“There’s an overlook along Highway 59 near Cherokee. I caught it just as the sun was coming up.”
“I knew I recognized it,” Shae replied. “We used to take that road on our way to see family in Ida Grove. I’ve always loved the view, but you brought it to life.”
“Thank you. You have a good eye. Guess that comes with the territory for builders.”
Ned asked, “Are all your landscapes of Iowa?”
“I’ve done a few other places as well. Seascapes. Mainly on vacations. Only my Iowa pieces are here tonight.”
“Somewhat limited, wouldn’t you say?” Mike observed as he suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Darren rolled her shoulders. “For an all-Iowa crowd? I don’t think so.”
Mike edged slightly in front of Ned. “Your landscapes are striking, but folks here travel more than you think. They want to decorate their walls with more than fields and other rural scenes.”
“And you?” she said, Shae and Ned seemingly forgotten. “What are you looking for?”
Mike actually raised a lewd brow. “Depends.” Pause. “I’ve already picked out a scene from Greenwood Park to take with me to my condo in Malibu. But when I stay here in Des Moines, I’d like something to remind me of the Pacific.”
“I see.” She leaned toward the small table behind her and retrieved a business card. “Here. Stop by my studio, and I’ll be happy to show you my ocean and beach series.”
Her responsiveness seemed to throw Mike, because he almost dropped the card. “Uh, sure. Didn’t realize it would be so easy.”
“I aim to please.” Throughout this exchange, she kept her smile intact while Shae and Ned looked on bewildered.
Mike accepted the card and backed away quickly, nearly knocking into one of the catering people.
Once they’d said good-bye to Darren, Shae and Ned exchanged looks as they walked away. “What was that about?” Shae asked under her breath.
“Beats me. He wasn’t excited to attend this deal tonight, but he acted like he had an ax to grind with our artist friend. It’s not like him to take it out on innocent parties. I’m more his preferred target.”
“Guess he’s left that honor to me.”
“You still mad about the other day?”
“Not tonight. Even though the color’s right, I don’t want to bloody my dress.”
****
Ned smiled at Shae’s sense of humor after she excused herself to powder her nose. He stood on the sidelines, where for the next few minutes, he observed the other guests and returned an occasional wave to those who sought to catch his eye.
“Mr. Bonneville. Good to see you again.”
What was Zoe Johansen doing here?
“Quite a nice turnout tonight. Your mother must be very pleased.”
“You know my mother?”
“No, just about her. My boss, one of her regular clients, couldn’t attend and asked me to stand in for him.”
“I hope he gave you carte blanche to purchase whatever appealed to you.” Just a pleasantry, but he wanted to keep things light around this woman.
She took him seriously. “Not so much, although I am taking notes.”
“Ah, I see.” He didn’t know what else to say, although she remained planted in front of him, as if she expected him to keep up the conversation.
As the silence became awkward, she finally said, “I’m glad you were able to solve your financial issues for now. That quarter-million-dollar installment from your new backer was just the shot of adrenalin you needed for your equity stake.”
“Financial issues?” Ned heard from behind him. “What’s this about a new backer and a quarter of a million dollars?”
Zoe Johansen’s complexion turned a horrible mottled color. “My apologies. I thought we were out of earshot of everyone. I, uh, should be going.” She almost ran from the gallery.
Of all the rotten timing. There was no way he could deny his money problems with Mike now that Johansen had blabbed about his backer.
Before Ned could think of a reasonable response, Mike added, “She was the one who came to see you a while back. You acted like you were attempting to set me up with her. Should’ve known it was to get me out of the room.”
Ned continued to stare at him as he struggled for an excuse like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Mike watched the banker leave, a less than friendly expression on his face. “You might want to consider a change in bankers at the same time you change friends. She doesn’t appear to be one to keep things to herself. You needed a quarter of a million?”
Ned skipped over the reference to his financial needs, much more concerned about Mike’s other statement. “Change friends? What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You didn’t—wouldn’t—come to me for money, despite the number of times I asked if you needed help. ‘I’m fine, Mike. No need to worry.’ A quarter of a million. My God, man!”
“I-I can explain.”
“Really? Give it a try. Where did you get the money? Who’s your backer?”
How to answer? Mike knew about Farley, but after Ned’s disastrous benefit appearance for the guy, Mike had assumed the deal was over and hadn’t been afraid to share his delight.
“Farley!” He guessed before Ned could reply. “You went back to that scum and made a deal of some sort.”
“He’s a legitimate businessman.”
“My eye! What pound of flesh did he demand?”
No way would he divulge the details of his business with Farley for Mike. Although he himself wasn’t happy about what he’d agreed to, Mike would go ballistic if he learned what Farley had demanded.
“Not going to share? Doesn’t surprise me. You’ve been pretty close-mouthed these last weeks.”
“C’mon, Mike. Let’s not go into this here.”
“If we go back to my place, you’ll come clean?”
Ah, hell! Why couldn’t Mike leave it alone?
“My place won’t work either, huh? Well, friend, you don’t leave me much choice.”
“Huh?”
