Premeditated Mortar

by Kate Carlisle

  “I want to show you that magazine,” she murmured, “but I think Ms. Baxter might require some hand holding.”

  “That’s okay. Why don’t I take the magazine with me and we can talk about it later?”

  “Good idea.” She dashed back upstairs to her suite and I wandered into the kitchen, naturally, and greeted Paige, Jane’s talented chef.

  “Hey, Shannon,” Paige said. “I just finished baking these red velvet cookies and I need a guinea pig for a taste test. Can you help me?”

  “If I must.” I picked up one of the cookies—they really were red and looked as soft as velvet—and took a small bite. “Oh my God. They’re heavenly. And they’re filled with something wonderful.” I took another bite and couldn’t speak for a long moment as I savored the delicious tastes.

  “It’s a cream cheese filling.” She frowned. “Your opinion?”

  “Fantastic.”

  “Oh, good. So they don’t suck.”

  I laughed. “Nothing you do sucks. This is just divine. I’ll stop talking before I turn into a gushing fool.”

  “I’ll give you another one if you gush a little more.”

  “You’re the devil. But wow, they’re really good.” I took the last tiny bite. “So good. I’ve got to get out of here before you force me to eat another one.”

  “Coward.” She grinned, but she was already putting another cookie inside a small white bag.

  “Yes, I am.” But I took the little bag and started to back out, just as Jane walked into the kitchen.

  “Here’s the magazine,” she said.

  “Thanks,” I said, slipping the magazine under my arm. “I’ll call you later to talk about it.”

  “Good,” she said. “Oh, Paige, the cookies look gorgeous.”

  “They taste gorgeous, too,” I whispered.

  Jane frowned. “You have crumbs on your shirt.”

  “No, I don’t.” I brushed away the one tiny measly crumb and gave her a quick hug. “I’ve got to go. Thanks, Paige. You’re a genius.” Then I lowered my voice and said to Jane, “Good luck with the battle-ax.”

  “Oh, she’s not so bad.” Somehow she knew I was talking about Ms. Baxter. “Just set in her ways.”

  I smiled at her as I moved toward the door. “I don’t know how you do it, but you’re really good at this.”

  She waved me off. “Talk to you soon.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Less than ten minutes later, I parked in my driveway and called Jane back.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I just realized I spent so much time talking about me that I forgot to ask how you and Niall are doing.”

  Her voice softened. “He’s wonderful.”

  I smiled. “I love that you sound so happy.”

  “It’s strange, isn’t it, Shannon? Who would’ve guessed that Emily’s brother would move to town and fall in love with me?”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “It’s just so weird.” She paused. “It’s in the air, I think.”

  “It must be.”

  “He asked me to marry him.”

  I blinked. “He what?”

  She laughed. “Yeah.”

  “Oh, Jane, I’m so happy for you. But why didn’t you say something earlier? You let me whine on about my problems and never said a word.”

  “I was on a mission to interrogate you and my plan worked.”

  I chuckled. “It worked a little too well. Okay, I’m giving you a virtual hug, which I will give you in person as soon as I see you again.”

  “Aren’t you going to say that we’re moving too fast?”

  “Why would I say that? He’s lived here for, what, eight months? Ten? It doesn’t matter. You’re old enough and wise enough to know what you want.”

  “Thanks for making me sound so old.”

  I laughed. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. And it’s true, I know what I want.” She gave a dreamy sigh. “And I want him.”

  “I got that,” I said. “From day one.”

  “Isn’t it funny that our whole gang seems to be pairing up and settling down? Even Chloe.”

  “It’s funny, but wonderful.” Mac and I were definitely a part of that happy group, but I just wasn’t sure how settled we were or for how long. I didn’t say it out loud, though, because Jane would worry. We ended the call shortly after that and I climbed out of the truck and went inside.

  In the kitchen, Robbie clamored for a hug and I couldn’t refuse. “Come here, little dude.” He jumped into my arms and I carried him with me into the living room where I sat down on the couch to call Police Chief Eric Jensen. I had forgotten to call him yesterday but figured it wasn’t too late to tell him about the Gables intruder. “Hi, Chief.”

  “Shannon. How are you?”

  “I’m great. I called to talk to you about the Gables.”

  “What about it?”

  “I was up there yesterday and saw someone sneaking around inside the perimeter fence. He looked suspicious to me, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to have someone drive up to check on the area.”

  “We usually patrol the Gables twice a day. But I’ll send a squad car up there this afternoon to check for signs of a break-in.”

  “That would be great. Thanks, Chief.”

  “Hey, I just heard from Chloe. She’ll be here next week.”

  “Wonderful,” I said, with genuine affection. I loved seeing the chief and my little sister so happy together. “I hope we can all get together while she’s visiting.”

  “I’m sure she’s hoping the same. You should expect a call any minute now to set things up.”

  “I’m sure,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll see you soon.”

  As soon as I finished the call with Eric, Mac phoned to give me an update. “It’s a done deal.”

  “With the Gables?”

  “Yup.”

