“He’s been in here again,” Buck informed me the minute I walked through the door.
“Bretherton?”
“Yup. Insists on seeing the permits.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him that the permits satisfied the legalities and until the development was completed, there was nothing to enter into the books. In other words, ‘Go away and come back later.’”
“Good man. Even if he does get a look at those permits, he won’t know the corporate connection. Let him think it’s Chicago money, coming up to buy their own piece of town.”
“Well, what has him in tangles is the idea that you might be applying to have that part of town secede into its own village, and his name will have nothing to do with it.”
“No shit.” I grinned. Buck and I shared a wink. “So, you’re keeping the inspections up, right? I don’t want to fall behind on anything or overlook a technicality.”
“You’re all up to date.”
“Good. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Listen, Brice…”
“Yeah?” I turned around on my way out the door. He motioned me close again and leaned over the counter.
“You know… Bretherton’s got eyes everywhere. I was thinking you could be spotted coming in and out of here and questions will get asked and spies will start looking. Any chance you could come up with a diversion? Maybe flip a house somewhere? Just to give logic to your visits?”
I thought about it. “Not a bad idea, actually. I’ll look around for something and be in to talk about it.”
I drove out to North Bay Village, careful to look like a gawker and not an owner. In fact, Todd had instructions not to acknowledge me when I was out there. It was crucial to my plans that no one catch wind of who was involved.
Bulldozers were leveling the mostly ramshackle buildings, and trucks carried off the salvage. Within a week I expected nothing but clean, white sand and water where the dockside slum had resided. I could see Todd had everything under control, so I drove on through without stopping and headed for the hospital. I’d been putting in more than my normal shifts. I had nothing better to occupy my time having set the wheels in motion for my future. It also helped me to keep my thoughts off Mina. She was like a fever.
On my way to the hospital, I made a stop downtown to the only three-story building in Bretherton Bay. Taking two steps at a time, I found his office door, although I’d describe it more as a portal. Heavily ostentatious carving decorated the gold-lettered door. I went in without knocking and found him sitting in a tall chair behind a massive desk.
“Brice!” he exclaimed and immediately sat up taller in his chair. He reminded me of a child in a high chair.
“David,” I nodded in acknowledgment. “You got a minute?”
He practically fell out of his chair as he leaped to his feet and motioned to the chairs opposite him.
“I’ll stand,” I said. “What I’ve got to say won’t take long.”
“Well, okay, then what can I do for you?”
“Mina.”
I saw his eyes flare and fear crept into his pupils.
“What about her?”
“Leave her alone.”
He drew in a breath, his first impulse to argue, but he reconsidered and sat down in the chair, scooting his hips from side to side as his feet left the floor. “You mind telling me what’s going on?”
My bottom lip curled as I looked him straight in the eyes. “I don’t think I need to tell you, but I do need you to know that I know what you’re up to. She’s out of your league, Bretherton. You may have money, but she’s not into that. She’s pure class and has a future ahead of her.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to ruin that. I know who she is.”
“Don’t bullshit me. You’d marry her in a second just to prove you could.”
“Are you worried that would leave you out?” came his sly response.
“There’s only one person in this room who should be worried, and it’s not me,” I muttered as I turned to leave.
That’s when he made the mistake. “What? What do you mean by that, Davidson? You think you’re somebody, don’t you? You’re a pissant. My father could ruin your career if I asked him to, you know. He could buy and sell you a thousand times over. You’re just a bottom feeder; you don’t have a clue how to build a business, much less a medical practice. I think it’s you who needs to stay away from Mina. You’d only drag her down to your mucky ass bottom.”
His eyes were glittering, and his mouth was on a roll. In two strides I was at his desk, leaning over it until his flaring eyes were inches from mine. “Little buddy, you just bought yourself a whole lotta trouble. You and your family have had too much control of this town for too long. It’s time you back the hell off.” His nostrils flared with alarm and he scooted back in his chair, his chest puffing as he searched for something more threatening to throw at me. I held out a finger. “You’ve been warned.” I turned and left.
All the way back to my car I let the adrenaline of revenge flow through me, knowing Bretherton had finally met his own personal hell, and I was going to enjoy doling it out.
Chapter 15
Mina
As soon as I rounded the dune, my cell began buzzing. David’s name was on the caller ID and I debated letting it go to voicemail. Grumbling, I knew I was on the hook for the time being, so I answered. “Hello, David.”
“Don’t hang up, please, Mina. Listen, I’m sorry about all that with the attorney and contract. I’m calling to beg you to take the role, no strings attached. Just as a special favor to me? To be truthful, I let some people know you’d be in it and I may or may not have gotten a few favors based on that. I’m embarrassed to say it, but could you help me out? Just do the one performance, a minimum of rehearsals and I’ll even have the dialogue reviewed and as many lines given to the others as possible. That means a minimum of memorization and rehearsal. Would you reconsider?”
