A Wrench in the Works Read online

  “Good idea. Let’s make it quick, though. We still have to get home and start dinner.”

  Back in the truck, I pulled out the show rundown and checked the address for the Wagner house. “It’s just a few miles away.”

  Ten minutes later we pulled up in front of the place. There were cars parked in the driveway so we didn’t get out of the truck.

  “It’s a good paint job anyway,” Chloe allowed.

  I glanced around. “I imagine each new owner did a little something when they moved in. It still needs a lot of help, a new roof for one thing, but it’s in much better shape than the Bloom house.”

  “Looks like some of those owners added a few modern touches.” She pointed toward the front porch. “Those fan brackets look plastic.”

  “They seem more western hoedown than Victorian. They don’t even go with the look of the columns.” I frowned up at them and then realized that my sister and I had the same expression on our faces. Dad would be proud.

  “And all that rickrack and fake gingerbread along the eaves? It looks a little frantic.”

  “We could tone it down, I guess, but I really hope Bree runs away from this one.”

  “Me, too.”

  I peered up and down the street. “Have you noticed there are no film trucks parked anywhere?”

  “I hadn’t noticed.”

  I laughed. “Oh, sure.” My spirits rose slightly. “I’ve got to think it’s a good omen for the Bloom house.”

  “It is, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

  “I won’t say a word,” I promised, but happily clapped my hands. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”

  “I am, too. The Bloom house is a much better fit for the show. It’s such a classic style and it’s in the worst shape, so we can make a real difference there. I can’t wait to get started.”

  As I pulled away from the Wagner house, I frowned. “I just hope the Wagner family doesn’t get too angry when they find out their house isn’t getting a makeover.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Twenty minutes later, we were home and Chloe was picking out her wardrobe for the next day while I went out to the garden to pick veggies for our dinner salad.

  The basket was already full with leaves of romaine and butter lettuce, two carrots, a bunch of radishes, and clumps of various green herbs, when Chloe walked out followed by Robbie.

  She sat down on the side of the raised bed. “You’ve done an amazing job with Mom’s garden.”

  “Thanks. You know how important it was to me during my senior year. I can’t ever see myself letting it go to seed again.”

  Our mother had been a horticulturist and a botany professor at Lighthouse College. She loved this garden, but after she died, none of us had the emotional wherewithal to keep it going. It wasn’t until I broke up with Tommy in my last year of high school that I decided to dive back into the garden. It kept me busy and relatively sane through a really bad time and I still enjoyed working it.

  Chloe’s phone rang and she checked to see who the caller was. “It’s Diego.”

  “Oh, say hello for me.”

  With a nod, she pushed the speaker button so I could hear what he was saying. “Hi, Diego, what’s up?”

  “Hey, Chloe. Thought I’d better give you a heads-up.”

  I watched Chloe’s forehead furrow in concern. Did Diego always call with bad news? He seemed too sweet for that.

  I rolled my eyes at the thought. I didn’t even know the man, for Pete’s sake. But Chloe was looking worried, so it couldn’t be a happy call. Who knew?

  His tone was almost mesmerizing, deep and powerful. Given his natural charisma and Chloe’s bright optimism, it was no wonder the network seemed to think they were a winning pair.

  “The owners of one of the houses got wind that they’re not getting the makeover,” he said. “Bree wants us on the set early so we can schmooze them out of their misery.”

  Chloe stood and paced up and down the walkway in front of the lettuce. “How did they find out?”

  “One of the PAs called this afternoon to give them directions to the shoot tomorrow morning. They decided to drive over to the address to make sure they knew where they were going. They saw all the trailers and activity and made an educated guess.”

  “That was pretty smart of them,” Chloe reasoned.

  He snorted. “Yeah, unfortunately for us. Anyway, Carolee said that they called Bree and gave her an earful. Threatened to sue the show and Bree personally for breach of something-or-other.”

  I didn’t want to take joy in the news that Bree might be sued. I should’ve tried to feel some sympathy for her, but I wasn’t that noble. Honestly, she was really an awful human. I couldn’t help but think that she was getting exactly what she deserved.

  I just didn’t want Chloe to suffer by proximity.

  “We know that won’t happen,” Chloe said, looking slightly more upbeat than a moment ago. “Bree always has the homeowners sign a contract that stipulates that the producers have the final say on whether a house gets the makeover.”

  So much for getting sued, I thought. But hopefully the angry couple’s threats would at least cause Bree to lose a good night’s sleep.

  “I’m just wondering if they’ll even show up tomorrow,” Diego said. “Carolee overheard the conversation and said they were really pissed off.”

  “But still, they’re contractually obligated.” Chloe shrugged. “Bree covers her bases.”

  “I’ll say,” he muttered. “Well, I just wanted you to know the latest scoop. I always hate walking into a situation that’s about to detonate with no forewarning.”

  “You and me both,” she said. “I really appreciate the call.”

  “You bet. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Diego.” She disconnected the call and gazed at me. “You heard all that?”

  “Of course. Has that happened before? Where the owners find out ahead of time?”

  “It’s happened a few times, but as I told Diego, Bree’s usually a few steps ahead of everyone when it comes to playing the game.”

