Vegas rich

by Michaels, Fern

  "He's someone you can call a friend," Fanny said wearily. "Give him my regards."

  Sunny nodded. "I won't be long. BilUe and I will see you at Sunrise."

  Fanny leaned back in the seat next to Billie Coleman. "I'm so grateful that you're here with me. Sallie knew . . . she wanted you here to ... to help me. She knew you'd understand. Today must have brought back painful memories for you. I'm sorry you have to go through this."

  "It's all right, Fanny, I can handle it. Sallie told me once that God never gives you more than you can handle."

  "Yes, she said that often. It must be true."

  "Fanny, was Sallie ever happy? Do you know?"

  "I truly don't know. I know she loved Devin as much as a woman can love a man. Her wealth overwhelmed her, and I think that's why she gave so much of it away. She made mistakes along the way, the same way we all do. Most times she didn't correct them. Her mother's death and Seth . . . those two people left lasting scars on Sallie. Those same two people caused her to react to her own family's problems, problems she didn't want to deal with. Sometimes I sit quiedy by myself and try to figure out where and how . . . never mind, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

  Fanny closed her eyes, her head against the headrest. Billie did the same. Tears slipped down their cheeks from time to time.

  The attorney cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping around the dining room table. He shuffled his papers, adjusted his glasses, sipped from his coffee cup, and fmally barked, "Are we all assembled?"

  "Can we just get on with it," Ash barked in return. "Skip the legal mumbo jumbo and get to the heart of the will."

  "Hrumph," the lawyer said as he wresded with his papers. "I don't conduct my business in that manner, sir. You will all have to listen to the legal mumbo jumbo." He started to read, his voice a boring

  monotone. Fanny's sigh was loud in the otherwise quiet room when the attorney paused, his gaze again sweeping around the table. "And now for the bequests. To my son Ash, the sum of4:hree and one-half million dollars to begin building the casino he's always wanted to build. The casino, to be called Babylon, will become part of Thornton Enterprises. The stipulation to this bequest is that my granddaughter Sunny operate said casino. Ash will work the floor, something he's always said he wanted to do. If either party disagrees with this stipulation, the bequest is null and void and the three and one-half million dollars will revert to Thornton Enterprises.

  "The balance of my estate is to be divided in the following manner: fifty-one percent to my grandchildren. Birch, Sage, Sunny, and Billie, to be held in trust by my daughter-in-law, Fanny Thornton. She is to have sole discretion as to distribution. The remaining forty-nine percent is to be divided between my two sons, Ashford Thornton and Simon Thornton. To my niece Billie Coleman, I leave my sewing basket. To my friend Red Ruby, I leave all my furs and any other personal items she may want. To Dr. John Noble and his wife Bess, I leave the sum of fifty thousand dollars and the wish that they take a trip to Monte Carlo. To my beloved daughter-in-law, Fanny Thornton, I leave my first bingo palace, the one thing in my life that gave me true joy."

  Fanny burst into tears as she ran from the room. Billie Coleman followed her. Together, they wrapped their arms around one of the stout pillars holding up the roof of the front porch. "There are twelve one-carat diamonds and six perfect emeralds on the clasp of the sewing box. It's trimmed in solid gold. Devin gave it to Sallie on her fiftieth birthday. She treasured it more than any of the jewels she owned. She must have loved you a lot to leave it to you," Fanny said.

  In between her sobs, Billie said, "She left you the thing she treasured most in the whole world, the bingo palace. What v^dll you do with it?"

  "Oh, God, Billie, I don't know. Refurbish it, make a museum out of it, turn it into . . . into ... I don't know, a free bingo parlor for older people."

  "I hope you're satisfied," Ash said coming up behind her. "You worked on her, didn't you? She was old and sick, and you took advantage of her. Sole discretion as to distribution! Ha! I'll contest the will, I'll break it. I'm going to fight you on the divorce too, after I press assault and battery charges against you. You weaseled your

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  way into her life and look what you got for your efforts. Sunrise, the bingo palace. That piece of property is a gold mine and you ended up with it. You!" He made her name sound obscene.

