“When will I travel to Beaufort?”Cavin asked carefully considering the appropriate way to say the town’s name.Once he arrived, he would not want to slip up in front of the locals.Mistakes like that often offended people and built unnecessary walls.
“This deal needs to be finalized before Christmas,” Cavin’s father stated with expectant eyes locked on Cavin.
The skin between Cavin’s eyebrows crinkled as he did the math.“You promised me a week of vacation when I returned from Oklahoma,” he reminded his father.“Remember, I have a flight booked for Cancun that leaves on Sunday.”He looked forward to spending a few days with his parents, catching up with old friends in the area, and then heading to a tropical paradise to work on his tan and meet that woman his mother mentioned to his father earlier.
“Sandra already took care of that,” Cavin’s father explained.
Ruth watched the dialogue as she scooted food around her plate with her fork.
“What do you mean by took care of that?”Cavin inquired.
“The Cancun flight is postponed until after the holidays,” he reported.“Now you have a flight scheduled into North Carolina.”
While Cavin loved having someone take care of his travel arrangements, he didn’t appreciate not having a say or at least a briefing prior to plans being altered.“So you want me to fly to North Carolina on Sunday?”
“Cavin, you need every day available to work your magic in Beaufort,” his dad reasoned.“You know how things are during the holidays, especially in small towns, with people taking time off.”
Cavin stuffed a forkful of ham into his mouth, hoping that chewing would keep him from speaking his mind.Think positively, he advised himself.At least he could relax for the next couple of days, play golf with his buddies, look up an old flame or two, talk business with his father in person, and play tennis with his mother.
“Son, did you turn into a Neanderthal while in Oklahoma?”his mother asked, staring disapprovingly at his chipmunk-like cheeks.
“Believe it or not,” Cavin’s father added to his previous statement, “Black Friday is not a very busy day at the airport, so Sandra was able to book a flight for tomorrow morning.”
Cavin forcefully pushed his fork against the table causing a thud to echo throughout the formal dining room.“Are you serious?”he questioned.“This is Thanksgiving, Dad, not April Fool’s Day.This sounds like a prank, but I have a feeling it is not.”
Cavin welcomed the demands of his job.He strived under pressure.He took joy in meeting deadlines.He even enjoyed the adventure of living in a different city every month while working miracles as a property acquisition and development specialist.He felt like he owned the city when things went his way, and they almost always did.The goal to transform a town gave him purpose.
“Can we discuss business later?”Cavin’s mom suggested sternly.“Perhaps we can have a peaceful meal together while giving thanks for all that this family has received?”
“Ruth, if Cavin reaches our goal in Beaufort, we can all give thanks for a private airplane,” Cavin’s father announced, hoping to diffuse the tension.“Cavin, I will even ensure you get the personal assistant you requested.”
The frown on Ruth’s face evaporated as a pleasurable smile quickly took residence.
Cavin pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.“Please do not promise me things you cannot give me,” he replied.“Like a vacation,” he added with a dagger.
“Son, have you ever known me not to come through on my word regarding business?”
Cavin’s mind raced.“No.”
“You will have an assistant.We will have a private plane for company and family use.You can be the first to use it for your trip to Cancun in the New Year.”
Cavin knew negotiating like turkeys knew Thanksgiving although this opportunity presented itself at an inopportune time.Always be prepared to close the deal because you might not get a second chance, the man on the other side of this negotiation taught him years ago, and the advice worked flawlessly.“I want two weeks in Cancun, and from now on, my assistant, whom I interview and hire, will make my travel arrangements, and every decision about my schedule must go through me,” he insisted.
“Land the deal, and your requests will be granted,” his father promised as he stood to shake Cavin’s hand.
3
The first step of transforming the candy store into a Christmas wonderland required pulling all the Thanksgiving decorations.The kids and Noel started at the front of the shop and worked toward the back where Mrs.Madelyn sorted the items into the appropriate pre-labeled bins to make things easier for next year.The candy went to the back corner clearance section to the left of the giant Christmas tree and would be organized later.Levi and Laney ran up and down the aisles collecting all the turkeys and pumpkins they could find.
“If it is brown or orange,” Mrs.Madelyn instructed, “bring it to me.”
She only had to ask the two little elves to return a couple of items that needed to stay put.One of the funniest moments came when Levi asked if they needed to roll all the brown candy barrels to the back of the store.
“Those remain in place year-round,” Noel reminded them.
Noel focused on removing fall-related signage and erasing chalkboards with quotes and drawings of leaves.She climbed up and down the ladder, what felt like a hundred times, giving her legs a holiday workout and hopefully clearing room for turkey, dressing, candied yams, sweet potato fluff, cornbread stuffing, mac-and-cheese, pumpkin pie, and all the other traditional dishes.
The annual community Thanksgiving feast would take place within walking distance of the candy shop.Residents and their extended families and friends came together there every year for fellowship, fun, and food provided by the local restaurants.One of the best things about Beaufort was that almost everyone knew each other, and everything anyone needed could be found in the heart of the town: a general store, clothing boutiques, ice cream, furniture, groceries, and dining.
