Chapter Two
February 13th. 2009© 2009 Kimberly Fish
Chapter Two
Lacy Cavanaugh gnawed on her broken thumb nail, dismayed that Henry Robinson found her in jeans and a white t-shirt shuffling furniture in the store’s warehouse. Claire and Sharon were supposed to use the new intercom system for just this sort of warning. Straightening her back, there was nothing more she could do. He’d found her hiding place.
“You’ve wasted your time, Henry,” she said leaning her hip against a wooden TV console and trying to appear unflustered. She folded her arms across the dust bunnies clinging to her shirt. “There’s nothing in the warehouse that would interest a Dallas dealer.”
Henry wore jeans and a black t-shirt. He folded his arms in mockery of Lacy’s stance, leaned back against an armoire, and smiled in wicked delight. “On the contrary, I don’t think you know what I’m looking for.”
She had her suspicions, but she couldn’t trust the butterflies in her stomach with their usual keen sensor. “The Steinmeyer deal is wrapped up,” she said just shy of adding at least on the two rooms Inga promised me. “I would have thought you’d have gotten in your Suburban and moved on to San Antonio or Austin. What I have here is mostly German influenced design. The country French stuff your clients want is not for sale around here.”
“Do you always jump to conclusions like this? Because I have to say in our business it’s best to not play all your hand at once.”
Now he’d made her mad. Yesterday he’d rattled her, particularly after he’d hung around Provence Farms to meet Kali and Brad which included a grand tour and the unfortunate wine and cheese sample. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to tell me how to run my business. I know what I’m doing. I have a degree.”
He shrugged. “Degrees look great on the wall, but the best teacher is experience. And that my Lacy girl, is where you’re sadly lacking.”
“I am not your girl and I never asked for your advice. If you have no interest in what we’re featuring at Comfortable Treasures then you should leave. I have work to do.” Before she could gracefully exit, she turned around and added. “I organized Kali’s business from almost the beginning and now she’s one of the most accomplished gourmet cheese producers in the industry. So back off. I have experience.”
Henry straightened from his pose and followed Lacy through the maze of desks and dressers. “I’m not diminishing your accomplishments. I’m suggesting that when it comes to your antiques business, which you freely admitted was a new endeavor, that you lack practical experience.”
She ran her fingers over the crenellated edge of a roll-top desk, hating that he was right. “Everybody has to start somewhere.”
“And since I have more than a few weeks of vacation that I’ve never used, much to my father’s regret, then I volunteer to be your guide in this process.”
Lacy’s hand stilled. Her nerves tightened around her stomach. Though she’d often longed for an antiquing mentor, the paragon was supposed to be an elegant older woman, not a handsome, single man. “Excuse me?”
Henry stopped just short of crashing into Lacy’s back, a move he didn’t step away from. Lowering his voice he said, “I’m here to help.”
“This kind of help is dangerous.”
“Doesn’t have to be,” he said quietly. “I like it here in Comfort. I like you.”
Her stomach caved. She hurried around the desk and toward the exit. Yanking the door open she flooded the warehouse with sunshine, “I can’t keep you from visiting Comfort, but I don’t want your help,” she turned around to face him. “I can’t afford you.”
Kali Williams crossed the cobbled driveway and called out, “Hey, you two. I heard you were in the warehouse together.”
“And doesn’t that just sound,” awful is what she was going to add, but Henry beat her to it and finished by adding,
“Wonderful.”
Kali stopped near the doorway where Henry and Lacy stood. “Brad and I were in town to mail off Valentine’s sales brochures. When we heard Henry was here, well it just seemed like going out to lunch with you two would be the coolest thing. Unless, of course, you’ve made other plans. I wouldn’t want to barge in.”
“Barge away,” Lacy stammered. “No plans. None whatsoever. Except I was going to dust. Dust the warehouse. We’ll probably get tourists in a few weeks for the Christmas festivals. I want to be ready.”
Kali studied Lacy like her sister had lost common sense. “So you’re cleaning now?”
“There’s a lot of furniture.”
Henry propped his hand on Lacy’s lower back. He leaned closer to Kali and said, “I arrived just in time to save her from such insanity. And speaking on her behalf, I’d say lunch sounds perfect. I happen to know she’s been at the shop all morning.”
Lacy stepped away from his touch. “Well, aren’t you Mr.-Know-it-all, you’ve assigned yourself the role of mentor and babysitter. How do you manage?”
Kali’s smiled faded.
Henry appeared unflustered. He slipped his hands into his pockets, rocked back on his heels and winked. “I’ve never done anything like this before, so I can’t really say how the role is going to turn out, but I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said glancing at Lacy. “Besides after lunch, I need you to give me some directions. Seems Inga Steinmeyer might be interested in selling more than her bedroom and dining room.”
“She’s not going to do business with you,” Lacy insisted. “She and I have already made a deal. And she likes me. I even have a buyer lined up for her dining room set.”
Henry grinned. “I know. Your partner, Claire was it, was quick to accept my original offer. Really, I need to teach you girls how to negotiate for a better price.”
Lacy’s tongue stammered against her lips. “You’re the man looking to design his vacation home with authentic German craftsmanship?”
“I may have stretched a few details,” Henry said sheepishly. “I don’t actually own a vacation home yet.”
Lacy spun on her heel to face Kali. “Don’t you dare eat lunch with this man. He’s a snake.”
“A snake?” Henry’s smile dropped. “I just promised to pay a fortune on furniture I’ve never even laid eyes on. You’re better off calling me a blind fool.”
“So you’re buying this for charity,” Kali asked. “So Lacy can make some money?”
Lacy folded her arms across her chest. “No, sister, he’s buying this dining room set at a rock bottom price so he can turn around and re-sell it in Dallas at least two or three times what he invested. Isn’t that right, Henry?”
Henry glanced between the tall, blonde sisters, both who bore expressions that didn’t seem to encourage explanations. They’d already convicted him and were this close to stringing him by his toes. “There’s nothing I can say right now that will make you feel better about me. So I guess I’ll pass on lunch. Thanks anyway,” he said moving across the driveway toward his Suburban. He stopped near the Bougainvillea bush and looked at Lacy. “I guess the next time I see you will be at Inga Steinmeyer’s. I hear she has an excellent collection of nineteenth century pottery.”
Lacy’s feet first froze to the ground then felt electrocuted to run for her car and beat the smart-mouthed connoisseur to the farmhouse. There was pottery, china, crystal and a handful of pewter candlesticks that she couldn’t bear to see in Henry Robinson’s hands. Thankfully, she had an ace up her sleeve. “Good luck on getting to Inga’s. The road washed out in last night’s rain.”
To be continued.