Jesse (9 page)

She had no idea. She couldn’t go out,
couldn’t call anyone, and she certainly couldn’t go to a better hotel. She
shrugged at him. What could she say that he didn’t already know? When he left
she took a shower and climbed back into the bed naked.

“Next week,” she said out loud. “Next
week, this will all be a bad dream. I’ll be in the south of France enjoying my
new house and having a good laugh about all this bullshit.” Even as she rolled
to her side she wondered if it would be that quick. Clint tended to do things
on his own time frame.

~~~

“There’s somebody here to see you. Woman.
Says her name is Will.” Doyle snorted. “She don’t look like any Will I ever
saw.”

Joey had been sitting at the little
table in the bar’s kitchen looking through help wanted ads. Doyle had told her
he’d bring in the paper for her when she’d left work last night. Going to the
doorway, she looked out at the woman standing there. She wondered what she
could want. As much as Joey liked this job it wasn’t really on the way to
anything Mrs. Stone might have been headed to at noon on a Monday morning.

Mrs. Stone stuck out like a sore thumb. Even
in her holey jeans and t-shirt she looked nice, moneyed. Joey was sure the
scarred bar, crooked chairs, and loud television were the only things that made
the place look good. The bar was a dump, but she liked the people.

She walked into the main bar and noticed
there were three people there having lunch. Wow, she thought sadly, they were
really hopping now.

“Mrs. Stone,” Joey said when the woman
turned to her. “What can I do for you?”

“You can start by cutting the Mrs. Stone
shit out. I’m pretty sure we’re around the same age. And while I like my
mother-in-law, we’re nothing alike. It’s Willow, or Wills, if you prefer.” She
nodded toward a booth. “Your boss said he owes you more breaks than he can
cover so we can talk for a while.”

Joey looked at her bear of a boss behind
the bar.

“Don’t be cutting me with your look. And
don’t be stopping your talk ‘cause you think I need you. I can handle a few
dirty dishes if need be. Besides, Scott here has a tab he needs to work a bit
on.”

Nodding, but not understanding, Joey
followed Wills to the booth. Within seconds Tracy, one of the waitresses/bartenders,
came to take their order. Setting down two glasses of water and telling them
the soup and lunch specials she took off again. She went right back to the bar
to watch television. She’d forgotten her soaps were on.

The menu wasn’t large, just one printed
page. Burgers, subs, and chips or fries on the top and then there were the
specials listed for each day at the bottom. Today’s special was chili cheese
fries and a drink.

Joey had never been on this side of the
dishes she washed nearly every day. She hadn’t a clue if anything other than
the few things were good. And only then because Doyle gave her one of them each
night she worked. Except the chili. She wanted to be able to not breathe fire
when she spoke and she was reasonably sure that her guts would thank her for it
later.

After they ordered, Wills sat back and
smiled. “Jared said to tell you he had to throw away his clothes and he’s
pretty sure he’ll never get the smell out of his hair. Our two-year-old son
thinks he smells pretty.”

Joey flushed. “I called his office to
ask after him. His secretary said he was off site. She sounded…out of sorts, so
I left him a message.” Actually, she’d sounded pissy about her wanting to leave
a message at all, saying it was simply a shirt, but Joey didn’t say that.

“Carol. We fired her. She was a fucking
idiot. She filed things according to cost. Do you have any idea what kind of
mess that is? Anyway, we have Elly now and she’s getting us back up to
business.” Wills laughed. “I would have quit by now, but she says it’s a
challenge to her. I hope so. I need some paperwork like yesterday.”

Joey laughed with her. She looked around
the room again, trying to figure out why the other woman had wanted to come
here. She didn’t think it was for the food. She hated not knowing and, while
she normally didn’t fidget, she was scared. “If you’ve come here because of
what I did to your husband, I don’t have any money. In fact, as of last week, I
have nothing.” She hated to admit that, but wanted Wills to get to the point.

Tracy brought them more tea and the
salads. Wills dug into hers like she’d not eaten in weeks. When she’d finished,
she waved the waitress over for a second salad and more crackers. The woman ate
like a drover.

“I’ve had you investigated,” she said
between bites. “And before you get your panties all jerked around, let me
explain. Jesse called me and asked that I give you a job.” Joey dropped her
fork and flushed when two people turned to stare. Wills continued as if nothing
had happened. “He said that whatever I normally pay my people, he’d cover the
cost, plus I was to give you an extra two hundred a week and he’d pay that too.
We pay weekly.”

“Son of a bitch. What does he want in
return for making me a part of your payroll? I suppose to be naked for him
whenever he comes by to collect his fucking due?” Joey shoved her food away,
suddenly not hungry. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your friend.”

“Not to worry. Eat,” she said as she
pushed the salad back at her. “I wasn’t very happy with him either. In fact, I
told him pretty much the same thing right before I threw him out of my work
site. But then I had you looked into.”

“I would have told you. I have nothing
to hide.” Joey played with her salad while she thought of what the stupid man
had done. “I don’t have a place to live still, my grandmother is a bitch and
used up all the money my parents left me and I work for a nice man who owns a
dump.”

The food arrived and the salads were
whisked away. Wills was two bites into her sub before Joey could get hers
picked up. She wondered how anyone could afford to feed this woman.

“I have a healthy appetite. You should
see how much my husband puts away. I’m just lucky he’s a good cook or I’d be as
big as a house.” She took three more bites before she continued. “As I was
saying, I had you investigated. And there is more to your life than what you
said. You have an education that I need.”

Joey frowned. “I have a high school
diploma, which I’m sure you already have. But if you want it, it’s yours.”

