Mindset (15 page)

“The bitch thinks she’s safe from me because she’s put some distance between us.  She’ll soon find out how wrong she is.  If that idiot I hired would just do what I’m paying him to do, she would be put in her place permanently.”

“Pity running them off the road failed.  Not a bad idea making it look like an accident.”

“I’m tired of waiting.  There are such things as random acts of violence.  I don’t care if it looks like an accident or not.  I just want them dead.  If the whore thinks she can get away with filing a restraining order on me, the next thing she’ll do is file for divorce.  I’m not about to let that happen.”

“You might want to alert Father, James.  He’ll know how best to handle this situation.  God knows he has the experience.”

“And let him think I can’t handle it?  No.  I’ll call my man and tell him to step things up.  Have you put out the word that Callie and Eve have gone out of town together?”

“Yes, yes, the word is out.  Really, I don’t even care about Callie anymore.  I’ll find someone else who is more suitable.”

“Yes, you will.  And so will I.  But we will not leave those two bitches running free spreading all kinds of rumors about us and sullying the family name.  They’ve got to pay.  Not only will they make us look like fools, but if word gets out about any family violence, it could open up other past events to scrutiny.  We can’t have that.  They have to be taken care of.  And when the news breaks that the two women we love have been the victims of foul play, we’ll go away quietly somewhere to deal with our grief, and nobody will tie us to any crime, since we will never have left New York until after the fact.”

Chapter 12

“Thanks for the ride, Cade.  I need to file the business license downtown and also take care of a couple of other things.  It sure is a pain not having a vehicle.  I’ll be glad when the jeep is out of the shop in a couple of days.” 
Although not having it has made it easier to find ways to spend time with him, which is always a good thing.  Nothing romantic has happened, but at least we’re talking and enjoying each other’s company.

“Not a problem.  I had to come downtown anyway to file some more claims on mineral rights, anyway.  So you’re really going to do it.  You and your friends are going to open up your own business.”

“Yes, we really are.  Actually, it’s more Trish’s business, and Eva and I are more the investors.  Trish is the one who knows about the services we’ll be providing.  I’m just handling the business end of things.”

“You’re not just another pretty face, are you?  Beauty and brains.  Not a bad combination.”

“Well, thank you, Cade.  It’s all really exciting.  I’ve never owned my own business before.”

“I’ve thought about opening my own business before, but I don’t really know how to go about it.”

“I could help you with that, Cade.  What kind of business were you thinking about?”

“Maybe some kind of consulting firm.  I’ve barely tapped the natural resources available in the area.  There are bound to be more mineral sites around that have never been developed.”

“I think that’s a great idea.  Why don’t you let me look into it for you, just to see if there’s a potential market?  Come on, Cade, it’ll be fun!”

“If you want to and can find the time, okay.  I’ll even pay you.”

“Oh for crying out loud, you don’t have to pay me.  But you can take me out to dinner.  What do you say?”

Cade was quiet for a minute.  “Okay, Callie.  It’s a date.”

“Okay!  I’ll get started right away, as soon as I take care of the Literacy Center business.  So… is this like a real date?  I mean, do I need to get dressed up?  Are you going to bring me flowers?”

“Callie, I don’t care what you wear.  And no, I’m not going to bring you flowers.  It’s not that kind of date, ok?  It’s just me showing you my appreciation for your business sense.”

“Okay, Cade.  You keep telling yourself that.”  They parked at a meter and started walking toward the county courthouse.  Callie put her hand through Cade’s arm and stopped him.  “How’s the sorting out going, Cade?  Have you decided to give us a chance?”  Cade placed his hand under her hair and at the back of her neck and pulled her closer as he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.  The kiss was sweet and full of possibilities.  When he lifted his head and she opened her eyes, he was still gently cradling her head.  “Can I take that as a yes?” 

“I still don’t know how smart an idea it is, Callie.  But you just wore me down.  You’re the most relentless woman I’ve ever known when it comes to getting something you want.  You’re tenacious, Callie.  Which is a fancy way of saying you’re stubborn and hard-headed.”

Callie wasn’t the least bit put off.  “Why, thank you, Cade.”  They both smiled and held hands as they resumed walking.

****

“So, how does it feel to be the owner of a brand new Chevy Silverado side-step fully loaded pick-up truck?”

“You forgot the most important part, Josh.”

“Forgive me, Eva. 
Red
pick-up truck.”

Eva gave him the most radiant smile he thought he’d ever seen.  They were starting to become more commonplace lately.  “It feels pretty darn good.  It has everything I wanted.  Cruise control, five speed V-8 engine, and almost as important as the color, a great stereo!  Besides, it goes well with my jeans, t-shirts, and boots.”  She laughed.  “I can’t wait to go back and pick it up.  Good idea going out to lunch.  It’ll make the time go faster.  Just so we don’t cause a scene, I’m buying you lunch.”

