Head for the Hills, page 16
“What’s this about, Dennis?” she asked as he poured her a champagne and one for himself.
“The expansion of our dealership.”
“We canned that idea last year.”
“Not canned, just delayed. Things have changed and people are clamouring for EVs.”
“You didn’t discuss it with me.”
“I’ve mentioned it several times, Margot.”
She frowned. She supposed he had. “I thought you were just keeping the idea alive.”
“I was.” He leaned forward, his look earnest. “Margot, there’s no secret here. I knew you weren’t really paying attention when I brought it up. You seemed happy for me to deal with it.”
“I was…am. It’s just that it seems to be done and dusted and—”
“Not quite. You knew we were working on expanding.”
“Yes, but I thought that was with Renault.”
“It is, but there’s plenty of room for a second dealership since we did the extensions. Audi and Renault have agreed in principle, and there’s scope for both in the region. My last big meeting with Audi was around the time Gunter died.”
Margot frowned. “I do remember you throwing around some ideas.”
“It was more than throwing around ideas, Margot.” He shook his head. “You had a lot on your plate and you were very focused on getting the land.”
“So were you.”
There was a heartbeat of a pause before Dennis spoke, a moment when she saw ambiguity in his usually steadfast look.
“We missed out on the land,” he said. “It’s probably just as well. It would have been some time before we’d see a return on our investment or for Emily and Cameron to pay us back. The Audi dealership will see income for outlay.”
Margot was puzzled by the whole discussion. “Surely there was paperwork, things to sign?”
“We did the initial stuff last year but, yes, we’ll need to sign the rest of the documents soon. It’s not quite finalised. Renault and Audi both had a few more stipulations about the showroom layout but this gift from Audi is a good sign.” He gripped her shoulders and hugged her close.
Margot shook her head. She did remember their first talks with Audi. There’d been rules about showroom and workshop space, particular colour schemes and uniforms, specifically trained mechanics.
“We’re meeting our Renault target well and truly so they’re happy.” He grinned. “You’re going to love your new car.”
“I love the one I’ve got.”
Margot’s head was spinning. Dennis’s phone buzzed. She took a sip of champagne while he answered.
“Hello, Nick.” Dennis glanced at Margot. “Yes, we’re both home.”
He listened then lowered the phone to his side. “Kayla’s at her mum’s with the boys for some family thing. Nick wants to come over. Something he wants to talk to us about. Have we got enough to include him for dinner?”
“I haven’t started dinner but there’s a lasagne in the freezer I could defrost.”
Dennis’s eyebrows raised.
“With real meat and dairy,” she said.
“Sure, Nick, Mum’s got one of her proper lasagnes on the go.”
Margot rose to her feet and went to take the lasagne from the freezer. Thank goodness her new microwave had the best defrost function. While she was throwing together a tossed salad Dennis came in to top up her glass.
“Not sure why Nick is coming over. He was cagey on the phone.” Dennis picked out a slice of cucumber and munched it slowly. “You don’t think they want to move back in with us?”
“Why would they want to do that?” Nick and Kayla and the boys had stayed with them for almost two years before they’d bought the house they now lived in. “They’ve got their own place now.”
“It needs so much work.”
“It’s got good bones. You said so yourself.”
“But Nick’s done hardly anything to it.”
“He’s been working such long hours since he took over the business from Otto.”
“But that kitchen isn’t workable since he stripped it out. He shouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t ready to fix it.”
“I think he was hoping you might work on it with him. You did kind of imply you would.”
“When I had spare time. The kids have all moved out but it seems like we’re busier than ever. Nick could at least have made a start. All these dealership changes are going to keep me extra busy for a while.” Dennis drained his glass and poured some of the remaining champagne into hers. “I’ll get a bottle of red to go with the lasagne.” He headed off to the wine cupboard in the other room.
Margot was happy for the subject to be changed. She picked up her knife and sliced some extra cucumber. It wasn’t like Dennis to criticise Nick. The two of them used to be as thick as thieves, although their relationship had started to strain by the time the young family had finally moved out. Dennis was less patient with the children towards the end of their stay, which had sometimes meant Nick would have a go at his dad, and Margot had bitten her tongue to the point of almost chewing it off at Kayla’s lack of assistance with meals. She prepared her own but both the boys and Nick had mostly preferred Margot’s cooking to Kayla’s vegan dishes and sharing the kitchen had become a source of aggravation.
The microwave binged and Margot transferred the lasagne to the oven. She didn’t mind eating vegan meals sometimes, but it could be a challenge when Dennis arced up. She had to admit she preferred real meat to the meat alternative too, but she’d done her best to accommodate her daughter-in-law.
Nick walked in with flyers in his hand. “Cam hasn’t wasted any time. I saw Em earlier and she asked me if we could distribute some of these.” He put the bundle on the bench. “You should have yours ready, Mum.”
“My what?”
“Application. You’re already on the bandwagon with the hotel. You should stand for mayor.”
Margot studied her son for signs of guile but his smile seemed genuine. The forgotten text message from Esther popped into her head. She’d never responded to it and Esther had already left town. The mayor’s position was indeed vacant.
