According to Design

by Nicole Dennis

  When his music stopped then restarted, Wyatt muttered a curse at the delay. Though he paused and thought about it.

  It could be that cutie. Where has he been all this time?

  He could use the distraction of a gorgeous fellow walking into the studio and make him consider having a life beyond work and death. Why would he think those things about a virtual stranger? He had no freaking clue. It was crazy to even think of going there. They’d barely met, let alone knew one another. At the same time, something Keegan had said about having two jobs hit him. There was a lot of strange stuff happening in Breeze. Perhaps Keegan had got caught in the tangle.

  Excited at the thought of seeing Keegan, he turned off the cutter then raised the shield. Marissa stood in the doorway. Someone new was next to her. Wyatt’s excitement died down because it wasn’t the sweet Keegan.

  This was someone different.

  The handsome man was dressed in pale linen pants with a brilliant colored shirt along with a cross-body messenger bag in fine leather. He recognized the face, having seen it somewhere in town, or was it closer to the Charm? He wasn’t sure.

  This wouldn’t be a short visit or tour. Resigned to that fact, he tugged off the helmet and thick gloves.

  “Hang on a sec.” He hit the volume button on the remote control to turn down the music. “Okay, come on inside.”

  Marissa deliberately wiggled a finger against her ear.

  “What?” Wyatt asked in an innocent tone.

  “Not everyone likes having their ears bleed to music,” Marissa said.

  Wyatt waved a hand to dismiss her and looked at the stranger. “Hi there.”

  “Samuel Ashford, this is Wyatt McBride,” Marissa introduced. “Samuel is the new co-owner of the Southern Charm. He wanted to speak with you.”

  “Oh, thought I recognized the face from somewhere. I heard about you through the Breeze grapevine,” Wyatt said.

  “How do you stand that?” Samuel rubbed one of his ears.

  “See! I told you,” Marissa said, all triumphant.

  “Oh, get lost, you brat,” Wyatt said, flicking his hands to shoo her away.

  Marissa patted Samuel’s shoulder. “Have fun with the grump.”

  “I’m used to handling grumpiness. It’s all thanks to Dakota’s moods,” Samuel said.

  Marissa laughed as she left them alone.

  Wyatt shook his head at Marissa’s teasing. He yanked off the ball cap and shoved fingers through his hair. “As for your question about the music, Samuel, that’s easy. I’m used to it. Especially when all of the machines are running and the furnace is roaring so I can heat iron or metals. Well, the combination of the noise is deafening. The music sounds like it’s actually at a normal level to me. Lemme get cleaned up a bit.” Wyatt stripped off the protective apron. After a quick glance around, he located one of many handkerchiefs lying around and wiped the sweat and dirt clinging to his face, neck and arms. He drank from the water bottle then splashed a bit on his hands. He used a different handkerchief to clean his hands to a reasonable color. “Welcome to Fire Glass Studio and Gallery.”

  “A pleasure to meet you. I heard a lot about your work from Dakota and Sully.”

  “It’s always a pleasure working with both of them. How about you? Is this your first time staying down South?”

  “Yes, this is the first time I’ve spent any length of time down here,” Samuel said with a grin. “Something Dakota and the others don’t let me forget. I’m from Manhattan.”

  “I’ve been there for a couple of gallery openings and adding my work to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for one of their exhibits.”

  “I wonder if I saw your work there. That’s one of my favorite museums. Anyway, my family remains there, living and working in the corporate office for our hotels.”

  “They sent you here to check out the Charm?”

  “That they did. Instead of following them, I stayed to make this place my home. The Charm belongs here at the heart of the community.”

  “And its position within Dakota’s heart.”

  Samuel smiled and it was filled with admiration and attraction. “Yes, his belief in, and love for, the place had a major part of it. I learned it’s also the heart of Shore Breeze. How could I ruin her?”

  “You made the right choice.”

  Samuel nodded in thanks.

  “You didn’t come here to gossip, so come on over here and we can talk. I have a tiny office in the back, but it’s cramped and a disaster area. I prefer to stay out here in the studio.” With a nod over his shoulder, Wyatt led Samuel to the large worktable. He grabbed a different shop cloth to swipe off two stools. He tossed the cloth aside and dropped on one. “Please excuse the mess.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m used to a mess with all the construction.”

  “Did Marissa offer you coffee or something?

  “She did and I’m good. Still working on a bottle of water,” Samuel said, holding it up. “Hot as heck out there.”

  “The temperature and humidity can climb up there, but anything is better than shoveling several feet of snow. Since I left Pennsylvania, I’m not a cold weather fella anymore.”

  “I don’t mind it too much. This will be my first winter in the sun. I’m looking forward to seeing the difference it makes.” Samuel tugged on his pants and hiked up a leg to sit on the stool. He swung the strap of his bag over his head then lowered the bag to an empty spot on the table. He pointed to the metal framework almost overpowering the vast workroom. “That’s quite impressive. What do you have going on over there?”

  Wyatt twisted to study his work. “It’s a commission for the local high school. They wanted to replace the old sculpture for a new one of their mascot. Their mascot is a dolphin, but I wanted to expand on the idea.”