Wills laughed and sat back, finished with
her meal. With a wave of her hand all the dishes were cleared away and a rag to
clean off the table was left behind. “No. I’m talking about the one you started
in college the landscaping architectural design one. Your professors said you
had a natural talent.” Wills reached for a folder and laid out a blueprint
after giving the table a very thorough wipe down. “This is the building we’re
finishing up on. As you can see, the landscaping is all around the place. All
but a few things are in the ground, but a lot of them are already dying. And I
fired the last landscaper. He was an idiot, even I can see that.”

Joey looked at the building and noticed
immediately that there were windows all around the bottom half. Wills put
several pictures next to where she’d pointed and told her that’s what he’d done
so far. Excitement rushed over Joey, but she didn’t let it show. Instead, she
leaned back as Wills had.

“There are too many spring flowers and
nothing for the summer. I assume that the owner wants to be able to see the
flowers year round.”

Wills nodded.

“The bushes are going to be a lot of
work to keep trimmed down because if you don’t have someone there nearly daily,
they’ll outgrow the color and cover the windows up.” She handed her back the
pictures. “Why are you showing me this?”

Wills stood suddenly and dropped forty
dollars on the table. She was rolling up the blueprints as she stood there,
grinning. “You’re coming with me. I want to see what you can do with the mess I
have.”

Joey looked at the bar. Doyle was
grinning like a loon and pointing to the door. “You’d better get going, girl. She
don’t look like somebody that likes to be kept waiting.”

Scrambling out of the booth, she darted
toward the door. Doyle tossed her a bottle of water and her coat. With a quick
thanks, she was out the door. But what was there had her stop dead in her
tracks.

“Jared hates it when I drive. He said
I’m a menace. I compromise when I can and take this thing. Get in.” The limo
driver nodded, tipped his hat at them both, and held the door while they both
got in. “But what Jared doesn’t know is that Thomas here has a heavier foot than
me.”

The driver winked at them from his
position in the driver’s seat. As soon as they pulled into traffic, even as
light as it was, she knew that Wills was right. Soon they were pulling in front
of a building that looked nearly finished.

There were several trucks in the lot and
the limo seemed vastly out of place. As soon as they got out of the beautiful
black thing four men walked toward them. One was who she knew to be Wills’
handsome husband, an older man who had to be Mr. Stone’s dad, and two men that
looked like they probably lifted houses as a hobby.

“Joey, this is my father-in-law and
sometimes part-time constructor worker J. R., and my foremen Conley and
Sherman. Guys, this is Joey Foster. Joey is going to do the landscaping for
us.”

“I am not,” Joey sputtered at the woman.
“I don’t know anything about landscaping like this.” Wills walked away laughing,
as did Conley and Sherman. Jared and J.R. stood watching Joey and smiling. “She’s
insane. I just met her for lunch and she brings me here to do this?”

“Yeah. You might as well do it. She
won’t leave you alone until you do.” Jared looked back toward his wife and Joey
felt a pang of pain run through her at seeing the love on his face for his
wife. “She’s tenacious when she sets her mind to something. Just tell us what
you need and Dad and I will get it for you.”

She looked at the huge building and then
back at the two men. “I’ve seen the plans and the pictures. I suppose I should
measure the areas and find out what the budget is to see what I can do.”

Mr. J.R. stared at her for several
seconds then threw back his head and laughed. He threw his beefy arm around her
shoulder and pulled her in for a bear hug. Then he led her toward the building
as he spoke. “Budgets. I like that in a woman who works for me.” He laughed
again. “Come on, girly, lets us get you some measurements.”

Chapter 9

Jesse wandered around his new building
looking at what they’d accomplished. He’d been nervous about doing this, moving
out from his parent building, the one that had started them all. But it was
time. He’d done all he could for the security department for the Hunter
Corporation and he needed this.

It was an older building. Not at all
like the one that he currently worked in. This one was by far bigger in that
the area around it was expandable as well as the parking garage that was next
to it. He’d had the renovators in the building for over six months now and they
assured him that in another month he’d be able to move in. He looked up when
his brother and Alexander pulled up in the lot.

“Christ, this is an ugly building,”
Daniel said as he got out. “You’d be better off letting some demolition crew
come in and tear the sucker down and start over.”

“Nah, he needs to simply buy a new
building and rent this one to me. I think it has potential.”

The three men shook hands and then moved
toward the door. Jesse punched his brother’s arm as they entered. “You’re just
jealous that I’m finally cutting the strings and you’re still hanging on. I
needed this.”

Of his brothers, he and Daniel were the
closest. When he started bitching about his lack of work about a year ago it
had been Daniel that had suggested it was time to move on. Even his brother was
making noises about moving out. Jesse hoped so. He wanted to have him move into
the building with him and be partners in law together.

The tour took them over four hours. Alex
pointed out something in nearly every nook and cranny that he could use if he
were to get the building from him. He said his computer software business was
growing much faster than he’d expected and he needed the room.

“Why don’t you buy and let me have my
building? I mean, man, you’re as rich as Midas and I know you have good
credit.” When Alex flushed, Jesse knew something was up. “Okay, spill it. We’re
all friends here.”

“Nothing. I’m taking on a junior partner
and his mom likes the old stuff. She’s not so comfortable in the new building
we have, but… Then there’s the fact that she and I are pregnant again.”

After several hardy hugs only guys as
good of friends as them could do without killing each other or breaking a back,
they got back to the partner. After Alex’s last partner had been brutally
murdered a few years back he’d sworn off having that kind of thing happening
again.

“It’s Jack. He’s already graduated from
high school and the kid has a natural knack for computers. Sometimes he can
figure something out before me. Plus, well, he’s calling me Pop. I can’t resist
having him around so other people can hear him say it.”