“I stuck around town because I thought you could use my advice, since you have absolutely no construction experience. But since you apparently don’t want my money or my support, I might as well go back to the coast. I’ll leave tomorrow. Don’t worry, my house is yours as long as you need it. But I can’t stick around and watch this insanity.”
“C’mon, Mike…that’s not what… Oh, hell, go then.”
Mike turned on his heel and stalked out.
He’ll be back. He’s just hurt. Trying to make a statement. Surely their friendship wasn’t over.
Chapter Twenty
Mike slammed past Shae and Janice as he exited the gallery. “Leaving so soon?” Shae called.
Mike pulled up long enough to say to Janice, “Thanks for the invite, Mrs. C. Send the bill for my purchase tonight to my California address. I’m headed west tomorrow.”
To Shae, he spit out, “He’s all yours. See if you can save his bacon.”
“All mine?” Shae repeated.
“You and Ned may enjoy playing at being builders, but one of these days the reality will catch up with you. When it does, you’d better be ready to help him survive.”
Janice placed a hand on Mike’s sleeve jacket. “What’s going on between you and Ned? I’ve never heard you talk that way or intentionally be rude to one of our friends.”
“Friend? I can’t account for your tastes, Mrs. Collier. But this woman is no general contractor. Ned’s so smitten with her, he can’t see it.”
He threw up his hands and backed off, as if he wanted nothing more to do with them, and shot out the door.
Ned appeared just as Mike left. “What was that about?”
Shae stood there stunned.
Janice took over for her. “Mike’s upset with something to do with your building project.” She gazed at Shae. “And with Shae.”
Through the gallery windows, Ned glimpsed
Mike blast off in his car. He’d try to meet up with his friend later, after the showing was over. “He’s, uh, not happy with the way I’m running things.” Damn Mike to have involved his mother and Shae.
“He seems to have little confidence in either you or me,” Shae said, as her voice returned. “He said we were ‘playing at’ being builders.”
Mike thought they were amateurs. He certainly was. He’d only done this to save money. But the guy was out of line to paint Shae with the same brush.
“Go after him,” Shae said. “I can find a ride home with someone else.”
“I’ll take you, dear,” his mother volunteered. “As for you, Ned, go make things right with Mike before he leaves town.”
“I doubt I can change anything, but I’ll give it a try.” To Shae, “Thanks for understanding.”
Ned returned to the Woodley mansion to find Mike in his suite, packing. “Why’d you leave the showing? Your mom’s gonna be disappointed,” Mike said, not looking at him.
“She’s the one who told me to come after you. I wanted to let you stew.”
Mike pulled his best summer sports jacket from his closet and rammed it in his bag. “I’m not stewing. Just getting out of your hair.”
Ned moved a couple pair of shoes on the corner of the bed and settled there. “I know you’ve got my back.”
“Really? So why won’t you let me defend it?”
Why couldn’t Mike drop this? Ned couldn’t admit how deep over his head he was. Not now. Things had gone too far. “Is your life so boring you need mine to keep you busy?”
Mike started, dropped a knit pullover. “That’s a damned cruel thing to say.”
“You called me an amateur builder. That cut, man.”
“Friends tell each other the truth. I can’t sit around and watch you self-destroy.”
Maybe Mike should leave for a while. The longer the guy stuck around, the more their friendship would disintegrate. “When you coming back?”
“Don’t know. I need a change of scene.”
“Your dad behind this trip?” Mike had talked with his dad earlier in the evening after Shae had goaded him into it.
“He may have planted the idea, but it was hearing about Farley’s involvement that decided me.”
“I’ll take you to the airport.”
“I’ll catch a cab.”
He wouldn’t push. Mike sometimes needed a wide berth when he was riled.
“Like I said, stay here as long as you want. The housekeeper remains whether anyone’s around or not. You’ll give her something to do. Keep the RV as long as you need it, too.”
Ned rose and made his way to the door.
Mike called, “You want me to check on the sale of your house and belongings?”
“Still willing?”
“Hell, it’s probably the one thing you’ll let me do.”
“Yeah. Right. Take care, bud.” Ned closed the door and fled. He and Mike might bicker from time to time, but this disagreement was more serious. His head, his whole body ached, like they’d actually mixed it up with their fists. Mike was right to worry. But this wasn’t his friend’s problem. He couldn’t involve Mike any more than he already had. He would not come between Mike and his family again.
****
“Thank you so much for tonight, Janice,” Darren said. She shook the gallery owner’s hand as she prepared to leave. “I could never have generated this much attention on my own.”
“Of course, you could,” Janice returned as she hugged her. “Talent will out, one way or another. I just pushed things along. I’ll send a list of the purchased acquisitions to you tomorrow, but I already know of ten pieces you sold. That’s incredible for a new name.”
As soon as Darren departed, Janice said, “Just a few more minutes, Shae, while they pack up the food. Hope you don’t mind if we stop long enough to drop off the extra hors d’oeuvres at the mission? I know it sounds frivolous, but even the homeless like an occasional treat.”
“Will someone be there to receive them this time of night? Meal hours must be long over.”
