Tough Enough to Tango

by Barbara Barrett

  “Why? It’s a good investment. Bad time to sell. If nothing else, rent it.”

  “I want to make a statement to my investors here in Iowa. Something that demonstrates my commitment to Sullivan’s Creek. Besides building a home in the development, I plan to make it my permanent headquarters.”

  Mike shook his head. “If you’re hell-bent to sell, at least let me take care of it for you. I know several top-notch realtors. But I still think it’s a big mistake.”

  Ned pretended to consider Mike’s offer. “I suppose you’re right. What if we split the task? You deal with the sale part and I’ll make arrangements to either ship my belongings back to Iowa or dispose of them. I’m not crazy about the furnishings anyhow.”

  “You really want to relocate? I thought this was all just temporary.”

  “I’ve started to rethink some of my things as a result of this throat business. What I really want from life. For some reason, I want to be back among my roots.” He surprised himself with his words. But the more he thought about it, maybe he believed what he’d said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Great view, don’tcha think?” Irv Farley swirled the ice in his glass of primo whiskey. For someone atop such a massive fortune, the guy still needed validation. Lots of it.

  Although Ned hated to kiss up—he’d done more than his share in the early days of his career—he was prepared to pucker up today. He needed the guy’s money now more than ever. “Probably the best view I’ve seen out here in Malibu, Irv.” They were seated in lounge chairs along Farley’s pool deck, which faced the ocean.

  “Glad you think so. Didn’t just fall into my lap, y’know. No sirree. Had to work long and hard for every inch of beach.” He did a sweeping motion with his hands, then set his empty whisky glass on the small table between them. He continued to stare out at the Pacific, bluer than ever today. “So I don’t give handouts to just anyone with some ‘high concept’ moneymaking scheme.”

  “I’m not here for a handout, Irv. This is a genuine business opportunity for you.”

  The rotund businessman, dressed in Hawaiian print swim trunks and a baggy orange shirt, turned to face Ned. His eyes had narrowed, the earlier smile gone. “Tell me again how I’d benefit.”

  Ned ran through his proposal again. He concluded with, “Minimum risk, maximum potential.”

  Farley reclined in his chair, made a show of scratching his chin. “Hey, Wallingford,” he called. “Bring me another.” To Ned, “You want more water, Jake. Too bad your docs won’t let you drink these days.”

  “No, thanks. I don’t mind the no-alcohol thing. I feel much healthier.”

  “Yeah, well, I heard the voice is on ice, so to speak, for some time to come? The concerts have dried up. That why you’re trolling for money?”

  Though he’d prepared himself to respond to cutting remarks like this, Ned’s stomach roiled at the cavalier way Farley addressed his tenuous career situation. He gripped his thighs just enough to keep his eye on the prize. “This thing with my throat is just a minor setback. But to be on the safe side, I’ve voluntarily taken myself out of the limelight for a bit. While the revenue from other projects realigns itself, I need a little cushion.”

  Farley continued to rub his chin, but didn’t say anything. Wallingford, his houseman, arrived with his new drink and removed the empty glass, then quickly disappeared. “I like the idea, Jake. But the return you propose is, well, since I’m a polite gentleman, let’s just call it naïve.”

  Naïve? Polite gentleman, my ass! You’re lowballing my proposition. “C’mon Irv. This is more than doing a friend a favor. I’ve offered a significant return on your investment.” He’d bluffed, angled for the best deal he could get. The other man probably knew as much, but Farley expected him to do a little negotiating.

  They traded proposals for the next several minutes; neither shifted his position. At length, as he guzzled the rest of his drink and shook the remains of the ice cubes as a reminder he was the one who called the shots, Farley rose and sauntered to the edge of his pool, which lay between them and the ocean view. Ned debated whether to follow but stayed where he was. He sensed any change in body position might signal concession.

  Farley turned back to him, a hint of a smile played across his face. “For an entertainer, Jake, you drive a hard bargain.”

  How amateur does he think I am? Over the years, Ned developed a sixth sense when it came to false praise from people trying to screw him. His alarm system was fired up now. “Do we have a deal?”

  Farley’s expression morphed into one Ned remembered from a childhood storybook, a cartoon of the Wolf as he attempted to convince the Three Little Pigs to come out of their house.

  “There might be a way for us to reach a win-win agreement.”

  The guy actually sounded slimy, like the stereotypical car salesman. Ned chose his next words carefully, as he led Farley to believe he was taking the bait without realizing the cost. “Yeah? Tell me more.”

  “I’ve recently established interests in several businesses in the Midwest. Construction-related businesses.” He actually lifted his brows should Ned not have caught his meaning.

  “I’ve already got my people signed on, Irv.”

  “For the life of the project?”

  The deals he and Shae had worked out with their vendors and subs were tenuous at best and none of Farley’s business. He had no desire to face the wrath of a controlled but pissed off Shae again. They’d reached some kind of truce during the storm. He didn’t want to rock the boat now. “Most of our contracts and purchase orders are for specific aspects of the project. But I won’t pay double or triple the price for supplies or services.”

  The other man cocked his head, the Big Bad Wolf expression deepened. “Wouldn’t necessarily be the case with what I propose.”