  “I thought you worked mainly in glass.”

  “No, I’m a multimedia artist. I started in metal, mostly with steel and iron. I moved to different forms of glass, clay models and bronze sculptures. Sometimes I combine and incorporate all of them. Depends on what I see in my head.”

  “Anything except for paint.”

  “Don’t do much with a brush and canvas. I leave it up to others to play around with those colors. Though I have a slight addiction to sketch pads and pencils.” Wyatt held up one of many sketch pads lying around. “Anyway, I wanted a bit more of a challenge and found it with these materials. I get to work with 3D instead of flat 2D.”

  “What is this project telling you?”

  “This one is telling me it wants to be tempered steel with glass accents to capture and reflect the sun.”

  “Hope I can see it when you’ve finished.”

  Wyatt picked up the bottle and rolled it between his fingers. He stopped to take a few sips. “When I finish and get it delivered to the school, they’re placing it right out front. You won’t be able to miss it.” He took another sip of water then set the bottle down and picked up a pencil. He pointed it at Samuel and asked, “What can I do for you?”

  “I would like to offer you a commission,” Samuel said.

  “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

  At the question, Samuel opened the flap of his bag and pulled out several pieces of paper. “We’re moving through the renovations on the Southern Charm. I don’t know if you stopped by the Charm within the last few months.”

  “I went over there to get something to eat, but the restaurant wasn’t open. From what I could see, she’s shaping up to be better than the original.”

  “Sully and his crew are some of the best I’ve worked with for a renovation. And I can’t believe Reece’s ability to deal with the overgrown disaster of the landscape.”

  “Reece can wield clippers with the best of them.”

  Samuel laughed. “Unless a snake pops his head out of the growth.”

  “Then he hightails it out of there faster than a bullet.”

  Laughing harder, Samuel rocked on the stool. He held an arm against his belly.

  Wyat
t joined him for a few moments, having seen exactly what he’d spoken about.

  When he recovered from the laughter, Samuel wiped a tear away. “I’ve seen him dance, but nothing so dramatic yet. Anyway, I’m hoping we’ll be finished by Thanksgiving, if not earlier, and open for the Christmas holidays. Dakota told me how you created and designed the etched glass for the entry doors to Southern Delights.”

  “I did. What about them?”

  Samuel spread out the pages and pointed out different basic sketches. “I would like you to create additional glass panes for the Charm. I’m thinking the front doors should have similar etched panels like you did for Delights. If possible, I would love a large piece of glass filled with some kind of scene behind the new front desk area. Though, now that I’ve seen your work, it could be a metal and glass pane for a different appearance. I’m trying to keep with a combination of the antebellum and beach feeling to everything. There’s also an idea for each room, but I’m not sure about the details. I jotted notes of what I was thinking. We’ll also need multiple exterior signs so everyone can actually find the Charm. One will be by the main road and two farther down. This is a basic idea of what I would like, but wouldn’t mind your help with the actual design and branding.”

  Wyatt leaned over the table and studied the pages. He tapped his pencil against them and figured out they were small copies of the construction plans for specific areas and generic designs or wishes. “Do you want this rising sun idea?”

  “I’m making that the new logo and theme for everything from the letterhead to the main signs. I worked with the Ashford advertising team to design it. The outer edges will be darker with a brighter color in the middle. In the name, Charm could be a more flowing script to go with the antebellum, Southern and beach sensations.”

  “I could do that.” After another tap of the pencil to get his thoughts in order, Wyatt scribbled everything Samuel requested on a clean sheet. He flipped through the papers Samuel had given him.

  “What do you think?”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I could do the same etching treatment for the entry doors to match the restaurant. It’ll connect the two of them,” Wyatt said.

  “How about the front desk?”

  “For longevity, I would go with the mixed media idea. We could do either a large glass or a metal panel, perhaps, with either a stained glass center or etched middle to reflect the others.”

  “Could you draw some designs and we’ll make a final decision?”

  “Sure. I’ll get them done,” Wyatt said as he jotted more notes about his ideas and suggestions. “What about the exterior signs?”

  “Something that would last and stand out from the landscaping.”

  “Cedar wood bases and frames would be best since they age well and resist rot and damage. The actual signs could be the same metal and glass as the entry. I can make them removable panels to lift from the frame if they need repair or updating.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “What else would you like?”

  Samuel slid the papers aside until he reached one with the new interior doors for the guest rooms. He tapped his finger against the image. “If it’s possible, I want to do something different for the doors of the guest rooms and some of the main areas like the library, offices, and other things.”

  “Are you staying with old-fashioned keys or the key cards?”

  “Dakota insists on keeping with the keys. He hates the impersonal idea of the cards, although they are better security. As a small boutique hotel, we wanted to keep things intimate, like home. So we agreed upon the keys, but they’ll have a special electronic code in them, like the ones for cars. After seeing the old system they were using at the front desk, I was appalled and ordered a new system to store and retrieve them by a security company. It’s going to be installed in the front office near the desk. I ordered the keys from another company along with coordinating locks.”

