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Authors: C.R. Fladmark
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didn’t you?”
Her smile disappeared. “It didn’t work out.”
“But …” But you’re gorgeous .
“There are thousands of beautiful girls in the world.” She stopped and stared across the restaurant. “But the truth is, I didn’t even try. Everyone said to get my head out of the clouds, and my father expected me to go to law school and help my uncle with the family’s law practice after I graduated.”
“You have a law degree?”
She frowned. “A pretty girl can’t have a brain, too?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said. “I’m just thinking … my grandpa said he met you when you were a stewardess.”
She sighed and gave me a half-smile. “My father won the first battle, I won the second. It wasn’t quite like being a model, but I got to see lots of different places, and that degree is coming in handy now, isn’t it?”
“So, you’re happy with the choices you made?”
Her eyes narrowed.
I plunged ahead. “What I mean is, do you like your life? Are you happy?”
She gave me a hard look. “Do you want to make me feel like crap?”
I flinched, caught somewhere between embarrassment and frustration. “I’m sorry, Lin.” I held my palms out in surrender. “It’s just …” Deep breath. “I don’t want to be a businessman.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Then what—”
“I want to be an architect, design houses and stuff.” I sighed. “Grandpa decided this whole thing without asking me.”
“But you know so much about his business.” She looked confused. “You’re the perfect choice.”
All of a sudden I was mad. “I like being with him!” I said. “I don’t care about the business. Besides that bookstore project, everything else is mind-numbing.”
She looked worried. “It’ll kill him to hear that.”
“That’s what worries me.”
The rest of the meal passed in polite silence. After we finished dessert—warm chocolate cake with vanilla custard and ice cream—I excused myself to go to the restroom. On the way, I passed the cellar room and saw Walter Roacks and another man at Grandpa’s usual table. Walter slouched at the table, but the other man sat tall and straight in a stiff blue suit.
“My employer is losing his patience,” the man said. He had an accent—German, maybe?
“And my employer is getting suspicious,” Walter said. “This credit freeze isn’t necessary. The Bayview Project is already dead.”
The man made a sound that might have been a laugh. “You can pick at the bones later—after you deliver.”
Walter nodded. “Tell Bartholomew he’ll get it and …”
My ears started ringing, and then my stomach rebelled. I ran to the bathroom and burst through the door with my hand pressed against my mouth.
I stopped dead. It was cold and dank, and the air smelled of mold. Water leaked from the top of the urinal, dripping down and pooling on the cracked floor tiles.
I walked to the grimy sink, turned on the water and splashed my face with cold water. That made me feel a bit better, but the noises coming from the only toilet stall were threatening to change that.
I was washing my hands when a man came out of the stall. He was old, frail and stooped, dressed in a dark suit and a thin black tie. He sniffed the air and his eyes caught mine in the cracked mirror.
He looked like the old man in my dream.
“You are something special!”
I couldn’t move. Darkness closed around me and blocked out everything else. I felt my heart speed up as I stared back at him.
“And you have the gold in your watch.” He stared at me with hungry green eyes—I was sure they’d been brown a minute ago.
I pressed back against the counter.
“I … I got it as a present.” I reached to undo the strap. “Here, you can have it back.”
“Keep it.” Then he chuckled, although it sounded more like a cough. “But you’re very perceptive—it is mine.”
The watch suddenly felt tight and heavy. I couldn’t get it off my wrist. I could
Her smile disappeared. “It didn’t work out.”
“But …” But you’re gorgeous .
“There are thousands of beautiful girls in the world.” She stopped and stared across the restaurant. “But the truth is, I didn’t even try. Everyone said to get my head out of the clouds, and my father expected me to go to law school and help my uncle with the family’s law practice after I graduated.”
“You have a law degree?”
She frowned. “A pretty girl can’t have a brain, too?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said. “I’m just thinking … my grandpa said he met you when you were a stewardess.”
She sighed and gave me a half-smile. “My father won the first battle, I won the second. It wasn’t quite like being a model, but I got to see lots of different places, and that degree is coming in handy now, isn’t it?”
“So, you’re happy with the choices you made?”
Her eyes narrowed.
I plunged ahead. “What I mean is, do you like your life? Are you happy?”
She gave me a hard look. “Do you want to make me feel like crap?”
I flinched, caught somewhere between embarrassment and frustration. “I’m sorry, Lin.” I held my palms out in surrender. “It’s just …” Deep breath. “I don’t want to be a businessman.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Then what—”
“I want to be an architect, design houses and stuff.” I sighed. “Grandpa decided this whole thing without asking me.”
“But you know so much about his business.” She looked confused. “You’re the perfect choice.”
All of a sudden I was mad. “I like being with him!” I said. “I don’t care about the business. Besides that bookstore project, everything else is mind-numbing.”
She looked worried. “It’ll kill him to hear that.”
“That’s what worries me.”
The rest of the meal passed in polite silence. After we finished dessert—warm chocolate cake with vanilla custard and ice cream—I excused myself to go to the restroom. On the way, I passed the cellar room and saw Walter Roacks and another man at Grandpa’s usual table. Walter slouched at the table, but the other man sat tall and straight in a stiff blue suit.
“My employer is losing his patience,” the man said. He had an accent—German, maybe?
“And my employer is getting suspicious,” Walter said. “This credit freeze isn’t necessary. The Bayview Project is already dead.”
The man made a sound that might have been a laugh. “You can pick at the bones later—after you deliver.”
Walter nodded. “Tell Bartholomew he’ll get it and …”
My ears started ringing, and then my stomach rebelled. I ran to the bathroom and burst through the door with my hand pressed against my mouth.
I stopped dead. It was cold and dank, and the air smelled of mold. Water leaked from the top of the urinal, dripping down and pooling on the cracked floor tiles.
I walked to the grimy sink, turned on the water and splashed my face with cold water. That made me feel a bit better, but the noises coming from the only toilet stall were threatening to change that.
I was washing my hands when a man came out of the stall. He was old, frail and stooped, dressed in a dark suit and a thin black tie. He sniffed the air and his eyes caught mine in the cracked mirror.
He looked like the old man in my dream.
“You are something special!”
I couldn’t move. Darkness closed around me and blocked out everything else. I felt my heart speed up as I stared back at him.
“And you have the gold in your watch.” He stared at me with hungry green eyes—I was sure they’d been brown a minute ago.
I pressed back against the counter.
“I … I got it as a present.” I reached to undo the strap. “Here, you can have it back.”
“Keep it.” Then he chuckled, although it sounded more like a cough. “But you’re very perceptive—it is mine.”
The watch suddenly felt tight and heavy. I couldn’t get it off my wrist. I could
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