A Song in the Daylight. Paullina Simons

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СКАЧАТЬ across the hush-hush cappuccino carpet over to Kai’s metal desk. She liked the sterility of the dealership. Cars were shiny, no dirt, no oil, no exhaust, no fumes, no black smoke. Just a glossy pristine hunk of steel. “I haven’t decided yet,” she said. “I was looking at the green. Also porcelain.”

      “You didn’t like the indigo blue in the lot? He says he can give us a discount on it.”

      Larissa didn’t like the way Jared said he while referring to the man sitting across the narrow desk from him. Emily Post declared that rather rude. And it wasn’t like Jared; it was out of character for him, the mildest of men. Larissa made a dedicated effort not to glance at Kai to acknowledge either her husband’s incivility, or the familiarity of the topic of the car color between them. For that would imply that she and Kai chatted quite freely, perhaps even had raw fish together while sitting in a parked car listening to Nina Simone. “I would prefer not to have the blue,” she said, her mouth tightening.

      Kai and Jared leaned over the desk, studying the colors in the brochure while she stood over them. “What about Winter Gold?” said Kai.

      “I was just about to say that,” said Jared. “Winter Gold goes with your coloring, Lar.”

      She leaned over to contemplate. The color was darker than porcelain. More metallic ash. It matched her hair color. Gold and taupe blended in alchemy.

      “Okay,” she agreed. She didn’t know what it was, but it was true, Kai did not act with Jared in the same friendly and amiable way he acted with her. Jared himself was clipped and cold, and Larissa didn’t know what came first, whether the clipped Jared resulted in the silent Kai, or vice versa, or perhaps simultaneously, but all she knew was that both men behaved as they weren’t, instead of as they were. Which made Larissa wonder if she were behaving as she wasn’t, instead of as she was. Was she more silent herself? Jared was so sharply on guard. This was such a bad idea in hindsight. Getting the car, that is.

      “You’re going to have to do better than that on the price,” Jared said stiffly to Kai.

      “Look, I’ve gone back and forth three times already. I’m trying to get you the best deal. Your wife likes the car.”

      “It’s not about how my wife feels about it. It’s about getting the best deal possible for your customers.”

      “Fine. Let me talk to Chad one more time.”

      “No.” Jared stood up. “Where is this Chad? I’ll talk to him myself.”

      “Be my guest,” said Kai coolly, also getting up. “I’ll take you to him.” He strode out from behind his desk. “Coming?” That was to Larissa.

      “Coming?” Jared whispered in an irritated mimic, poking her in the back.

      Jared talked to Chad for over an hour negotiating the terms, while Larissa sat and chafed in the adjacent chair. The kids had been alone all day. The whole Saturday. She would barely have enough time to cook dinner before Ezra, Maggie and Dylan came over. Emily must be going nuts. She never liked to be left to babysit, she was always on the phone or the computer. She liked to get paid, just didn’t like to do the work. Poor Michelangelo, the sweet boy alone with that cranky Emily. Dylan should babysit him. He was much nicer. Or even Asher, if he weren’t so easily distractable and liable to forget he even had a little brother in the house.

      “Larissa?”

      “Oh, what, sorry?” She hadn’t been paying attention. She had been catching, through the semi-private partitions, the desks, the chairs, a glimpse of the tailored white shirt, the pressed jeans, the hand on the phone, the back turned to the dealership, wild hair slicked down.

      “Chad wants to know if you’re interested in the advanced technology package?”

      “A what?”

      “A navigation system.”

      “No, thank you.”

      “You sure?”

      “Absolutely.” She didn’t want to spend a minute thinking about it. She tuned out but after a few minutes something in the conversation between the two men brought her back. Jared was asking Chad about Kai.

      “Is he on the up and up?” Jared lowered his voice. “Seems awful young to be selling cars of this caliber.”

      “This is what we all thought,” said Chad, also lowering his voice. “He’s new. Still on probation. But he’s impeccable. Punctual, hard-working, never a bit of trouble. And he’s been salesman of the month both months he’s been here.”

      “He’s only been here two months!”

      “Exactly. And let me tell you, the runner-up sold one car. Kai sold seven.”

      “Seven?” Jared whistled. “Seven altogether?”

      “No. Seven in one month. Yours will be eight.”

      “No …”

      “Eight this month, five last month. That’s over a million dollars to this dealership.”

      “Wow.” Jared glanced over the cars to the cubicle where Kai stood working the phone, with an expression of surprised and grudging respect, as if for some reason Jared didn’t want Kai to be a successful salesman. “What’s his secret? How does he do it?”

      “No one knows. He’s a bit of a loner, keeps to himself. Perhaps he’s got great closing game?” Chad grinned affably at Larissa. “How did he close it with you?”

      Larissa shrugged. “He showed me a beautiful car. I was won over. What’s so hard about that?”

      “Yeah. It does help that the cars are nice.” Chad pointed to a middle-aged man behind the business office counter. “But Gary over there, our senior salesman, with us twenty years, with us as long as Kai’s been alive, sells the same merchandise. Yet, he can’t move ’em.”

      Oh dear God, he was twenty!

      “Must be the youth,” said Jared.

      Larissa looked down deeply into her lap, her fingertips not flushed this time but draining of blood.

      “Must be.” Chad leaned forward. “You know what I think? Kai just won’t take no for an answer. If he sees a potential sale, he will not quit. But he also doesn’t waste time on those who’re just window-shopping. Maybe that’s his gift. He can instantly tell the browsers from the buyers.”

      Now Jared shrugged. “He seemed shifty. Like he was trying to get one over on me.”

      “He wasn’t, though. You saw. He’s a superb closer. He’s got end game.”

      “No, I know. The price was fair. With all those options and packages, I was afraid were we getting snowed.” Which was ironic, for how you can be snowed when the party doing the snowing wasn’t doing any talking? “But Kelley Blue Book said good price. I’m satisfied.” Relaxed, Jared smiled at Larissa.

      “It’s a great car, darling,” said Larissa, glancing at her watch, forcing a toothy smile. “What wife wouldn’t want a 420-horsepower Jag convertible?”

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