Читать книгу The Legacy: Book Two of the Lane Trilogy - Vicki Inc. Andree - Страница 8

Monday morning bloomed with pregnant expectancy as Lyza drove to the office. Since her accident, she had neither negotiated business nor traveled. She missed the activity. Today, I take up the gauntlet again and get into the fray. I enjoyed business, I’m good at it, and I feel strong today. Her injuries were more mental than physical, although she had endured a coma for over a month. Physically, she was fully recovered. Mentally, she was on a high this morning.

She left her gray Mercedes in the capable hands of the valet at underground parking. Entering the Lane Building, she caught the elevator to the top floor.

The receptionist greeted her. “Good morning, Miss Lyza.”

Lyza knew the young woman was a new employee, but she couldn’t recall her name. “Good morning! I don’t believe we’ve met.”

The young woman gaped. “I—I’m Faith.”

“Welcome to Lane Unlimited, Faith. So nice to meet you.”

Lyza wanted to talk with the office manager and get updated on the latest corporate activity. “I’ll be in my office this morning. Is Bill in?”

Faith blushed. “He’s in his office. I’ll buzz him.”

“No, don’t buzz him. I’ll just go on in.” Lyza dashed down the mahogany hall and poked her head in the opened door of Bill’s office.

Bill looked up from a thick ream of paper. “Good morning, Lyza. Glad to see you. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a project. I’m ready to jump back into work. What have we got on those back burners?”

He turned to the three split-screen computer monitors on his desk and motioned her to sit. “Well, let’s take a look. If you’re looking at real estate, and I know that’s what you love best, there’s a property in Spain that looks interesting. It’s an—”

“I’d rather focus on the States.”

“In the States? Huh, that’s not like you. I thought you loved travel. There’s a great piece of ground just outside Cairo that’s begging to be turned into a shopping mall, western style. Doesn’t that sound interesting?”

Africa. Her heart skipped a beat. “That does sound interesting. Has anyone looked at it?” Lyza liked starting projects from the ground up, with little—or, preferably, no—interference from anyone else.

She always began her projects with a trip to the site for inspection, but the thought of flying on another commercial flight gave her pause.

Lyza was relieved when Bill said, “No one has looked at it. It’s been on the books for a week. Should I reserve a corporate jet to make this trip more efficient?”

She liked that idea. She stood up and gave him her best grin. “I’ll think about it.” Then she stepped into the hall, making her way to her own office. By the time she reached her desk, she had decided. Lyza pushed the intercom. “All right, Bill. You got my attention. Would you get me reservations at the Four Seasons, Cairo, for three nights?”

Bill responded with a pleasant, “I’m on it.”

Lyza felt the tempo of the day increase. She retrieved more information regarding the site. For centuries, it had been a goat farm. Owned by an Egyptian couple who inherited it from the husband's elderly grandparents, they wanted a quick sale. The couple resided in London and had no interest in keeping the property. At one time, the grandfather had been a powerful sheik in Egypt. The acreage appealed to her sense of adventure. She traveled the world, but she had not spent much time in the Middle East. Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam were all familiar haunts; Egypt would be interesting.

Deeply engrossed in research, Lyza jumped at the sound of a familiar voice from her office doorway. “Hello there.”

“Father, you scared me. Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

He sat in the chair across from her. “I want to talk with you. Sneaking up on you is the only way I get to talk to my daughter these days.”

“Don’t be crazy. You can talk to me anytime. Did you hear about the Cairo deal?”

“Bill just told me. Do you think you’re up to this? It’s only been a few months—”

“Since the accident,” she finished. “Yes, Father, I’m up to it. I’m looking forward to it. Do you have any objections?”

“No, I’m not going to object. Lyza, I wanted to ask you about your date to the benefit.”

Lyza deflected the conversation by jumping in first. “Oh, yes, I decided to forgo the Gary escort. He’s been a good friend, escorting me over the years, but Father, I’m over thirty. I think it’s time to strike out on my own.

“Gary seemed to take it all right. I noticed he was there with Julie Rockefeller. They were having a good time. It was such a lovely benefit. Be sure to compliment Mother. The orchestra was outstanding, the rainforest absolutely believable.” She was babbling, but when she stopped talking, he would start. Finally she had no choice but to stop, so she could catch her breath.

