Apples, Appaloosa and Alibis Read online

  “Joking is not part of Dale’s vocabulary when it comes to business,” Sunny said.

  I nodded. “Apparently not. You know Brenda is down in Tucson. Do you have a date in mind?”

  “Not yet, there is time. Nothing will happen until we have all the legalities out of the way. I wanted to bring it up with you, so when you talk to Brenda you can mention it. Counting agents, assistants, and the rest of the staff, we are looking at around thirty-five people, give or take a few. You know how those things work.”

  “That’s a lot of people, where are you planning on doing this? Outdoor, indoor?”

  “Probably a combination of both, over at Dale’s place.”

  “Is his house that big?”

  “Big and then some. Kay drove me over for a meeting. His back yard is designed for large parties, I call it a Disneyland for adults.” She smiled. “Unlike Disneyland, no lines and no rides.”

  “Sunny, can I pick your brain? I showed a listing today. It was a cold call on one of our signs, 8th Place and Glendale?”

  She nodded. My broker was a caring genius who made it a point to familiarize herself with all our listings/sales. I knew that from the months I’d spent as her personal assistant.

  I went on. “The interested buyer is looking for a house that could be used as a senior assisted-living place. The home needs work, but while he likes the location, he isn’t sure about the zoning laws or anything that applies to that sort of business. I volunteered to research the subject. Can you help me out?”

  “I can do better than that. One of Dale Wolf’s agents specializes in that type of business. He sells homes for senior assisted-living and also for behavioral health wellness—substance abuse in plain English. I believe the rules are similar. It’s a very specific niche as real estate goes and very much in demand I’m told. I’ll get you the contact. You may want to familiarize yourself with that industry. With your aunt Brenda’s years spent working in those high-end retirement planned villages, she may be able to send future investors your way.”

  I stopped myself short of reminding her that Brenda wasn’t really my aunt. “That’s great. Thanks Sunny.”

  I went back to join Kassandra in the kitchen for coffee and gossip.

  “He’s not on Facebook,” Kassandra said, getting the milk carton from our shared refrigerator.

  “Who are you talking about?” I stirred my coffee.

  “Sexy Mr. Coste, who else?”

  “Wait, you went to look for the man on Facebook? And now you’re checking the back of the milk carton?” I chided.

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be stupid. And no, not just on Facebook, I did a wide search, and I couldn’t find him anywhere. Maybe he gave you a phony name.”

  “Why would he do that? I’m supposed to call him with the info he needs.”

  “Maybe he has one of those untraceable cell phones, you know, what is it they call them on those cops show? Burners?”

  “Really Kassandra. I’m sure he told me his real name. He’s from California. He flew in and rented a car at Sky Harbor, and he owns a place somewhere downtown where his mom, okay, stepmom and her sister live. Is that real enough? And by the way, he’s at least fifty years old.”

  “So?”

  “Would you date a fifty-year-old man?”

  “No, definitely not.” We both turned around to see who spoke from the open kitchen door.

  Dale Wolf. Damn. Blood rushed to my face, and my mouth refused to close.

  Kassandra didn’t seem fazed at all. “It’s easy for you to say, Mr. Wolf. You’re married.”

  “Happily married,” he said then turned on his heels and left.

  “I didn’t hear the front door, did you?” Kassandra asked.

  I shook my head. Open mouth and all. “Is he here often?”

  She shrugged. “More often than I’d like, but no one asks my opinion, and he sometimes brings cupcakes to die for. He may be waiting for Kay to get here. They are still having meetings, discussing the legalese side of their universe. Let’s talk about something pleasant, how is your Frenchie doing?”

  “Please, Kassandra, don’t call him that. I doubt he’s even French. You know Mr. Dumont adopted him after he married Tristan’s mom.”

  “Oh, don’t hit the panic button yet. You’re too young to lose your sense of humor.” She emptied her coffee mug while I was still stirring mine trying to stop thinking about Tristan.

  It happened every time his name came up. “Fever, Give me Fever.” Yes, that song summed it up neatly, and now I might as well go home because I’d have that song twirling in my mind for hours.

