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I turn back to listen to what the others are saying.
"Yeah." Dad rubs the back of his neck, wincing. "Your marketing is shit."
I swing my head around so fast my neck aches. I can't have heard him right. "What?"
He holds up a hand, his fingers gnarled from age and hard work. "I'm only saying this because I love you, Xavier, and want you to succeed. I'm no expert, but I've learned a bit from my own marketing team over the years and I feel confident saying your marketing is shit."
Before he retired two years ago, Dad was an internationally renowned chef with several restaurants, a line of kitchen tools, and a short-lived show on a cooking network. I'd be an idiot to ignore his advice.
My reaction and Dad's quiet determination have drawn the attention of everyone else at the table. "Is he talking about your business?" Liam drops his fork and leans forward. "Because I agree. I ordered some of your candy for my aunt last month. It took an hour just to find what I wanted on your website and she said the candy arrived in a plain plastic bag with nothing to even show where it came from." He must notice the murderous expression on my face, because he lowers his chin. "She said the candy was delicious, though."
"How long have you all felt this way?" I ask. Okay, maybe I thunder it.
"Since six months into your business when we realized there wasn't anything better coming." Murphy puts a period on that statement by popping a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
The others, except for James, who's leaning back and grinning like a cat who's watching the canary being seasoned and cooked for his dinner, nod their agreement.
"Why didn't any of you tell me?"
"I told you." Mom puts down her fork and settles in for the conversation. "You told me I don't understand the retail business. Which is fair."
"You don't accept help." Alice's plate is empty, but she's still clutching her fork like she's waiting for dessert to be delivered. "You have this stupid idea that unless you build this business from top to bottom completely on your own, it won't really be your success."
"We've all wanted to help." Murphy leans toward Liam, who has one hand on the back of her neck. "But you always say no."
I'm stunned. They've made offers of help in the past, but I assumed they were just being nice. I had everything under control as usual. I'm the guy who helps everyone else. I don't need help.
My stagnant sales numbers argue otherwise.
"Huh." I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. "I didn't realize you all really wanted to help."
Mom scowls. "Of course we want to help. We're your family. And whether or not you believe it, we've got ideas and skills that can be helpful, even to you."
Shit. I never meant for Mom to feel like I don't value her input. "That's not why I didn't accept help." I emphasize each word like I can make them sound truer by speaking slowly. "I just wanted to do it myself and you all have your own lives. I didn't want to drag you into my stuff."
"Maybe we want to be in your stuff." Liam seems to realize what he's just said and chokes. He pounds his chest while everyone laughs.
"What he means is, we want to help." Alice pats my hand and then squeezes. "We want to help you achieve your dream."
"I didn't realize." Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. "I'll try to do better."
"Thank you." Mom pats Dad's back. "It's about time someone told him the truth."
Dad looks at my mother, gratitude and adoration shining in his eyes, and goes back to eating his meal.
Alice brings out dessert and we eat, but I'm only half listening to the surrounding conversations, my mind on the idea of Christmas-fying my candy selection and window display. It feels like heading in the wrong direction, but maybe it's what's right for the Yuletide shop. The other stores won't have any Christmas candy or decorations.
It's not easy to admit I'm wrong. In this case, I'm getting the feeling I've been very, very wrong.
My attention zeroes back in on the table when James suddenly stands and pushes back his chair, phone in hand.
"Excuse me." His smile is tight . "I have to take this."
He walks away, phone already to his ear. What call could be so important that he has to leave the table? He's a junior lawyer at the largest firm in town, which is only the largest because it has three lawyers while all the other firms in town are run by a single lawyer. From what Alice says, James mostly handles estate planning.
That's not the kind of job that calls after hours with emergencies.
At least I don't think it is. I don't actually know much about what lawyers do.
