Mr. Nakamura’s lips pursed ever so slightly and his eyes narrowed by the barest flicker. Without a word, he touched a button on the credenza. “Ms. Richman,” he said, without turning his head, “tell Mr. Barrows and Harold Winder in legal to come up. Now.”
“Yes, sir. And Mr. Talmadge has just arrived. Shall I send him in?”
“Thank you.”
The door opened immediately and Adam came in, crossing the room directly to the chairman and shaking his hand. “Good morning.” His manner was affable, but Allie, who knew him so well, recognized the signs of irritation. Adam wasn’t pleased at being summoned away from his busy morning, but he was not about to play lion tamer with the chairman of Matsuhara’s board.
He turned toward her and gave her a perfunctory “Good morning, Allie.” He had seen Davey in the anteroom, ready to leave with all the gear, so he was not surprised to see Allie packing up the last of her things. He and Zach glared at each other, and there were no handshakes between them.
“Sit down, Mr. Talmadge.” The chairman indicated another of the chrome-and-black-leather chairs facing his desk. “A couple of our legal people will be here in a moment, and then we can begin.”
And then, before he could add anything else, Zach spoke. “There’s one other thing. If no one has any objection, I’d like to ask Ms. Randall to stay.” He turned in time to see Allie look up from where she’d been locking her paintbox, her eyes suddenly wide with surprise. “This concerns her, too. If it’s not a problem for you, I’d like her to hear our discussion today.”
The chairman, who was surprised by the request, was even more surprised to hear Adam agree. “I think that’s a good idea. I’d like to have Allie here, too.”
Apparently, the chairman thought, everyone knows something I don’t know. “Ms. Randall,” he said, “if you would like to remain, please do. I will have Ms. Richman bring us all some coffee.”
Allie’s eyes went back and forth between Zach and Adam. She was more conflicted than ever, in a torment of confusion. She would stay, of course. There was no way she would miss this meeting. But these men had twisted her life in unbearable knots, and all her instincts were telling her to get out of there. She ignored her instincts.
Her voice didn’t sound very steady, but she said, “I’ll just tell my assistant that he can leave.” She stepped into the anteroom and told Davey that he could take off. She’d see him tomorrow. The three men in the office remained silent until she returned.
Adam pulled up a chair for her, somewhat off to one side, where she could listen without participating. Thoughtful of him, she said to herself a little cynically. He had placed her not too far away, but safely out of the line of fire. Ms. Richman came in with a tray of coffee cups and then discreetly disappeared. She didn’t need to be told to hold all calls. The men from legal arrived and were introduced all around. Then they all got ready to hear what Zach had come to tell them.
“Before we begin,” the chairman said, “I should tell you, Zach”—Allie noticed the sudden disappearance of the formal “Mr. Eliot”—“I should tell you that only a little while ago my secretary took a call from Arthur Hadley. He will be calling back this afternoon.”
Zach’s face creased in a satisfied smile. “I expected he’d be calling you today. We met with the regulators in Boston yesterday, and it looked good. They were very receptive.”
Allie, of course, didn’t have a clue what Zach was talking about. Neither, she could see, did Adam. He was resting one elbow on the arm of his chair and with the fingers of his upraised hand, he was pinching his lips together absentmindedly, his eyebrows drawn together as he concentrated intently on Zach’s face and on Zach’s words. She had never seen Adam so focused, not even when he studied a painting or a piece of statuary or a complex contract.
Zach leaned forward in his chair. His voice was quiet. “Now let me make this very clear so that no one in this room misunderstands. There is no way I will let you go forward with this project on Cape Cod.” He paused to let that sink in. No one said a word. “I told you that when we met last week,” he continued. “I told you then, and I’ll repeat it now. My position is not subject to negotiation. There is nothing to negotiate.”
Every eye was fixed on Zach. The chairman was paying close attention, and he did not see that Allie’s face reflected her confusion. She was trying to understand, how could Zach’s words square with what the chairman had told her yesterday? She had seen Zach here only last week. And the chairman had told her—what was it he told her? She was trying to reconcile what she’d heard yesterday from what she was hearing right now.
