by B. B. Hamel
We stop talking as we pull up toward the long driveway that leads to the warehouse. As I pull in and head up, I slow the truck and frown up ahead.
Two cop cars are parked out in front of the building. The officers are standing near the door discussing something while a third officer tacks up a bright orange notice. My truck’s parked nearby under a shade tree, right where we left it this morning. The cops all look over as I pull in to the side and step out of the truck.
Lora follows me.
“Something wrong here, officers?” I ask.
The one on the far right, the oldest of the group, turns to me. He’s got dark eyes and dark hair, but it’s starting to recede, and his mustache had just a hint of gray.
“You the owner?” he asks.
“I am,” I say. “Along with Lora Lofthouse here.”
He glances at her, but he’s not surprised. I’d hoped her last name would soften things a bit here, but apparently not.
“We got word that there’s some kind of… indoor park being built?” He frowns at us.
“That’s the plan, officer,” Lora says. “We have the batting cages in the truck, actually.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Batting cages? Man, I’d like—” He cuts himself off as the guy standing next to him clears his throat. “Right, well, turns out this place isn’t zoned for that.”
“Excuse me?” Lora asks.
“It’s not zoned for that,” he repeats. “And you don’t have any permits. We can’t allow any construction on here until you get the permits.”
“We’re working on the permits and the zoning, officer,” I say, although that’s not quite true. I should’ve been on top of all that already.
“Sorry,” he says with a shrug. “Can’t help you there. Once you’ve got the proper permits and zoning, you’re all set to go. And I really do hope you get it up and running.”
“Thanks, officer,” Lora says.
They nod and walk off. Two get in one car, and the third rides alone. We stand there and watch as they turn around and drive off.
I walk over to the note on the door. It’s some bullshit about permits and zoning, and I don’t bother reading it. I rip it off the door and crumple it up.
“What the fuck is that about?” I say. “This place has to be zoned for commercial use. It was a goddamn warehouse for years. Half the town worked here at some point.”
“Something’s off,” Lora says, shaking her head.
“You’re not joking. First the car wash and now this.”
“There’s no way we’ll get permits so easily again,” she said. “I doubt flashing my name will work twice.”
“No, definitely won’t. And how the hell do the cops even know what we’re doing out here? We haven’t even officially settled on the place yet.”
“Someone called them,” she says, staring at me.
I clench my jaw. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Let me go talk to my uncle. We shouldn’t even be in this position to begin with. He should’ve gotten this place zoned properly at the very least before it was built.”
“Fine, you do that. I’ll start making calls and see if I can’t get the permit process started at least.”
“It’ll be okay,” she says. “We’ll get through this. And hey, when we’re done, it’ll be official at least.”
I nod and put an arm around her. I pull her against me and kiss her cheek. “You go,” I say. “I’ll stay here and unload.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, frowning.
“I won’t put anything up. I mean, it’s a fucking warehouse. We can at least store the damn cages in there.”
“You shouldn’t do it alone. Let me stay and help.”
“It’s fine,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ll go slow. You go talk to your family.”
She bites her lip then nods. “Thanks, Dean. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I smile and shrug then toss her the keys to my truck. “Enjoy the ride.”
“Oh, I always do.” She laughs and heads off. I watch her get in and drive off.
I should’ve known this would happen. I can’t say for sure that it was my father who called the cops, but I have my suspicions. He’s angry and probably petty enough to pull something like this shit. And since the permits issue was already on his mind, it makes sense that he’d think of it to use against us. Plus, he’s on the town council, which makes it easy for him to influence officials.
Fucking prick. I won’t let this slide. But for now, I’ll empty the damn truck and get everything stored.
Working hard might calm me down and keep me from killing my father at least.
17
Lora
I find Uncle Ron sitting in the lounge smoking a cigar and talking with my father. I’m surprised to see Dad home right now, and he looks genuinely happy when I step into the room.
“Hello, darling daughter,” he says, getting up. He looks tan and happy as he comes over to give me a hug.
“Hi, Dad,” I say.
He’s always been the affectionate one, even when we were younger. Mother pushed us to work hard and learn how to be a proper Lofthouse, but my father was always encouraging us to dream big and pursue whatever we’re interested in.
I’m thankful for them both. My mother is tough and unyielding, but she taught me how to be strong. Meanwhile, my father taught me how to dream.
“How is the manor treating you, darling?” he asks.
“It’s good, Dad.” I smile at him. “And how was safari?”
“Oh, you know. Saw lions and tigers. Killed a rhino.”
“Dad.” I frown at him. “You can’t keep doing that. It’s not right.”
“What? It’s a good thing. They want us rich tourists to come down and kill their problem animals. Those rhinos are old and aggressive, and they’d need to be killed off regardless to protect the herd. Letting me do it means they get another $300 grand to help all the other animals.”
“You could just, you know, donate the money.”
“Oh, darling. I wanted to kill the rhino. We all win.”