Lawrence didn’t miss a beat. “Who was the young man you were with?”

Lyza knew her father’s power and his habit of hiring detectives at the drop of a hat. “I’m sure you know more about David than I do by now.”

“Have you seen the Today’s Celebs this morning? Well, it was actually yesterday’s news. And I hope that’s what it is.” He slapped the paper on her bare desk.

“What’s this? Me and David. Oh.” She tried to hide her surprise. “Doesn’t he take a good picture?”

“You think he takes a good picture, eh? Well, how’s this one?” Lawrence opened a manila envelope and produced a number of pictures. Each picture showed David hugging a different woman. “And this one? And this one?”

Her father slammed the pictures down on top of the paper on her desk. “Why would you pick someone like him to date?”

Lyza couldn’t decide to laugh or cry. “Father, I cannot believe—well, let me change that. I see that you had David followed. Are these all the pictures you could get yesterday morning? As you can see, each of these women, varied in age as they are, seem to be dressed in their Sunday best. I recognize the background. These were taken in front of David’s church! These women are from his congregation. Is this the best your top private eye can do?”

Lawrence scowled. “So you admit you invited a Christian pastor as your date to the benefit?”

“I promise he’s not going to hurt you, Father.”

“I wish I could make you the same promise. I’m concerned. I don’t want you to see him again.”

“Father, I can’t make any promises. Because if he asks me out after attending Mother’s Save the Orchids benefit, I have every intention of going. He’s a nice man, and I enjoy being with him.”

“Lyza, he’s not in our league. Don’t make him miserable, and don’t make yourself miserable.”

She smiled at the picture of David’s calm face in her mind. “I think he can take the pressure.”

“I’m not worried about him!”

Lyza’s phone buzzed. “I’ve got to take this, Father. We can talk more later.” Saved by the bell! She had no idea who it was, but she jumped on the excuse to end the conversation. Lawrence strode toward his office several yards down the hall.

“This is Lyza.”

“Boy, am I glad to hear your voice,” David said. “Do you have time to get together?”

She grimaced. “Sure, and I think I know what this is about.”

He laughed. “You might be right.”

How can he laugh at this catastrophe? Then, because he laughed, it struck her as funny, and she began laughing too.

Lyza retrieved her purse from the credenza behind her desk. “When and where do you want to meet? I’m free now.”

“Now is good. Is Starbucks on Valley Drive all right?”

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in thirty minutes, tops!” She jumped up, grabbed her purse, and hurried down the hall.

Bill called out as she ran by his office, “Lyza, I’ve got info on the Cairo deal and your reservations for tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Bill. Would you put the info on my desk? I’ll get back to you.” She didn’t miss a step.

***

Rats, I’m ten minutes early, and I don’t want to be sitting there waiting when he drives up. Lyza slowed down as she pulled into the strip mall parking lot. Then she spotted the white church minivan and smiled to herself.

Inside, she found David at a small table near the wall. David stood up and hugged her, whispering menacingly in her ear, “Did anyone see you come? Were you followed?”

She grinned. “You are too funny. It’s a relief to see someone smiling.”

He pulled out her chair. “I hope you don’t mind that I ordered a latte the way you ordered it before.”

Wow. He remembered something like that? “Oh, that’s nice, thanks.”

They started talking at the same time. “No, you go ahead,” was followed by “No, you go.”

After another laugh, David spoke. “Lyza, I hope this article in Today’s Celebs hasn’t caused you too much trouble.” He took her hand. “There’s no way I want to cause you trouble of any kind.”

“I know that. Father showed me the article. He’s very concerned about me getting hurt. I hate to laugh, but you’ll never guess what he did to try and convince me to not see you again.”

David leaned forward. “I’m holding my breath!”

She pulled the pictures out of her purse, her eyes glowing with mischief. “Do you want to explain these other women in your life?”

He looked so serious, she couldn’t hold back her giggle.

“What other women? Lyza, there are no other women. I haven’t even seen another woman for years.”

With great drama, she slapped the photos on the table. “Look at this. It’s proof that you’re fooling around with other women!”