“Eva, that’s really not necessary.”

“It is to me, Josh.  You did me a favor by taking me to find the truck.  Let me show my appreciation.  Don’t make me strong arm you.”  Eva laughed.

“You have a really nice laugh, Eva.”  She just continued to smile.  “I was kind of surprised you decided on a standard instead of an automatic.”

She was quiet for a moment.  “I think it has to do with control, to tell you the truth.  I haven’t had any control over my life for so long, that I think I’m subconsciously finding strange ways to gain back the control I lost.  I think that’s why I’m enjoying the jeans so much and why I cut off my hair.  Weird, huh?”

“Not at all.  You’re finding your power again, your strength.  That’s a good thing.”

“I guess.  So, where are we going for lunch?”

“A friend of mine owns a restaurant just around the corner called My Brother’s Place.  I thought we might go there.”

“Josh, you have more friends than anyone I know!”

“Well, when you practice law, you meet all kinds of people.  Sometimes, they just need some advice, and I’m happy to give it to them.  No charge for that.  Other times, they need me to do more than that, and I give them the best effort I can.  At times, people don’t always have the money to pay for my services up front, so we barter and take things out in trade sometimes.  So far, it’s worked pretty well.”

“You know what I think, Josh?  I think you’ve got a lot of your Granddad in you.  I think you’re a soft touch for people who need help.  Like me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.  When my parents died, my grandparents took over raising us.  I was a teenager and mostly grown, but I learned a lot from Granddad.  He’s the one who taught me that there’s nothing like helping others to make you feel good.  By giving back to people and the community and by helping them grow and improve themselves, you grow and improve yourself, too.  It’s something I try to put into practice often.”

“You’re quite a guy, Josh.”

“There’s the restaurant.”  They were half way across when a car turned the corner and sped right towards them.  Eva was caught off guard and froze, but Josh grabbed her arm and shoved her towards the sidewalk, both of them falling, and the car barely missed them.  Josh turned in midair to try to cushion Eva’s fall, and neither was badly hurt.

“He stood up and reached down for her.  The car was nowhere in sight.  “I’m sorry I pushed you like that, but that car wasn’t slowing down.  Are you alright, Eva?”  

“I think so, are you?”

“Yeah.  What the hell?  That guy must have been drunk or something not to see us.  He never even touched the brakes.”

Eva stood quietly and looked down the street where the car had disappeared.  “That’s the second time a car has nearly run me over.  The first time was when Callie and I were in the jeep on Scenic Drive, and now this.  You don’t think that’s a little too much of a coincidence?”

“What are you thinking, Eva?”

“I’m thinking that James has probably received the restraining order by now, and he’s mad enough to try to teach me another one of his lessons.”

“Surely not.  I know the guy is capable of violence, but I can’t believe he’d come all the way down from New York and try a stunt like this.  Did you see the driver?”

“I didn’t see him well, but I know it wasn’t James.  That doesn’t mean he couldn’t hire someone to do his dirty work though.”

“You know what I think?  I think you’re watching too many crime shows, Eva.  Come on, let’s eat lunch.”  Eva looked at him quietly for a moment, then turned to walk through the door he held open for her.”

Chapter 13

“I think this calls for a celebration.  It’s not every day you are officially licensed to go into business.  Eva and Trish agreed with Callie.  “I say we have a barbecue.  Trish, you can bring the kids and your folks if you like.  I’ll tell Josh, Jake, Cade, and Granddad.  How about this Sunday?”

“Sounds great!  My folks are leaving town, but I’ll bring the kids.  How about I bring some potato salad and maybe a dessert?”

“Great idea.  I’ll make some beans and some salsa, maybe a little
guacamole
and
chile con queso
.  I’m already getting hungry!”

“Before we finish planning that, let’s go over the Literacy Center plans.  The market analysis and potential clientele look great.  There are very few places that cater to struggling readers, and none of them offer all we plan on offering.  The most they do is assessment and tutoring, and they ask an enormous price for their services.  We can offer more for less and still make a nice profit.  The best part of town to begin our venture is the east side, because not only is it highly populated with people with a broad range of incomes, but it also has the most schools of any part of town, which ties into the idea of including professional development for teachers.”

“I suggest we look for a large building that is for rent that has several smaller rooms that can be used both for assessment and tutoring as well as a larger area for activities like the family reading nights, book clubs, and reading camps you have in mind, Trish.  That will be our next step, finding a building.”

“In the meantime, I’ve found some private health insurance options for us that specialize in small businesses that I think will work for us, which offer good coverage for a fairly reasonable price, if health insurance can ever really be called reasonable.  Eva what have you found out?”