I sigh and shake my head. “Disgusting, but I’m glad you had fun.”
“Yes, of course, darling.” He beams at me. “Now, what are you doing here?”
“I actually wanted to speak to Uncle Ron.”
“Is this about the warehouse?” Dad frowns at me. “Darling, business amongst family should be… you know. You shouldn’t do it.”
I laugh a little. “Come on. That’s silly.”
“Ronald here is very upset about the whole deal.” Dad looked back at his brother. “Very upset, you know.”
“Why? Because he didn’t get his full $2 million?” I glare at Uncle Ron. “You know we’re having trouble with the permits and zoning rights, don’t you?”
Uncle Ron frowns. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I walk over to him and sit down in my father’s chair. Dad hesitates before sitting in a different spot, looking incredibly uncomfortable. He believes business is beneath the Lofthouse family, mostly because he’s always been absurdly wealthy and never needed to be in business at all.
“How were you running that warehouse?” I ask Uncle Ron. “The land isn’t even zoned properly.”
“I just ran it,” he says defensively. “It was nothing at all. I had my business manager take care of the details.”
“Yeah, well, he didn’t.”
“How is that my fault? I had no clue.”
“Darling, come on,” Father says. “Leave him alone. You know he doesn’t have a mind for business.”
Uncle Ron huffs and glares at his brother. “You step off, Edward. This is between Lora and me.”
“Ronald—”
“I said, step off.” Uncle Ron glares at my father, who seems to shrivel a bit before standing.
“Very well,” he says. “I don’t like this whole business and I won’t be a part of it.” He storms off and I sigh a little.
“You upset him,” I say.
/>
“He could do with some upsetting,” Uncle Ron says. “That man floats through the world like everything will be okay forever, but it won’t.”
I turn my attention back to him. “I’m finding that out the hard way.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asks. “We ran that warehouse as cheap as we could. That meant we cut some corners to make it profitable.”
I snort and shake my head. “And if it was so profitable, why did you need $2 million so desperately?”
He looks away. “None of your concern.”
“Listen, you’re causing me problems here. At least tell me the name of your business manager so I can contact him.”
“You don’t want to bother with him,” he says. “He’s a nobody. He’s a crook.”
“Ronald. Tell me his name.”
“No, I will do no such thing.” He shakes his head. “He is not to be contacted. He is not involved in this. That man is a crook.”
I groan. “I’m starting to understand why you need cash so badly.”
He glares at me. “See here, young lady—”
I step closer. “Tell me his name.”
He glares at me for a long moment. “Leopold Archer,” he says. “Goes by Leo. And if you find the crook, tell him he owes me money. Now, get out of here, Lora. I’m tired of this and you’ve overstepped your bounds.”
I stare at him for a long moment, and suddenly my temper gets the best of me.
“No, Ronald. You listen to me. You’re just a minor bit player in this whole house. You sit here, eat our food, drink our wine, leech off the generosity of my father, and when you finally have one damned thing we care about, you make me work as hard as possible for it.” I stand up, almost shaking with rage. “You’re useless. You’re hardly part of this family.”
He looks utterly taken aback. He blinks at me, starts to say something, stops himself, and takes a drink.
“Young lady,” he says finally. “When did you turn into… into… your mother?”
I smile at him, all ice and anger. “When I had to start dealing with men like you. Now, what can I do about these permits?”
“I don’t know,” he says, crossing his arms. “I have nothing to do with it.”
“You’re nothing. You realize that?”
“And you’re just a brat child. I’ll tell your father what you said here, and he’ll—”
“He’ll do what?” I snap. “Spank me? I’m a damned adult now, Ronald. And you’re the one that deserves a spanking, little child.”
I turn and leave the room. I’m done with that man. He can’t help me and wouldn’t, even if he could. The bastard thinks he knows everything about everything, and I hate him for it.
I spot Dad standing at the end of the hall, looking worried. I march up to him, feeling rage all through me… but it dissipates at the look he gives me.
“Don’t be so hard on him,” Dad says.
“And why not?” I ask.
“Because he’s a bastard and a moron and my parents knew it when they chose me instead of him. I think he knows it now, too.”
I let out a long breath and lean against the wall. He smiles and leans up against the wall next to me.
“What do I do?” I ask him.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “Unlike my brother, I’m aware of my shortcomings.”
“Thanks, Dad. You’re so helpful.”
“Oh, you’ll figure it out, if you want. Although I don’t approve of this… business of yours.”
“Do you even know what it is?”
He gives me a sharp look. “I spoke with Shaun just this morning and he filled me in. Shaun thinks very highly of you, you know.”
“I know,” I say, unable to stop myself from smiling. “He’s a good brother.”
“Yes, he is. They’re all good. I had a bunch of good children, despite being born rich beyond measure. Do you know how rare that is?”
“I do,” I say. “I’ve met my peers.”