  “Sorry, Kassandra. You know Tristan Dumont is in France, right? That’s why I went to collect their mail. The house is empty. Even Tache, Tristan’s mare, is down at the ranch.”

  “Enough about men.” She yawned. I must be really boring. “What are you going to do about a car? You keeping the loaner?”

  “Hell, no. I hate that thing. Just haven’t decided what to get, but one thing is sure. It will be a four-door sedan, something I can get in and out of without needing a step stool. And I’m thinking silver.”

  “Okay, that’s a good start, you want a silver sedan. Now all you need to do is pick a brand. How about a Mercedes?”

  “You’ll probably think I’m nuts, but I would like to buy American.”

  “American what?”

  “An American-made car.”

  “Good luck, they are all built somewhere else.”

  “Even the Fords and Chevrolets? So what’s that song about the American pie and the Chevy?”

  She looked at me for a long time, and somehow her expression mellowed a little. That alone was a big deal when it came to Kassandra. She squeezed my arm. “What do you know? You’re just a big softie romantic. But, Monica, if you actually listen to the whole song, the Chevy has little to do with American pie. Regardless, I’m sure you are as good an American as most of us.”

  “Even with my accent?” I joked.

  “We all have some kind of accent, yours happens to be a little more... exotic. Now see what you did? I’m all shook up,” she said, lifting her blouse collar up, a la Elvis. And with that we both laughed. She went back to her desk, and I headed to my lonely cubicle to work on Greg Coste’s project and fantasize about Tristan’s quick homecoming.

  I wasn’t going to accomplish much sitting there, daydreaming. I picked up my stuff and quietly left the building, winking at Kassandra on my way out the door.

  SIX

  THE SUN WAS going down, creating a fiery Arizona sunset I could see from my kitchen window.

  I called Gregory Coste.

  “Monica, call me Greg, okay? So you’re saying that as long as there isn’t a senior assisted living facility within a one-mile range, we’re good? And you already checked on that? Well done.”

  “Yes, Mr..Greg, it’s going to work out—”

  “Can we take a second look tomorrow?” he interrupted. “I could measure the rooms and get some pictures. Late morning works better for me. I have hired help who comes to take care of my stepmother. Hope this one shows up. I don’t have much luck with these so-called caregivers.”

  “Oh, wish I could help you, but I don’t know much about caregivers. My aunt Brenda would. Maybe I’ll ask her next time we talk.”

  He mumbled something.

  “Should we plan to meet around ten-thirty? Would that work?” I kept the pressure on. “I need to double-check regarding availability. Greg, if you don’t hear from me, I’ll see you at ten-thirty. Otherwise, I will call you.”

  “Perfect, let’s do this. I have good feelings. See you in the morning.” He ended the call. Perfect was right. Perfect way of ending my day. Sunny had kept her word, and with one phone call I’d been able to learn about the basic rules and regulations for Greg Coste’s project. If indeed he intended to pay cash, he needed to get something in writing from his bank regarding proof of funds.

  The fact that when I drove home there wasn�
�t any trace of Tommy made my day even better. All was quiet in the neighborhood, a little too quiet to be honest. Might as well get used to it since Brenda was spending more and more time at the Tucson horse ranch and taking my walking buddy, Dior, with her.

  I sighed and took a bite of the now-cold grilled cheese I had made for myself. Again. Cold grilled cheese and warm pinot grigio. Oh, what a delightful meal. Both the cheese and the wine I ‘borrowed’ from Brenda’s stash. She wouldn’t mind. Plus, if she let Tommy raid her pantry, that was sort of the green light I needed. I kicked off my shoes, but instead of concentrating on Greg Coste’s project, I let my mind drift to more romantic and personal thoughts.

  Tristan’s family was in France, and my family lived in Italy, northern Italy, probably a one-hour flight between the two countries. I had never mentioned Tristan to my sister or my mother. For one thing there wasn’t much to talk about, and they were still in shock about my divorce. Never mind that was five years ago. It was the first divorce ever in our small Catholic town, and that was a biggie... not in a good way. If they got wind I was dating—okay, almost dating—a married man, they would disown me for sure. Disown me? Sounded like a joke. The only thing my family owned was the old house my mother inherited from her parents. The house was probably one hundred years old. Hell, there was moss growing on the roof. I still remember the moldy smell of the upstairs rooms during the rainy days of winter.