  “I could design small charms for each key with stained glass or metal.”

  “That would give just the right touch. I’ll give you a list of everything,” Samuel said. “I’m pulling together matching decorations for each one from local artists, like yourself and others.”

  “I could even create a panel for the doors to go against the wood, though it would be hard to see them.”

  “Could they be an inset with space for a tiny LED light placed behind them, hidden by a trim or something?”

  Wyatt snapped his fingers. “Damn smart idea.”

  “You could make the charms match the doors.”

  “Yes.”

  “What about creating additional charms? We could sell them at the front desk as gifts or tokens the guests can purchase as reminders of their trip.”

  “Sure. They shouldn’t take much time to create and I can give you a supply. I’ll make sure to mark those charms used with the keys so no one could chance switching things out.”

  “Good point.”

  “Okay. You gave me a lot of ideas,” Wyatt said as he tapped his pencil on the papers again. “I’ll work them up and draft designs for you to decide. When I have them ready, I’ll call you. Once you approve, I’ll contact Sully and get with the timeline for the interior things. Reece will let me know when I can install the exterior signs within his landscaping work.”

  “This is perfect. Once I approve the designs, we’ll settle on a contract and price.”

  “Thank you so much for thinking of me. I appreciate the opportunity to create more details for the Charm.”

  They finished discussing their plans and the commission.

  Shaking hands on the deal, Samuel left the papers with Wyatt. He slung his bag strap over his head and left Wyatt to his work.

  Chapter Four

  Though Collin had been enthusiastic about the chance to stay with Wyatt and away from his parents, things were getting a little dicey. Typical bratty teenager antics that Wyatt wasn’t sure how to handle. He figured Collin was testing his limits to see how far Wyatt would let him push things.

  He didn’t give the teen a lot of wiggle room.

  By the time he got home, Collin had gone straight to his room without a word.

  “Make sure your homework is done before you turn on the game console,” Wyatt called out but winced at the door slam.

  Silence reigned while Wyatt took his shower and tried to relax. He went to the kitchen to start dinner. Collin reappeared with Beats headphones covering his ears. He didn’t acknowledge Wyatt or ask about dinner. Instead, he flopped on the couch and turned on the games console.

  “How the hell can you listen to the headphones and game at the same time?” Wyatt called out.

  The actions and noises continued from the game.

  “I’m making liver and Brussels sprouts for dinner,” Wyatt said to try to get a reaction.

  Nothing.

  “Ahh, fuck this shit,” Wyatt said.

  At the edge of his limits with the brat level coming from Collin, Wyatt stomped around the counter and over to the living area. He watched the game for a moment then hit the remote to shut everything off at a key moment that would have allowed Collin to jump several ranks with his chosen character.

  Collin yanked off his headphones. “What the hell, Uncle Wyatt? I could have leveled? I didn’t even get a chance to save it.”

  “Did you do your homework?” Wyatt asked.

  “What?”

  “Did you finish your homework?” Wyatt asked, pushing out the words through gritted teeth to hold back his anger.

  “Why do you care about it now?”

  “Because I’m the adult of this duo and I’m supposed to know this shit. Did you do it?”

  “Yeah, it’s done. Jeez. Don’t have a conniption.” Collin leaned back into the cushion and crossed his arms.

  “Do I need to look at anything?”

  “No. I’m not a kid.”

  “Are you caught up in your classes?”

  “Yeah. Can I get back to my game?” Col
lin reached out and lifted the controller. He waved it at his uncle.

  “No. It stays off. Dinner will be ready in five and you’re not eating it here.” Wyatt tossed the remote control onto another chair.

  “You didn’t give a damn where I ate any other time,” Collin said and moved to get up. He went to lift the headphones back over his ears.

  “Again, I give a shit now. Remove the headphones and turn off the device. Come and set the table for us.”

  “Uncle…”

  “Now, Collin,” Wyatt snapped out and returned to the kitchen, his steps heavy and hard against the wooden floor. He stirred the contents in the sauce pot then set up the drainer for the pasta. He looked up and saw Collin hadn’t moved. “Move it, Collin.”

  With a grumble, Collin tossed his headphones and phone aside and got to his feet.

  * * * *

  Rolling his neck until he heard it crack a couple of times, Wyatt dropped onto his stool and stared at the iron sculpture in front of him. He continued to ponder and go over what was happening with Collin.

  “What the hell am I going to do with him?” he muttered. He pulled on his protective gear and went to work.

  The music flashed while he fabricated new pieces. He turned to raise the face shield. Collin shuffled into the workroom. Surprised his nephew had come here instead of going straight to Marissa’s office like he had the last few times, Wyatt removed his gear and lowered the music.

  Dressed in the school’s mandatory dress code of khaki pants, simple shoes and a button-down polo shirt, Collin maneuvered around the machines and tables. He dropped his messenger bag on a table, checked out a chair and flopped into it. He twisted the chair back and forth.

  “Are you going to sit there and mess around?” Wyatt walked over toward him.

  “Marissa’s with a customer in the office. Couldn’t go in and sit there.”

  “Sorry I’m the poor second choice,” Wyatt said.