Bells of Avalon Read Free Page A

that he’d noticed anything. He wasn’t a man who typically noted what was less than obvious. Perhaps that was because he was an obvious man, both in appearance and manner. He was tall—and that was obvious. His eyes were the most obvious shade of blue. These qualities came together to make a man who was of course handsome—but only in the most obvious of ways.
    He turned at the dotting tap on his shoulder and it was Effie, standing before him in all her plainspoken prettiness. She looked at him, her delicate eyebrows arching into her hairline.
    “I’ve been looking for you for a half hour.”
    “Evening to you as well,” he replied blandly. 
    Her eyes narrowed on him, pulling her clipboard against her chest.
    “What?”
    “The meat guy’s here.”
    “So?”
    “So? You gotta go talk to him. He's trying to ratchet up the price again.”
    “Well, give it to him. I can't open tonight without a freezer full of steaks.”
    “No, Max, he's been pulling this racket on us for the past three months. We can’t keep giving in.”
    “I appreciate the proprietary interests but I'm in a hurry. Can't you just deal with it?”
    “He won't listen to me, Max, I'm not in charge.”
    “Well go fetch Albert. He loves dickering over a dime. You know I don't deal with this stuff.”
    “I can’t find him. In any case, he’s in a mood—there’s some people…”
    “Look, he’s right there. Problem solved.” Max cut her off, pointing to the bar where the chattering girls had been moments before. He shouted his name.
    His brother glanced up and squinted before patting his pocket for the latest version of five-and-dime glasses he always wore. He put them on and the plastic earpieces clung to the premature gray at his temples. Walking towards them, he rolled his shoulders with little sense of warmth, cursed as he side-stepped a waiter carrying a tray of raw, white fish.
    “What is it now?” Albert grumbled, his eyes still on the waiter.
    “Effie has a T-bone emergency. Please, she's killin' me.”
    “Oh, Jesus, first press now this. I haven’t time for any of it.”
    “Al, it’s the guy from the meat market again. He’s trying…” Effie’s voice started strong but faded off.
    “Well, where is the bastard?”
    “In the kitchen pen with Agapeto,” she answered softly.
    Albert tugged at his tie and walked away, nearly colliding with another tray of raw meat before disappearing towards the innards of the kitchen. Max looked over to Effie and sighed.  He placed an arm around her.
    “Oh, Effie, you know how he gets. You're doing well.”
    She sighed as if in agreement that she was indeed doing very well. She settled into him until he could smell her freshly-laundered hair.
    “Hey, Ef?”
    “Hmm?”
    “Why didn't you tell me press was here?”
    With the moment gone, she drew the clipboard to her breast once again.
    “I'm sorry . I didn't think you'd be interested,” she said, her lips parting in serpentine grin. “They’re still upstairs—that is, if you are interested.” 
    He watched her sashay around a corner and smiled because he was still interested.
    He walked upstairs to his brother’s office.  Craning his neck inside, he found it dark and empty. Down the hall, a gray-green light spilled out from the door of his own office. He glanced inside and found a slender man in a straw fedora, no more than twenty-five, scribbling on pad of paper. In his solitude, he’d stretched out his legs until Max could see the argyle pattern of his socks. The creak of the door sent the man to his feet. Newly alert, he launched up and grinned.
    He extended his hand, “Max Kitterage, what can I do you for?”
    The younger man looked him over with skeptical eyes before shaking on the introduction.  
    “Max? Oh I'm sorry there's been some mistake. I was looking for Albert—Albert Kittredge.”
    “Albert doesn’t run the publicity, you see.”
    Max released his hand. 
    “I apologize, I'm afraid we're zero for two. I'm