  “Yay!” I jumped and raised my hands in victory. Robbie whipped around in a circle, clearly as thrilled as I was. “You gave Rachel a boatload of money?”

  He chuckled. “You bet I did.”

  That made me happy for a couple of reasons. For the community and the project, sure. But also, if Mac was making a substantial investment in a local business, that meant he was here to stay, right? Sure, it did.

  “Was she giddy with excitement?” I asked.

  “You bet she was,” Mac said dryly. “But seriously, aside from the giddiness she comes across as a savvy businesswoman. And boy, she knows everything about the project. I asked her all kinds of questions and couldn’t stump her. I’ve got to admit I was impressed.”

  “That’s great, Mac,” I said. “And you got the grand tour?”

  “Yeah, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the interior damage and neglect is horrific.”

  “I know what you mean.” As a contractor I’d seen some properties that would give civilians nightmares. But the Gables was even worse from my perspective.

  “I got to see a lot of Jane’s building. We also walked through the main building. And like I said, it’s horrific, for sure, but Shannon, the possibilities are amazing.” He paused as if picturing everything he’d seen. “The ceilings in the patients’ rooms are twenty feet tall, just like you said.” He paused. “I assume the patient rooms will become the hotel rooms.”

  “Yes.”

  “So I remembered how you said that the doctor believed that patients needed lots of air and light and space.”

  “Right. He didn’t want them to feel as if the walls were closing in on them.”

  “Claustrophobia,” Mac murmured. “I believe it.”

  I sighed. “It’s sad when you think of the people who suffered.”

  “It really hits you as you walk through th
e buildings.”

  “Oh, yeah. Loud and clear. But thanks to Dr. Jones and his architectural principles, the patients at the Gables might’ve been a little better off than others were back in the day.”

  “I’d like to think so. Anyway, once you’re done with the rehab and people have a chance to see how beautiful it is, it’s going to be amazing. Shannon, I know I keep talking about it, but those high ceilings are fantastic. They’re going to be a great feature in Jane’s hotel rooms.”

  I smiled at his enthusiasm. I would have to thank Rachel Powers for sealing the deal.

  “I was impressed with the whole place,” he said, then chuckled. “But you nailed it when you called it creepy, Irish.”

  “Disturbing, isn’t it?”

  “For sure,” he said. “Doesn’t matter. I can totally see how you and Jane will make it look fantastic.”

  “You know we will.”

  “Rachel says that the groundbreaking is next Monday,” Mac said.

  “Right. My crew and I will be ready to get started right after they wrap up the speeches.”

  “And Rachel said that the estimated grand opening is one year from now. Do you really think you’ll be finished with the job by then?”

  I grinned because here, I was on solid ground. “I absolutely do. I’ve gone over timelines and schedules countless times with Jane and Wade and Carla. We’re determined to have the place finished by then. But on the off chance that something disastrous happens to make us fall behind, Jane says that she’ll do an incremental opening.”

  “You mean, just open part of it?”

  “Right. We’ll definitely be finished with the lobby and front offices and all the public areas like the bar, the restaurant, and the spa. And we’ll have at least the first- and second-floor hotel rooms completed. That’s forty rooms.”

  “Whenever you finish, I know it’s going to be awesome.”

  “It will be finished on time,” I said with absolute certainty.

  “You’re going to be busy, babe.”

  “For sure. But I’ve got a solid crew and I’ll be hiring at least five more guys to cover the other jobs we’ve got going around town. And I’ve got specialists whenever we need them.”

  “What kind of specialists?”

  “I found this fantastic tile guy who’s a whiz with granite and quartz. He’s got a whole team that’ll help my guys finish off all the new bathrooms, along with the main kitchen and the spa.” The more I talked about this job, the more my excitement grew. “And Amanda is a genius with wood paneling details. And Niall, of course, will be working with the interior brick walls and he’ll also build a large terraced patio in back for the spa.”

  “I can personally verify that Niall and Amanda do great work. I have complete confidence that you’ll get the job done.”

  “Thanks.”

  He paused for a second, and then he nearly gushed, “Damn, Shannon. This is going to be the hottest place on the West Coast.”

  I grinned. “It sounds like you’ve got the bug.”

  “I’m completely bitten.”

  Chapter Four

  The day of the groundbreaking arrived at last. Mac drove his car and followed me in my truck up the hill. I was surprised to see that the chain-link fence was gone, the trees had been skillfully pruned, and most of the old hedges had been torn out. It was amazing what a difference that small bit of landscaping had made.

  There were clearly marked signs instructing visitors to park around the back of the complex. I spotted a large crowd of people already spread out across the front lawn awaiting the start of the groundbreaking ceremony. We drove around the back and parked close to the double doors that were the rear entrance to Jane’s Building Seven. Dozens of trucks and cars were already parked back there, a good sign that the tenants were eager to get started on the project.