  It was like he had to find his way through a minefield, all the while aware his chances of survival were zero or less. But Ned heard him out.

  “Here’s the deal,” Farley said, any hint of a smile gone. He stated his terms, which if Ned agreed, would reduce profits considerably. “Haven’t quite sealed the deal with my new businesses yet, but once they’re in place, I’ll get back with you to solidify our agreement.”

  ****

  Three days after the storm, Shae drove out to the site to oversee the resumption of work. After two full nights’ sleep in her own bed, she actually caught herself humming during the trip. In the past two days, she and Dave had studied and realigned their work schedule to recover lost time as quickly as possible. She was anxious to put their plan in place.

  Dave approached as she alighted from her vehicle. “I thought I’d beaten you here for once. It’s barely six-thirty,” she said.

  He sipped coffee. “Didn’t sleep much last night. Wife threw me out early this morning so she could go back to bed in peace.”

  “You worried about something? I thought we’d rearranged things enough that we’d be back on track again within a few days.”

  “I wasn’t able to contact Ned about the schedule changes.”

  “He didn’t return your call?”

  “Called right back, but he was out on the coast.”

  “Really?” First she’d heard of this. As anxious as he’d been to get back to work? Maybe there was someone out there he wanted to see, which might explain his changed attitude the day Dave picked them up. “Couldn’t you have emailed him the new schedule?”

  “Offered, but he told me to wait until he got back.”

  Interesting. “Did he say when that would be?” She didn’t really care, of course. In fact, after his foray into revised bids and then their awkward parting, things would run a lot smoother if he stayed away. As long as he agreed to the schedule changes they’d worked out.

  Dave shrugged. “Maybe today. Or tomorrow. Wasn’t sure when.”

  An involuntary sigh escaped her. She’d been so up this morning as she anticipated a fresh start on the project. Now, thanks to Ned’s disappea
rance, their hands were tied. She wanted to hit something, but her SUV didn’t need any more dents. The delay in dealing with Ned wasn’t so bad, but sooner or later they’d have to get past the discomfort they felt around each other.

  She hadn’t taken much time to survey the storm’s damage two days earlier when Dave brought her to pick up her vehicle. Today, as they walked onto the site, she took a closer look. Although tree branches and leaves littered the property, other than the one tree that had been struck by lightning, no others had gone down. The ground was still spongy, though miraculously, not of bog proportions after so much moisture.

  Ned’s tent lay abandoned on the ground, a testament to the storm’s fury. Like a shroud, the canvas covered the collapsed folding table and what must have been the two chairs. What would Ned do now—attempt to reconstruct his former office or bully his way into using their trailer?

  She didn’t have long to find out. The missing developer showed up a few minutes later with a huge black and tan RV that made the trailer look like a poor cousin. Should have known. Hollywood types like Ned needed their luxury—the trailer had probably proved too primitive.

  Her throat went dry, yet her hands started to perspire. He was back! Now they could get down to business. Damn, he was back. She’d have to face him again. She had about ten seconds to get her head together.

  He emerged from the passenger side of the RV and swaggered over to them sporting a broad smile. “What do you think?” he asked Dave. He gestured behind him. “Saw my tent was pretty much done for when I came out to get my car the other day, so I made other arrangements.”

  “I’ll say.” Dave moved closer to inspect the RV. “Pretty fancy vehicle for a construction site. You gonna drive it back and forth each day?”

  “Nah. Gas is too expensive. I’ll leave it out here as long as it isn’t in your way.”

  Dave shook his head. “Sure. You can hook up to our power supply, if you want.” He waited a beat and then added, “Glad you’re back. Shae and I need to go over that revised schedule with you.”

  “Right.” Ned drew out the word, finally dragged his attention to Shae.

  She struggled to breathe normally after they exchanged looks. What was going on? One minute he was a little boy who bragged about his new toy to the other admiring little boy. The next minute, his eyes bored into hers like a very big boy. Then, as fast as it had shown up, the look disappeared to be replaced with one of total disinterest. In her at least.

  She didn’t like this now-he’s-interested-now-he’s-not business one bit. Just because her feelings about him waffled didn’t mean he could do the same. It was disconcerting.

  “I printed the revised schedule after I returned to town last night and read it over this morning. Got a few questions before I agree.” He looked directly at her. “Can we go over them now?” This was the first time he’d talked to her since they climbed into the ATV three days ago.

  Dave said, “Crew’s starting to arrive. I need to speak with them. If all goes well, we should be able to finish the footings, pans, and rebar today. I’ll be around, if you need me, Shae.” He squashed his coffee container, threw it back into his truck, then promptly headed off to the temporary work sheds across the way, where members of the crew gathered.

  Ned motioned for Shae to follow him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Don’t you want a tour of my new digs? We can catch up on the revised schedule at the same time.”

  “Oh. Okay. “It was like their night in the trailer never happened.

  Once inside, Ned came to an abrupt halt at the door, just inches away from her, barred her way. “Look, uh, before we get down to business, I want to apologize for the other day.”