He picked up the pictures, looked confused for a moment, and then broke out in hysterics. He finally got himself together and looked at her soberly. “So, you’ve found out about the other women in my life. He didn’t get the picture of Mrs. Innez when she left church, but then she’s in her eighties and using a walker.”

“Can you believe it, David? Father’s private detective took these pictures yesterday morning. I nearly fell down laughing when he produced proof of your betrayal. He was so serious. He seemed disappointed at my lack of proper response. I’m not going back to the office today. I’ll have Bill e-mail me my itinerary for the Cairo trip.”

“Cairo?”

Lyza realized she hadn’t told David she was leaving. “I’m taking a short trip to inspect a property. I’ll only be gone four days.”

He smiled. “Well, have a safe trip. I’ll be praying for you.”

She shrugged and spoke what was on her heart. “Right now I’m thoroughly disappointed in my father.”

David took her hands and enveloped them in his for a few seconds. “Don’t be too hard on him. He’s looking out for you. Whether you realize it or not, you’ve led a sheltered life, and he’s concerned about you.”

Lyza and David drank their lattes and found themselves looking intently into each other’s eyes, both of them with silly grins on their faces. Finally Lyza broke the silence. “I haven’t known you very long, but I’ll never forget the first time I saw you, at the Memorial Service for Swiss Air Flight 688 victims. When you got on stage to do the invocation, I was shocked to see you giving the eulogy. The man I had just met and had a short conversation with, a pastor.”

He pushed his empty cup away. “I had just met the famous Lyza Lane!”

She sighed. “You are just so easy to be with. I don’t feel like I need my protective mask on when I’m with you.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel like you need to protect yourself from me. I’ll always look to your best interests.”

Lyza stood up quickly. “Take me to a movie.”

David jumped up beside her, nearly knocking his chair over. “What would you like to see?”

She wound her arm around his. “I don’t care. I want to sit in a movie theater, and I want you to put your arm around me the whole time.”

“I can do that.”

***

The next morning, Tim and Leesa boarded the Lane Jet II at LAX for Kramer’s Island to do their inspections before nightfall. Tim needed some down time, since his meeting with Leesa the day before had pushed the limits of his productivity. He hoped Leesa wouldn’t want to talk all the way, but he knew better.

As they rolled down the airstrip, Leesa opened her knapsack and pulled out a sheaf of paper. “Tim, what did the team come up with last night?” She started flipping through pages, pointing at a paragraph here and there. “See, this ordinance requires certain materials to be used in the construction of the smaller village buildings. Is there any restriction on what we can use on the hotel?”

Tim took a deep breath. Her exuberance exhausted him. “It’s a little early to talk building codes. Let’s see that.” He looked at her page of ordinances. “Just how big do you visualize this hotel?”

“At least seven floors. It will be the only hotel on the island.”

“Leesa, the island only two by three miles.”

“I know, I know.”

He knew and she knew that whatever he said wasn’t going to make any difference. She is so like her father. There will be a hotel. It will be no less than seven stories tall, and it will be magnificent. So much for my design. He resigned himself to doing it all over, to meet her specifications.

The jet landed, and they crossed the tarmac to board the private helicopter, which took them directly to the middle of Kramer’s Island. They disembarked, and the pilot hunkered down for the unspecified wait.

Leesa led the short walk to the main building, the old cannery. “They’ve accomplished a lot on this building! My dream is coming to fruition.” She ran the last few steps and swung open the door to the entrance. “It’s amazing. They’ve already gutted it and put it back together. It’s beginning to look like a fun place to be. Look at all the colors.”

“They’re primary colors, just as you requested.”

The theme park had begun to look exactly as she had specified, with only a few suggestions from Tim. Mostly Tim had to figure out how to meet safety construction codes that would fit into Leesa’s multihued imagination.

“The main street storefronts need to be brighter. It looks a bit too Disney.”

He reeled. “Too much Disney? Just how is that possible? You wanted a place where people could come offshore from Seattle and enjoy Disney-type experiences. I thought that was the goal.”