“That’d be funny,” Dennis said, handing Nick a beer.
“Why?” Nick and Margot said in unison.
She was annoyed at Dennis’s dismissive tone but buoyed by her son’s support.
“I’d hate to see you any more stressed, Margot.” Dennis’s tone turned serious. “There can be a lot of conflict in public office, people hounding you about all sorts, and you hate public speaking. You were glad when your stint as councillor ended.”
Margot shrugged at Nick. “It’s true. I don’t like the limelight.”
Dennis nodded in an I-told-you-so way and asked Nick if he’d seen any of the cricket. Margot picked up the flyers. It was a nice photo of Cameron, and his list of achievements and interests and what he thought he could bring to the role of councillor was very impressive. She ran her gaze over it again. There was no mention of opposition to the hotel. Still, he lived in Hahndorf so it wasn’t such an issue there, she supposed.
She stacked the pile to one side and got out the plates for dinner. Dennis was right. She wasn’t courageous enough for public office again even if she was devoted to her community as Esther had suggested. Margot had been a bundle of nerves during last Wednesday’s meeting and it had taken all her courage to ask her question. How on earth would she go if she was mayor?
They’d finished the lasagne and the two men had almost emptied the bottle of red – Margot had stuck with the champagne – before Nick broached the topic he’d obviously come to discuss. Nick was very like Dennis in looks and mannerisms but he had a vulnerable side that he kept hidden from others. Margot had noticed the unease in him all evening – the extra laugh at his dad’s jokes, the over-enthusiasm for a simple lasagne and salad.
He was fiddling with the stem of his empty wine glass and as he looked up Margot glimpsed the hardening of his face, so like Dennis. She steeled herself. He and Kayla couldn’t be breaking up, could they? There was so much of that these days.
“Your new van should be here before Christmas.” Dennis spoke before Nick did.
“Oh, right.”
“What new van?” Margot asked.
“That van Nick inherited with the business isn’t reliable or safe,” Dennis said. “I’ve organised a new one for him, at a good rate of course.” Dennis winked at Nick. “And the Audi dealership’s got the green light. Your mum and I were celebrating before you arrived.”
“Great.” Nick nodded.
Margot sat up. “Did you know about Audi?”
“Yeah, well, kind of.” He glanced at Dennis, whose grin still stretched from ear to ear. “Dad was telling us about it the night we had dinner at Em’s…when we were looking at his new car.”
“At least someone listens when I speak,” Dennis joked.
“I do listen,” Margot huffed. “But you talk about cars a lot and sometimes I—”
“Tune out.” Dennis winked. “You’ll pay more attention once we sell a few. It’s a pity Audi don’t make work vans, Nick, but I’ve got you a good deal on a Renault.”
“Yeah,” Nick croaked. He cleared his throat. “It was actually the van I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sorry it’s taken a bit longer than planned,” Dennis said. “Things still haven’t gone back to normal with the supply of new vehicles. It took me an age to get the Audi.”
Margot looked from her husband to her son. She hadn’t known that the car was an Audi until the night of the town meeting and this was the first she was hearing about a new van for Nick.
“I wondered if you could waive the payments,” Nick blurted.
Dennis lowered the glass that was halfway to his mouth. “For how long?”
Nick shrugged.
“You mean give it to you?”
“No…but…You were going to give Gunter’s place to Emily.”
“No, we weren’t.” Dennis looked at Margot. “Did you put him up to this?”
She wilted under his incredulous look. “I didn’t even know he was getting a new van.”
“I haven’t mentioned it to Mum.” Nick gripped his hands so tightly his knuckles went white. He stared into this father’s sharp gaze. “You’re the one who manages the money.”
Margot opened her mouth to object but it suddenly hit her that Nick was right, to a degree. Everything they owned or owed with the dealership was in their joint names. Margot never worried about going into the finer details though. Dennis always managed that. He ran things past her when she needed to sign. She’d always trusted him to make the big decisions.
“And you’re the one that manages yours,” Dennis said.
“The cost of Gunter’s place is way more than the van,” Nick persisted.
“And we didn’t buy Gunter’s place so I don’t see your point.”
“Buying a house and the business has left me no wriggle room but I’ve come up with a pla—”
“You lived rent-free here for almost two years.”
“Emily and Cameron did too when they were first married.”
Margot and Dennis had hardly ever lived completely alone since they’d had children. Nick had moved into a rental property when he and Kayla first married but Em had lived with them while she’d been at uni and then for the first year or so after she and Cam were married while they did up the little house behind the shop where they lived now.
“I’m glad we were able to help you both get a good start,” Margot said with a smile, still trying to smooth the waters.
“If you need more income Kayla needs to step up,” Dennis said. “The boys are both at school now. She should get a real job instead of faffing about with those yoga classes.”
Margot winced as the colour rose in Nick’s cheeks. She and Dennis had often discussed Kayla’s lack of input to the family finances. She’d been at uni when she and Nick met but she’d deferred before the arrival of their firstborn. She’d hardly ever left the boys when they were little and had breastfed them till they were at kindy; she grew her own vegetables, made their clothes. She was a wonderful mother but did little to contribute to the family income. Nick had been on a good wage while he’d worked for Otto but it was a very different thing now that he owned the business.