Janice nodded. “I notified my contact there earlier today to give him a heads-up. I’ll let him know when we’re on our way.”
Once they were in Janice’s car, Shae said, “I never thought I’d say it, but the showing was actually fun. You put on quite a party, Janice. You appear to have impeccable taste in artisans.”
“Thanks. I credit a couple of those sales to you. Your small talk and observations about the lay of the land were just what a few of our more hesitant buyers needed to hear.”
They drove in silence the next few minutes. The mission was located on the edge of downtown. Though this part of town that wasn’t exactly a crime magnet, at this hour of the evening with most surrounding businesses closed, traffic was minimal. Shae watched the sidewalks, storefronts, and driveways for questionable onlookers.
Janice noted Shae’s not so subtle scrutiny of the area. “Not to worry. I’ve done this numerous times after showings and other festivities. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll ask my friend to come out to the car.” At that, she made her call.
As Janice predicted, all went well with the drop-off. Her friend, a hefty older male of about fifty, sprinted out to the parked car, pulled the two boxes of goodies from the back seat, thanked Janice for her continuing generosity, and returned to the mission within ninety seconds.
Once they were on the freeway again, Shae said, “You’re a very generous, caring woman, Janice. I’m sorry I doubted our safety.”
Janice waved away the apology. “Perfectly natural. Most people are a little leery to go there after dark. My son, in particular. Must be his L.A. perspective. He worries about the mission, the gallery’s location, even our family home.”
For some reason, Shae felt compelled to defend Ned’s concerns. “The crime rate in Iowa may be lower than L.A., but we do have our share of problems. Especially in these difficult economic times.”
“True. Even I had a brush with the criminal element. A little over a year ago, I was out one night and returned home to find signs of an attempted break-in. That’s what fired up Ned’s determination to follow through with his grandfather’s development plan.”
“Attempted?”
“Ned was in California. I didn’t tell him, but one of my well-meaning friends mentioned it the next time he was home. I think she wanted to guilt him into returning more often. So here I am, soon to move back to the land where I grew up, now called Sullivan’s Creek. Not that I don’t want to, but by the time Ned learned of the incident, I’d already installed a new security system. I could have remained safe for the rest of my days in my current home.”
“You’d rather not have a new house?”
“Oh, no. This isn’t a complaint. This building project has brought Ned home again. At least, for a while.”
“If you’ve got a new security system in place, why did he push you to move?”
Janice gave a sigh. “I think the security issue is a cover for something else.” She continued to focus on the road ahead, exited the freeway, and moved onto one of the town’s main thoroughfares that would eventually take her to the Harriman home. “You’ve heard of survivor’s guilt, haven’t you? It’s usually ascribed to those who make it out of an airplane crash, but there are other types of catastrophes people survive as well. In Ned’s case, his father died and within the same year his career took off. But in order to make that happen, he had to walk away from me.”
“Interesting theory. Have you ever confronted him about it?”
“Considered it, but there’s something else as well. He hasn’t been himself for months. Since his throat problems developed. Mike noticed it, too, although neither of us can identify what it is.”
“He’s a very driven person,” Shae observed as she recalled Ned’s fixation on cutting costs. But this didn’t seem like the time to share the information with his mother.
“That’s what concerns me. None of this
is necessary. He doesn’t have to prove anything to me.” Her voice appeared to crack on the last part.
Time to change the topic.
Before she could, though, Janice introduced her own subject. “How far off base was Mike when he said Ned is smitten with you?”
“Smitten? I don’t think so, not the way we’ve argued over so many details about the project.”
“You didn’t appear to argue tonight.”
“Called a truce for your sake.”
Janice chuckled. “Very thoughtful. I hope it wasn’t too much of a strain.”
Was she joking or probing? Whichever, Shae didn’t want to discuss this topic, either. Whatever had happened between her and Ned seemed to have fizzled out, as it probably should, given their work relationship. “We both enjoyed the evening. As for our truce, only time will tell.”
****
Ned arrived at the GC’s mobile office the day after the showing to find only Dave there. A very frustrated Dave.
“All right. If that’s the best you can do, let’s leave it like that for now,” Dave told someone on the phone. “But this won’t go over well with my boss.”
Ned slipped into the visitor chair and waited for Dave to acknowledge him.
Dave clicked off his cell and slammed a hand on top of the desk. “Damn!”
Really odd behavior for Dave, usually the calmest member of the crew. “Safe to ask what’s up?”
“That was the sub who’s supposed to pour the foundations tomorrow. We have to wait until next week now, because they’re still tied up with a government project downtown.”
“Can they do that? I thought we had a contract with all the subs.”
“Handshake on scheduling. We’ve used Reuben Triggs and his crew for years. This has only happened once before that I recall. When Tim pissed him off about something.”
Great. “Can we get someone else?”
Dave rubbed his jaw, considered. “Maybe. I could get on the horn and call one or two others who can handle this size job. But I don’t know their work as well. I’ll check with Shae. Have you seen her this morning?”
“Uh, no. I thought she might be visiting other sites, if she wasn’t in here with you.”
Tough Enough to Tango Page 21
