Rhea got a set of plans from the County, and before she sent them to Marco, I looked them over. Rebecca had submitted extensive changes, she pointed out.
“The cost of concrete for these foundations will be at least double what it was before.”
“How so?’”
“Well see, she’s used the full forty-two foot height, adding additional units for a third floor, complete with balconies and many of the exterior windows had been changed to sliding glass doors for access to those outdoor places. That also means there will be new engineering costs and calculations. We don’t have earthquakes, but we have tropical storms and hurricanes to consider. More stories, more windows. More balconies, more weight.”
I could see, as she pointed out all the details, Rhea understood that this project wasn’t anything like the original proposed plan.
“She’s going to have to go before the Design Review, but maybe the Planning Commission too,” sighed Rhea. I wonder if she knew that.”
“So that would delay the project, then.”
“Yes, I think we’re looking at maybe six months, a year additional, maybe longer.”
“I don’t get it. Why do you think she’s doing this?”
“Well, it is a much nicer design, I mean it’s really pretty, but it’s going to require a lot more money. I hope she’s got unlimited funds.”
I wondered if she’d gotten a wealthy backer.
“Did you try to get hired on?”
“That was a no-go. She recognized me right away. Dax too. And she has some guy who used to work for Marco there too. I’ve met him a time or two.”
“Who was that?”
“He’s an accountant, I think. Calls him her project manager.”
I decided I should speak to Rebecca, see if she would open up about her plans. Maybe I could still be useful for Marco.
Judie was against it when I told her later on.
“That’s not a good sign, Shannon. You need space. You need to distance yourself from all this. Time to move on. Didn’t you get the memo?”
“I am moving on. This is how I move on. By doing something important for someone I care about.”
“No you’re not.” She sighed, getting ready to give me the lecture I probably deserved. “This is what got you into trouble before. Face the facts. Move on so you can make the clean break. It will continue to cause pain if you even have the possibility of running into him again.”
“I don’t think that will bother me.”
“Would you listen to yourself? You must be joking, Shannon. You’re setting yourself up for a huge fall. What happens when he brings his new love into the office, or you see his picture in the society column on the arm of a beautiful heiress or something? You’ll be looking for him everywhere.”
“Am I that obsessed, still?”
“Yes! Finally, something smart out of your mouth. It’s unhealthy to hang on.”
“Okay, then. I’ll speak to Rebecca, communicate to Rhea what I’ve learned, if anything, and then move on.”
“Unbelievable. You are the most stubborn woman I know, and I know a lot of stubborn women, too! That’s what you said when you went to Boston, ‘just to get a glimpse, have a drink with him.’ That’s what got you into trouble in the first place. Now do you get it?”
“Thanks for your advice.”
“Which you’re not going to take.”
“I can’t. I want to do something good for him, and then I’ll exit the stage and go home.”
I left her shaking her head, mumbling things loud enough for me to hear as I walked to my car.
I didn’t pay any attention.
Rebecca’s syrupy sweet demeanor was as overpowering as her perfume. She was packing, returning back to New York, but agreed to meet with me.
“All my friends loved the interview, Shannon. I should hire you as my press secretary. Want a job?”
Of all the things she could offer me, that one made me laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
I knew I couldn’t be honest with her. And here I went again, making things up. I probably should look into becoming a private investigator, the way I snuck around, spying under false pretenses.
I decided to keep it as clean as I could. “Nothing. Just hit me oddly, for some reason.”
“You have quite an interest in our project here. Would you consider working on it?”
She was actually serious! That gave me the Segway to ask some of the questions I needed answered.
“Let me ask you this first, if you don’t mind.”
“Go right ahead.” She placed a cosmetic bag, bulging with tubes of creams and makeup, on top of her folded clothes, with a towel separating it. She saw me eyeing the towel. “Yes, I steal towels all the time, if they’re good ones.”
“I—I wasn’t going there. I just noticed it. That’s all. No judgment.”
She continued packing but was nearly done, so I had to think of something quick.
“Can I buy you lunch? Or, do you have a plane to catch?”
She checked her watch. “I have forty minutes before the car comes to take me to the airport. If we can order and finish in forty minutes, I’m all yours.”
Rebecca made a big point of telling the waitress we were in a hurry and ordered her lunch without using the menu. I just agreed to the same thing to make things easier.
“What do you want to know? And you’re not recording this, right?”
“No ma’am.” I thanked the waitress for our waters. “How did you meet Marco?”
She sat up straighter, her eyebrows rising under her bangs. “At a party in Coronado. A buddy of his was getting married. I knew the bride. The groom was a SEAL. We danced. We drank too much, and the rest is history.”
“No big romantic date, then? The stars didn’t fall from the sky the night you
