Building Home

by Dee Ernst

  “I’m sure they are. But let me tell you, Amy.” I took a step forward and lowered my voice, just us girls. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to my friend just yet, and I know for a fact he’s in the middle of something else right now, so this may come to nothing at all. But I had to tell Celeste something, right? I’m sure you understand. The last thing you want to deal with in any negotiation is a person who thinks they could get something better from somewhere else.” I dropped my voice again. “So, maybe just ride this out for another week? See if anything plays out?”

  Her lips drew out into a thin line, and she glanced over my shoulder.

  “You’re looking pretty good, Mike,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, eating healthy, not drinking to much, you know…just trying to do the right thing.”

  “You don’t know anything about this friend of hers, do you?”

  My irritation kicked up a notch. “Amy. I’m right here.”

  Her eyes flickered to me, and then back to Mike. “Mike?”

  “Why, Amy, I have no idea what you’re getting out. Chris here is my client. I’m just here to build her house.” His voice was pitched a bit higher than normal, but other than that, he sounded just fine.

  I was thinking about maybe throwing a bit of paint stripper in her direction to remind her I was standing right there.

  “I didn’t appreciate that SOB from Rehoboth coming in here and stealing my retail center,” she said.

  “Welp, now, Amy, I don’t think that stealing is quite the truth here. He just moved a little faster than you did.”

  “Yeah. Friggin’ ninja.”

  “Amy,” I said, very loudly. “We were talking about Celeste.”

  She brought her eyes back to me. “Of course. And you’re right. I don’t want Celeste upset and worried about this deal. I want her to feel perfectly comfortable. I can afford a few more days.” She shrugged her shoulders and swept her hair back with perfectly manicured fingers. “But Mike here can tell you, I don’t like to lose.” She turned and walked out, quickly, her heels echoing sharply against my plywood floor.

  Mike moved behind me and we watched her as she crossed the street and climb into a convertible Mercedes parked at the curb. He let out a low whistle.

  “You must have been one hell of a realtor,” he said.

  I nodded slowly. “I sure was. When is Daniel coming back?”

  “Should be here now. He sent me a text. He’s staying right in town. Got a month-long rental, over the wine and cheese shop, he said.” He nudged me, and I could hear the laughter in his voice. “Isn’t that where you’re staying with Terri?”

  I dropped my chin to my chest and nodded.

  “Well, that’s convenient. He said third floor rear. You could run up there right now and make your pitch.”

  I turned slowly and glared at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve never seen anyone handle Amy like that. Ever. It was better than the movies.”

  “Next time,” I said, “I’ll charge admission.”

  “And next time, I’ll pay.”

  I walked down to the wine and cheese shop, entered the door on the side, walked up past Terri’s apartment and on up to the third floor.

  There were eight units in the building, four on each floor, two front, overlooking Main Street, and two overlooking the rear alley. I stopped on the third-floor landing and looked at the two doors the led to the rear units. I took breath and knocked on both.

  The door on the left opened, and Daniel stood there, frowning.

  “Did you fly up? Isn’t there supposed to be a bell or something to let people in?”

  I pushed past him. “I know the code, because I’m staying with Terri. One floor down.”

  His eyebrows shot up and I laughed.

  “Right? I’m just starting to appreciate small-town living.”

  His place was basically the same layout as Terri’s but furnished more along the lines of a very nice hotel. Everything was neutral, the art on the walls generic, the furniture simple.

  He had already set up an office space on the dining room table: two laptops, a printer, and portable file boxes.

  “Well, do come in,” he said, closing the door behind me. “What on earth have you been doing? You’re a mess. You smell of paint stripper, and there appears to be something a cat may have coughed up on your shoe.”

  “I was stripping old paint off of an armoire. I do things like that now.”

  “Oh, my. Is that good?’” We went into his living room. “Drink? It’s a bit early, and I know you really don’t drink all that much, but as my first official guest?”

  “What have you got?” I asked, settling into a corner of his couch.

  “Sadly, only tequila and bourbon.”

  “Tequila. Please.”

  He raised both eyebrows, but a few minutes later bought over two shot glasses, a bottle of Don Patron, lemons and a small saucer of salt.

  We silently clicked out glasses, and I licked the salt off my thumb, took the shot, and sucked on the lemon slice.

  “Well,” he said. “You did that rather well.”

  “Two years ago, when I was here,” I told him, “I got drunk on tequila shots and went skinny-dipping in the bay.”

  His eyes widened. “But you never get drunk,” he whispered.

  I nodded. “I know.”

  “And you didn’t even like for me to see you naked.”

  “I know. It’s this place, I think. Or maybe what this place represents.”

  “Which is?” he asked. He was like that, intensely curious about everything. That was one of the reasons I fell for him. When he talked to me, he made me feel that he was listening to every word and that what I said was important to his personal happiness. It was a powerful feeling, and because of it, I overlooked a lot of his other, not as attractive, traits.

  But the last thing I wanted now was a philosophical discussion. “I’m here because I have a business proposal for you.”

  He settled back and clasped his fingers together. “Do go on.”

