Vegas rich

by Michaels, Fern

  Fanny walked out into the sunshine. Now that her head was a lit-de more clear she wanted to see what Chue had accomplished with the grounds, and to inspect the progress of the electric fence. Chue was weeding a lovely flower bed when she rounded the bend in the road.

  "Oh, Chue, it's beautiful. SaUie would be so pleased. The grass is perfect. It's the first thing you see when you come up to the bend. It's a veritable rainbow."

  "Thank you, Miss Fanny. The electric company is waiting for you to call them. The fence is fmished. The gates are open, you must decide on the combination. I will set the code. You will then enter by pressing a small appliance. I had them install a manual gate in case of an electrical failure. Even though we have a generator, one never knows. The small walk-through gate is hidden in the mountain shrubbery. I have two keys. Everything can be operadonal today if you call now."

  Fanny stared at the fence. They'd done just as she instructed. Fourteen-foot iron spears embedded in a concrete base. "I hope no one is foolish enough to impale themselves on one of those spears. It does look . . . prisonlike, doesn't it? I'll call the electric company as soon as I go up to the house. Perhaps we should plant some vines, ivy or something, to take away that. . . institutional look. Whatever you think best, Chue. Only you and I will have the code. Not my children. If they ask, tell them to press the button to speak with me through the intercom. Under no circumstance are you to allow

  them to pass through the gate unless I tell you so. Does that make you uncomfortable?"

  "No, Miss Fanny, it does not. What about Mr. Simon?"

  "Just you and me, Chue. I don't care if the children bang and holler, blow their horn, whatever, do not open the gate."

  "I understand, Miss Fanny. Thank you very much for the gifts. My family was most grateful. Did you know the yo-yo glows in the dark?"

  "No, Chue, I didn't know that."

  "My wife says she is going to tie it onto my big toe when I sleep because I am all over the bed."

  Fanny laughed all the way back to the studio. She used the telephone to call the electric company, and gave her order. She broke the connection, listened for the dial tone before she laid the phone back on the Htde table.

  A coffee cup in hand, Fanny sat downi at her drawing board. Three hours later she gave up in disgust, crunching designs into tight litde balls. She threw them, one by one, into the trash basket at her side.

  Elbows on her drafting board, chin in her hands, Fanny contemplated the matters at hand. She realized what she was experiencing was^^ar. Fear that what had happened in Sedlie's life was now happening to her. How could their lives parallel each other like this? Was this SaUie's legacy to her?

  What should she do? Call the telephone company and request a hookup and an unlisted number. She followed her own instructions and at three o'clock, a shiny new phone was installed in the studio, the old phone disconnected. That number would still ring in the main house, where messages would be recorded on an answering machine. There were no extensions to her new phone, the number was unhsted. She called Simon immediately to give him her new number. They talked for an hour. Finally, the conversation shifted to business.

  "The Bemsteins are going to have something to show us in a few days," Simon said. "You'll need to give some thought to where you're going to get a baby to model the outfits. Do you know anyone or would you like me to call a professional modeling agency?"

  "I was thinking of using Bess's newest grandchild. She's eight months old. She'll be perfect for the outfits. I'm going to stitch the model this afternoon. I have a meeting scheduled with Bess for tomorrow. Right now, I'd say we can get our first shipment out in time

  460 Fern Michaels

  for Easter. Bess hired quite a few qualified people, to the kids' dismay, while we were away. She said everything is on schedule. Orders are starting to come in already, mostly from our Sunny's Togs customers. I miss you, Simon."

  "Let's remedy that right now. I can come there or you could come here. If you come here, we can set up the meeting with Audrey and Mike here in the city. How about this weekend? Better yet, how about if you pack and leave this evening?"

  "I'd love to, but I have some things I want to take care of I'll plan to leave on Friday unless something comes up. I'll call you this evening to say good night. Simon"—Her voice was suddenly shy— "I think about us all the time. You're in my thoughts every minute of the day. You're what's making this bearable."

