by Ali Vali
“Every beautiful kind of flower,” Galen said as she took Hadley’s hand, “has strains of weeds somewhere in its lines. We’ll never know how different the Palmer children would be without that memory, but I trust you to help them.”
She nodded as both of them spoke, since she totally agreed. “Do you have any idea how I’m supposed to fix this?”
“You can figure it out, tadpole, but this time around it won’t be as easy as leaving etched shells,” Hadley said and winked.
“Not helpful at all, Mom, but thanks.”
Chapter Nine
Steve Hawksworth stared at the plume of smoke rising from what looked like an accident scene on the interstate, but his office was too high up to see clearly. He really didn’t care—it was simply something to draw his attention away from the amount of paperwork Winston had piled on both him and Franklin. Winston had promised that the extra workload would level out once Vivien relocated to the office, but Steve doubted that.
In his experience, Winston didn’t often compromise. He barked orders and assumed everyone around him would make it their life’s mission to carry them out. Steve understood that kind of power, and he also understood the consequences of not marching to Winston’s drumbeat. Those two truths had him staring out the window since the only person in Winston’s life who didn’t give a damn about anything remotely important to him was his daughter, Vivien, and she in turn cared nothing about him either. The idiot had actually rebuffed every advance and overture he’d made toward her, and it had pissed him off longer and more than he cared to admit.
Vivien did everything she could to drive Winston’s blood pressure through the stratosphere, and she seemed to almost relish the effect she had on him. But like in all dysfunctional relationships, neither Winston nor Vivien was willing to cut their ties, no matter how miserable they made each other. Whatever it was, it left no room for him or anyone else to make inroads into their lives.
“Do you have the exact coordinates for track fifty-seven?” Franklin asked from his doorway. “I want to double check my figures before filing the initial papers.”
“Did your secretary quit?” he asked without turning around.
“No. I just needed to stretch my legs,” Franklin said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “You have the numbers or not?”
It wasn’t a secret around the office that he and Franklin didn’t particularly care for one another, but he wasn’t interested in making Franklin his best friend. He just needed him to quit torpedoing his chances with Vivien, which Franklin did constantly, so it was difficult to be civil when the dipshit talked to him like this. Franklin was totally loyal to his sister, and since Vivien didn’t like him, Franklin didn’t and wouldn’t do anything to help him win Vivien over. Marriage was the easiest path to the top of the company, but Vivien acted as if he were radioactive. That left only Winston and his wife Cornelia as his greatest allies as far as that option was concerned.
He moved slowly to his computer and sent an email. “They’re waiting in your inbox.”
“Saying them out loud was too much trouble for you?” Franklin placed his hands on the wheels of his chair but didn’t move.
“Anything else?” He also wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship with Franklin because of his weakness. To align himself with Franklin, even as a way to Vivien, wouldn’t get him any closer to the prize he was after, and he knew that Winston considered Franklin the plague that’d killed off his family’s name.
“Nothing,” Franklin said and stared at him before rolling away.
“Steve,” his assistant Tanice said as she entered his office and closed the door. “Any word from the water princess?”
“Vivien’s teaching the new hire the ropes, supposedly, but Daddy finally put his foot down. The Lady Palmer should grace us with her presence in a few days.” He moved back to the window and glanced down at the accident scene now surrounded by flashing blue and red lights from first responders. “What’d you find?”
“Everything on Kai Merlin’s resume checks out, down to her time with the Peace Corps. She’s got a knack for finding water, purifying it for consumption, and cleaning up dirty waterways that big, bad, industrial scumbags have ravaged.”
“Nothing stands out?”
“Only that she’s an environmental do-gooder, which is odd, considering her career choice.” Tanice moved her fingers down her tablet as she spoke. “If you’re talking about unexplained gaps or anomalies, or some big scandal you can use against her, then no.”
“No one’s that perfect except on paper.” He turned and dropped into his chair, where his restlessness made him open and close his hands. “You have to have missed something.”
“I called and confirmed all the details on here as well as what was on the background check,” Tanice said with a tinge of exasperation. “I’m sure the people on this list aren’t involved in a conspiracy about her good deeds just to mess with you. All the information is in here if you think I’m lying.”
“I know you’re not lying, but we have to find something. You didn’t see the reaction Vivien had to that big sarcastic bitch. She creamed her pants, and if this fucking idiot starts giving the water princess any ideas, I’m screwed.” He thumbed through the report Tanice had mentioned and paused at all the pictures included. “If I’m right, this explains why Vivien isn’t interested. It sure isn’t from my lack of trying.”
“I’m sure being a lesbian would be the only reason any woman wouldn’t be interested in you,” Tanice said with a smile he figured bordered on laughter.
“Remember who you’re talking to,” he said, not at all amused. “Get back to work and find something. You can tell me all about it tonight.”
“I’ll try my best, Your Highness.”
He walked to Winston’s office a few minutes before the team meeting his boss had scheduled, wanting to know why Winston had hired Kai Merlin and why he’d risk changes to Triton. Once that facility went on line, Palmer Oil would be directly competing with the big boys, and that’s what Steve was waiting for.