  As usual, I had a real knack at finding something negative about everything, at least in my mind, especially as the sun went down and another lonely night approached.

  More like a Zorba the Greek kind of day. When I felt lonely, I thought about the poor widow in that Greek movie who lost her life just as she finally found a lover. I mentioned that to my mother once after my divorce, and she was like, “You watched Zorba the Greek? How? Where? You weren’t even born when that movie was around.” Sheesh, she ought to be proud—Monica the cinephile. Okay, I gave myself the title having read something in a magazine about movie fans/cinephiles. Sounded important.

  Tristan called, and Zorba was forgotten.

  “Hi, Fiat, I’m coming home.” His voice sounded tired and yet cheerful. What time was it in France? The middle of the night for sure. “I can’t wait to see you,” he said.

  “Oh, you’re so sweet. Can I pick you up at the airport?” A trembling eagerness in my voice.

  Instead of answering, he chuckled softly like we were sharing some funny, intimate secret. “Fiat, no one should expect to be picked up at the airport by someone they care about. It’s an awful place, and to be honest, I have no idea when I’ll get there.”

  “Oh, you just said that—”

  “I booked a flight to Philadelphia, and from there I may or may not find a connection. But at least I’ll be in the United States, and I can navigate the system better from American soil. I’m on my way to Charles De Gaulle Airport. Then I have a couple of hours to wait. I’ll catch some sleep in the lounge.” He yawned. “Sorry, sweetie, my trip has been a waste of time, but I had to try.”

  “Waste of time? I’m sorry.” I felt totally clueless. He’d gone there to talk to his family, so what went wrong? Did he tell them about me? Maybe they were like my family. Totally against divorces. Darn. “Anything I can do to cheer you up? Like maybe picking you up and driving you home?” I tried again.

  “Talking to you makes me feel better already. How was your day? Am I keeping you from—”

  “Tristan, you are the best part of my day, every day. You know that don’t you?” I felt a lump in my throat. Boy, was I ever cheering him up. I had to change subjects, getting too emotional, as usual.

  “I do, Fiat. That’s why I’m trying to speed up this whole thing, so you don’t feel insecure or doubtful about us. We have nothing to be embarrassed about. You go to sleep, sweetie, and I’ll call you when I get to Philadelphia. Okay?”

  I mumbled a yes. Say something; keep him interested... but he was gone.

  I didn’t care what he said. I would pick him up at the airport. I walked around my small, comfortable home checking the doors again—something I hardly ever did. But my mind was stuck on Tristan and not functioning rationally. He sounded a lot more discouraged than he’d admitted—that I was sure of. All of a sudden, the enforced solitude was getting under my skin. I missed Brenda, big nutty Dior, and truth be told, I even missed boring Officer Clarke. There, I said it.

  Ten-thirty the next morning and under a cloudy sky, I sat in my car and double-checked the information package I had printed out at the office before heading to the 8th Place listing to meet Greg Coste. Somehow, getting to the office by nine a.m. made me feel more professional than all the fancy business cards with gold-embossed lettering or all the expensive, showy cars not made in America that the successful Realtors liked to be seen driving. Well, they looked successful and impressed us newbies. I had no yearning for either of their props. But I did like my job, a lot. And the fact that I met Tristan Dumont while working for Sunny Novak made me like real estate even more.

  Greg Coste looked as sharp as the first time I met him. He arrived prepared. He measured, took photos inside and outside and even some of the surrounding streets. He did that part as I was locking up and reminding him that time was of the essence. The standard shtick: You want this place? Better put it in writing. Residential real estate business is not very receptive to verbal offers.

  When I arrived back at the office Kassandra peeked from the kitchen doorway. “Oh, it’s you. We have take-out pizza coming. Want some?”

  I shook my head, wondering who we could be. Probably Scott.

