by L. T. Marie
“Does it have to be those two?” Coal pointed through the kitchen window at Jay and Dino involved in what appeared to be a very animated conversation. Both contractors looked as though they were swatting at flies with their hands, the well-known Italian trait not surprising considering their last names. “I mean look at them, Mom.”
“Look at what? You know I find Italians adorable, and besides, they came highly recommended by the Stephens. I’ve seen their work. They’re reasonable and quite good.”
Oh, she was sure Jay DiAngelo was good at a lot of things, being a contractor not top of her list.
“Honey, what is it?”
Coal tried to focus on what her mother was saying, but as Jay leaned forward to pick something up off the living room floor, she couldn’t help but stare at the way her ass filled out a pair of black Levi’s. “Whatever! You want to hire them, fine. All I ask is that you let me know their schedule so that I can make myself scarce.”
“Why do you need to leave while they’re here? They shouldn’t be too much of a distraction.”
Interesting choice of words. “Just get me the schedule.”
*
Jay stepped aside, giving Jane’s daughter plenty of room to pass. When she turned the corner and disappeared, Jay was left without a doubt that she’d lost her summer income. Damn, Seattle, here I come.
“So, can you both start Monday?” Jane asked.
“Wouldn’t you like a bid first?” Dino shook her hand in excitement.
Jay wanted to punch him for asking the question. As far as she was concerned, they were being given a second shot. What was that old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?
“That’s not necessary. You two come highly recommended, and I’m sure the bid will be fair. If you need anything for the job, please come see me because Coal does not wish to be bothered.”
Coal. Hmm…different. I like it.
“Yes, ma’am, and thank you.” Dino ushered Jay out the door before Jane had the chance to reconsider. Once they both climbed into the truck and closed the doors, Dino let out a sigh of relief. “Wow, Cuz, we dodged a bullet there. Time to celebrate.”
Jay threw him a sideways, uninterested look. “I don’t feel like drinking tonight. I’m tired and need to catch up on some sleep.”
“Oh, come on. One beer. That’s all. This is a big deal.”
He was right. It was a huge deal, but she still couldn’t shake that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. “One. No more. Then I need to get some shut-eye.”
“What the fuck’s wrong with you?” he asked as he started the truck. “I thought you’d be excited. This is a shitload of money, Jay.”
“Sorry.” She thought about telling him she still didn’t feel comfortable working in this particular area, but she thought better of it. “Guess last night got the better of me.”
“I knew it was something. And how was Felicity?”
“Felicia.”
“Whatever,” he laughed. He never could keep up with her frequent conquests. “So, how was she?”
“A memory. Now let’s go get that beer.”
*
Coal straddled the top of the corral fence, watching the DiAngelos’ work truck make a right onto the main highway and disappear around the first bend. Absently stroking Dax’s head as it rested on her thigh, she pictured the woman who had not only knocked her down but had unknowingly piqued her curiosity. Jay DiAngelo was as mysterious as she was handsome. Animal-like in the way she moved and studied things in detail, including Coal when Jay didn’t think she noticed. She’d avoided those smoldering eyes as she walked past her but could still feel the heat from them on her skin and was surprised she hadn’t gone up in flames. She’d only known one other woman who had also captured her attention instantly. She shook her head as if to erase the ancient history. No sense digging up things that needed to stay buried.
“Coal?”
Coal glanced over her shoulder to find her mother standing a few feet away. “Did we forget something?”
“No, but I can tell you have something on your mind. Are you nervous about the remodel?”
Coal tilted her head back to study the blue sky that was now marred with imposing white clouds. “No, just tired,” she said and let out a sigh. “I haven’t been getting much sleep since the will reading, and it’s catching up to me.”
“I noticed. I just didn’t know if you wanted me to notice.”
“Everything will be okay. I promise. I think things will be better once we start the work on the house.”
“Okay, as long as you’re sure.” Her mom patted Coal’s knee. “Would you like to go out for dinner tonight? Your dad’s working late so it would be you and me.”
“Sorry, I can’t. Angel’s back from Italy, and we’re meeting up in about an hour.”
She’d been relieved when Angel called her earlier that day to say she was back in town after spending three months in Rome. She had to dump her family troubles on someone, and Angel was always the perfect solution. Angel’s father was Judge Justin Parker, who also served on the California Supreme Court with Coal’s father. Judge Parker was the only liberal judge out of the seven, and thankfully, Angel was as open-minded as her dad.
“I’m glad Angel’s back safe. Tell her I said hello.”
“I will. Thanks, Mom.”
Her mom climbed into the golf cart and drove away as Coal returned her thoughts to the sexy contractor she’d just met. She hoped after she and Angel talked about the mess her life was in, Angel could help her get her priorities straight. If not, it was going to be a very long summer.
Chapter Three
Coal entered Woodside’s local eatery to find Angel sitting at the bar nursing a beer. The cozy, informal restaurant held many childhood memories, and with its barn-like atmosphere and checkered tablecloths, it was as down-home as the town of Woodside was ever going to get.