  "Fanny, I didn't know . . . that love . . . could be so all-consuming. I didn't exacdy think my life was going to be over when I approached the fifty-year mark, but I never expected it to change so drastically. You've made me feel young again. I thought those feelings were gone. Jesus, I love you. More than life itself. By the way, I took all sixteen rolls of film to be developed. I should have them by Friday. I'll console myself by staring at them."

  "Wonderful. I can't wait to see them. Bye, darling."

  Fanny felt all the built-up tenseness leave her body the moment she hung up the phone. Just talking to Simon made her feel good. She stared out the window over her drafting board. Daydreaming was a wonderful way to pass the time. She was frolicking with Simon on a sandy beach in Baja, California, in her daydream, when a thunderous-sounding staccato noise rocked the walls of the studio. Fanny gripped the edges of her drafting table, her eyes wide with panic. The noise sounded a second and then a third time and seemed to be coming from the panel near the door. The intercom. Someone was at the gate. She ran to the door to try and adjust the volume. She should have read the operator's manual. She thought she could make out the words, "Open the damn gates! WTiat the hell kind offence is this? All you need is rolled barbed wire on top! Jesus Christ!"

  AshJ

  "Fanny, open the gate! Sunny is here with me. We want to talk with you. Honey, are you there? Chue says he can't open the gates."

  "Mom, it's me, Sunny. Are you home?"

  Fanny stared at the square white panel with the blinking lights. What to press? Maybe she should walk down to the gate and talk to

  her daughter and ex-husband. On the other hand, maybe she shouldn't. She walked back to her work area and dialed Bess's number. "Did you give Sunny and Birch my message?"

  "Yes, I did, Fanny. At 9:00 a.m. when they both walked in. Neither one of them said a thing. Why?"

  "Ash and Sunny are at the gate. I don't know how to work the panel. I guess I have to read the manual-1 could walk down to the gate, but I don't want to do that, either."

  "You're the boss, Fanny. Don't do anything you don't want to do. The message was quite clear. Sometimes people have a hard time accepting unwanted news. I think that's the case. Or, maybe Ash is going to try and charm you again. Don't fall for it, Fanny."

  "I won't. I'm going to hang up and read the manual. Want to know something, Bess? I feel safe and powerful. Those gates . , . I'm ^ad I did it. Ash said I should put rolled barbed wire across the top. Maybe I should do it. Just kidding. But I had told Ash not to come here anymore. I told him I would put the fence up. We're divorced. That gives him no rights. So, what does he do? He brings my daughter here, thinking because she's with him, I'll relent. If I don't relent, that makes me a bad guy in front of Sunny. I'm going to New York this weekend. If you need to reach me, call me at Simon's. No one needs to know where I'm going."

  Fanny hung up the phone. The silence hammered at her ears. The tears she'd been fighting flowed to the surface, her clenched fists pounded her drafting board. She watched a Granny Smith apple teeter and sUde off the board. Whose idea was it to come to the mountain? Ash's of course. She knew this was Ash's first step in getting the children to turn on her, and she was playing right into his hands. "If he could, he'd suck the blood from my body," she muttered

  Fanny chjinged her shoes. Time for some fresh air and a nice long walk with a stop at the cemetery to calm herself once again. Key in hand, she headed for the walk-through gate. Outside the gate, a note was pinned to one of the cottonwoods. She pulled it off, her face registeri
ng disgust when she saw Ash's scrawled signature at the bottom. She whirled at the sound of Chue's soft voice.

  "Mr. Ash was very, very angry. Miss Sunny cried. Mr. Ash asked for a nail to hang the note. I offered to dehver it to you, but he said no. Is there anything I can do, Miss Fanny?"

  462 Fern Michaels

  "Actually, Chue, there is something you can do. It must be one more secret for you to keep. Are you amenable?"

  "Most certainly."

  "Are you aware of the small cottage in Arizona?"

  The Chinese nodded. "Once, many years ago, Miss Sallie had me install some screen doors."

  "Sallie deeded the house to me a little while before she died. The grounds are overgrown and I'm sure the inside needs a lot of work. It's been standing empty for over fifteen years. Do you think you and your sons could ... do whatever is needed to make it habitable? I'd like to keep everything just the way it is."

