by Kate Kasch
“Does your mom not like Adrienne?”
“She loved Adrienne, that’s the problem. My mom always said Adrienne and I would find our way back to each other, or some crazy talk like that. ‘Adrienne just needed time; she had a traumatic loss . . .’ you get the picture. If I tell her Adrienne and I are back in touch, she’ll start planning the wedding.”
“Look, I remember you after Adrienne left – that was right around the time we met. You were a mess, so I understand the significance of you seeing her again.” Gabe looked down at his beer thinking back to that low point in his life. “How are you feeling about Adrienne?”
“I’m trying not to feel anything about her. I honestly don’t know if I could ever trust her again after what she did to me. But we were together for a long time, and now we have these moments where it all just feels so . . . right. She has a boyfriend anyway. It probably doesn’t matter what I think about her.”
Nick nodded his head. “Adrienne’s back in town and rocking your world, I get that. But there is something else going on, too. And we’re not leaving this bar until you tell me. So, you should just go ahead and let it out, man. Or it’s going to be a loooong night,” Nick smiled.
“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone this – especially not Gretchen.” Gabe looked to Nick for confirmation of secrecy, and Nick nodded his head. “A few months ago, I partnered with Mayor Jessup on a joint venture to buy and sell real estate – investment properties. He came to me recently with a long list of properties he thought we should look into and consider. On that list was 22 Oak Street,” Gabe looked at Nick whose eyes widened in surprise. “There were so many other properties on the list, I really didn’t think I had to worry about Oak Street, until I saw the notice in the Gazette about it going to auction at the end of the year. I knew Adrienne and Gretchen hadn’t been to it in years, so I figured maybe they would want to sell it. But obviously, things have changed. And I’m running out of time.”
“Wow. That’s heavy. Can I ask, and don’t get mad at me here, but why on earth would you partner with a guy like Mayor Jessup? That was your first mistake, in my opinion.”
“Thanks man, that’s really helpful,” Gabe rolled his eyes at Nick. “It’s a good, no, a great, business opportunity. And I figured I could keep the guy honest. But now, with Adrienne and Gretchen back, and everything they’re trying to do to save the house. I can’t be part of buying it out from under them.”
“You know you have to tell Adrienne this, right?”
“I know. I need to decide what I’m going to do first so that I have something to tell her. Right now, if the Mayor knew how much I have helped them try and fix the place up, the whole partnership would blow up.”
“Now I see why you’re so stressed out. You’re playing both sides here, Gabe. You’re helping the girls try and save the house and planning to buy it from them at the same time. That has got be weighing on your conscience. You need to make a decision. Like, yesterday.”
Gabe rolled his eyes again. “Thanks buddy. That makes me feel so much better.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
While Gretchen went back in the house to call Nick, Adrienne went into the garage to further inspect the damage. The tree that fell on the roof of the garage had caused an entire section of the garage to cave in. Glass, plaster, leaves, branches and splintered wood were everywhere – it was a total disaster. The wind was howling through the gaping hole in the structure whipping Adrienne’s hair around. That little bubble of hope that had floated to the surface had now begun its descent back into despair.
Aware that there was absolutely nothing she could do at this point; Adrienne went back inside.
“Nick is going to come over. He says not to go in the garage since it could be very unstable in there, and more could crash in.”
Not saying a word, Adrienne walked over to the couch where she was sitting, picked up her hot cocoa and took a long sip.
“This is a sign,” Adrienne said.
“No, this is an old tree on a windy night. You don’t believe in signs.”
“I didn’t believe in signs, but now I’m thinking I should. Just as we’re starting to make progress, we get knocked back down again. Story of my life.”
“I’m going to stop your little pity party right there,” Gretchen said firmly. “This is just us being tested – to see how much we can overcome to make this happen. It’s just another little bump in the road.”
“This is more like a boulder in the road, Gretchen. I mean, how are we going to even pay for this? This isn’t someone helping to mow the lawn or clean the gutters – this is major structural damage.”
“I might be able to come up with some money,” Gretchen said.
“Okay . . . and where might this mysterious money be coming from?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow. Oh no! I’m supposed to go into the office tomorrow. What am I going to do?”
Gretchen shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to tell Adrienne what she thought she should do. She knew this was something Adrienne had to decide on her own.
Sooner than expected there was a knock at the door. Gretchen rushed to answer it, and both girls felt a sense of relief when Nick and Gabe walked in.
“Are you two okay?” Nick asked.
“We’re fine. Just shocked,” Gretchen said.
“Thank you so much for coming – you didn’t have to both come,” Adrienne looked at Gabe. “And how did you two get here so fast?”
“We were down at the Chestnut Tavern in town when Nick got the call, so we were only a few minutes away,” Gabe answered.
“Let us go take a look. You two stay here,” Nick said to the girls.
Although Adrienne would never admit it, it was a comfort having the two guys here to help. She didn’t have the energy to deal with another problem - thinking about how to fix it just made her feel tired. And now what should she do about work?