  Fanny sat down on the top step. "Go away, Ash. Do whatever you have to do. You have to live with yourself My conscience is clear. Fm sorry things didn't work out between us. Can't we act like normal human beings for the benefit of the children?"

  "With you controlling fifty-one percent! Now that's got to be the joke of the year. Like I can really build the kind of casino I want to build for three and a half million dollars. If I go to a contractor with that amount in mind he'd laugh his head off. I can't stand it when you play dumb, Fanny."

  Fanny didn't mean to say the words, but they hurtled out of her mouth so fast she thought she was thinking them until Ash's jaw dropped. "How much would a casino cost?"

  "Ten times that much, maybe more."

  "Fanny . . ." Billie gasped, "think . . ."

  "I think you need to mind your own business, Mrs. Coleman," Ash snapped.

  "All right, Ash, the divorce goes through, I give you the balance of the money, and you let all of us alone. The part about Sunny stays, it's what SaUie wanted. I don't ever want to see you again until we meet in court."

  "You have something up your sleeve, I can smell it," Ash snarled.

  Fanny wiggled her arm. "See, no sleeve. Fm trying to do what you want. If money can make up to you for what you think your mother did to you or what you did to her, then I'll give you every cent I have. I know how to live on nothing. I know how to make do. I'm not afraid to start over. You're the one who made me independent. I don't need help from anyone. You are the father of my children. I owe you something for that. .. them. I even know Fm being a fool. Take it or leave it, Ash."

  "I'll call you tomorrow."

  "No. Call my lawyer. I don't want you to ever come here again. Fm going to have an electric fence installed, the kind people put up to keep criminals out. Good-bye, Ash."

  Both women watched as Ash sUd into his car.

  "Fanny ..."

  "Shhhh, Billie, don't cry for me. It doesn't matter. Ash is just someone I used to know."

  They were weeping conspirators, their shoulders shaking with their grief. Billie Coleman held the flashlight as Fanny jabbed at the soft earth with the shovel. "Chue's going to know what we did . . . are doing. I can't get the grass back to . . . the way it was," Fanny said.

  "He won't let on he knows. He'll fix everything. I saw beds of sod in the greenhouse. We can't worry about Chue. I'll dig for a while, you hold the light." Fanny gratefully relinquished the shovel.

  "Tell me again why we're doing this," Billie said.

  "Sallie wants . . . wanted . . . Devin's ashes and hers together. Do you think there's some kind of protocol for this?"

  "If there is, I don't know what it is," Billie said through clenched teeth. "I hit something. You have to help me lift it. I didn't know Chue put the urn in a concrete block. It's heavy, Fanny."

  "They make them. .. Chue said they're made special for the urns. Okay, we got it out," Fanny said, sitting back on her haunches. She wiped sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

  Billie's voice was just short of hysterical. "Okay, the lid is back on. Do you want me to turn on the record player now?"

  "Yeah. Yeah, do it now. I put new batteries in it this afternoon." Dusty Springfield's voice soared over the mountain.

  "Look, Fanny, look! A shooting star! Do you think it's SaUie?"

  "I hope so. I want her to know I'm doing everything she asked me to do."

  Fifteen minutes later, SaUie and Devin's ashes swirled across the mountain to the strains of Dusty Springfield. "Rest in peace, Sal-lie," Fanny whispered.

  "Oh, God, look, Fanny!"

  F
anny raised tear-filled eyes to see not one, but two shooting stars, so close together they appeared as one. "I take that to mean our night's work met with their approval."

  "I'd say so," Billie said breathlessly. "Fanny, do you ... do you believe . . . ?"

  "Yes. Yes, I do."

  A long time later, Billie said, "What time is it, Fanny?"

  "Ten past midnight. It's a relatively still night. I think it's safe to bum the house now. I listened to the weather forecast and . . . and I think it's okay. If anything goes awry, I'll live with it."

  "Where's die gasoline?"

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  "On the front porch. I bought three five-gallon cans. As soon as it really starts to bum, we'll go down to Chue's and get the hoses ready . . . just in case. I hooked ours up this afternoon. Would you like a cup of coffee or a soft drink first?"

  "No. Let'sjustdoit."

  "Okay."

  "It's such a pretty litde cottage. I like simple things," Billie said as she poured gasoline over the living room carpet.