  "I will take my sons tomorrow. I will need directions and an address." Fanny nodded. "I understand, Miss Fanny. You are thinking a fence such as this will be no deterrent to Mr. Ash."

  "Something bad is going to happen, Chue. I'm not intuitive or psychic or anything like that. It's something I feel, not in my gut, but here in my heart," she said, putting her hand on her chest.

  "Miss Sallie always listened to her heart. She told me this."

  "The butterflies are beautiful. Why is beauty always followed by something ugly?"

  "I do not know. Miss Fanny."

  "The fence is very ugly. It's a shame, this is such a beautiful mountain. I feel like I'm desecrating it. I can't give Ash an inch. If I do, he'll trample me. I'm going for a long walk. Thank you, Chue, for everything, for being my friend, for being here. Just for being."

  "All that I am, all that my children will be, is because of Miss Sallie and you." He bowed graciously. It had been years since he'd reverted to his Chinese ways.

  To Fanny it was symbolic.

  Fanny parked her car on a side street. Her plan was to meet Bess and walk to the building site where Ash's new casino was under construction. "I feel like a sneak," Fanny said.

  "I don't. They've made a lot of progress. It's almost a year since your return from Hong Kong. I can't believe Ash is still dogging you. He won't give up, will he?"

  "Ash hates to be ignored. I thought when I didn't respond in any way he'd give up, but if anything, his letters, calls, and visits to the gate have intensified. I don't read the letters, I bum them. The moment I hear his voice on the recorder I erase it. I think he's getting

  nervous because the money is going out very fast. I saw the financial report yesterday. My eyes almost popped out of my head. I have a complete set of blueprints and the spec sheet. He's putting gold-plated faucets in the bathrooms and whirlpool tubs. The penthouse suites are going to have sunken tubs and fireplaces. I've been getting a lot of my information from Simon. Last week, Simon said Ash wanted to sell Thornton Chickens. Thirty-three miUion dollars, Bess. Every time I think of it, my heart jumps into my throat."

  They looked like tourists with their straw hats, dark glasses, and casual attire. It was Bess's idea to go in disguise. Fanny stared up at the iron girders fi-om the roped-off'area near the street. "My God, Bess, is this all that's been done in eleven months? All that money and they still have fifty percent to go? Am I crazy, or am I just not seeing something here?"

  "You're seeing what I'm seeing, Fanny. Take a good look because this is what you sold your stock for. Oh, Fanny, I could cry."

  Fanny's back stiffened. "It proves my point. He wants . .. needs the kids' trust money."

  "Don't you dare give it to him. If you do, I'll kick you in the pants. How much is this going to cost?"

  "God only knows. Where is he going to get the money if I don't give it to him? The bank won't lend it to him if he can't put up collateral."

  "Loan sharks?"

  "Ash isn't that stupid. Simon hasn't said anything to me, but I wonder if he'll lend Ash money if he asks for a loan? You know, out of guilt. What do you think?"

  "Not likely. Simon has nothing to feel guilty about. You and Ash are divorced. Let's get out of here, okay? Sage and Billie are waiting for us."

  "Just a minute. I want a few more pictures."

  "Come on, Fanny, you have enough pictures. Two hard hats are wsdking toward us. Walk fast, one of them might be Ash, I can't tell fi*om this distance." The two women scurried away, trying not to run in their haste. They were breathless when they arrived at Peridot, where Sage and Billie were waiting.

  "Gee, Mom, you look like a tourist," Billie said, hugging her mother.

  "You're lookin' good, Mom." Sage grinned as he accepted her embrace. "You always look good. Aunt Bess."

  "Absolutely," Billie concurred.

  464 Fern Michaels

  "I knew I loved these kids for a reason," Bess said.

  Lunch was a bit tense, Sage and BiUie chattering nonstop. It was obvious to Fanny that something was wrong, and both her children were waiting for the right moment to bring it up. She decided to help them along.

  "Okay, what's the problem?"