Adrienne’s cell phone rang, and with her mind racing she answered quickly without looking at the screen.
“Adrienne? Is this really you? I wasn’t sure you were still alive.”
Jason.
“Jason! How are you?” Adrienne walked into the family room and away from Gretchen’s curious ears.
“I’m fine. Where have you been? No one has seen you since that Friday morning meeting, and then you don’t show up to work today? People are starting to talk . . ..”
“What do you mean people are starting to talk? What are they saying?”
“Oh you know, the typical gossip – nervous breakdown has been mentioned . . ..”
“Nervous breakdown? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m out one day and now I’ve had a nervous breakdown?”
“Once you come in tomorrow, everyone will see that you’re fine and the rumors will go away. You are coming in tomorrow, right?”
“Ummmmm, well . . ..”
“Adrienne, I know you are having some issue with your sister, but you’ve been working toward this promotion for years. If you don’t come in tomorrow, you’re risking everything – all that work will have been for nothing.”
“I know. It’s just that, this house – my house, we have a lot going on here, and I don’t feel like I can just leave it all on Gretchen’s shoulders.”
“Who’s Gretchen?”
“Gretchen is my sister,” Adrienne said through gritted teeth, exasperated.
“Right. Okay, here’s what you’re going to do: Sell the house, split the money with your sister – and come in and get that promotion. It all sounds pretty simple to me.”
“I wish it were that simple.”
Gabe, Nick and Gretchen walked into the family room talking about the garage.
“Look, I have to go – we’ve got an emergency here. I’m going to have to talk to you later,” Adrienne rushed off the phone.
“Okay, just remember to think about what’s important to you. And what will be important to you in t
wo weeks when this house stuff is all over with. I hope to see you tomorrow at the office.”
Adrienne hung up the phone and listened in on the conversation happening next to her.
“What do we do next?” Gretchen was asking Nick and Gabe.
Nick turned to Adrienne, “Do you have homeowner’s insurance?”
“Yes! I kept paying that bill – I kept hearing my Dad’s voice in my head telling me how important it is to have insurance – so that was one of the bills I paid every month!”
“Yay!” Gretchen cheered and grabbed Adrienne in a bear hug. “I told you this would all work out!”
“That’s great news! However, it would still be a miracle to finish fixing the roof on time – with or without insurance paying for it,” the ever-practical Gabe said.
“Gabe’s right,” Nick agreed. “From a construction standpoint, this is a major job. We also need to call the tree people back over to chop down and clear out the tree.”
“That I think shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll call Pete Wallace in the morning and I’m sure he’ll be willing to come back over and help out. Hopefully he has some workers who can spare the time,” Gabe said.
“I’ll call the insurance company as soon as they open in the morning,” Adrienne offered.
“And I’ll get some of my guys over here tomorrow – but we won’t be able to do anything until the tree is cleared out.”
“Adrienne, since you will be dealing with the insurance company, I guess that means you can’t go in to work tomorrow, right?” Gretchen asked, hopeful.
Nick and Gabe looked over at Adrienne in surprise.
“You were going to go into work tomorrow?” Gabe said in an accusatory tone.
“I was thinking about it. I hadn’t yet decided. I do need to work you know.” Adrienne felt the need to defend herself.
“Don’t you have some time off you could use?” Nick asked.
“I have a ton of time off I could use. That’s not the problem. The problem is that taking the time off is frowned upon in my office. No one takes time off.”
“Sounds like a great place to work,” Gabe said sarcastically.
Adrienne shot him a dirty look.
Taking a deep breath, Gretchen did her best to dissipate the growing tension in the room. “Nick and Gabe, thank you so much for everything. You two have been so amazing. It’s been a long day for everyone, so why don’t we call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be another rough day. We should all try and get some sleep.”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, and the girls followed Nick and Gabe to the front door to say good night. Once they were gone, Adrienne and Gretchen shut down all the lights and trudged wearily upstairs to their bedrooms. Gretchen was asleep within minutes, unlike Adrienne who tossed and turned all night with the morning’s decision looming. She thought about how hard she had worked to get to this point at her job – how can she miss another day? But then she thought about all the people in Chestnut Ridge who donated their time to help her family. If the volunteers were here, she should be here. It seemed as if whatever she decided, she would be disappointing someone.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The large number ‘2’ written on the chalkboard in the morning caused the Harkins sisters’ blood pressure to rise. It had become their morning ritual to sit at the kitchen island, drink coffee and look at their Christmas List.
Harkins Christmas List:
Mow lawn
Trim bushes
Paint house
Clean gutters
Fix roof
Paint front door
Fix front porch/pillars
Paint and Re-hang shutters
Rake leaves
Dust
Wash floors
Clean refrigerator
Buy Christmas tree
Decorate interior
Exterior Christmas lights, wreaths
Clean bathrooms
Fix garage roof where tree fell
“I was thinking about it, and I think you should go into the office today,” Gretchen said out of the blue.