Adam was the first to speak. “How do you think you’re going to stop it, Zach?” He had leaned way back in his chair now, his eyes warily on Zach’s face.
Zach turned to Adam, one corner of his mouth lifted in the nearest thing to a sneer that Allie had ever seen on that handsome face. “I have a long list of ways, Talmadge, but for starters, try this one on. There was a little meeting late last night on the Cape. Just the Board of Selectmen and me. The report of the committee isn’t for publication yet, but take my word for it, even the most preliminary environmental studies are going to show there’s no way the water table up there can support the increased usage this project would create.” Zach’s eyes were ice cold, the animosity on his face apparent to everyone in the room. “That’s what’s going to shoot you down, Talmadge. That’s what stopped the Pilgrim settlers in 1620, and it’s what’s going to stop Matsuhara today.”
No one said a word and Adam was silent for a long time. His attention was focused intently on Zach, as though he was trying to read Zach’s mind. A long, thoughtful minute passed.
“Zach,” he said at last, “I’ve got a lot of my own money in this deal. My guarantee is on several million. Never mind how many.” He gestured toward Barrows and Winder. “We completed all the paperwork in my office, just last week. Last Thursday morning.” Barrows and Winder, from legal, nodded their confirmation, in unison.
No one heard Allie’s silent gasp. She didn’t dare interrupt them, but she saw instantly the stupid error she had made. It was Adam who was providing the backing that Matsuhara was seeking, the American financing, the person with—what was it the chairman had said?—old ties to the Cape, someone who knows the area well. It was Adam, not Zach. What a fool she had been! Of course Zach didn’t know what she was talking about when she accused him of lying. He hadn’t been lying to her. He hadn’t been lying to her! Her mind was racing; she barely heard what Zach was saying.
“Now listen to me, Talmadge, it gives me no pleasure to say this. Pulling your chestnuts out of the fire is not exactly what I’d prefer to do, and frankly, it’s of no interest to me how many millions you stand to lose.” Zach turned away from Adam and faced the chairman across his desk. “But for the sake of expediency and good will and to save everyone a lot of trouble, and incidentally, to do an old friend of mine a favor, I’ve spent the last few days making some arrangements.”
Hal Winder lifted a pen, poised above his yellow legal pad. Mr. Nakamura leaned forward, his arms resting on the polished surface of his desk, his face impassive.
“I’m listening, Zach.”
They were all listening.
“Okay, here’s the deal. I’ve given careful thought to your predicament, and it seemed to me we ought to be able to come up with a good alternative, something that will be a win-win for everyone.” Zach looked around. No one was smiling.
“I made some phone calls and spent a couple of days driving around to likely locations. When I talked to you on Thursday, you may remember I mentioned a possibility in New Hampshire, near Hampton Beach?”
Mr. Nakamura nodded his head.
“Art Hadley is an old school buddy of mine. My roommate, in fact, for a couple of pretty wild years.” Zach paused, smiling at the memory. “Well, I remembered something I’d read in one of the trade newsletters, and I gave Arthur a call. Now this should interest you.
“They�
�ve got a nice little community up there, just a bit of beach stuck in between Massachusetts and Maine. Tourism is their main business. Mostly people up from the Boston area. Draws a lot of college kids. Well, believe it or not, a big amusement park was set for development there, only get this, at the last minute, their financing fell through. The financial crisis caught their lender with its pants down, and now the Fed is stuck with all this absolutely first-class development property.”
Zach paused, letting them take that in. Hal Winder said, “What advantage is there to us in shifting from our planned location?”
Zach smiled at the lawyer while Adam continued to peer thoughtfully at him. “Plenty of advantage. First of all, the community up there is really hot for the deal. An amusement park suited their purposes exactly, and they were behind it from day one. And now that it folded, they’re really in the soup. Anyone who comes in and bails them out is going to be Santa Claus and Daddy Warbucks all rolled up in one.”