  “There’s a piece of property about eight or nine miles up Rt. 31. A building that’s probably not worth two cents, but lots of acreage and highway frontage. It would be perfect for your village idea. In fact, you could call it The Village in Northampton.”

  “Northampton being the county, I assume?” He nodded. “How interesting. Why, exactly, would I want to do this again?”

  “Because you’ve been talking about this idea for as long as I’ve known you, but you could never find a parcel with enough land in the right place at the right time. The stars have aligned, Daniel. Your moment is here.”

  “Ah. Yes. Okay, now tell me the real reason?”

  I held out my shot glass. He refilled it, and his, and we took another shot.

  “The property is owned by two little Italian women, and—”

  “Wait. Are these the same two women who think you all came from some pinprick on the map of Italy?”

  “Yes. Anyway, Connie is in a nursing home, and Celeste wants to get her out and move somewhere else and finally retire, but to do that they need lots of money, so they’re selling.” I leaned forward. “Here’s the thing, Daniel. There’s enough land that you could build your little village, hell, maybe two, and still have lots of trees left, and there’s a pond way out in the woods with ducks, so you could have some land as a reserve. It would be a perfect mix of commercial and residential, and at the same time, all the locals will love you for not tearing down all the trees and not displacing all those ducks.” The tequila was kicking in. “You wouldn’t want to displace ducks now, would you?”

  His eyes got very narrow. “It’s quite ways from the beach.”

  “Exactly. But you wanted studio and loft space, right? Affordable housing is really in demand here. You could easily sell to singles and Millennials. You wouldn’t have to depend on folks investing to cater to the tourists.”

  “The problem
is, if retail space goes in there, all your trees and ducks would have to go for parking.”

  “But…the reason I want you to do this in the first place is to save the trees and ducks. How about…professional space? Offices?”

  He sat up abruptly. “The MedCenter,” he said.

  “What about it?”

  “They’re breaking ground for phase two in the spring. And that means more doctors, and all those doctors will need office space, and then they’ll need space for labs and rehab centers, and drug treatment centers, and sleep centers…a medical park.”

  “Medical park?”

  “Oh, my God. I’m brilliant. A medical park. Doctors love trees and things. I could put in a walking path and one of those fitness trails, where you walk a few hundred feet then do some sort of exercise…that would leave plenty of trees. And there can still be residential units, and because doctors don’t have hours at night there won’t be a need for parking for patients, and employees and residents…it’s perfect.” He looked at me, his eyes bright. “Absolutely perfect.”

  “And much better than what Amy probably had planned.”

  He held up a hand. “Amy who?”

  “Amy McCann. She wants the property too, but I convinced Celeste to put her off until you had a chance to look around and see if it was what you’ve been looking for.”

  “This Amy person has a rather nasty reputation.”

  “So?”

  “And apparently, she’s already got it in for me about the Main Street project.”

  “Again, so? What is she going to do? Trash you on Twitter?” I leaned forward. “You said you wanted a foot in the door. This could be it, Daniel.”

  He shook his head. “There are too many unknowns, here, Chris. Why would I—”

  “I know a property lawyer who can give you all the scoop.” I held out my glass and waggled it. “Another shot and I’d probably give up her number.”

  He unclasped his hands and reached for his phone. “Give me the number first. Another shot and you might forget her name.”

  “It’s Marie Wu.” I pulled my phone out of my purse and read off Marie’s number.

  Daniel dialed and spoke. “Daniel Russo calling for Marie Wu. Is she available? Tell her it’s about, ah, Chris Polittano’s land grab deal.”

  Marie must have taken the call, because Daniel abruptly stood and walked outside to the large deck that opened out off the living room. Spending time with Daniel felt so comfortable, and I remembered how often we’d spend hours just talking. But he’d never, not even in the beginnings of our relationship, made my heart pound the way it did when I was around Mike.

  I closed my eyes and let the hot air coming in from the open sliding glass wash over me. I think I may have dozed for just a few minutes before Daniel spoke my name.

  “Christiana? My God, have you passed out?”

  I sat up. “No. What did Marie say?”

  “Quite a lot. She’s obviously one of those frighteningly intelligent people who not only have their facts straight, but can speak in brief, succinct sentences. I may be in love.”

  “Oh?” One thing about Daniel was his ability to shift alliances at the drop of a hat. “What about Chloe?”

  He shot me a look. “I was lonely after you left, and Chloe, well, she just suddenly appeared and started doing everything for me, and being everywhere, and she finally told me she was in love with me. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Think with your brain instead of your—

  “Don’t be nasty. You never did like her.” He sat down across from me, arms crossed. “This Marie person said I could probably get approval from the county for anything I wanted as long as I came up with the right bottom line for them, tax-wise.”

  I was silent. Daniel thought out loud. Mostly because he liked the sound of his own voice, but he insisted it helped him think to hear the ideas floating out in the air.

  “She also suggested that the sisters would knock a million off the price if I promised to save their ducks. I thought they needed the money?”

  “They do, but all they want is enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. And they’re pretty old. It’s not like they want a yacht or a trip around the world.”

