Chapter 102
Carole nodded with a smile, “Yeah! Ann, you’ve thought of everything.”
Carole couldn’t help but marvel at Anthea’s prowess.
Here was a teenager, but she approached problems with the kind of thoroughness and maturity that put most adults to shame.
Just then, Fanny burst through the door, “Hey, why’d you close up shop so early?”
Of course, Fanny knew the answer well enough.
Why close early if not for lack of business? She was just there to rub it in.
Carole laughed it off, “Fanny, take a seat. Business was booming today and we sold out of
all the dishes, so we shut the doors a bit early.”
What?
Fanny registered pure shock.
Booming business? Sold out? Carole was laying it on thick!
Did she think Fanny was born yesterday?
Just this morning, when she dropped by, the place was dead, not a soul in sight.
Fanny pressed on, “Come on! No need for pretense. Even if business was slow, I wouldn’t tease you about it!” Her eyes darted around, and she added, “Oh! I get it now, you’re looking to offload this joint, making up stories about good business to bait a buyer, right?”
Carole sighed, a bit exasperated, “Fanny, you’ve got it all wrong! We did have a good day, and there are no plans to sell the place.”
Fanny grabbed Carole’s hand, “We’re both in the trenches of commerce. I know the truth!”
Carole still tried to pull one over on Fanny as if she was that easy to fool.
After more than two decades in business, having seen more than Carole had ever walked, Fanny wasn’t about to be duped.
At the sight of Fanny’s conviction, Carole didn’t bother to explain further.
Convinced by Carole’s silence, Fanny left. After a few more snide remarks, Fanny was sure that she was being misled.
At ten in the evening, Carole and Anthea arrived home.
When Nanson heard they’d made a whopping $3,000 on opening day, he was over the moon, “I’ve always said Anthea is destined for great things! Didn’t I call it?”
Carole was clearly thrilled, “That’s right, Nanson. You’re busting your back delivering packages for peanuts. Why don’t you quit and give us a hand at the shop?”
Nanson, firing up his video game, declined, “I think I’m better off sticking to deliveries.
“Why’s that?” Carole frowned.
Nanson was brief, “Just prefer deliveries, that’s all.”
Hearing this, Carole let it be.
Anthea, fetching water in the living room, chimed in with a grin, “If Uncle Nanson likes deliveries so much, I’ll just buy out the company when I’m rich, and you can be the boss.”
“Deal!” Nanson exclaimed, “I’ll hold you to that, my entrepreneurial Anthea! Go for it!”
“How much would buying out your company cost?” Anthea asked, half–joking.
Nanson, assuming it was all in jest, casually replied, “Oh, about fifty or sixty million”
Anthea nodded thoughtfully.
How much was in her bank account again? She rubbed her chin, heading back to her room to code. She needed to finish that OS and make a move on Nanson’s delivery empire!
At the Christensen family.
Karen had been taking medicine as per Anthea’s prescription for a few days, and not only was her sleep improved, but her appetite and complexion had significantly brightened.
Sherman had been away in Capital City for a week. Returning home to find Karen looking so well, he wondered if his eyes were deceiving him.
“Grandma, are you feeling better?” Initially, when Adah mentioned that Karen had been on the mend, Sherman thought she was just offering comfort. But there was no denying it. Karen was indeed looking much revived!
“Yes!” Karen twirled around for Sherman to see. “Not only am I feeling fine, but I’ve also found you a beautiful bride!”
A beautiful bride?
Sherman twiddled his crucifix, his expression unreadable. How could he break it to Karen that he had no intentions of marrying just yet?
At the sight of Sherman’s hesitation, Karen brandished her walking stick and kicked him when she made her point clear, “Don’t act all high and mighty! Do you think you’re some kind of intergalactic Adonis? It’s not about you picking someone. It’s about whether she’d even spare you a glance!”