“David, what kind of people could possibly care whether I’m in that role? What have you gotten me into?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Oh, crap, well I may as well tell you. My grandfather is planning to be in town from Boca and I may have insinuated that you were my girl.”
“You what?”
“I know, I know. I’ll straighten him out. I’ll tell him you broke it off with me. There won’t be any more obligation but for that one evening, it would be really great if I could look like something better than the flop he thinks I am. One look at you and he’s bound to think more of me.”
“Oh, David, you shouldn’t have done that. I’m nothing special, anyway. It’s better to tell him the truth now and be done with it.”
“I can’t, I just can’t. I want to talk to him, face to face before I bring that up. It’s just that he’s always looked down on me like he didn’t have anything to brag about. He knows your name; no one could spend any time in Bretherton without hearing your name. It would mean a whole lot to me and as soon as the performance is done, you don’t have to ever speak to me again, if you don’t want to, that is.”
“I don’t know. I don’t like taking part in falsehoods, David.”
“Please, just this once, Mina? Then it’s over.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes, although he couldn’t see them. “Just the one performance and no guarantees on how many rehearsals I can attend, agreed? Just the one.”
“Agreed. Absolutely agreed. Thank you, Mina, you’re a lifesaver. I’ll have the script messengered—no lawyers—and see you at rehearsals. Thank you again.” He disconnected, and I was struck by how much he’d humbled himself to ask me. I was one of the rare people in a position to do him a favor and I could hardly turn him down.
***
The script was waiting for me on the step, wrapped in a bag over the box. I made myself a light dinner and sat down to read it, highlighting my lines and the various staging instructions. It wasn’t as bad as I was afraid, and I figured with th
ree or four concentrated attempts, I could probably learn the lines and be ready with a minimal time investment. Considerably relieved, I went to bed early and took the script to bed with me to begin memorization.
The next morning was the first day of working for me; a half-day for the teachers only. The staff met in a casual arrangement of chairs and tables set in the gym. We went over changes in staff, rules, and in general got back into the teaching groove. I was excited for the year to begin. I loved my students and missed them when they moved on, but a fresh crop was always welcomed. A few of the school board members stopped in, but David was nowhere to be found. I considered that a bonus.
When I returned to my room there was a single yellow rose in a bud vase with a card. It simply read, “Thank you.”
Was it possible he’d finally gotten the message?
School commenced, and my life returned to a steady routine. In my spare time, I studied my script and my students were excited to learn that I would be in the premier presentation at the refurbished playhouse. They promised they’d all be in the front row, which made me laugh but I thought maybe a couple might show up. I spent my evenings quietly at home, although Marcy and Jude stopped by a couple of times. They tried to coerce me into going out and have a glass of wine, but I wanted a clear head and lots of rest to ward off any effects of stress from my routine. I began jogging along the beach in the early evening, something that I always really enjoyed. Maybe someday I’d get a dog to run with me, just like in the movies, I laughed to myself.
David showed up at a few rehearsals, but he never directed comments at me personally and overall was generous in his praise of the entire cast. He was behaving perfectly, and I could barely believe it.
Opening night drew near. We were in the midst of our final dress rehearsal and I was having trouble with the heels of the shoes they’d given me to wear. They were obviously costume quality only and too big on my feet. It resulted in my having an uneven gait across the stage. I felt awkward in them but didn’t want to complain since it would only be that one night. The cast performed flawlessly, and the excitement was high anticipating the crowd’s reaction at our first and only performance. I really hoped for everyone’s sake that it went well because I knew it would be the first of many plays to be held and many of our local people love the arts and would welcome the chance to take the stage themselves.
We were halfway through the last scene, one where I came forward from backstage, crying into a handkerchief because the male lead had died a week before our wedding. The few press, directors, and personnel sitting in the audience were hushed and I took that to mean that emotions were running high. That made me a little proud, I don’t mind saying.
The prop department had placed a very large oriental carpet center stage, forming the central visual prop to a variety of smaller sofas and chairs. As I walked into the pretend room, the heel of the shoe that had given me trouble caught on the edge of the carpet and down I went, landing in a cross-legged heap on the floor. I cried out in pain and was trying to sit up so I could massage it, but it was well beyond the remedy of a gentle rub. Everyone from the audience crowded onto the stage and I found myself at the center of a hub of people, all of whom were on the verge of hysterics at the idea that their lead actor may not be there for the performance.
Someone brought around a minivan and I was made comfortable as they drove me to the hospital to have my leg checked out. Even the slightest movement shot slivers of pain through my leg and tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized it was fairly serious and I would be out of commission for a while. Who would teach my class? Who would act as my understudy in the play? I verbalized my questions but the people who traveled with me told me not to worry about it, that they would take care of things. That’s the sort of thing people say when things are out of control and they don’t know what to do. They were buying time and I knew it.
