Jade
A Novel
By
Maryann Davenport
Jade
Copyright © 2014 by Maryann Davenport
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover by Rob Ford ZE DESIGN
Printed in the United States of America
CHAPTER ONE
Jade Holloway dashed across the traffic lane in front of the San Francisco airport terminal in time to slide into the last seat on the Chinatown shuttle. She ignored the scowl on the driver’s face and avoided looking at the people around her.
What is it with these urban types? Somebody has to be last.
She decided to forget the people around her and think about something positive. It was then that she noticed that everyone was smiling at her. She blinked and then turned to look at her seat mate when the attractive young woman spoke to her.
“Don’t worry about Old Grumpy, the driver. He always looks like that. It’s probably because he looks like a basset hound to begin with.” The woman looked Chinese and her suit and jewelry looked rather expensive.
Jade smiled her thanks while she wondered why a wealthy woman would take a shuttle. Then she laughed to herself. Her father was wealthy and she owned her own company. Why was she riding on a shuttle instead of a taxi? Because it’s safer, dummy! And cheaper. Jade’s father had been appalled to find out his daughter was a penny pincher from the time she was twelve years old. Arthur Holloway, hospital architect and art connoisseur, would have taken a private jet from Eugene, Oregon to San Francisco and then hired a car and driver.
She pulled a small mirror out of her purse and glanced in it. Considering the rough flight she had endured, her light brown hair didn’t look too bad. Her greenish blue eyes looked a little ragged. Jade promised herself a good night’s sleep, as soon as she got around to it. She bumped her seat mate’s elbow when she put the mirror back into her purse. “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s a beautiful suit. Is it silk?”
The woman smiled and nodded. “I have a weakness for all things silk. I like your earrings. Jade, aren’t they?”
“Yes, thank you. I’m the same way about jade. They’re my symbol. Are you familiar with Chinatown?”
“Yes. I live there.”
“Where would I find The Little Peacock?”
Her smile turned radiant. “You have good taste. I sometimes go that way to my apartment. You can get off with me and I’ll drop you there.”
“That’s very kind of you. Do you own a shop here by any chance?” Jade looked into her eyes and hoped she was not violating some cultural no-no.
“Yes, I do.” She handed her an ivory colored business card with the words Soul Music emblazoned on it in gold letters. Her name and the business address were printed at the bottom. In the background was the faint sketch of an exotic stringed instrument.
“Thank you, uh, Serenity. Here’s one of mine.” Jade was very proud of her light gray cards with the company name Favorite Specialties in glittering silver. “Do you import anything or sell herbal products?”
“Some of my chimes and albums are from China or Japan. Why don’t you stop by my shop after your lunch date?”
“Thank you. I’ll do that if I have time.”
The two women hurried down the shuttle steps at their stop as soon as they retrieved their suitcases from the driver. Jade had the feeling he was ready to push them out the door and throw their cases after them.
“Do you ride with him often?”
“Unfortunately, he’s usually the one on duty when I come back from visiting my parents. He’s not as bad as he looks though. There you go. Hope to see you later.” Serenity pointed at a small restaurant with a huge fan lying open behind its front window. On it was a brightly colored painting of a peacock. She waved and hurried down the street to catch a crowd of people crossing at the next corner.
When Jade entered the restaurant it turned out to be a long narrow room with the only light being provided by amber wall sconces which looked like peacock shapes in glass, if she used her imagination. There were also small oil candles on tables which were set out from the walls. Before she could ask the hostess about the party she wanted to meet she heard a clear voice call to her from a corner near the front window.
“Over here, Jade. I’ve already ordered your favorite tea.”
She turned to smile at her best friend. Jade Holloway had never felt close to her parents and her romances had not worked out. Through it all there had been her childhood friend, Charles Lee.
The wiry little man stood up to hug her, his smile as wide as ever, his inky black hair thinning a little in front. “I missed you, girl. I’m going to have to start visiting you in your wild woods if I can’t get you down here more. I want you to meet someone.” He turned to indicate another man who was several inches taller than Jade’s five foot, eight inch body.
“This is Matt Dixon. He buys exotic stuff for his artist friends and nets me a nice little profit for my Asian customers. Matt, this is the lady I told you about, Jade Holloway, businesswoman extraordinaire.”
“This is a pleasure, believe me.” Dixon’s strong hand matched his deep intense voice. His eyes seemed to radiate passion. It was as if she had met him somewhere before.
She was suddenly very warm and had a great deal of trouble tearing her eyes away from his chocolate brown eyes. His black hair was short and sculpted to his head. His smile made him extremely handsome. But then men with Asian eyes had always appealed to Jade.
“Let’s not stand around. Our drinks are here.” Lee nodded to the waitress who set the delicate cups in front of them and hurried away. “I ordered your favorite vegetables and steamed salmon.”
“Thank you. You always remember. So, Charley, exactly what kind of exotic stuff are you selling this time? Something you can admit to?” Jade felt a familiar old mischief rise up inside her. She loved to tease her old friend. He had certainly made her blush a number of times.