The lawyers were nodding. The chairman remained impassive. No one noticed Allie, who was hanging on every word, transfixed. Zach turned to Mr. Nakamura. “More important, all the groundwork has been done. All the feasibility studies were completed. They came through the environmental impact work with flying colors. They even started clearing the ground. All the permits are in place. The contractors are ready to go. Matsuhara could walk right in and take it over and you’d save a bundle in start-up costs.
“I drove up there on Sunday, and Hadley and I went over it thoroughly. It’s a good property.” He looked the chairman in the eye intently. “You know my reputation. You know I don’t advise it unless I’m convinced it’s solid.”
There was no smile on Zach’s face now. He was deadly serious. He pushed himself up out of the chair, impatient now to sell his proposal. He paced a couple of steps away from the desk, rubbing his mouth with his open hand. “The federal regulators have their regional office in Boston, and Hadley and I met with them yesterday. They need to unload this property and are willing to make all sorts of concessions.” Zach put both hands on the desk leaning forward, toward the chairman for emphasis. “It’s a sweet deal. You’re not going to find anything as nice as this one.” Then he surprised Allie by gesturing in her direction.
“It’s such a sweet deal, you won’t even lose money on her stuff. You’ll still be able to use her pictures in your ads and brochures.” It broke Allie’s heart to see the cynicism in his face, to hear the bitterness in his voice. “Hell, one seaside town looks pretty much like every other seaside town. The waves look the same. The moon on the beach looks the same. Even the sailboats look the same!”
Adam had not moved from the depths of his chair. “Well, you have been busy. I’d like to know what the advantage to you is. What are you getting out of all this, Zach?”
Zach didn’t move his hands from the desktop, but the chairman noticed that the fingers clenched down tightly, the knuckles going white. Zach moved only his head, slightly, letting his words carry to Adam, behind him.
“You know what I’m getting out of this, Talmadge. I’m getting you out of my face. I’m getting you out of my neighborhood, out of my part of the world. I’m trying to get you out of my life!” His eyes flicked in Allie’s direction, and he repeated, his face tight and bitter, “I’m trying to get you out of my life.”
Now it was Adam’s turn to stand. He did a fast turn to the window and back again. He came close to Zach, who was still leaning stiff-armed on the desk. “Too bad, Eliot, but I’m still in your face. If my advice means anything around here,”—he nodded to the chairman—“and I think it does, we’re not pulling out of the Cape Cod project.”
“You’re not a fool, Adam,” Zach said quietly. “This is a good deal and you know it. Why should you advise against it?”
“Because while you’ve been running around all weekend, I’ve also been busy.” He leaned on the desk, too, his head close to Zach’s. “In these last few days, I’ve picked up options on most of the key pieces of property up there—yours excluded, of course. I’ve just sunk in over half a million of my own money, and if this project goes bye-bye, I’m left holding options to buy a lot of property that no one wants.”
Zach turned slowly, sinking down to sit on the desk corner. His smile was without any warmth. “Well, that’s too bad, Adam. I guess for once you just got too cute. Maybe you should have left well enough alone. Your original investment was solid and you and your clients here could have done really well together. I’m betting they’re going to choose to do really well anyway, and they’ll be perfectly happy to hang you out to dry.”
Barrows said quietly, from the depths of the couch where he and Winder were sitting together, “Well, you know, Adam, it appears Zach really has brought us a most interesting alternative.”
“Most interesting, my eye!” Adam’s face was turning pink. “Not interesting for me, Barrows. I’ve got a half a million in options up there!” He turned to Zach. “Eliot, you try to stop me, with your little circle of selectmen and your little committees and your little townspeople, we’ll have you in court so fast you won’t know what hit you!”
“Who do you think you’re talking to, Adam? You think you’re going to scare me by threatening legal action? You should know me better than that! I’ll bring in Baines and Duffy from Boston. You want to take them on?”
“That town can’t afford Baines and Duffy.”