  She grabbed hold of the door latch behind her to keep her knees from buckling. Okay, so he was going to acknowledge that night after all. Now she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into it. She assumed her most nonchalant air. “For what?”

  He glanced from one side to the next, sighed, and then looked her in the eye. “You know. That kiss. Kisses. You woke up so scared, and out of reflex, I took you into my arms to comfort you. Kissed your hair. That led to more kissing. Had my throat not gone haywire—”

  He paused. Was she supposed to respond?

  But he continued before she could speak. “Even though it was spontaneous and well meant, I shouldn’t have crossed the line. Any kind of relationship between us other than professional while we’re working on this project would be inappropriate. It won’t happen again.”

  “Oh.” So that was how he wanted to play it. She may not have had much experience with men, but she knew instinctively those few minutes of foreplay had been more than reflex. He’d been turned on. She knew it. He knew she knew it. So why paint it like he was now? Why rub it in by hovering so close she could see the light growth of whiskers that speckled his chin?

  “I don’t want to jeopardize our business relationship.”

  She averted her gaze afraid her eyes would betray her. Although, at the moment, she wasn’t sure what he would have seen there. She was just as confused about what she wanted as she was prior to his arrival. Didn’t want to jeopardize their business relationship? If she’d been one of those hotties he must surely squire around Hollywood, without the least hesitation, he would have trampled their so-called business relationship the minute his libido kicked in. She just wasn’t hot enough.

  No way would she acknowledge she’d read more into things. She stuck out her hand to shake on it. Not the wisest of moves, but she had to do something rather than just stand there and look stupid, though the contact was brutal on her already-wobbly knees. “Apology accepted. But not necessary. My fear of storms unnerved me. I’m sorry about the throat thing, but I guess it kept us from tempting fate.”

  “I got the throat checked out. No setback, but I have to watch it closer. No more rainstorms or other foul weather.”

  “Good to hear, although I don’t know what you’ll do come winter.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll deal with the snow and cold when the time comes. Probably hide out in this vehicle.” His mood switched back to genial host. “So, c’mon, let me show you around.”

  As he pointed out the small kitchen/seating area, the question that had plagued her since his arrival wouldn’t go away. “Are you renting this thing? Surely you didn’t buy it given what you told me the other day?”

  “Ah, that.” He seemed to wave away her question. “Mike Woodley loaned it to me. Pretty nice, huh?”

  “Uh, nice, yes.” She was no expert on RVs, but this vehicle appeared to be a fairly high-ticket item. But then, even she, social ignoramus that she was, knew about the Woodley family wealth. They’d probably travel in nothing less.

  His apology rankled. Her fingernails cut into her thumb pads. She had to get away from him as soon as she could brief him and gain his signature on the revised schedule. He may have stuck with her as his general contractor, but it was clear she wasn’t good enough for him on a personal basis. She felt like such a fool.

  Ned appeared oblivious to her self-recriminations as he continued to point out the overgrown bus’ features. “Thought I’d set up my computer here on the banquette.” The small table was anchored in the middle of a U-shaped padded bench. “You can sit on the other side whenever you stop by to correct my construction faux pas.”

  He was totally unaware of her mood. Snap out of it, Shae. She made a show of measuring the distance across the table surface with her arms. “I don’t know, Ned. Pretty close quarters here, so close I can breathe down your neck. You may want to rethink your invitation.”

  “Ah, but once you sit down over there, observe the tight fit. There’s no way you’ll be able to spring up and lean across the table to browbeat me.”

  He viewed her as a pest?

  Ned moved farther into the RV. “Of course, other guests may avail themselves of these two club chairs. He shifted to the other side of the room. “Or use the couch here, which, unlike the less
comfy set-up in your trailer, unfolds to become a second bed.” He rubbed his neck. “Too bad this wasn’t here the other night.”

  “Too bad,” she repeated mechanically as she realized yet again how much he’d disliked their night together.

  Her tone made him pivot to face her. She wasn’t smiling or appearing to enjoy their banter. She looked like he’d struck her. But he kept on, not sure what was with the woman. Hoped she’d snap out of it. He edged toward the back of the vehicle. “Down here, you’ll note, like your trailer, we also have a small closet. Actually, two. I made sure to stock it with plenty of sheets, blankets, and clean clothes before I set off this morning.”

  “Um. Good.”

  What was with her? He’d already told her he’d borrowed the RV from Mike. No added cost, other than the gas to get it here. Hadn’t even bought the groceries. Instead, he’d borrowed those from the Woodley larder.

  This had been a great idea, if he did say so himself, even though he only said it to himself. After he’d convinced Mike he didn’t need his money but did need transportation to California and help selling his house, he’d come up with the idea to use the Woodley RV as his field office. Brilliant afterthought. Caught Mike at his most receptive state when the guy had practically begged him to accept help.

  “You’re okay with this set-up, aren’t you? Dave seemed fine with it.”

  She didn’t reply at first.

  “Shae? Tell me this was a good idea.”

  “It certainly beats that muddy, crumpled piece of canvas you called a tent.”

  Progress. Of sorts. “I, uh, thought you’d be relieved. This will keep me out of your hair, and yet I can be close enough to oversee things the way I want to.”