“Hey, I missed you.” Coal threw her arm around Angel’s shoulder before giving her a kiss on the cheek. She climbed onto the adjoining barstool and flagged down a waitress for a beer.
“Hey, babe. Been forever. How’s things with the fam and dear old dad?”
Not only was Angel’s family as liberal as Coal’s was conservative; Angel was as outspoken and flamboyant as Coal was reserved and cautious. The True Religion jeans molded to Angel’s long legs, and the crimson boots matched the color of her stylishly cut hair. Her white spaghetti-strap tank displayed lean arms tinged with a hint of color, and her green eyes sparkled like polished emeralds. Angel’s cavalier attitude made her Coal’s opposite in every way, and Coal admired her for it.
“Eh, the usual.”
Angel tilted her glass, stopping it halfway to her mouth. “Seriously, that’s what I get after not seeing you for six months? A shrug and an incoherent sound? I see circles under your eyes, which means you’re not sleeping, and honestly, you look like you got run over by all your horses.”
One thing Coal could always count on was Angel’s brutally honest opinions. No matter what the circumstance, Angel’s no-nonsense attitude was refreshing, especially since life’s experience taught her that what one said to one’s face was sometimes different from what they actually believed. “Why are we friends?”
“Because you need someone to tell you the truth instead of blow smoke up your ass. Oh, and my quick wit. Let’s not forget that.”
“Remember when I said I missed you?”
“Yeah.”
“I take it back.”
Angel laughed. “Sweetie, you’d be lost without me. But seriously, you look exhausted. Have the nightmares returned?”
Thankfully, the waitress had picked that exact time to place a beer in front of Coal. She took a healthy sip, but the cool gold liquid did nothing to quench her thirst. After her earlier encounter with Jay DiAngelo though, she wondered if any liquid could. “Yeah, but they’re not as bad as a year ago.”
The nightmares had finally subsided as Coal worked her
way back into a routine while living in New York. But once she returned home, suffered through the will reading, and tried unsuccessfully to make peace with her father, they returned—more powerful and more intense than ever.
“Maybe moving home wasn’t a good idea. You know you can always stay with me.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I didn’t move home. I moved near home. Besides, I have to do this. My father and I have a lot of crap to work out, and it’s the kind of stuff that can’t be wrapped up with a phone call.”
“Your father…Jesus, your family has always been too hard on you, except for your mother. I mean who cares about what happened? You’re an adult and can sleep with whoever you damn well please. If he wasn’t such a conservative bastard who’s looking to make a political statement, maybe—”
Coal silenced Angel by placing a hand over her mouth and nervously scanned the small room. She couldn’t have this conversation in a restaurant, especially one two miles from her home.
“Sorry,” Coal said and removed her hand.
“No. I’m sorry. It’s hard to keep my opinions to myself because I was there. I saw what all that did to you. But let’s not rehash the past today. I’m here about the infamous will reading. Let’s have it.”
“You might want to get another one of those.” She pointed to Angel’s beer. “And a shot. After I tell you this story, you’re going to need it and maybe a few more.”
Angel motioned for two more beers as Coal leaned toward her and rested her folded arms on the bar.
“When I got the call that my grandparents died, I was devastated. A few days later, I arrived home, but I was still in shock. That night, we visited the family attorney and he tells me my grandfather has left me in charge of their ranch in Half Moon Bay. I also inherited the old family home down the road from here and some money.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. So what’s the problem?”
“Just wait. It gets worse.”
“Hold on a sec. You just told me they left you cash and a house. Not to mention you’re being left in charge of the ranch where you’ve spent a large part of your life. Financial stability, a good job and a reason to get some distance between you and your parents. I’m clearly not understanding the worse in this situation.”
“Well, if you’d stop interrupting.” Angel was never one for long, drawn out stories. She motioned for Coal to continue. “Did I ever talk to you about my grandfather?”
“I know a little. But it’s been a long time.”
“He was someone I really looked up to,” Coal said as she recalled a time when life was so much simpler. “If you remember, I worked at the ranch a lot of weekends during the school year and used to stay with him for a month every summer.”
“What I remember is you being obsessed with the ranch to the point you even wanted to give up going to prom so that you could work there.”
“Not true. I didn’t want to go to prom because Dad fixed me up with Tommy Windell when I didn’t choose a proper date.” Coal used her fingers to emphasize the word proper.
“Eww. He had the worst teeth—”
“Angel, focus.”
“Sorry. Continue.”
“Granddad loved one thing and that was horses. Probably where I got it from. Anyway, when his brother Walter died at fourteen from cancer, Granddad wanted to do something in his honor. A few years after Walter’s death, he started Horses for a Cure. He bought the large ranch out in Half Moon Bay and completely remodeled it so that children with special needs and crippling diseases could ride horses to aid in their rehabilitation. When I went off to school, I got my MBA hoping to use my education to do something similar. I guess since I used to help him with those kids and am familiar with the workings of the ranch, he’s put me in charge of the entire operation.”
