‡‡
Gage’s phone rang at six while he was putting on the coffee. The moment he saw the number he knew. “Hey,” he breathed into the phone.
Mamie was composed, but there was a nasal quality to her voice that told him she’d been crying. “He passed away this morning at five. The funeral home has already been here and taken him. He’ll be cremated later today. It was what he wanted.” She sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “He divorced my daughter twenty-two years ago, but he remained my son-in-law always.”
Yesterday over lunch, Mamie shared far more about Marc Blanchard than Mia had ever known. And told them about some of their conversations and about his work. An engineer by trade, he used to design aircraft of many kinds, and invented fuel and aeronautic systems and helmed several businesses that produced those systems, which were now widely used.
He called Mamie fairly often to check on Mia and Mason and just to talk. He’d been rebuffed by Mason too many times to try again, but Mia was more open to him. Without the closer connection of seeing her in person, it had been difficult for him to break across the barrier of polite conversation into a more relaxed affection with her. But he wanted it.
“I’m so sorry, Mamie.”
“I am too. So much time was lost for them. Camille managed to do the same to the two of you. Don’t waste any more of it, Gage.”
“I don’t plan to.”
“Tell Mia the arrangements have all been made, since he left detailed instructions. His ashes will be interred in his family’s crypt in Metairie Cemetery on Sunday. He didn’t want a service, but I thought we could take flowers at two, after Mass.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“I’m so glad you’re here for her.”
“I am. I promise.”
He closed out the call and went into the bedroom and got back into bed with Mia. He snuggled against her back and put an arm around her to spoon.
She moved and yawned, then groaned. “I have to work today. Halloween is officially tomorrow, but we’re celebrating it today. We’ll have hundreds of people coming in because we have a twenty percent off sale going on to celebrate. And we’ll be giving out candy to the children. all day We’ll need all hands on deck.”
“I can come down and work the floor for you if you need extra help.”
She seemed to mull that over for a second. “If you wear your muscle shirt and shorts, we’ll get more sales.” She teased.
“Anything to help.” God, he hated to crush this playful mood. “Your grandmother called a few minutes ago.”
Her body went taut as though she was steeling herself against a blow. “He’s gone?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes.” He wished he could spare her this.
“I knew last night before we left.”
“It’s okay, Mia. You treated him with respect and kindness. And he was proud you were his daughter. You have nothing to regret.” He tightened his hold on her. “Your grandmother said he made all the arrangements himself, and everything is taken care of. There’s nothing for you to do until tomorrow.”
She remained silent for several minutes, but he could tell she was struggling to control her emotions. “I’m glad it’s over for him. He was in so much pain.”
As much as he wanted to, Gage couldn’t shield her from this.
“I wish he could have seen Promises. I wish I could have seen some of the planes he built.”
“Maybe you will. One day you’ll travel to France and England and visit all the places he did.”
He ran a soothing hand up and down her arm.
“I think I have to get up. I need to do something so I don’t have to think about this.” She threw the comforter back.
She needed to work through it. He often did the same. “I’ll start the coffee.”
*
Mia worked the bubble wrap up and out of the wooden bowl, assigned the object a barcode, typed it into the system, then added the description of the piece and the artist’s ID number. And as soon as she printed out the tags, she peeled them off and stuck them to the bottom of each object. The work was tedious and exacting, and absolutely perfect for keeping her mind occupied.
Gage carried another box into the office and set it on the floor next to her chair then arranged the pieces she finished labeling in an empty box and carried it out.
Jessica came in and started unwrapping the rest of shipment. “I can do the barcodes for you if you’d like me to.”
Mia shook her head. “It’s okay. I need the distraction.”
Jessica nodded. “Gage’s display is taking shape. He’s mixed some of the pieces in with other displays.”
Mia keyed in another number. “He’s very detail-oriented.” She supposed he needed to be in his line of work. He’d remained on high alert while they drove from her apartment to Mamie’s yesterday, and had scanned the area before he allowed her out of the car. Was that how she was going to have to live her life from now on?
She typed the description of the piece.
Jess wadded the bubble wrap up in the bottom of the box and lined the small carvings up so it would be easier to keep them organized. “I’ll go downstairs and do a sweep of the gift shop to see if we’re running short on any inventory. We’re having a great turnout.”
“Good. I’m so glad we decided to spend the extra money for that half page ad and the coupon. That discount was an excellent idea, by the way.”