  “It’s a crummy game,” I groused. “I was hoping she might get sued. Or at least threatened.”

  Chloe shrugged and set her phone down on the kitchen porch step so she wouldn’t forget it. “Oh, she’s been threatened plenty of times. It just never sticks.”

  “Knock-knock. Anybody home?”

  The gate swung open and my father and Uncle Pete strolled into the backyard.

  “Dad,” Chloe cried. She launched herself at him and clung to him like a koala bear to a eucalyptus tree. Luckily he wasn’t carrying anything breakable or he would’ve dropped it to grab her. And thanks to my father working in construction most of his life, he was strong enough to remain standing upright.

  “Hi, honey,” he said, hugging her tightly.

  I laughed as I moved around them to give my uncle a hug. “Hi, Uncle Pete. Welcome home. How was your trip?”

  “It was a great trip, but it’s always nice to get back home.”

  “How many fish did you catch?”

  “Oh, honey.” A satisfied smile curved his mouth. “We’ve got a cooler full of beauties in the truck. We’ll bring it inside in a minute.”

  “Wonderful. We had dinner at Bella Rossa last night. It was fabulous as usual.”

  “I hope they gave you the family discount.”

  I grinned. “They sure did.”

  “Good.” He gave me another hug. “You’re looking happy and healthy.”

  “Thanks. I’m both.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Chloe finally let go of Dad, and I noticed both of them had weepy eyes. I felt a little sniffly myself. After all, we hadn’t seen Chloe up here in years. I hoped that would change now that her past secrets were out in the open.
Well, partially, anyway. I wondered when or if she would tell Dad what had happened.

  Chloe grabbed Uncle Pete, and Dad stepped around them to give me a warm hug. “It’s good to see you, sweetheart.”

  “You, too, Dad.” After a moment, I said, “How about we move inside and I get you a beer?”

  “You’re speaking my language.”

  “Come on.” I led the way into the kitchen and found two beers in the refrigerator. Handing him one, I said, “Isn’t it nice to have Chloe here?”

  “I tell you, it’s a sight for these sore eyes.” He ran his hand along his lower spine. “Of course, she nearly broke my back.”

  “I heard that,” Chloe said, walking inside with Uncle Pete.

  We all laughed again and I poured two glasses of wine for Chloe and me.

  “Let’s have a toast,” Dad said. “To Chloe.”

  “Hear, hear,” Uncle Pete said.

  “And to your safe return home,” Chloe added.

  We raised our glasses—and cans—and clinked them all together. Then while Chloe filled them in on all of her latest adventures, I put the potatoes in the oven to bake. A moment later I realized I hadn’t finished harvesting our salad, so I walked back outside to complete the task. Robbie followed me out to keep me company.

  A few minutes later the gate opened again and Mac walked into the yard.

  “Mac.” I didn’t quite hurl myself at him, Chloe style, but I did run over and wrap my arms around his neck.

  “Hi, baby,” he whispered, and kissed me. After a long moment, he said, “You take my breath away.”

  I smiled and kissed him again. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He pressed his forehead to mine. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

  “Me, either.”

  Robbie barked, destroying the mood, and we both smiled. Mac bent over to give the little white dog a scratch behind his ears.

  “Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked.

  He lifted a brown bag. “I brought a bottle.”

  “Oh, that’s so nice.” I took the bottle and checked out the label. “One of my favorites.”

  He grinned. “I know.”

  “Thank you. Dad and Uncle Pete are already here and working on their first beers. Chloe and I already poured ourselves some wine, so help yourself to what’s left of that bottle. I’ll put this on the table for dinner.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll take it inside and you can finish what you’re doing out here.”

  “Perfect. I’m almost done.”

  I watched him walk inside, followed by Robbie, who was rapturous now that another attentive human had arrived.

  With a blissful sigh, I finished snipping chives and then cut a few leaves of kale to blend with the other lettuces I’d picked earlier. My last stop was the tomato plant growing in a huge pot at the end of the row. I spotted three medium red beauties, plucked them off the vine, and placed them in my basket.

  Back inside the kitchen, Dad and Pete were telling tales about their wild fishing party and all the salmon they’d caught.

  “I don’t know how we’ll ever eat all that fish.”

  “I’m happy to help,” Mac said jovially.

  Dad chuckled. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “Speaking of fish.” I glanced at Uncle Pete. “Did you want to bring the cooler into the house?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He set down his beer. “Jack, let’s get that thing inside.”

  “As long as I’m helping to eat them,” Mac said, setting down his wineglass, “I can help carry them.”

  “We’ll take you up on that offer,” Dad said, and the three men walked out of the room.

  I filled the sink with water and soaked the lettuce and other veggies. Then I turned to Chloe. “I can’t stop thinking about tomorrow morning. I hope the Wagners don’t cause too big a scene.”

  “Don’t worry. Bree will explain everything and then Diego and Blake and I will fawn all over them.”

  “Blake? But I thought he was fired. Was he reinstated?”