  "SaUie hated it. And yet she lived here for fourteen years. I will never understand how she did that. You fight a match in the kitchen and I'll light one here. Close the door tight and run around to the front, okay?" Bilfie nodded.

  The two women stood in the middle of the road, their arms around each other. "It's going to bum real quick. The wind is holding steady. If I were a pyromaniac, I'd be real happy with this."

  "Let's go down to Chue's. As soon as he sees the flames he's going to be heading this way," Bilfie said. "Oh, oh, here he comes."

  Fanny reached out a hand to Chue. "It's okay, Chue. Saifie asked me to bum it. We waited until the wind was right. I don't think it will spread."

  "Why, Miss Fanny?"

  "SaUie said the cottage was a bfight on the mountain. She said you should clear the mbble when it cools, and plant grass and flowers. It's all right, Chue, if you don't understand. Some days I don't understand it either. I promised."

  The three of them sat on the shoulder of the road, their arms wrapped around their knees, watching the flames shooting upward.

  In the predawn hours, Chue dragged hoses from his cottage and from Sunrise to spray the smoldering ashes in case the wind whipped up. When the sun crept over the horizon, Fanny and Bilfie, soot-blackened from head to toe, headed for the main house.

  SaUie Coleman Thomton's last wishes had been respected. To the letter.

  "Have a safe trip. Call me as soon as you get home." "I wiU." Billie smiled as Chue turned the truck around. Fanny waved wildly until the truck was out of sight.

  "I miss her already," Fanny said, sitting down next to Simon on the steps. "Bess and I used to be close the way Bilfie and I are. We're still great ftiends, I would do anything for her and she would do any-

  thing for me, but we lead different lives now. She's involved in all the activities at the medical center, she has her children, she helps her father out in the drugstore, and she still manages to put in a full day at Sunny's Togs. I wish it were otherwise. True friends are so rare these days."

  "You're feehng nostalgic," Simon said. "Do you want to talk about what else is bothering you?"

  "Yes, and no. Ash was so ugly, so hateful. I've been trying for the past several days to figure out ... I should say try to figure out where it all went wrong. I get such a raging headache I then try to put it out of my mind. At this stage I don't even know why it's important to me."

  "Ash is the father of your children. He was the center of your life for many years. You don't just cast that aside and not think about it. No matter what happens, he will always be a part of your life. One day at a time, Fanny,"

  "Ash is going to fight the divorce. Out of spitefiilness. Fm giving him the money for the casino. I have to call my attorney this afternoon. I need you to sell off everything as soon as possible. Not Jake's securities, though."

  "You didn't ask for my opinion, Fanny, but Fm going to give it to you anyway. You're making a mistake to give Ash so much money all at one time. Spend the money for a real tough financial man to come in and oversee everything. I know several I can recommend. Ash has no head for financial matters. Some smart-ass contractor could come in, hear the name Thornton, and jack the price up double. You can't let that happen. Ash could go through the money in a year. Contractors usually want a real healthy chunk up front, then they schedule payments according to the progress of the building. Ash likes to gamble, bear that in mind."

  "What would you suggest? I gave my word to Ash. How can I switch up now? For sure he'll fight the divorce."

  "Listen, Fanny, I want you to give serious thought to controlling any monies you give Ash. I can set up a separate fund your attorney can oversee. You and Sunny should be the only one who can s^ checks. No one else. Will you think about it?"

  "Of course Fll think about it. I never thought of it in those terms. I think you're right, Simon."

  "Okay, let's go to town and have some breakfast. We'll make a day of it and check out the other casinos. Fd like to see what Ash is up against, building wise."

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  "I'd like to visit the bingo palace. Sallie loved it, more than she ever loved Sunrise or her house in town. The second-best thing that she loved was the church she built for her friend Cotton. Your mother was such a simple person, Simon. Not many people knew that."

  "I didn't know it for a long time. I love you, Fanny. I never said it aloud before. I don't expect you to say the same thing in return."

  Fanny drew in her breath. This kind, gende man truly cared about her. He deserved a response. "I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw your picture. Are you my destiny, Simon?" she asked softly.