  “According to Ms. Wu, for what that property is worth, they could go around the world a few times.”

  “But they’d rather know that the ducks are safe.”

  He sighed. “I don’t suppose it would hurt to talk to them.”

  “You could go tomorrow,” I said. “First thing.”

  “I suppose…”

  “But don’t wear one of your expensive suits. Go in jeans. Or shorts. And maybe a baseball cap.”

  He snorted. “You know I don’t own a baseball cap. Okay, I will. But just to look the place over, Chris. Don’t start spreading the word around this little one-horse burg that I’m even interested. Understand?”

  “My lips are sealed,” I said. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  He rolled his eyes. “And for God’s sakes, swear Terri and all your friends to secrecy as well, because I bet you’ve already talked to half of them about this already.”

  I rose with dignity. “That’s an unfair accusation, Daniel, but I’ll forgive you.”

  We walked to his front door and he gave me a cool kiss on the cheek. “Just a friendly heads up,” he murmured in my ear, “that both of the McCann brothers have asked me about you.”

  I felt my cheeks start to burn. “Oh?”

  “Is this new life you’re living turning into something a bit…frisky? I mean, two brothers…”

  I pushed him back into his apartment, pulled the front door shut, and went downstairs.

  Terri looked up as I came through her door, phone in hand. She handed it to me. “The timing is amazing. It’s Marie,” she said.

  I stared at her phone, then held it to my ear.

  “Chris? Did you put your phone on mute? I’ve been calling,” Marie said briskly. “I spoke to Daniel.”

  “Yes, I know. I was there. Well, when he dialed, at least. I didn’t hear the conversation, but whatever you told him convinced him to go out there tomorrow and talk to Celeste.”

  “Excellent. Talking to him was a hoot. He sounds like a character in one of those British detective shows.”

  I grinned. “I know. All he needs is the accent. He seemed interested.”

  “Good. Amy is a bitch, and I’d love to see her fall.”

  “I met her, by the way.”

  Terri, who had been puttering in the kitchen, appeared in a flash, eyes wide open.

  “You what?” Marie asked. “Met Amy? Where?”

  “She came to the house this afternoon. Apparently, Celeste put her off again. I told Celeste that if Amy gave her a hard time to just send her to me, and, well…she did. So Amy showed up, guns drawn.”

  Terri’s mouth dropped open and she let out a tiny squeal.

  “What did she say? And what did you say?” Marie asked.

  “Amy wanted to know why I was involved in the first place, so I gave her what my partners used to call the bait and switch. I did it all the time with entitled clients who felt like they were better than all those silly rules. Convince the client that what you’re doing is in their absolute best interest, even make it seem like it’s their idea, then do the right thing anyway. Usually by the time the client realized they weren’t going to get their way after all, they were at closing, and if they backed out they’d look like complete jerks. Its amazing what people will do to avoid looking stupid in front of others.”

  She laughed. “I wish I’d been there. Okay, just wanted to check back. Talk soon.” She hung up and I did too, handing the phone back to Terri and looking for my own. Sure enough, when I’d looked for her number earlier I hit must have hit Mute.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Amy?” Terri said.

  “Terri, I had just walked through the door…”

  “What else didn’t you tell me?’

  “Dan
iel is going to look at that property. He may buy it.”

  “I gathered that. Tell me something I didn’t overhear.”

  “Have I talked to you lately about Mike?”

  “What?” Another squeal. “No! What about Mike?”

  “He believes that I have no interest in dating anyone right now. In theory, that would include him.”

  “Now, Chris, honey…how would he get a stupid idea like that?”

  “Because while we were having our lovely coffee and conversation last week, I told him I wasn’t interested in dating anyone right now, that’s how. It’s what I said to Steve and we were talking about Steve, and about how he’d asked me out, and I said no…I couldn’t lie. I mean, they’re brothers. At some point they’d probably compare notes.”

  “Well…poop. But you were out with him all day Saturday. Didn’t anything happen?”

  “No, because for all my talk about taking chances and being bold, when push came to shove, I couldn’t kiss him when I really really wanted to. I’m a total chicken.”

  “Oh, honey.” She sat beside me and leaned her head against my shoulder. “What are you going to do?”

  “No clue.” I sighed. I meant it. Unless Steve got sidetracked…”Next week you’re on vacation, right?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to grout.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. I called Steve, and told him that I was planning to spend the whole week helping out, and he said I would be there while they were grouting the bathroom. I’m pretty excited.”

  “You know I’m not going to be there, right? I have to go back to Rehoboth on Sunday. Mom’s house. The walkthrough is Monday, I close on Tuesday, and Wednesday I meet with Patty and Sara to close out the business.” My partners and I had finally reached an agreement months before, but the paperwork had yet to be signed.

  “I know. I’ll miss you, but I have my own work cut out for me.”

  “Terri, don’t try too hard with Steve.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Women in this town have been falling all over him for years. And not one of them has stuck. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

  “Yes. He hasn’t met the right woman.”

  I sighed. “No. What—”