One
Hudson Carter
"Hey, Dad, what's going on in the big town?" I asked as I shuffled papers around my desk and got ready for a meeting. My family lived in the small town of Foggy Basin. Located in the middle of the coastal range and the Sierra it was a cozy little community and put the small in small town. I'd left years ago and hadn't looked back.
"Well, I have something I need to talk to you about," he said, and by his tone I knew it was serious.
"Dad? Is everything okay?" I braced myself for the worst, but his chuckle told me it wasn't that kind of serious.
"Everything is great. I just wanted to talk to you about the store."
"What's going on?" I sat down and waited for him to speak. My family owned a small hardware store, Nuts and Bolts. It had been in the family for years and since the town was about an hour from another hardware store, the townsfolk depended on it.
"Well, I want to either sell it or close it. I know it's been in the family for years, but I'm just tired of working all the time. I've talked to a company that takes over businesses in small towns and either turns them around and modernizes them or closes them. I just wanted you to hear it directly from me not someone else."
I tried to think of the last time I'd talked to someone from there and came up blank. My life was here in Sacramento now, and I didn't really have any friends that still lived in Foggy Basin. "What do you think will happen to it?" I asked, wanting a more definite answer.
"Well, son, it'll either sell or close." Those words echoed in my mind. Nuts and Bolts had been in our family for two generations. Every memory I had as a child surrounded the old hardware store with the worn wooden floors and shelves packed with so many items I had no clue about. As a kid it had been a never-ending treasure hunt, and I now regretted the day I'd told Dad I wanted no part in running it.
"I'm coming home," I said, and waited for his reply.
"Why? You're busy there in Sacramento. I know for a fact you cannot take more time off," he scolded.
"This is important, I'll be there as soon as I can get away."
"Alright, Hudson, we'll see you soon." He didn't ask any more questions, and I didn't expect him to. Dad was a man of few words, and the two of us together meant we got to the point and didn't dwell on niceties. Short and sweet just like I liked it. In more ways than one.
I picked up my phone and dialed my boss. "John? Hey this is Hudson Carter in the Sacramento region."
"Hudson, nice to hear from you. What can I do for you today?" he asked.
"I need to take some time off. There's family business I need to take care of, and I can't do it from here. I'm thinking maybe three or four weeks should be enough. Don't worry, I can have my assistant handle it for me and if anything goes sideways, he can reach me."
"It's a bad time of year to be taking time off," he said then paused. I knew it well. This was the time of year we were preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it couldn't be helped.
"I'm aware, but like I said I can be reached easily enough, and I'm within two hours' drive time. But I can't leave this, I need to go."
"I understand, go ahead, and please keep me updated. If you need more time we'll see if we can make that happen. Good luck and take care, Hudson." He hung up then before I could thank him but that didn't matter. I was going.
Closing down my laptop, I shoved it into my backpack and walked out of the office as I dialed Joe's number. "Hey, Joey," I said as soon as he picked up.
"Hudson, what's going on?" he asked, out of breath from who knew what.
"I wanted to let you know I'll be out of town for the next few weeks. There's a family matter I need to go deal with, but you can reach me by phone and if need be, I can drive back here in two hours."
"Okay, no problem. I'll keep you updated on anything that comes up."
"Thanks, Joey, I appreciate you."
"Thanks. Is now a good time to ask about a raise?" he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.
"We'll talk about it as soon as I get back, I promise." Joey had been my assistant the past two years, and he had more than proven himself, but corporate made it hard as hell to pay him what he was worth. I made a note on my phone to make sure that shit was taken care of this time. Especially after all the times he'd taken over for me and proven time and again he was more than worth the money.
"Is everything okay with the fam?" he asked.
"Yeah, they're thinking about selling the hardware store. I want to make sure that's what they really want to do."
"Why don't you buy it? It sounds like it would be fun to run a little store like that," Joey said.
"Have you ever lived in a small town?" I asked, knowing full well he was born and bred in Sacramento.
"Nope, and that's not likely ever going to happen."
"Never say never. Thanks again, be sure to call if you need me."
"You got it, good luck."
He hung up and I hurried to my car. It was another hot as hell day even though it was nearing fall. As soon as I closed the door, I started it and turned on the air, and made a mental list of all I'd need to take with me for the next few weeks in Foggy Basin.