  We trekked around Jane’s side of the complex and over to the south end of the Gables lawn, where the billboard stood as backdrop to an elaborately decorated and elevated stage. I spotted my two foremen, Wade Chambers and Carla Harrison, standing on the outer edge of the crowd facing the stage. I waved to Sean Brogan, my head carpenter, and took a mental head count of every crew member I had assigned to the project this first day. There was Todd, Billy, Johnny, Amanda, and my newest crew member, Lacey, who was a virtuoso with drywall. I picked out the five new additions I’d hired after working with them on other job sites. They were all seasoned and talented construction guys—and that included two more women. They were all my “guys.”

  I had also asked my structural engineer and my architect to meet me here, and I saw them drive up with their own crew.

  Niall, my genius stonemason, stood a few yards away, holding Jane’s hand. The assistant manager and chef from her Inn were here, too, ready for a tour of their new spaces. Everyone was present and accounted for, I thought. At least for today.

  I planned to bring on a lot more help once Jane, Wade, Carla, and I got inside the building and were able to conduct a more thorough survey of the work that had to be done. We were fairly clear on the work itself and knew that we could have it finished within the year we’d been given, but we still needed to set up a more precise timeline with schedules for our individual crew members. We would have to place an order for supplies: lumber, bricks, hardware, and paint, along with equipment to stock a working hotel kitchen.

  Each of Jane’s hotel rooms would have a brand-new private bathroom installed, which meant choosing all the deluxe hardware, accessories, and ventilation systems that went with it. The original patients had been forced to use several large group bathrooms, and those spaces would be turned into laundry and utility rooms. Over the next few days we would need to pin down all of the other obstacles we’d have to overcome in order to complete the job in plenty of time for the grand opening next year.

  Wade and Carla approached me.

  “Hey, boss,” Carla said. “Beautiful day, huh?”

  “It sure is.” The air was still cool but the sun was already shining. A good sign.

  Wade said, “Rather than wasting time listening to speeches, Carla and I thought we would take our crew over to Jane’s and get a head start.”

  “Yeah,” Carla said. “We can scope out the place, find some good spots to set up our utility tables and equipment, ladders, storage areas, and all that stuff.”

  “That’s a great idea,” I said. “I’ll join you in a little while, but I want to meet this developer and then talk to some of the other contractors, see if they’ve run into any problems or issues with the powers that be.”

  “Good to be aware of those things from the get-go,” Wade agreed.

  Niall and Jane joined us. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  I told her the plan.

  “I’ll go with the crew.” She pulled a key ring from her jacket pocket. “I’ve got the keys and I’m anxious to see the place again.”

  “Don’t you want to hear the speeches?” I asked.

  She gazed at me for a long moment. “Seriously?”

  Niall laughed. “See you later, Shannon. I’m with Jane.”

  They had a point. And Jane had probably heard the developer’s spiel more than once before. “Okay, I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  I watched with fondness as my intrepid friends and crew members walked away. I totally expected them to be working at close to full strength by the time I got there.

  “You’ve got a good group there,” Mac said.

  “I know.” They really were the best in the business.

  I turned and faced the stage area and that was when I noticed a statuesque blonde approach the stage and walk the three steps up to the platform. She crossed to the lectern that had been set up in front of the big cheery Gables billboard, tapped on the microphone, and said, “Can everybody hear me?”

  “Yes!” a bunch of p
eople shouted.

  “That’s Rachel Powers,” Mac murmured in my ear.

  “I figured it had to be.”

  “I’ll introduce you later.”

  “Okay.” I studied Rachel Powers as she gazed out at the crowd of fellow developers, investors, tenants, and workers. She was at least five or six years older than me, maybe in her early forties. She was lovely, successful, and high-powered in an attractive dark red suit that showed off her long legs and shapely figure. Her shoes, black sky-high patent leather heels, helped emphasize the look. And just as Mac had said, she came across as a savvy, take-charge businesswoman. And she was gorgeous, in case I hadn’t mentioned it before.

  But I had to wonder, how did she walk across the grass in those heels? I studied my own well-worn, steel-toed work boots, faded jeans, sage henley, and down vest. There was no way I could compete with the woman based on our wardrobes, but at least I wouldn’t be the one to stumble over a dirt clod.

  To be fair, I knew that I looked good and cleaned up well, but this woman was very impressive.

  Was it petty of me to pray that Rachel Powers was a bitch? I wanted her to have at least one flaw I could point to and feel good about.

  My guilt lasted about a nanosecond as I watched Rachel’s gaze focus in on Mac and saw her mouth curve in a coy smile. The little twist in my heart—or was it my stomach?—had me wondering what that was all about.

  Of course, I didn’t have to wonder too hard because Mac had that effect on all women. I sighed. But right then Mac looked down and smiled at me as though we were sharing a lovely secret all our own. And any worries I might have felt about Rachel quickly faded away.

  I tuned in to her welcoming speech, which she smartly kept brief. She started with a quick bit of Gables history and then zoomed into the future to emphasize all of the wonderful shops, restaurants, and high-end businesses that would occupy these buildings. She praised the fabulous artwork they planned to display, the beautiful park that would completely surround the complex, and finally, the exquisite new Hennessey House Hotel that would ultimately bring thousands of visitors to the magnificently redesigned Gables.

  I appreciated her glowing words for Jane’s hotel and wondered if maybe the woman would turn out to be a friend.