  "I beUeve so. I feel... like .. ."

  "Giddy?"

  "Yeah, giddy. Here I am, 48, going on 49, one year away from the half century mark, and I'm feeling the same way I felt when I was seventeen."

  Fanny smiled. "Your heart doesn't know you aren't seventeen. I feel the same way. And then I look in the mirror and see my gray hair, the lines in my feice. It doesn't change the way I feel. I find myself wanting to go roller skating with you, sleigh riding, skiing, all the things I did as a teenager. Did that make sense?"

  "Oh, yes. Your kids probably would have trouble with it, but I understand perfecdy."

  "A whole day to spend together, Simon. Just you and me. I can be ready in fifteen minutes. Casual dress, okay?"

  "Sure. I'll bring my things with me and catch an early flight out tomorrow morning. Then I'll be waiting. I'll wait forever, Fanny, if I know that you 2md I. .."

  "Shhhh," Fanny said, placing her index finger over Simon's lips. "We have all the time in the world. One day, Simon, when the time is right, I'm going to take you to a very special place. It's a simple place, but its simplicity is wondrous. I want you to hold on to that thought."

  "We're going to make it, Fanny. We might be old and gray, but we're going to makt it. You hold on to that thought."

  "I wiU, Simon."

  "Now we both have something to hold on to," Simon said.

  The office was luxurious, consisting of green marble, dark shiny mahogany, stained glass windows, and ankle-deep carpeting. The

  lone figure in the elegant waiting room was impeccably dressed, appearing a part of the cosdy furnishings. One tasseled loafer tapped a path on the green marble that led to the carpeted area where comfortable chairs waited for wealthy clients.

  Fanny Thornton and her attorney entered the room. Fanny stopped in her tracks to view the surroundings before she marched up to where her husband was sitting. He was so handsome, so incredibly polished, Fanny had to take a moment to gather her wits. "Your legal fees better not be coming out of any monies from me, Ash."

  "Are you going back on your word?"

  "Tadk to my attorney through your attorney, Ash, but I repeat, I am not paying for these offices. I don't think the White House has such an elegant waiting room. The president of the United States probably makes less mone
y than these attorneys you've hired. Just so you know, Ash. I'm giving you and these fancy attorneys exactly seven more minutes. Our appointment was for 10:00 a.m. It's now five minutes past the hour. Attorneys bill by the quarter hour. I'd husde if I were you. These days I'm not known for my patience."

  "Mr. Thornton, Mr. Tinsdale, Mr. Palmer will see you now."

  Fanny sat dovm on one of the comfortable chairs. Mr. Thornton, Mr. Tinsdale. Was she invisible? She had been the one to schedule the meeting, she was the one with the money, she was the one who agreed to a meeting at this office to accommodate Ash. Blind with fury, Fanny stood up and addressed the modellike secretary Ash was eyeing greedily. "This meeting has just been canceled. It will take place fifteen minutes fi"om now, in Mr. Tinsdale's office. Excuse me, gendemen."

  Outside the offices, in the marble hallway that was as elegant as the waiting room she'd just been in, Fanny took a deep breath. She thought about Devin's suite of offices on the second floor and Sal-lie's first experience with Devin's secretary. She had learned a thing or two from Sallie. She was sick and tired of men and secretaries classifying women as second-class citizens. Her head high, she marched to the elevator. She entered it just as Ash barreled through the office door, Mr. Tinsdale behind him. His rage-filled face was the last thing Fanny saw before the elevator door swished shut.

  Fanny walked out of the legal building and around the comer to where Harry Tinsdale's offices were located. Her back was stiff, her eyes angry when she setded herself to wait. She was looking pointedly at her watch when her attorney, Ash, and his attorney entered

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  the room. "Fanny Thornton, Mr. Ettinger. Time is money, so let's get our meeting under way."

  Ettinger has more teeth than a shark, Fanny thought as she followed her attorney down a long hallway to his offices.

  It was a long meeting, with three temper tantrums thrown by Ash Thornton and much cajoling on the part of Samuel Ettinger before the meeting broke up with Fanny's last words being hurled over her shoulder as she exited the office, "Take it or leave it, Ash. It's my only offer, and there will be no negotiating."