  The idea of picking up Tristan at the airport had me all edgy, in a good way. What if he didn’t call me from Philadelphia? He should... he would. Clear your mind, Monica.

  The office was so quiet, like no one was there. I could hear the printer in the back. Well someone was working. Good. With a little bit of luck, I could be the next agent printing out a nice contract for Greg Coste.

  Kay sneaked up on me on her way to her private office.

  “Hi, Kay, were you the one using the printer?”

  She nodded and waved a stack of printed pages. By her smile it must have been a good one. Then again, most of Kay’s deals were in the six figures and up. She was our top agent and rightly so. She left a delicate trail of perfume as she walked by.

  Thirty minutes later I was heading home, the long way, so I could drive by Tristan’s house even if he was somewhere up in the sky on his way to Philadelphia. I ended up buying chicken nuggets and fries at the Paradise Valley Mall food court.

  He called at seven-thirty. He had an American Airlines flight to Phoenix. No time to talk, still rushing through customs and needing to get to the gate at the opposite end of the terminal. Again he reminded me he would get an Uber ride once he landed and would call me from home if I didn’t mind him waking me up. I went along feeling like a criminal because I knew I was lying to him. I would be at the airport to pick him up, like it or not.

  The minute he hung up I went to work, finding the flight was a breeze—thank you, Google—there was only one American Airlines flight out of Philadelphia headed to Phoenix, due to arrive at Sky Harbor at two a.m., Terminal 4. He would be so surprised to see me, I had to plan this right. I could park in the cell phone waiting lot east of Terminal 4 and keep an eye on the electronic flight information display. Once the flight landing showed up on the board, I could give him ten minutes to deplane before starting to call his cell. What was he going to do? Tell me to go home? Of course not. Finally, something to smile about.

  With about six hours, I had plenty of time to take a nap, wake up, shower, dress and drive myself to the airport. Wait, what was I going to wear? Jeans? Skirt? I could hardly stand all that excitement. Time to go inspect my closet and make sure my cell was fully charged, this was going to be perfect, absolutely perfect. I mean, what could go wrong?

  SEVEN

  ON MY WAY to the airport. And for once, I didn’t begrudge drivin
g the leased SUV. It offered plenty of room for Tristan’s luggage. I had also brought along the plushy throw Brenda gave me two Christmases ago because even in the desert, the February nights were cold, and I didn’t want to keep the engine running for a long time. The airport waiting lot looked mostly empty, only two other cars parked in different rows. I kept my eyes on that electronic board, praying I didn’t fall asleep. That would be terrible, missing Tristan’s arrival. I had to catch him just as he got off the plane on his way to luggage pickup, before he could get a chance to contact Uber.

  Time passed slowly, the car windows fogged up, and the numbers on the electronic display got fuzzy. Two flights still showed as active, the one coming in from Philadelphia and another flight arriving from Chicago, only ten minutes apart.

  I should have brought something to drink, something warm with caffeine. All I had was the lukewarm water bottle and as a distraction the waistband of my tight-fitting jeans that cut into my middle like a tourniquet. Suppose the flight got cancelled. No, no way. I checked before leaving the house.

  Stop it, Monica.

  And just then, Tristan’s flight posted Landed, brightening the board and my disposition. That was the shot of adrenaline I needed. I looked at the time on my cell, made sure everything worked. My hair—must comb my hair. Then I checked my mascara and my lipstick in the rearview mirror. I could touch that up. In all the excitement I dropped the lipstick tube. It rolled under the driver’s seat. No, no... not now. Forget the lipstick, I’ll look for it when I get home. Home? Suddenly the thought I had been avoiding for the last ten hours caught up to my conscious mind.

  Tristan would have to be dropped off at his house. A very empty house, we would be alone, for the very first time. No dogs, horses, no Angelique. No interruptions. A blessing or a curse? Was that the real reason I had insisted on picking him up? Clear your mind, Monica. Focus. I thanked the power above for autodial, without it, I would never have managed to get Tristan’s number entered correctly, not with my whole body shaking. Excitement or fear?