“Now, Jade.” Lee chuckled softly and shook his head. “You know I have reformed my wicked ways. We’re talking about silver and gold and gems, and your favorite stone, of course. So, don’t start calling me Charley. It’s not dignified.”
Matt Dixon looked from one face to the other.
“There was a time when Lee thought he was getting one of his customers a rare herb tea, at least that was what the customer said it was.” Jade giggled and then laughed out loud.
Lee’s face darkened but he was smiling. “It turned out to be powdered rhino horn and some silly old fashioned elders think it will make them potent again.”
Jade refilled their cups and looked at Matt. “The bad part was that there was a bunch of college types protesting on the docks here when the stuff came in because they said rhinos were an endangered species. He got pulled in by the cops with a bunch of the protesters after a fight broke out. I had to bail him out.”
Lee watched the waitress lay their steaming plates in front of them and then pointed at the tea pot for her to refill it. “The part I liked was where Jade told this big fat cop what a jerk he was for pulling me in when I was defending myself against a guy twice my size. She can be pretty tough when she wants to be.” He joined the laughter and dug into his food with enthusiasm.
“Lee told me you own your own company. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone your age.
” Dixon’s voice sounded full of admiration and his eyes sparkled with interest.
“Oh, it’s just a mail-order and online catalog. I do all right because I’m about the only employer in Mishap and my people are good workers.”
“How many do you have?”
“A dozen on Fridays. We ship then. Of course from Thanksgiving to New Year’s we’ve got half a dozen more and we put in ten to twelve hour days and ship six days a week.” Jade had to remind herself to eat. Dixon’s eyes picked up the candlelight and his gaze was hypnotic.
“Did you say your town is called Bishop? Is that in California?”
“No. It’s called Mishap and it rhymes with Bishop. It’s in Oregon. The town is named after some guy who thought he struck gold in the area but nobody ever found it. The only gold we have is what we buy elsewhere.”
“I take it you sell jewelry that Lee brings in.”
“Normally, no. This cloisonné I’m after is a special order for a dear old friend. His wife has always been crazy about the jewelry and desk accessories made of the stuff. It’s getting hard to find, again. Naturally, I thought of Lee as the man to find it.”
Lee raised his hand as if to interrupt. “The client I have sells the expensive stuff. Most of it is antique but I guess your man can afford it. Either that or he needs to get a cheaper wife.”
“He loves spoiling her just like you do your ladies.” Jade turned her attention back to Dixon. “What do your artist friends do with the gems they buy through you and Lee? Or, are these actually rich collectors of museum gems?”
“Oh, no. They’re sculptors who adorn their art works with gems, in some cases. Most of the time they use the silver and gold for their glass art pieces.” Dixon seemed to have as much trouble remembering to eat as Jade did. His eyes did not leave her face.
Jade felt a thrill pass through her. “Are you talking about glass blowing?”
“Glass blowing, glass casting, lampworking, etching, figures.”
“Oh, I love that stuff as much as I do jade. I bought a lovely little scalloped bowl and then a hardened glass case to keep it in. The thing cost a fortune and I’m terrified someone will bump it but it’s become my prized possession.”
“Don’t let this modest guy fool you. He’s made gorgeous stuff himself. I’ve got two of his globe lamps and I’ve got them insured. I even have a contract with Betty that says she owes me big bucks if anything happens to them. I told her I’ll come after her first born if she takes off and they go with her.”
Dixon gave Lee a skeptical look. “If a wife wants to rip you off I don’t think there’s much you can do about it.”
Jade laughed and pointed at Lee. “Romeo here, doesn’t marry women. He acquires them, like pieces of art. Let me see if I remember. Betty is the one here; Andrea uses your Seattle apartment; and Sonya lives in your Hong Kong place.”
Lee grinned and nodded. “Still keeping track of my sins, Little Sister?”
Dixon sobered and shook his head. “Boy, are you a glutton for punishment. I can’t even afford one and you have three.”
Jade noticed that Lee was finishing his food and considering the almond cookies on the dessert plate while she had struggled through half of her fish and vegetables. Dixon had eaten even less. “I take it you consider all women expensive.”
Dixon looked nervous when he returned her gaze. “In one way or another. I don’t really blame them. Men like me are always too broke or too busy to lavish the attention on them that they want. Obviously, your friend here has plenty of money from customers like us. That’s how he keeps so many women happy.”
“Don’t forget my charm.” Lee bit into a cookie and sighed while he leaned back in his chair.
“He’s unbearably humble.” Jade tried to glare at Lee but couldn’t do it. She could never disapprove of her old friend for more than a couple of minutes. “I do sympathize with you, Mr. Dixon. I had a boyfriend once who constantly borrowed money from me and he made more than I did.”
“You and Jade make a pair. Both of you are celibate as a couple of missionaries. I’ve been to both of your places at some time or another and you have plenty of art around but nothing in the frig. Your clothes went out of style before you were born and you drive something that should be in a museum.”