“Problem?” Winston asked in his usual gruff manner.
“Maybe,” he said as he sat and glanced at all the framed pictures behind Winston’s desk. It was an altar to his wife and children at different ages, all near water, and all of them full of awkward smiles and poses. If you didn’t know Winston at all and entered this room, you’d swear his family was the center of his universe.
Steve knew better.
“What the hell happened now?” Winston asked, sounding as if he wouldn’t mind killing the messenger.
“Before I tell you, would you mind explaining why you lured Kai Merlin out of the North Sea?”
“Because both BP and Chevron were after her for the same reason I was. Merlin’s a good engineer who’ll do a good job on Triton, but that’s true of a large group of folks with the same credentials.” Winston took a cigar from the small leather case, usually a fixture in his suit pocket, and lit it without asking if he wanted to join him. Free cigars had ended for everyone when Cornelia limited Winston’s daily treats to the three the case held.
“So why not hire someone else more aligned with company beliefs?”
“The good ole days of my daddy running this company are over, so now I need an edge to keep the federal and state regulators as well as the environmentalists off my ass.” Winston blew a stream of smoke in his direction, and he came close to coughing but managed not to, since Winston would see it as a fault in his manhood. “Merlin, like you said, is a fish lover, which I know ain’t your thing, but the tree huggers love her.”
“I could pretend to love fish as much as anybody, if it’ll get us ahead in this.”
“Sure, but you ain’t got the track record she does on the subject, and you don’t have all the fishermen on the coast chasing you down for advice.”
“So that’s why you hired her?”
“I don’t have the time or patience to explain myself to you or anybody, so get your
petty jealousies under control.”
Winston was staring at him in a way that meant it wouldn’t do him any good to push him. “Jealousy has nothing to do with it. I’m only looking out for you and the company.”
“So Merlin’s your maybe problem?” Winston blew more smoke at him.
“Forget I said anything—” Franklin and the others arrived for their meeting. When Winston kept staring at him, he realized his mistake. Like he suspected of Vivien, Winston liked Kai, and liked what she’d do for him even more. He wouldn’t appreciate or tolerate another outburst.
Enjoy the glory while you can, Winston, Steve thought as he maintained eye contact with his boss. When the next phase of this company comes along, you along with your heirs will only be able to watch as I take over.
*
“Do you mind if I stick around today?” Vivien asked when Kai’s head popped out of the water next to her boat. The dorsal fin in the distance made her panic for a moment, but a second look assured her it was another dolphin.
“I was hoping you would,” Kai said, smiling up at her. “How about putting your suit on and joining me?”
Kai’s hair was slicked back, and her expression made Vivien think she wasn’t only at peace at the moment, but happy. It was almost like a mirror effect since that one glance made her happy as well.
“You’re very popular,” she said, pointing to the pod that was swimming closer. “I’ve never seen them do that.”
“Maybe you should start swimming with fish in your pants like I do. You’ll attract all kinds of new friends.”
She laughed when Kai winked at her and left to do as Kai had asked. There wasn’t anything remotely interesting to look at under the water here, but it’d been a long while since she’d gone for a swim just for enjoyment and not searching for something. Then again, she didn’t have anyone in her life worth spending time like that with—not even from an early age. Franklin was the only one she’d ever wanted to share this with, but his terror of the water had prevented her from experiencing this part of herself with him.
She changed into a one-piece she hadn’t worn in over a year and hoped it hid as much as the wetsuit she usually preferred. She definitely wasn’t in the same league as Kai, especially since she’d seen her naked the night before, but she didn’t have time to worry over something that trivial. “This isn’t a date,” she said to herself in the mirror attached to the small bathroom door. “Get on with it.”
“Bring your mask and snorkel,” Kai said when she stepped out.
“I don’t find grass and sand all that exciting.” She opened the cabinet next to her tanks and removed her equipment anyway.
“Have some faith,” Kai said as she floated on her back. She was swimming in shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt with a large marlin across the chest. “You might have missed a few things since the last time you put your face down here.”
Kai had a flirty way of talking to her. Vivien’s ears warmed, and she hoped the blush that had sparked that response wasn’t too visible. The smile on Kai’s face widened, so she figured her wish was pure fantasy. Everything Kai said, though, caused her to react in some way, but unlike Steve, who affected her as strongly, she wasn’t dying to get away from Kai.
She glanced at the barrier island in the distance, Raccoon Island, and figured the swim would be worth the effort just to check out how the land was doing after the spill. “If you say so.”
Kai nodded and started toward her stern. “I say so, Boss.”
She laughed at the title since she doubted Kai had much use for authority and would quit if anyone tried to cram theirs down her throat. Her leap put her in the water feet first, well away from Kai, and she donned her mask as soon as she surfaced since Kai had done the same.