“It’s not just a yoga class. She does all kinds of volunteer work at the Hills Community Hub and she does the paperwork for the business.” Nick defended his wife. “That’s a significant number of hours.”
“Of course it is,” Margot said brightly to ease the tension. “I used to work in the dealership before we had you and Em and for quite a few years after.”
“Kayla wants to go back to uni and finish her degree so she can get a decent job.”
“That’s very good news.”
“And costs money,” Dennis grumbled.
“Which is why we’ve come up with a plan to—”
“She needs a paying job. Volunteering is all well and good but it doesn’t bring in any money. What about the Providore, Margot? You’re often short-staffed there.”
“Only sometimes,” Margot blustered. “It wouldn’t be a regular paying job.” Kayla had filled in a few times when she and Nick had been living with Margot and Dennis. She’d shown no adaptability or intuition for the work and Kath had suggested they not have her unless they were desperate.
“Kayla doesn’t want to work in hospitality, Dad. She wants to finish her social work degree.”
Dennis snorted. “It’ll be a lot of years before that earns her any money.”
“You’re just being obstinate because you don’t approve of university degrees,” Nick snapped.
“Well, what good did it do your sister? She taught for five minutes then gave up to go into business with her husband. And your cousin, Jerome, all that time on a law degree and he’s teaching English to Japanese.”
“Japanese lawyers.” Margot felt the need to defend her nephew, who was working for a Japanese law firm supporting lawyers even if he wasn’t exactly practising as one. “Without his knowledge of the law he wouldn’t have that job. And Em might go back to teaching. You never know.”
Dennis dismissed her with a shake of his head. “Kayla won’t be earning money anytime soon unless she takes on a part-time job.”
“You could afford to help us, Dad.” Nick’s face was set rigid as a rock but he blinked several times. Margot’s heart broke for him. She hadn’t seen him this vulnerable since he was a teenager.
“We did help when you bought the business. Money towards the purchase.” Dennis topped up his glass with the last of the bottle.
“You gave Em money for their business too,” Nick snarled. “More, I suspect.” Margot chewed her lip. He was right. “The business has ended up costing more than I thought.”
“You should follow that business plan you prepared.”
“It’s not as simple as that. Otto wasn’t exactly truthful with the state of some of the equipment. And I can’t take on any of the big jobs on my own. I need an apprentice. But as I said, we—”
Dennis snorted into his glass. “You just have to pull your head in, not waste money.”
Nick pushed to his feet. “I’m not spending it on gambling or buying expensive cars.”
“Of course you’re not.” Margot rose too. Nick was having a dig at Dennis, who liked a night out at the casino from time to time.
Dennis twirled his wine but didn’t get up. “I’ve earned the money I spend and I’ll do it in whatever way I like.”
Nick shook his head and stalked from the room.
Margot glanced at Dennis, who was studying his glass, and then followed her son to the door.
“Nick, wait,” she said as he tugged it open.
He stopped but didn’t turn back.
“You should have given me a heads-up about the van. I could have spoken to your dad first. He’s in a funny mood tonight.”
Nick spun back. The anger shone through his watery eyes. “It’s not just tonight. You’re blind to his miserable side.”
Margot gasped. “Your father’s not miserable. He’s been very generous to you and Emily.”
“When it suits him. It’s not as if I’m asking him to give me his last five cents. He’s got plenty of money. Kayla and I need some help, that’s all. We’ve had to rejig our business plan. I don’t expect to get it for nothing but—”
“Calm down, Nick.” Margot lay a hand on his arm. “Your dad was probably taken by surprise, that’s all. We didn’t realise things were so tough for you. Let me talk to him. I’m sure there’s something we can do to help.”
He sighed. “Thanks, Mum, and thanks for dinner.” He brushed a kiss over her cheek and let himself out.
Margot shut the door. Several things bothered her. The foremost was concern for her son, of course, and the disagreement with his father, but their argument had raised other issues. The house was in Margot’s name – something her father had insisted for both her and Roslyn – but Margot had used her property to help Dennis set up the dealership, which was in both their names. She was more of a silent partner, it was true, but just as she enjoyed the profits she was also half-responsible for the losses they’d faced at different times. The dealership was doing well now but it hadn’t always been smooth sailing.
The other thing that bothered her was Gunter’s place, or at least their lack of success in securing it. She’d left it up to Dennis to put in a bid he thought would get it for them and be within their budget to achieve, even if they’d had to borrow some. The land had productive vines that would have covered the repayments. The Audi dealership announcement had surprised her. It sounded as if Dennis hadn’t left it on the back burner for long after they’d initially looked into it. Surely they couldn’t have afforded both the land and the addition to their business.
“Margot?”
She spun at the sound of his voice.
He flicked on the hall light. “What are you doing standing out here in the dark?”
“I was jus—”
“Sam rang.” He waggled his phone at her. “He and a few of the other golf fellas have ended up at Fred’s pub for a meal. I said we’d eaten but we might go down for a drink.”