David must’ve called ahead because there were two attendants with the gurney waiting for me at the ER entrance. They lifted me carefully and immediately began asking me questions. I told them quietly that I tripped on the carpet and my leg hurt. There wasn’t much more to say. They wheeled me into a bay, pulled the curtains and a nurse proceeded to help me undress and put on a gown. I don’t know why it came as a surprise when Brice walked through the curtain a few minutes later, but it did. I broke down crying, wanting him to hold me and comfort me but knowing our fractured relationship couldn’t permit that.
His eyes were filled with compassion and he ordered the nurse to bring various supplies and to call the x-ray department and tell them I was being brought down the hall. He held my hand and took my pulse, smiling at me in a comforting way. “It’ll be okay, Mina. You’re in good hands, you know. Do you trust me?”
I nodded, a fresh stream of tears dropping onto my hospital gown. “Will I walk again, Brice?”
He chuckled at that. “Oh, I think you’ll be just fine. Without an x-ray, I can’t tell you the extent of the damage, but I can tell you from here that you either strained your leg or ankle or there may be a light break, but certainly nothing to keep you bedbound for the rest of your life,” he teased me.
Somehow, that helped. I felt a little special when he accompanied me to the x-ray department. He stood in the small technician’s booth, raised above the floor where I lay on the gurney. I couldn’t understand what they were saying but watched as he pointed and directed the technician. I was told when to breathe and when to hold my breath, and Brice came out of the booth from time to time to reposition my leg, each time handling me like an injured fledgling bird. I appreciate his gentleness and knew that I was the exception to the rule. Normally he would have been waiting in the ER, tending to other patients until I returned with results.
Brice wheeled me back to the ER and my foot was isolated in a casing made from inflated vinyl. It raised my foot up above my head and nurses brought a small stack of warmed blankets to put over me. The x-rays were delivered, and Brice loaded them beneath clips on a lighted screen outside my bay entrance. Another doctor showed up, assumedly called by Brice for second opinion. They conferred and then the other doctor left.
Brice entered my bay and he pulled up a stool to sit next to me, taking my hand in his. “Mina, it looks like you have a spiral fracture in your left fibula. I’m going to set it for you and then we’re going to put on a fracture boot. You’ll have to be off your feet for at least the next three weeks and then we might be able to get you mobile using crutches. Now, let’s talk about logistics. I’ll call the school principal and tell them to find a sub for you for those three weeks. I’ll be keeping a personal eye on you and if everything looks good you’ll be able to go back to teaching, although it will be from a chair. Probably six to eight weeks before you’re totally healed. Does that sound agreeable to you?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No, not really, I’m afraid.”
“How about the performance? It’s tomorrow night.”
“That’s not your worry. They should have an understudy for you and if they don’t, well, they’ll improvise. You, my dear, will be off your feet and lying down. We’ll get you on some pain meds so I can get started on that leg,” he said as a nurse entered the room.
I winced as she gave me an injection in my right upper arm. “But, Brice, how am I going to take care of myself? You know I live alone.”
“Well…” he nodded, “I’ve been thinking about that while we waited. I have a plan and if you are agreeable, we can cover that, too.”
“What kind of plan?”
“I’ll tell you my plan as I work. Now, the meds will start helping soon, but there will be a little discomfort. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
I nodded, more worried about being out of action then of getting through some pain. The meds were beginning to make me feel slightly foggy. I could tell by the way the nurses behaved around Brice that he was very respected. One even went so far as to whisper to me, “He’s new, but he’s really very ta
lented. He’s also very single,” she said with a wink and stood back. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut.
He was being just as gentle as one could, and I just laid my head back and closed my eyes to wait it out. He began speaking. “So, here’s what I was thinking. It just so happens that you are in a temporary bind, you’re going to need a little nursing care. Not to spoon feed you, mind you, but to help you get back and forth to the commode, cook your some food, help you bathe… Now, I could recommend a home health nurse, but I already checked, your insurance won’t cover it.
“So, it also just so happens that my apartment building has been sold and I’ve been given notice to move out. I’ve been looking at a few properties, but nothing has popped up quite yet. It’s a seller’s market, you know. So, what I was thinking is that you have an extra bedroom and I have all the knowledge and skill to accomplish the aforementioned, so why don’t you allow me to rent a room from you for the next month or so until you can get around on your own and I find a place to go? What do you say?”
My eyes popped wide open at his words. I hadn’t thought that far ahead and when he said my insurance wouldn’t cover a nurse at home, I felt my stomach turn over at the thought of lying in a nursing home. Of course, I could always go back and stay at my parent’s house, but his proposition was far more interesting. Who could turn down having your doctor stay in the same house with you? I knew there wouldn’t be any funny business, for obvious reasons.
I looked down at him as he was getting ready to set the bone. “Ouch! Ouch! Stop it, don’t do that again! It’s going to hurt…”
“Oh boy, you’re one of those kind of patients, are you? I might have to charge you to look after you unless of course, you’re extra nice to me.”
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