Page 142 of The Homewreckers
“You can’t retire, Dad. I won’t let you. You are Kavanaugh and Son. You’ve forgotten more about building and restoring old houses than I’ll ever know. All our subs, our clients? You’re the one they trust. The one they respect.”
“Nah. You’ve earned their respect, Hattie. Besides, I can’t keep up working like this forever. Nancy says she wants us to travel, before she has to push me around in a wheelchair. She says I need to fix all the things that are wrong with our house, instead of somebody else’s.”
He dunked the edge of his biscuit in the coffee and looked up. “Maybe we need to work out some kind of a timetable, what’s that called?”
“You mean a succession plan?”
“That’s it. You know, I’m eligible for social security now, but I thought I’d wait ’til I’m sixty-five. In the meantime, there’s no reason you can’t take over bidding out the jobs. Cass can keep up with the scheduling. And of course, Zenobia runs the office. She’s really the brains of the operation, but don’t you dare tell her I said that.”
“Dad, I’m not sure I’ll have the resources, even three years from now, to buy you out. The trucks, the equipment, the office? Property in Midtown, on Bull Street, is hot right now. I can’t even imagine what it would sell for today.”
He allowed himself a smug smile. “I’ll tell you a little secret. It’s not just our office. I own the whole strip of storefronts, bought it for peanuts back in the seventies. Anyway, the price is immaterial because I’m not selling it.”
“You shouldn’t. That’s your retirement fund right there.”
“I’m giving it to you,” Tug said.
Her coffee mug made a loud clatter as it hit the tabletop. “Me?”
“Who else am I going to give it to? Nancy’s good-for-nothing nephews? My niece? Who never even bothered to send a mass card when Hank was killed?”
“I don’t know what to say,” Hattie started.
Tug finished his biscuit and lumbered to his feet. “You don’t haveto say anything. You’re our family. Have been since the day Hank laid his eyes on you. Family takes care of family.”
“Thank you,” Hattie said, blinking back tears. “I’ll never forget the way you and Nancy have taken care of me all these years.”
“Go on then,” Tug said, pointing toward the door. “Get yourself out to Tybee. Finish the job the way I know you can. Hold your head high, and don’t take no shit off of nobody. Especially that fancy-ass designer.”
“Especially him,” Hattie agreed.
65The Coldest Shoulder
Trae Bartholomew pounced the minute she parked her truck in the driveway at the Creedmore house.
He opened the driver’s side door and reached his hand in to help her out.
Hattie recoiled. “Don’t touch me. I have to work with you until we’re finished with this house, but unless the cameras are rolling, I don’t want you to speak, or even look at me. You’re dead to me. Understand?”
“I had nothing to do with thatHeadline Hollywoodpiece,” Trae protested. “I had no idea Jada knew anything about your family history. Hell, I hardly knew anything myself.”
“Right,” Hattie said, slamming the truck door. “Are you telling me you didn’t sleep with Jada Watkins when she was in town, filming that piece? Was that your idea of pillow talk?”
Trae’s handsome face flushed beneath the tan. “How did you…?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Nothing you say matters to me. ’Cause now I know that if your lips are moving, you’re telling a lie.”
“Whoa!” he said, running to keep up with Hattie as she strode up to the house. “Aside from the fact that I did not, repeat, did not, tell Jada anything about your father, please explain why you think I would do anything that would negatively impact this show? We need this show to succeed, Hattie. We both need it.”
Hattie stopped and took a deep breath. “Actually, Trae? This morning I realized I don’t need this show to succeed. I want to finish thishouse and make it the best thing I’ve ever done, so that I can sell it and move on with my life. But even if the network hates it, I’ll be okay.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he said under his breath. Then he hurried away.
Cass was waiting for her on the front porch. “What’d you say to Trae just now? I saw the look on his face. He took off away from you like a scalded dog.”
“Let’s just say we have a new understanding,” Hattie said.
“Something tells me this was about thatHeadline Hollywoodstory. Did you get my messages last night?”