For the second time a thrilling shiver went down Jade’s back. She wondered what this meant. Did Matt Dixon scare her or entice her? And what about Lee calling her a sexless miser? “With you around I don’t need any enemies.”
Lee raised his hands in a helpless gesture and smiled.
“If I thought of seducing Mr. Dixon I’m sure you’ve killed my chances with your tacky description of me.”
“Please call me Matt and I find you very seductive.” His smile was riveting. He did not look amused. He looked turned on.
Jade could feel her face heat up and chuckled softly. “Thank you. I take it that the art world doesn’t pay very well until some rich guy decides you’re good and then you’re set for life. That’s too iffy for a practical girl like me.”
“You describe it pretty well but in my case it’s my own fault. If I stuck with the companies who hire me to design and test something for them I’d be comfortable with what I make. But I’m not content with that. Once you’ve tried creating a design with your own two hands it never lets you go. I miss doing glass blowing but I don’t do it anymore, now that I know how harmful it can be, to the artist. All the same, I love being around it. If I don’t work on a hot shop at least once a year, I get kind of crazy, miserable really. I swore a dozen times that I would walk away from it forever but I can’t.” At this point Matt looked as miserable as he sounded. It was as if he were discussing some sort of narcotic drug which he could not give up.
“I have to admit that I have wondered what it would be like to be so caught up in something that you forgot to eat or sleep. It wouldn’t do for me for the long haul but I’d like to be able to get lost in something once in a while, especially when I’m trying to forget something unpleasant.”
Lee seemed to shudder. “You guys are giving me the creeps. Give me plenty of money and pretty girls and good food and I’m a happy man. Let’s get out of here.” He handed the waitress a gold credit card and waved away the protests of the other two. “I’m doing the wining and dining today. It makes me feel like I’m rich and famous, neither of which is true, but I can pretend. Come on. I’ve got another appointment and you probably do, too. I’ll let you know about the cloisonné as soon as Han gets back to me.” He kissed Jade on the cheek and disappeared around the corner when they stepped outside the street door.
“Can I drop you somewhere? Lee said you flew in. He’s right about my pickup being ancient but it runs and it has plenty of gas, for a change.” Matt looked like he wanted to keep her with him as long as possible.
Jade did not relish the idea of getting hung up in curio shops and then spending a long night alone in a hotel. “Thank you. I don’t suppose you have one of those hot shops, as you call them, here in Frisco.”
“Not one I’m connected with but I can show you some good examples at a gallery south of here.”
“Let’s go.” Jade followed him to a faded gray pickup with a camper shell on it. It reminded her of the relic her uncle back home still insisted on driving. She decided she had better not criticize. Her own car was making noises like an old farm tractor.
“Don’t worry. It runs better than it looks. I carry so much stuff around that I have to have something with a little utility.”
“No problem. Do you live here?”
“Temporarily, yes.” Matt pulled out into the light traffic and then joined the congestion on the next street. “I’m staying at my mother’s place. She lost my dad a couple of years ago.” The pain which crossed his face let Jade know how much the man had meant to him.
“I’m sorry. I’m lucky. My dad is still around. Unfortunately we’ve never been close. You obviously loved your dad very much.”
“Yes.” He
seemed to have trouble swallowing and took a deep breath. “He was the most stubborn man I’ve ever known but we all miss him.”
“I take it you come from a big family.”
Matt glanced at her in surprise and then smiled. “I have no idea what kind of family I come from. Gordon and Sari took me in when I was four. I think Gordon went along with it because Sari couldn’t have children and she was becoming very unhappy with him working such long hours. I don’t think he wanted kids because he was so caught up in his art but we got pretty close.” He dashed into a parking slot along a quiet street and held Jade’s door for her.
“When you said you all miss him I guess you meant he had a lot of friends.”
“You’re right. Gordon’s last hot shop team got pretty close. Lots of people say teams should keep changing members so there are more experienced people to work with and you don’t spoil friendships. Tempers can flare as hot as the furnaces when things go wrong.”
Jade began to realize she wanted to know everything she could find out about Matt Dixon and the fascinating world of glass art. “Lee said he has a couple of your lamps. Are they blown glass? I saw some wonderful stuff in the gallery where I bought my bowl and I’d love to know more about how it’s made.”
Matt’s smile made Jade’s heart pound like a jungle drum. “That can be arranged, I guess. I’m not on the best terms with the gaffers at Gordon’s old haunt but I’m sure they’ll let us watch through the guest window. Here’s the gallery I was telling you about.”
Jade turned to look at a long deep set window with steel bars and thick glass lit by a border of white and gold blinking lights. Royal’s Fine Jewelry and Glass Art had a dazzling array of diamonds and rubies set in gold and several glass pieces shaped like flowing baskets or sea shells in iridescent blues and purples.
They walked in to find a couple of customers talking to the man and woman clerks. When Matt pointed to a deep red cylinder with gold reeds caught in it as if they were being pulled by a strong current she caught her breath. “That is so beautiful. Did you make that?”
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