He laughs. “I suppose you have. Well, cheer up, Lora. You’re more like your mother than you realize. You’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks,” I say. “Speaking of which, where is mother? I suspect that if anyone can help me, it’s her.”
“Oh, don’t go bothering her just yet,” Dad says. “She’s painting at the moment and I do so love what she’s working on.”
I sigh a little and grin at him. “Fine. I’ll bug her in a little bit.”
“Thank you. Say, how about you come have a drink with me out back? We’ll leave Ron to stew for a little while. Who knows, maybe he’ll come out and offer to help you.”
I hesitate. I should go find my mom and ask her what we should do… but instead I just grin and nod. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
He seems pleased. He waves down a staff member, asks for drinks, and he leads me out back.
It’s nice, sitting with my father, just talking about his trip and acting like a normal family. It’s nice having nothing between us for a change. For once, he seems to treat me like an adult and an equal.
I think, finally, I just might be. Despite everything, I just might be.
I’ll bug my mother in a little while. For now, I’ll just enjoy this moment with my father. They don’t come often enough.
18
Dean
Lora meets me at the warehouse bright and early the next morning. I have coffee and breakfast sandwiches ready. She barely touches the food, but she drinks the coffee. We sit near the pile of fencing and pitching materials, leaning back on our hands.
“What’s on the agenda today?” she asks.
“I started emailing with a local guy about setting these cages up, so we need to plan the flow of this place before he shows up to give us a quote later. Then I think we need to pay my father a visit.”
“We do?” She frowns at me. “I’d really rather not.”
I laugh and lean against her. “I know. But someone called the cops on us, and I don’t think it was your dad.”
“Definitely wasn’t him. I don’t even think he knows the number of the police.”
I grin at her and shake my head. “We need to talk to him. Maybe we can get this put away and he can do something to stop whatever he’s put in motion.”
“We’ll still need permits and stuff.”
“Which we can get legally. But not if he’s making it harder.”
She nods, drinks her coffee, and stands up. “Okay then. Let’s get to work.”
“Already?” I sigh dramatically. “I thought we’d sit here and, you know, have sex for a while.”
She laughs and nudges me with her foot. “Get up, lazy ass.”
“Lazy? I carried these entire damn fences in here myself.”
“Boo hoo. Come on. I have a vision and I need you to help me plan it out.”
I slowly get to my feet, and for the next hour, Lora walks around, pointing at places, and talking almost nonstop. I let her go on and on, not adding all that much, because I don’t want to break her flow. And besides, this place is for her, not for me. I’m just the muscle, just along for the ride.
Eventually, she gets a pretty good idea of where she wants what. At the very least, we agree on where the batting cages should go, and so I start dragging some of the stuff over, just to get a feel for it. We stand there and stare at the space and I put an arm around her shoulders.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“I think this is going to be a hell of a lot of work,” she says.
“Yep. I think you’re right.”
“But I’m having a lot of fun right now.”
“I am too.” I kiss her cheek. “Now, let’s go talk to my dad.”
She groans. “Do we have to?”
“Come on, it’ll be fun. He loves you, remember?”
“I honestly think he’d let me die if he could.”
“It’s not that bad.”
She gives me a flat look. “I really, really think he would.”
I sigh but
laugh. I lead her back outside, shut the door, and help her up into the truck. I go around the other side and we drive into town. I park in my old spot and we head into the dealership. I greet everyone, and it feels weirdly good to be back, even though I quit recently. Everyone’s nice and welcoming, and it’s like I never left.
Except my father stands in his office door and glares at us like I just brought the plague to him.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
“Let’s talk,” I say.
“I don’t think so.”
“Dad, don’t make a scene. Let’s just go talk in your office.”
He stares at me for a long moment then glances at Lora. “She’s not coming.”
“She’s a part of this, Dad.”
He hesitates then grunts and walks back to his desk. I nod at Lora and we head inside. I take the chair on the right and she takes the chair on the left. Mine squeaks slightly when I lean back in it, so I stay sitting forward.
“Dad, I know you called the cops on us,” I say.
He smiles. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I ignore that. “What I don’t get is why,” I say. “I mean, I know you hate her, but why do that to your own son?”
“You know why,” he says, frown falling away. “You were going to take over for me. You were going to step up. Instead, you left.”
“Dad—”
“You left,” he repeats. “All for some… girl.”
“Dad,” I say, my voice getting stern. “That’s an absurd reason to try and ruin us. You realize we bought that warehouse, right? I mean, we already sunk a lot of money into it and we plan on sinking more. We plan on bringing a good thing into Loftville.”
“I hear you,” he says. “But unfortunately, it’s not my fault, or my problem. You’ve gotta get the right permits, son. I thought I taught you that.”
I tense. “What do you want?” I ask him.
He raises an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You want something,” I press. “There’s no way you’d go through all this if you didn’t. You want something and I’m not sure what it is. What can we do to get you to leave this alone?”