  "Dad's pissed off," Sage said. "That's the only word to describe him at this point in time. Birch is . . . angry. Sunny is .. . she cries a lot. All she does is huddle with Birch. I can't remember the last time Birch spoke to me. He goes out of his way to avoid me, just the way Sunny avoids Billie. It's awful, Mom."

  Fanny stared at her children. "What would it take so that it isn't awful?"

  "Ask Aunt Bess. I can't remember the last time either Birch or Sunny did any work. You're paying them a salary to watch Dad swing around on those girders like some damn monkey. Sunny is there with her clipboard, Birch is there with Dad in his hard hat. I'm damn tired, Mom, of working sixteen hours a day trying to cover for Birch. Billie has been putting in as much time as I have. Aunt Bess won't tell you, but she's in the office at six in the morning and doesn't leave until nine or ten. It's not fair."

  "No, it isn't. Bess, change the locks on the offices and draft up Sunny and Birch's termination papers. Make it effective tomorrow. I'm running a business here. I'm sorry it isn't possible to keep it in the family. This will not happen to Rainbow Babies. I guarantee it. I'm moving that operation to Sallie's bingo palace."

  "Jesus," Sage hissed. "Dad's been showing that property to people like he owns it. It's prime real estate. Mom. You could name your price if you want to sell."

  "I have no intention of selling. The palace meant everything to Sallie. I think she'd like to see Rainbow Babies take over the building. Where did your father get a key to show it?"

  "From Sunny. I don't know where she got it, maybe she had a locksmith make a key. You can do that you know," Bilhe said. "If Dad says jump. Sunny says, how high? Birch too."

  "I see. Bess, I want you to help me set up shop. No more late hours. You should have told me what was going on."

  "Fanny ... I didn't mind."

  "I mind. That's not how I do business. Now, let's put our heads together. Rainbow Babies is our top priority. We four are not in the casino business. One more thing," she said, addressing her son and

  daughter. "Do you two want or expect me to release the trust fund monies?"

  "No way," Sage said.

  "Absolutely not," Billie said.

  Bess beamed her approval as she nudged Fanny's ankle under the table.

  "Down to business," Fanny said.

  Seven months later, shordy before Easter, Audrey Bernstein, dressed in a gorgeous flowered dress, her husband Michael at her side, stood next to Fanny and her small staff to watch the first televised commercial for Rainbow Babies. For a full ninety seconds all eyes were glued to gleeful cherubs reaching for Rainbow Babies attire attached to colorful rainbows. When it was over, Audrey said, "There is nothing more interesting to a mother than a baby or a puppy. Wait till you see the commercial with two fat puppies and six babies. What do you think?"

  "I love it!" Fanny said. "I think I'm glad Simon found you two
. My biggest concern right now is that demand might exceed our production. Su Li has offered to set up shop in Hong Kong. She said she can hire as many people as needed, at a fair salary, and absolutely no sweat shop conditions. No twenty-five-cent-an-hour labor either. She knows everyone there is to know in her country and can get this company moving quickly. What's more, she understands the import export business like a professional. My vote is yes. How about the rest of you?"

  "I want to see numbers!" Mike Bernstein said. "Audrey and I were CPAs, still are for that matter, before we went into the advertising business. I love big numbers. Rows and rows of big numbers. This blitz will last for a full ten days. It's costing, but as you know, in order to make money, you need to spend money. We're headed back to New York. We still have the print side of things to get under way. New York, which I think is going to be one of your biggest markets, is featuring our ads in the subways, buses, and on giant billboards. Every major newspaper in the country vrill carry a full-page ad in the Sunday and Wednesday editions. It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Thornton. Here's our bill."

  Fanny did a litde jig. "Those are knockout commercials. Bess, your granddaughter stole the show. We have an exclusive contract

  466 Fern Michaels

  with her now. You wait, offers are going to be pouring in for her. Don't even look at them."

  "Mom, don't look now, but Sunny is coming into the building. I bet she saw the commercial. Do you want us to disappear?" BiUie asked.

  "No, of course not I don't want you being nasty to her either, she's your sister."