They were on the third floor of the old cannery looking down onto the main street of Leesa’s little kingdom. “Yes, yes, but it has to be more than Disney and like Disney—it has to be different, too. But it’s great, really. You’ve done a terrific job here. It’s full of light and color, and, well, it just makes me happy inside.”

“I think you should change the name from Kramer’s Island to Leesaville.” He gave her a little hug around the shoulder. “Everyone should come and experience Leesaville.”

She grinned. “Leesaville, hmm, that sounds pretty good. But I’m too in love with the history of the place. Old man Kramer and his family built this cannery from the bottom up, and it was a successful business and employed several families until the recession. When they passed away, the kids couldn’t make it profitable and had to sell, but not before they let it sit for years. It took them some time to part with the family homestead. I want them to love this place as much as I do.”

“Leesa, you have a good heart. Have you even told them what you’re doing with the property?”

She got a faraway look in her eyes. “Not yet, but my plan is to involve them in the opening day ceremonies. When will that day come, Tim? How much longer?”

“Don’t get mad at me. The answer is that the sooner you stop making major changes, the sooner the theme park can open. Building a hotel from the ground up will take some time.”

“What if it’s only four stories tall? I’ve been thinking about what you said on our flight over. Seven stories are probably too much.”

She listened to me? Hard to believe. She must really want this grand opening soon. “Four stories would be built quicker, but this park is for kids, and don’t you think children would like something simple? Too much can be a detriment to your vision. I believe you want to keep it on the simple side. It has to be something a family could afford. If they have a few days, they need a place to sleep, maybe some extra room for kids to play and watch some TV, a small fridge, and a microwave.”

They walked down the quaint, colorful street. It was three blocks long, filled with assorted shops including toy stores, candy shops, arcades, and a movie theater. “Tim, you’re brilliant. No large suites needed, that way more people can be accommodated in a smaller space. A smaller space means quicker construction. Quicker construction means opening day could be—how soon?”

“Now don’t hold me to this. It’s strictly an educated guess. I think we could get everything finished up in another three months.”

Tim braced himself for her disappointment, but was surprised when, instead of being disappointed, Leesa came up with another solution.

“The park rides and funhouses are all ready to go. The village has only a little left to do. Could we open with the hotel under construction here at the very end of this last block?”

Leesa’s idea actually impressed him. She was blond, she was beautiful, and she was smart. “Opening day is entirely up to you. If you want the hotel here, we can set it back far enough where the general public would not be endangered by the construction. We could do it.”

Tim introduced Leesa to the foreman and made a few suggestions about storefront colors on Main Street. Tim also gave the foreman a heads-up on the hotel construction to begin soon.

The foreman looked at Leesa. “A hotel would just about fill this island to capacity. I hope you’re planning to keep the zoo and the petting zoo part for the children.”

She shook his hand as they prepared to leave. “I would never dispose of the zoos. Animals are a vital part of life. I expect the natural sea lion and whale overlooks to be among the main attractions.”

The sun began to set, and they made their way back to the waiting helicopter. They flew back to Sea-Tac and boarded the Lane jet back to LAX.

“Tim, let’s talk about opening day.”

“From what we saw today, we’re looking at sometime soon. We could probably do it in a month. Don’t publicize anything until I get back to you with a confirmation.” He knew once he gave her the thumbs-up, it would happen like a runaway train.

She hugged him and gave him a kiss. “A month! Only a month! I can’t wait. You are my hero, Tim. Let’s celebrate!” Her eyes sparkled, and Tim felt himself getting sucked into the excitement.

He picked her hand up, kissed her fingertips, and looked into her blue eyes. “Sure, let me take you to dinner tomorrow night. It’s too late tonight. Besides, we both need to catch some sleep. May I pick you at seven? Perhaps I’ll have a surprise for you.”

Leesa’s eyes brightened even more. “I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow night.”

Tim had always been the default escort provided through their parents’ friendship. Because of that, Tim had become Leesa’s best friend and confidante. He felt that perhaps she was beginning to see him in a different light. Relax, Leesa’s not looking for romance, thank God for that.

Tim watched as Leesa e-mailed Lyza, using the jet’s wi-fi. “There is much to do. Grand opening of Kramer’s Island soon! I can’t wait to share all the good news!”

He smiled and settled back in his seat.