“That’s great! So still, I’m waiting for the part where I want to drink myself into a coma.”
“That’s because I’m not done. You see, my grandfather also taught me the values and responsibilities of wealth, along with his philosophy of helping others. Unfortunately, my father still doesn’t share those values, and doesn’t believe in, as he puts it, ‘wasting his time on the unfortunate.’ Granddad knew all too well what my father valued, and knew that if he left him in charge, he’d dismantle the program and find other uses for the land that were more suitable to him.”
“No way. He would do that?”
“In a heartbeat. That ranch sits on twenty acres of beachfront property. It would be worth millions to some developer. So because of that issue, Granddad left me with fifty percent. But guess who owns the other fifty?”
“No fucking way!”
“So way.”
“But, sweetie, why would your grandfather do that? You just told me that he was worried that your dad would destroy the program. Partners with your father doesn’t make any sense.”
A mixture of anger and pain swelled within Coal, causing the beer sitting in the pit of her stomach to burn its way back up her throat. “According to my dad, it’s because of my lifestyle.”
“What!”
“Shh. You’re going to draw attention to us.”
“So what? Jesus, Coal. This is such bullshit!”
“Angel, please keep your voice down.” She glanced nervously around the room. “I know it is. But I guess Granddad didn’t like the idea of me being a lesbian either. So three years ago, he changed his will. He must have thought my father could talk some sense into me. It’s written that every year, the money in the trust will be released to the program in specified increments. But to release the money, it will require both our signatures. I’m listed as the operating manager of the ranch, but my dad has more of the financial say. If at any time the program comes into question for any reason, it’s up to him to decide what to do with the rest of the trust. That means he can also sell the ranch without my authorization. He told me after the will reading that if I continue with my ‘conduct unbecoming of a Davis,’ he will find better uses for the money. That means the program and the ranch will be put out of business and the jobs of all those who are employed and all those kids who depend on that ranch will be the losers. I have sixty days to decide if I want to take on the responsibility. If I decline, my dad is left fully in charge and that ranch will be as good as gone.”
“This may sound harsh, but I say fuck ’em. Sign everything over to him now and let those people’s lives weigh on his conscience. Case closed.”
“If it were only that simple,” Coal said in exasperation. “And you know I can’t do that. He may not have a conscience, but I do.”
“You said your grandparents left you some money. Can you use that?”
“That ranch takes more than I’ll ever have. It has fifty horses and two-dozen ranch hands. They do receive outside donations from a number of sources, but nothing that could come close to covering all the expenses. Granddad had been so independently wealthy that he could have financed it himself if he’d needed to. Besides, it’s one or the other. I either do this thing with my dad or I’m out.”
“But maybe you could get some big name donors. People give millions to charity all the time. Look at Jerry Lewis.”
“Jerry Lewis,” Coal laughed. “Be serious. And could you see me doing a telethon? Not to mention, do you really think people are going to give money to a program where my dad is causing resistance on the other end? You forget, he’s thinking about running for political office. He’s got too much clout.”
“I see your point.” Angel appeared as frustrated as Coal felt. “So what does this mean for you?”
“It means that the ranch remains untouched until I make a decision.”
“So you do plan on going along with this idiocy?”
“As of this moment, I don’t have a choice.”
“Sure you do. We all have choices. I feel sorry for those kids, but this is such crap! And does your mother know all this?”
“No,” Coal said. “She knows about the will reading but not about what
my dad said to me afterward.”
“Why not? She’s the only level-headed one in your family. Talk to her. She’ll know a way out of this.”
“No,” Coal said again, this time with more conviction. “My mom thinks my dad walks on water. Besides, what if I do tell her and she confronts him? I’ve long ago given up on repairing my relationship with him, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did anything that could possibly mess up theirs.”
“Don’t you think that’s being a little melodramatic? Your mother is not going to hold you responsible for what happens in their marriage. But whatever. It’s your fam and your call. Do you have any type of plan at all?”
“Tonight”—she held up her beer in toast—“my plan is to get drunk. After that, I’ll have to play it day by day until I figure this all out. If I say screw it, like you suggested, to those kids, it would be the equivalent of unplugging a patient who needed a ventilator to survive.”
“I get all that, but Christ, Coal! You’re not a martyr. You are who you are, honey. Your family has been handling you your whole life. It’s time to take the reins and live.”
Coal leaned into her and hugged her. Angel’s “I don’t give a shit” attitude was one of the reasons she loved her so much. “I know that, but I can’t allow my father to destroy the only hope these kids have in their desperate hours. I’ll figure out something, but it’s going to take time.”
“That’s the spirit.” Angel moved to her feet and stretched. “When I get back from the restroom we’re going to put our heads together and figure something out.”