Chapter 26

“Jesus, Horace, it sounded like he...” started Rodney.

“Yes, maybe. And that as much because he has Willa by his side as for anything that I said,” said Horace.

“So what now?” said Riley.

“A couple of things,” said Horace. “One, we still need to take care of Parker. I mean I’m pretty sure that she is no longer in the running to be the man’s woman. But...”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. We did promise, no strings if she backed us up. So yes, set up the medical stuff. We’ll talk to Briana and Richard about that part of things too. And Riley and I need to meet her,” said Rodney. “And tell her she’s got a job at the LLC.”

“Yes,” said Riley.

“I will take care of that part of things,” said Horace.

“Christmas is only a week away. Invite her for Christmas Eve dinner. And you come too if you will,” said Riley.

“I will invite her,” he said. “And I will be coming too.”

“Nice to meet you, Parker,” said Rodney Barnes. Horace was standing behind the woman and smiling.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, sir, and you Missus Barnes,” said Parker Goldman.

“Right this way, if you will,” said Riley. It was cool outside, it being late December. Cassandra was inside setting up the dinner table. Sam was bartending in the ante room. Everyone was holding a stem glass with the mandatory champagne before dinner aperitif.

It was clear that the newcomer was impressed with the mansion’s size and ornamenture. “A very nice place,” she said.

“Thank you Parker,” said Rodney.

“So, Horace has informed you about your job at Barnes LLC,” he said.

“Yes, sir, he has. I almost cannot believe my good fortune. I don’t know how to thank you and your lovely wife,” she said.

“And, mister Hollins,” said Rodney. Parker Goldman laughed.

“Oh yes. I have thanked him so many times that I am almost afraid to do so again,” she said.

“Well, good.”

“No, no, Parker, you can repeat your gratitude a few hundred more times,” said Horace, entering the lists.

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Over the next while the master of the Barnes estate learned a lot about his new employee, and was satisfied that Horace had not exaggerated. There was still the medical part of things to take care of, and the problem of visitation with her son still to tend to. But all things considered it was all coming together. Even his relationship with his estranged brother might be on the mend, though as to that, it was still more of a hope for than a certitude. Rodney Barnes was indeed hoping.

We’d not been invited to Christmas dinner, Willa and I. Which was fine with me: Leonard and Willa and I spent the day at the Hoarder dining on the day’s special. Oddly, I thought it was odd, Emma was invited to castle Barnes.

We, Willa and I, did get a visit by the kids on Christmas Eve. We learned that the elder Barneses were entertaining Horace and the Parker woman. Well, that was also fine with me; we had a ton of fun did the six of us. Well, Horace had said that the kids had had something planned for me. I immediately guessed that this was it, Christmas Eve. But that, my guessing, turned out to be not the case.

Briana picked me and Willa up to go out for lunch at Abby’s. It was the 15th of January, and I had literally forgotten what the date was. But as soon as we came in the door... “Happy Birthday!” I frowned. I smiled. I was embarrassed. I was intrigued, more intrigued than anything else. Everybody was there, The Barnes elders, the kids, Leonard and Margo, Horace and Cassandra and Sam, others I knew but slightly; even missus Parker Goldman was there. There was no escape. Horace pulled me aside.

“This is where we make the first move, well try to,” he said. I knew what he meant, so did Willa who was two feet behind us. We were in the special party room. Nobody did anything, or said anything untoward. We had food, we had drink, we had cake and ice cream. It was nice. I had to admit it was nice.

“Speech, speech, speech the masses chorused. I stood and stared at Rodney; I figured it had all been arranged by him. I would discover later, that it was him, but that in collusion with Willa and Horace.

“I hope everyone is having a good time; I am. I am still trying to process it all, but it is very nice.” And then I sat. Well, short speeches are always to be preferred. I remember reading somewhere that Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was only 286 words long.

Riley was smiling her widest, but she did have a wrinkled brow—trying to determine if the affair had turned out to be a good idea or not, I supposed. It had turned out good. I was thinking that Horace had read the two used-to-be bad guys the riot act and was the main mover and shaker in curing my problem if not everybody else’s.

As the party wound down, Riley did come up to me. It was the first time during the do that she had done so. I didn’t know for sure of course, but I assumed she’d waited for a chance to catch me alone without Willa on my arm. And Willa had been staying glued to me the whole time. She was my anchor, but more importantly; she knew I needed her to anchor me.

“I hope, really hope, this was good for you, today,” she said, Riley said.

“It was,” I said. “Rodney’s idea?”

“Among others,” she said. “Willa will give you the whole story I’m sure.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Adam, I need to talk to you a bit. Not today, but soon, okay?” she said. I shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess,” I said. She smiled and wandered off to say something to Briana and James. Willa joined me.

“You and Rodney?” I said.

“Hmm, sort of. It was Horace’s idea, but yes, Rodney and I did the arranging.” I nodded.

“Okay, it was very nice. I think it may have helped close the gap at least to some degree.” She squeezed my arm and smiled her appreciation of my remarks.

“I’d had a moment with each of the attendees at some point or other during the party: well-wishes and hopes-for and all of the usual. Each of the kids and Parker too, seemed at pains to give me hugs. Leonard and Horace and Rodney and I shook hands. Horace made the comment that he refused to hug me. I thanked him for his reticence, and he laughed.

“I’d gotten a few gifts, sweaters, two of those; a couple of other things including a silver necklace with a pendant of my astrological sign, Capricorn. I got the necklace from Riley; she knew I kinda believed in it as a symbol of me: determined, realistic, pragmatic. Yeah she knew me, still knew me after all this time. The gift made me feel kinda nostalgic. Willa had gotten me a picture of us; and the frame was of bronze. The pic was small 4X5 for my desk at home.

“So they are letting her out of her stint at the halfway house early then,” said Rodney.

“Yes, because of her surgery. The hospital was able to clear a time slot, or the doctor was, for her to get the work done on her face now,” said Horace. “I’ve arranged to put her up in a room near the LLC after she is released from the hospital.”