Like she predicted, she saw nothing but grass and long stretches of sand, with the occasional fish as they made their way, but having Kai along made the excursion pleasant. However, about a hundred yards from Raccoon Island she noticed the change in the Gulf floor.
“What’s that?” she asked as soon as her head came up.
“Are you sure you want to know?” Kai said, her smile too smug.
“If it’s illegal then probably no.”
“I’m not that much of a rule breaker.” Kai floated on back again and kicked toward shore.
Vivien followed like a well-trained pet but put her head down again to see the large cement structures, laid out randomly. They resembled large pinecones with open tops, and as they swam closer to shore she figured out their purpose. The waves moving toward the beach carried sand that ended up in the structures, and the process was actually building land already planted with a type of sea grass not indigenous to the area.
“What are those?” she asked again as Kai led them to the edge of the island.
“The better question is whose are they?” Kai said as she pointed to the small row of metal boxes on the shore.
“We’re paying you way too much if they’re yours.” She followed slightly behind Kai so as to not be in Kai’s line of vision and scrutiny. From the moment she’d first seen Kai, it was like she had free rein to her thoughts and emotions, and she wanted to shut that down for a while.
“They’re land expanders, and we have about twelve hundred out there now, with three times that number going in. They belong to you. Or should I say Palmer Oil?”
“I’m certainly not Palmer Oil all by myself.” From the shore Vivien could tell where the expanders were installed, since the area was close to becoming a sandbar almost out of the water.
“If you heard your dad go on about you, you’d believe differently. You and Franklin are the future, and he wants the legacy of the company he leaves you to be as much about this stuff as the production side.”
She laughed as Kai unlocked the first box. “Maybe I misjudged your cheerleading talents, or maybe you’re just a suck-up.”
“Will you believe a little of both?” Kai waved her over and pointed to the monitors inside. From what Vivien could see of the setup, the computers were running off the solar panels attached to the outside of the box. “We have enough monitors down here to capture video footage of every wave, as well as how much accumulation we’re getting. If my calculations are correct, these will add significant land mass, limited only by how many of them are installed.”
“It’s got to be significant if you’re getting grass to grow and it’s staying put.”
“The stuff down there is the same strain as what you saw last night. Once it takes hold, it’s pretty much permanent, since the roots are things of beauty unless it’s growing somewhere you don’t want it.”
“When did my father become such a conservationist, and why haven’t any of us heard about all this? The board would freak if they knew he was spending willy-nilly on stuff like this.” Kai moved to the next box and took out some beach chairs and an umbrella. “What, no fridge loaded with drinks?”
“The folks who set all this up weren’t big drinkers, but I’ll consider the idea,” Kai said, her attention on the shoreline. “This project isn’t finished, and it certainly hasn’t been cheap, but Mr. Palmer made a deal with the state since they own this rather tiny piece of paradise.”
“Was the deal to bilk the state out of money?”
“I’m fairly sure you should have a higher regard for your father than I do, and no, that isn’t the deal. If we can prove that these work, then Palmer gets the contract to put them in around the other barrier islands, and even if Palmer doesn’t, I own the patents on the design so no one can just start installing them for this purpose. I want to restore each of the barrier islands to what they were a hundred and fifty years ago.”
“I’ve known Winston Palmer longer than you, so give him time to shred all your hopes and dreams. Right now I’m more curious about you.” She tensed again at the sight of another dorsal fin, but it was still the dolphins right offshore. “If you’re more into this stuff, why take a job with us?”
“Can you answer a qu
estion first?” She nodded at Kai’s question. “What are your dreams?”
“I was around six the last time someone asked me that question, but it wasn’t so much an open-ended thing when it came to the answer.” When Kai briefly gazed at her as if confused, she laughed. “What I mean is, that question had some wrong answers and pretty much only one right one.”
“The CEO of Palmer Oil is probably what your parents were looking for.”
“I’m not an indentured servant, but my father was driven to wake up the Palmer genes in us when it came to the company, and he hasn’t stopped.”
“Back to the cheerleading gig, huh?” She nodded and laughed again. “Now that I know Winston’s hopes and dreams, what are yours? Pretend your last name is Smith.”
“I’m a treasure hunter at heart, but gold and precious stones aren’t all I look for. Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to know the secrets that lie beneath all this water, and I love finding scattered bits of it.” Vivien sounded melancholy as she peered at the horizon like it could take her away from here and whatever came next in her life. “Something big’s hidden down there, and I intend to find it.”
In that moment Kai felt the whole of Vivien’s life experiences fall on her shoulders, and the weight she’d added in their brief encounters rippled through the span of those years. Her whim so long ago had left Vivien scarred just as much as if she’d come out of the water and gashed her with the shell Vivien wore around her neck. This was why her parents had made the Palmers part of her quest, and rightfully so.
“That’s why I do what I do,” she said, and Vivien looked at her. “One day when I have children I want to give them a sea as full of life and secrets as it is now. Hopefully they’ll love exploring it as much as you do.”
“Not if, but when, huh? Who’s the lucky guy who’ll have these exploring adventurers with you?”