  “All I know is that his name is on the call sheet for tomorrow morning, so I’m assuming he’ll be there.” She sighed. “It’s probably just as well that the Wagners found out before the fact because now there won’t be any emotional explosions while we’re filming them.”

  “I’ve said it before, but Bree really ought to rethink this whole situation.” With a wave of my hands, I added, “Not that it’s any of my business, right. Maybe I should just shut up about it, but I worry about you having to work with her every day. She sounds so toxic.”

  “Don’t worry.” Chloe grabbed my shoulders and gave me a ten-second back massage. “It’s been a weird couple of weeks, but usually we get along well enough. Basically, she leaves us alone to do our work.”

  “Unless she’s being psychotic?”

  “Right,” she said with a short laugh. “Well, nobody’s perfect. And when it’s time to negotiate for more money or perks or whatever, my agent handles it. And happily, I usually get whatever I ask for.”

  “As you should.”

  “Yes. Because I’m a superstar.”

  “True, you are.”

  “I know!” She reached into the sink, pulled out a carrot, and held it like a microphone. “I’d like to thank the Academy . . .”

  I laughed. “It’s so good to have you home, Chloe. Come back more often, okay? Dad misses you and so do I.”

  She dropped the carrot into the water, reached out, and hugged me. “I miss you guys, too. And I promise. I’ll come home so often you’ll get sick of me.”

  “Not going to happen,” I said. “You know I’ll still worry about you, but as long as you promise you’re happy, I can try to chill out a little.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me another hug. “Oh, I’ve got to get the asparagus ready.”

  “You go ahead and use that side of the sink and I’ll make the salad over here.”

  The three men stumbled into the house carrying a huge cooler that looked like it weighed a few hundred pounds. They set it down carefully in front of the refrigerator.

  “How much salmon is in there?” I asked.

  Pete looked a little sheepish. “Ten big ones.”

  I felt my jaw drop. “Are you kidding? You’ll take some home, right?”

  “We both have plenty for ourselves.”

  “Mac? Can you take some home?”

  “I have a better idea. Why don’t you keep them here and I’ll come over for dinner every night for the next six months.”

  I smiled at him. “You’re invited anytime.” Then I shot a look at Uncle Pete. “Can’t you take some into the restaurant?”

  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then admitted, “I’ve already put quite a few aside for the restaurant.”

  “I hadn’t realized we’d caught that much,” Dad said with a wince. “But when we packed everything up, there was quite a lot.”

  Yeah, like enough to feed thousands.

  “I hope you left some for the other fishermen.”

  “Everyone caught their limit. It was a good month for salmon.”

  “I can see that.” I gazed at the cooler, then back at Dad. “Did you clean them?”

  Dad grinned. “You know I wouldn’t bring them over here without cleaning them first.”

  I gave him a wry smile. “Right, because I would’ve sent them home with you.”

  That had always been our deal. Ever since I was a little girl, I had refused to clean fish. I would cook them and I would do the dishes and a lot of other things, but I drew the line at cleaning fish.

  “Okay,” I said, opening the cooler. “Wow, these are big. I can probably fit two fish in this freezer. The rest will have to go in the garage freezer. Oh, hey, maybe Wade and the rest of my crew would like to take a
few.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Dad said with a wink, and finished his beer before dividing the salmon between my kitchen fridge and the deep freeze out in the garage.

  Once the steaks were grilled to perfection, the asparagus was sautéed, the potatoes were baked, and the salad was tossed, we sat down at the dining room table and feasted.

  Chloe regaled everyone with stories of her life in Hollywood. Mac mentioned that the latest big-budget movie based on his Jake Slater thriller series was in preproduction. Finally I told everyone about the Bloom house. Chloe jumped in to describe the dilapidated old place, the rehab plans, and the shooting schedule, and I somehow slipped and mentioned that there might be some histrionics tomorrow morning with the owners of the rejected house.

  “What does that mean?” Dad asked.

  I looked at Chloe and winced. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Too late,” she said, chuckling. After a sip of wine, she explained, “It’s something the producer likes to do to stoke up the drama.” She told them what usually happened on the first day of shooting and how the Wagners had already discovered the truth. “So, they might be in a pretty bad mood tomorrow morning. But we’ll all be there to try to calm them down.”

  “I’ve met Rolly Wagner,” Mac said. “He’s a humorless stickler for following the rules and his wife is worse. Good luck with them.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened and I was pretty sure mine did the same. “Oh no. They sound awful.”

  I grimaced. “This could get ugly real fast. I’m almost afraid to show up.”

  “Are you kidding?” Mac grinned. “Sounds like a hoot. I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning. I wouldn’t miss this spectacle for the world.”

  * * *

  • • •

  It was barely four thirty the next morning when I walked into the kitchen. I hadn’t slept well, knowing we might have an angry couple to deal with, so Chloe and I had agreed to be ready in plenty of time to have an extra cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast before we left for the day.

  Robbie had been beside himself with excitement that I was up so early to play with him. He circled around me over and over as I tried to walk into the kitchen. My cat, Tiger, more intelligent than either of us, was still in her bed. “Easy there, Rob. You’re going to make me trip and then I won’t be able to feed you.”