she’d long for a moment to breathe. As she poured boiling water over a bag of green tea, the bell above the door chimed, and Yushin Matsui shuffled in. “Good day, Victoria,” he said, his ordinarily exuberant tone sounding deflated.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Matsui.” Victoria’s smile quickly faded as she noted the grim expression on the elderly man’s face. “Is everything all right?”
A jagged newspaper clipping shook from between his weathered fingers. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I read this in my retirement magazine and thought you might like to see it,” he said, handing Victoria the wrinkled piece of paper.
Her eyes widened as she read the headline. “Santana Construction’s Plans to Revive Newport’s Gilded Past.” She skimmed the article, scoffing at its contents. “Can you believe this nonsense?”
Victoria thought she saw pity flicker in the man’s dark eyes. “I hate that our city would even consider such a monstrosity, but times change. Things certainly aren’t like they used to be.” The founder of South Sea’s Dynasty, a family-run Japanese restaurant located directly across from the Literary Ladies’ Book Nook and Café, had seen tremendous change throughout its many years along the waterfront.
“It’s positively sinful,” Victoria said.
“Everything is about the almighty dollar,” Mr. Matsui added. “Tourism brings in money.”
“But building here doesn’t make sense. Millionaire’s Row is only a few blocks away. If Thames Street is leveled, they’ll lose a valuable piece of history.”
“You’ve made a good point. Bellevue Avenue is inundated with lavish parties where socialites and political leaders are known to gather at the various mansions. I suppose Santana Construction believes they will capitalize on the overspill, which the Gilded Seashell Hotel cannot accommodate.”
Mr. Matsui peered around the empty shop. “In the summertime, this shop, along with all the other businesses in Brick Marketplace, are swarming with customers. Lines of people form along the sidewalk, waiting for an empty table in my restaurant. It’s not the sushi, although it is the best in town,” Mr. Matsui boasted a moment before continuing. “People pile into my restaurant because of the location. So I understand the appeal of adding additional lodging. However, I’m not certain that a five-star resort would be successful year-round.”
“Of course, it wouldn’t.” Victoria set her jaw. “I can’t imagine why anyone would host a party at a five-star resort when they could rent a mansion.”
“And there’s the billion-dollar question.” Mr. Matsui winked. “Pardon the pun.”
It’s not funny. Victoria shot Mr. Matsui an incredulous look. There was absolutely no humor in this situation at all. How could he act so matter-of-fact when his business was under attack as well? “Aren’t you worried about the future of your restaurant?”
“The Mrs. and I are old. We can’t physically do what we once did.” His lips curved at the sides, his eyes crinkling at each corner. “This may surprise you, but we didn’t have money to go on a honeymoon. We recently celebrated our fifty-second wedding anniversary. It’s about time Sakura and I see the world.”
Nodding, Victoria crossed her arms. “You should. Just like anyone who visits the City by the Sea should actually be able to view the ocean.”
“Both you and Jennifer should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.” Mr. Matsui braced his weight on his cane and began to shuffle his way toward the exit. “Your grandmother would be. Regardless of any resorts that are built along the waterfront, I’ve no doubt that the two of you will be successful in anything you endeavor.”
Victoria placed her hand on his bony shoulder and walked him to the door. “Thank you, Mr. Matsui. I appreciate your confidence in us. But I assure you, Jenn and I are going to fight for what’s rightfully ours,” she promised and turned the deadbolt, watching through the glass door to be sure Mr. Matsui had safely made it across the cobblestone street.