“Really? I wish I were so certain about it – one way or another. I have been weighing the options in my mind for days. What made you change your mind?”
“I was feeling bad for telling you not to go in – it’s your job. You have worked so hard to get where you are – and the only reason this house is still in our family at all is due to your job and your dedication. So who am I to judge? I have nothing. I have no money, no career – I work at a bar for goodness sake.”
“I know I tease you about McMurphy’s, but the truth is – I envy you.”
“You envy me?! You have got to be joking.”
“No, not joking. I envy you for trying to do something you love, regardless of how hard that makes everything else. You are making big sacrifices in order to live a life where you’re passionate about your work. You are beholden to no one, and you make all the decisions in your life with no one else to answer to. That is rare. Trust me.”
“Thanks, Adrienne. That really means a lot to me. But I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think I’m going to . . ..”
Adrienne’s phone rang – “Oh, it’s the insurance company!” Adrienne jumped up.
“This is early for them, isn’t it?” Gretchen said.
“I left a message last night telling them it was an emergency,” Adrienne said as she answered the phone. “Hello? Yes, this is Adrienne Harkins. Yes, okay great. We’ll see you soon. Thank you,” Adrienne hung up the phone.
“They’re coming at 9 a.m. Did you mean it when you said I should go into the office today? Do you think you can handle the insurance company, and the Wallace tree guy, and the crew from Nick’s construction company – oh, and Kurt Jeffries is coming back to continue working on painting the house, the shutters and the front door . . ..”
Gretchen held up her hand to signal Adrienne to stop talking.
“Adrienne, go get ready for work. I got this.”
Adrienne gave her sister a quick hug and rushed upstairs to get in the shower. Once she was ready, Adrienne took one last look at the number ‘2’ on the chalkboard and almost changed her mind. However, with Elaina’s frown of disapproval looming over her, she forged on.
The commute into the city wasn’t as bad as Adrienne feared. Most likely because Christmas was three days away and many people weren’t going into the office today. At least that was one thing that went her way. After spending the last three days in Chestnut Ridge, Adrienne was surprised to discover the fast pace of the city caught her off guard. She had already gotten accustomed to the slower pace of life in the suburbs. Although thrilling and full of energy, the city didn’t appeal to Adrienne the same way it had only a few days ago.
Entering the Morgan Lynch building, Adrienne sang along with the Christmas music that was playing in the lobby. When Nico at the security desk told her to “Have a blessed day,” instead of sneering at him, she smiled and responded with “Thank you, and Merry Christmas!” Surprise registered on his face as he smiled after her.
Dropping her bag on her desk, Adrienne immediately searched out Elaina. She found her in her office with her face buried in a folder.
“Knock, knock,” Adrienne announced her arrival.
“Well, what a surprise - you actually decided to show up for work today. Should we be patting you on the back? Giving you an award?”
“I only missed one day, Elaina.”
“A day and a half. And yes, everyone’s keeping score.”
“Right. So, what did I miss in the day and a half?”
“First, you could do your best to re-create that presentation you destroyed on the laptop last Friday.”
“I have the original. I got the laptop fixed. It’s good as new.”
“You fixed that?” Elaina was visibly surprised but wasn’t about to offer a positive response. “Okay. Then I need you to do some market research on cell phone location technology. Our new pitch to the Board will be
about creating an app for Morgan Lynch that will text our customers when they are close to one of our branches and encourage them to come inside.”
“Isn’t that creepy? Might it let people think we’re watching their every move? Like a ‘big brother’ type issue? And our firm is not a typical bank. I like the idea of finding new ways to analyze data, and use technology, but I’m not sure about this one.”
“Harkins, when I want your opinion, I will ask you for it? Are we clear?”
Adrienne nodded, holding her lips together tightly.
“I asked you to go do the research. So why don’t you go do that, okay? Thank you.”
Adrienne walked back to her cubicle and prepared for a long day sitting behind a desk staring at a computer. As she worked gathering research on new cell phone location technology, her mind wandered back to Oak Street, and if she was being honest with herself, to Gabe.
The buzzing from Adrienne’s cell phone knocked her out of her daydream. It was Gretchen.
“Gretch, hi! How are things at the house? Did everything go okay with the insurance guy?”
“Hi! Everything is okay here. I just met with the insurance guy and the good news is they will cover most of the cost to fix the garage.”
“That’s great, right!?”
“Well, it is. However, we will still owe a thousand dollars after the insurance pays. It doesn’t cover 100 percent of the cost.”
“A thousand dollars?”
“Yup. But don’t worry – I think I can come up with the money.”
“What, is there some other contest we can enter?” Adrienne teased.
“Ha. No. I think I can sell some stuff . . . but don’t worry about it. I got it. You just focus on getting that promotion.”
Of course, once she was told not to worry, all Adrienne could do was worry. What could Gretchen be talking about – what could she possibly sell? Something she found in the house?
Adrienne did her best to focus on what she was reading and knocked out a few more hours of work before she was interrupted again.