“The hell with the town!” Zach’s face was inches from Adam’s. “I’ll match every one of your millions with one of my own, and more, if I have to.” Zach’s rage was now clear to everyone in the room. “You are not going to build that damn park, Adam. You are not going to foul that place with your crowds and your hoopla. You are not going to stir up those waters. I am not going to let you! You hear me, Adam, you’re going to leave the waters of Cape Cod Bay in peace!”
Allie was dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Were there tears in Zach’s eyes? She thought she knew Zach, but this was a man she had never seen. His face was immobile, his eyes and Adam’s locked together.
But Adam had dropped his gaze and turned away. He walked to the window and leaned on the sill for a long time, looking down on Madison Avenue, eighty-three floors below. No one in the room spoke while they all waited for Adam’s next move. Finally, still gazing out the window, his shoulders lifted and he sighed deeply. When he turned around at last, his normal color had returned, and he looked quite at ease. He came back to Zach and said quietly, “Of course, Zach. You’re absolutely right.”
Nothing more. The chairman’s eyebrows really climbed this time, and his hands lifted a bit from the desktop, and then dropped back again, his fingertips tapping lightly on the polished wood. Barrows and Winder looked at each other curiously. Allie’s face was an open book as she suffered for both men.
Zach looked deeply into Adam’s face. Something passed between them that Allie couldn’t understand, something cold, and angry, but very private, just between the two of them.
The chairman said, “Thank you very much, Mr. Eliot. We will give your proposal very careful consideration.”
Zach’s eyes held Adam’s for a moment longer. Then he relaxed, took a slow breath and turned to the chairman. “Thank you, Mr. Nakamura. Perhaps, when Mr. Hadley calls today, you’ll have a decision ready for him. His people are prepared to draw up a full memorandum for you, spelling out all the details. If you would like to keep me informed, I’d be grateful.” He reached across the desk and shook hands with the chairman. Then he and the lawyers shook hands. As he turned to leave, he glared at Adam.
“Stay out of my way, Adam. If I see you around, I’ll take you apart. Send your man up to clean your stuff out of the house. I want you out of there.” He nodded toward Allie. “And get her out of there, too.”
Adam was silent.
Zach headed for the door, and as he passed Allie, he stopped. He leaned his face down close to hers and, just loud enough so that only she could hear him, he whisp
ered, “You see, Allie? I’ve been just as busy as a little beaver!” Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him.
The big office, in the wake of Zach’s departure, was like a vacuum. No one spoke, and no one moved. The chairman sat thoughtfully, his head nodding slightly. “Very interesting,” he said at last. “Very interesting.” He smiled gently at Allie, noting her pale face, her eyes red-rimmed again, her misery apparent to anyone who wasn’t a fool.
He decided to speak to her directly. “I think, Ms. Randall, that we are going to be very busy here for a few days. Perhaps you will prefer not to meet tomorrow. The portrait can wait. I will be back in New York in a few weeks and I think maybe you have other things to attend to in the meantime. Perhaps on Cape Cod?”
Allie didn’t dare speak and only nodded her agreement. As she gathered up her bag and her paintbox, Adam came up to her and took her arm, taking the box from her at the same time. “Let me buy you a cup of coffee, Allie. I want to talk to you.”
Together, they left the room.
Chapter Eighteen
It was too early for the lunchtime crowd to start arriving, so the little diner on 54th Street was almost empty. Adam steered Allie into a quiet booth near the back, telling the counterman, as they passed him, to bring a couple of cups of coffee.
Allie dropped her bag onto the leatherette seat and sank back against it, turning her face away from Adam’s gaze.
“Sweetie, you look a mess,” Adam said, pulling his handkerchief from his breast pocket and handing it to her. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
Allie just shook her head as she wiped her eyes, strands of her hair catching against her wet face.
“I’ve never seen you like this,” he said, his voice full of genuine concern. Allie just closed her eyes, nodding her head slightly, in silent acknowledgment that she had never been like this. “What I’m going to tell you isn’t going to make it any better,” he said, “but there’s something you need to know, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to put it off.”
Summer on the Cape Page 20