Jessica smiled. “Thanks, boss.” She shut door behind her.
When the door opened again five minutes later, she was focusing on the numbers and didn’t look up.
A piece of paper spun at her face and she threw up a hand to block it and batted it away. She looked up annoyed. “Mason. What are you doing?”
“What did you do, Mia?”
“What’s wrong with you? I’m working.”
“You’re working. Working?” He picked up a wooden sculpture of a bird so lifelike it looked like it might take flight. He slammed it down hard against the top of the table and snapped off a wing.
Her heart fell at the destruction and the uncontrolled violence of his actions, and she shoved her desk chair back and got to her feet. “Stop it!” She rushed to gather up the other sculptures before he could damage them and put them back in the box next to her chair.
“When did you talk him into leaving everything to you, Mia?”
So he’d gotten a copy of the will. She hadn’t expected it to happen today. “I didn’t. He asked me to be executor of his estate, and I told him I would.”
“He left you everything!” His voice went up in pitch. “You bitch.” He started around the table, the sculpture still in his hand. She backed away and nearly tripped over the box Gage set in the floor.
“Stop it, Mason. I haven’t seen the will. What does it say?”
“Liar. You had a hand in this. It has your style all over it. You have sole control over his estate. All two hundred and fifty million dollars. It’s all to be used to build charitable works to help the poor, sick, homeless. To put them to work.”
She gripped the back of the office chair and moved it to block him. “Marc talked about wanting to leave his mark in a way that would help as many people as he could. He talked about a hospital wing, and a recreation center for underprivileged children. He said he already had the will written and had just waited until he could ask me to be executor to sign it.”
“And you encouraged him?” His face was bright red and his eyes were narrowed, his expression ugly with rage.
She took another step back. “It was his money, Mason. He’s the one who worked for it, used it to structure more businesses, and grew it. Only he had the right to give it to the people he wanted to have it. I’m just the executor, and by law I have to follow his wishes.”
“He’s left you his stock in B and B. You’ve never wanted anything to do with our company. You don’t even know what we do.”
“You buy up property all over the city, remodel or restructure it, then rent it out or sell it. Or you build to a client’s specifications and maintain interest in their enterprise. I do understand what you do, Mason.”
Gage opened the door and, seeing Mason looming over her, rushed across the room to stand between them. Mason ignored him.
“You get to rake in the profits while you sit in your office here without putting in any of the work.”
“Actually, I don’t accept any profits from your business.”
‘That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not. Ask Ming to show you the monthly dispersal. Didn’t Camille share that little windfall with you? How long are you going to allow her to screw you over?”
He lunged forward and would have grabbed her, but Gage shoved him back, and Mason staggered and caught the edge of table.
“Stay away from her, Mason, or I’ll take you down.” Bloodlust flared in both men’s eyes, and for a moment she thought they might crash together like two raging bulls, and now the jagged piece of wood in Mason’s hand looked more like a weapon than a sculpture. The bird’s beak and head would make a perfect knife.
“Please put down that piece of wood, Mason,” Mia said, her voice shaking.
He looked down at it as though he’d forgotten he held it. “You’re not going to get rid of me, Mia. I’ll never stop until I get what belongs to me.” He threw the chunk of walnut across the room and it struck one of the cabinets, leaving a gouge in the door.
Mason’s attention swung back to her. He’d gone from crazed to cold in a second. And she found that more frightening than the furious man who barged into her office.
“You fuck with our business and I’ll fucking end you, Mia. I’ll end you.”
He strode toward the door and nearly knocked Jessica over as she opened it. The two security guards waited for him to cross the threshold.
“You touch me, and I’ll sue you into the next millennium.” He stalked past the guards.
They turned, and, hands on their weapons, followed him across the gallery, and all three disappeared around the corner where the stairs descended.
“You said he wasn’t violent,” Jessica said.
“He’s never been in the past, but he received a copy of my father’s will today. It wasn’t exactly what he expected.”
Gage bent to pick up an envelope on the floor and opened it, pulling out the document and scanned it. “It might not be exactly what you expected either, Mia.” He handed it to her.
She brushed back that stray strand of hair that had escaped her braid and accepted the papers from him with trembling hands. She skipped the introduction and moved directly to the endowments.
The amount bequeathed to Mason was one dollar.