Page 29 of The Fixer

“After tangling with that snooty client of yours, not so good. Did you send her in here?” She gave him a narrow-eyed glare.

Charlie’s alarm bells clanged. “Did I sendwhoin here?”

“That bony dark-haired gal by the name of Holiday.”

Charlie’s mouth dropped open. “Joy Holiday? Was here?”

“That she was, trying to push her weight around like she’s some big cheese. She wants to tear down an old building!”

Charlie dropped his head on a sigh. He raised it and offered Bea a contrite smile. “I’m sorry, Bea. I tried to tell her it’s not possible, but she has her own ideas.”

Bea patted his hand and flashed him a devious smile. “Don’t you worry. I know how you can make it up to me.”

Uh-oh.She wanted her money back, and he didn’t have it to give her.

He returned a weak smile of his own and spent the next few minutes trying to soothe her, exchanging small talk, even though he itched to get going. Time was in short supply. “You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar” was one of his mother’s favorite idioms, and Charlie had put it to good use during his lifetime, especially when it came to town and county employees who had the power to make a project go smoothly or right off the rails. Too bad Joy Holiday hadn’t been taught the same lesson.

Bea asked how she could help him, and he ran through his reasons for being there. “I wondered if you could update me on the applications for the depot project.” He braced himself.

She stared at him through her glasses. “Nothing’s come in since the last time you asked.”

“Nothing at all?” He struggled to keep the exasperation—and the pinch of panic—from his voice.

She gave him a sympathetic shake of her head. “I’ll call you if and when I see anything. They are working on it, aren’t they? I’ll need to get that money back fairly soon so we can put my mother into a nursing home.”

Aw, Christ! Just shoot me now.

“Yeah, they’re working on it.”I think. Maybe.“They’re hard to get a hold of sometimes, and I reckoned it would be easier to check while I was in here today, but I’ll get with them and figure out the timeline.”

She gave him a bob of her head. “What else can I help you with today?”

He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I need everything you have on file for 367 Bowen Street.” He didn’t refer to it as Crystal Harmony Haven, in case Bea made the connection between the building and Joy. “Any blueprints, permits, building violations, anything. I’d also like to apply for a permit to start demolition on the place. And if you could push it through, I’d be really grateful.”

There came her wicked smile again. “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.”

His eyebrows involuntarily scrunched together. “Excuse me?”

She leaned across the counter and dropped her voice. “That favor I mentioned earlier? I’m thinking we can work out a trade. I needyourhelpwith a little something.”

Were they treading into bribery territory here? Bea had never shown any signs of being crooked before. While he wasn’t sure where this wasgoing, he had a hunch he wasn’t going to like it. Nonetheless, he re-plastered the smile on his face. “Of course … if I can.”

“You remember my niece, Becky? Well, she’s going to be in town the end of this week.” Bea’s eyebrows bounced up and down her furrowed forehead.

Oh no.Nowhe knew where this was going, and fuck! He didn’t need this right now. He’d smiled at the girl once—once!—at Noah’s bar, and she’d blown the innocent gesture completely out of proportion and come on strong. Why couldn’t a dude simply smile at a woman without her jumping to the conclusion he was into her? He only did it to be nice, but he was nice toeveryone. An indiscriminate nice guy. From now on, he would scowl at anyone he met and scare them off like Noah and Reece did.

He scratched the back of his neck. “I bet you’re excited to see her.”

“I am, and she’s excited to seeyou.”

“Hmm. What a shame. I’m headed to a music festival in Doro.” Her eyes lit up, and before she could suggest he take Becky, he rushed to add, “I’m taking someone. Neve.”

Bea’s look turned skeptical. “Doro has a music festival?”

Yeah, he was making shit up on the fly, and he wasn’t particularly good at it either. Although, hehadripped a flyer from a utility box that announced the so-called event when he’d parked. Hehatedpeople putting up that shit in his town. Not only did it violate town ordinances, but it looked tacky as hell. “Well, I guess it’s more of a hoedown at the Silver Lode Bar. But she wants to go, and I can never say no to the doc.”

The skeptical look transformed to one of total confusion. “So you and Neveare…?”

He wagged a finger at her. “Now, Bea. I don’t kiss and tell.” Shit, Neve would strangle him right now if she knew the seeds of untruth he was planting, but how else was he going to get out of this sticky wicket without looking like a total asshole? And Neve had usedhimthe same way plenty of times, so fair was fair.

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