The Merger (9 page)

He continued on, passing
the sign
that read HART ESTATES A NEW COMMUNITY FROM BENSON, BENSON, AND HART.

He’d chosen the name to honor his great-grandfather who had started it all. Back
then,
it had been Hart Construction. Spencer smiled as he pulled into the spot they reserved for him in front of the trailer that housed the offices.

Under Hart Construction, his great-grandfather had helped build most of Nashville and other cities including New York.
When Spencer’s grandmother had married the first Tyler Benson, and he then became part of the company, his great-grandfather changed the name to Hart and Son, but after a few years changed it again to Hart and Benson Construction.

Spencer picked up his leather portfolio and stepped out of the car. Dust kicked up under his feet and he breathed in the scents. Right now the area smelled of dirt, mud, and water. But in time it would have floral notes from gardens and the smell of fresh cut lawns.

On the door of the trailer were the initials BBH. The company had come a long way since his grandfather joined his great-grandfather’s company. They’d changed the name again when Spencer’s father joined the company as a young man. Under Zachary Benson’s lead, the company had flourished.

Spencer opened the door to the air-conditioned trailer. That felt better, he thought. He set his portfolio on the old metal desk and looked at the plans on the wall.

His cousin Ed had added some key elements to the community, including the park placement.

Ed had held the reins of BBH for years, now it was Spencer’s turn to make his mark, and that was what he was doing with Hart Estates.

The door opened, letting in a wave of heat from outside. Ed slid through the door and gave a sigh when the cool air of the trailer washed over him.

“That’s better,” he said.

“What are you doing here?” Spencer asked as he pulled out a checklist he’d made from his portfolio.

“I could ask you the same thing, but I know we both have the same answer. We have a problem, you know. We’re workaholics.”

Spencer chuckled with a nod. “I just came down to check…”

“You came to check on your baby. There isn’t anything that Chuck doesn’t have under control and you and I are both in the way.”

“You’re right.”

“I know I am.” Ed scratched at his day worth of whiskers. “What do you say we check on Chuck and get out of here and have some lunch? Clara said Warner is rehearsing today so we could go get a beer and eat.”

Spencer agreed with a nod. “I guess that is a perk of this town, those
hotshot
musicians using local establishments to practice their new music before they go back out on the road or record. You get a fine meal, a cold beer, and good entertainment.”

Ed laughed as he opened the door to walk back out into the heat. “Doesn’t hurt when you’re a partner in the establishment either.” He beamed. “I have all afternoon. My mom, your mom, and Darcy all went for pedicures.”

“Where’s Emily?”

A different smile formed on Ed’s lips. “She’s spending the day with my dad. What that means is they will both need a nap when I get back to them. She has him wrapped around her finger.”

“That’s how it should be,” Spencer joked knowing his father was wrapped around Emily’s little finger too. He followed his cousin outside.

“Absolutely.”

As they headed toward the area where they knew they’d find Chuck, their foreman, Spencer’s phone rang.

He shook his head as the ringtone screamed
Call Me Maybe
and Tiffany’s picture popped up on the screen. He had to stop giving her his passwords to things since she found it necessary to change everything including ringtones.

“
Well,
good morning sleepy head,” he gave her the vocal jab through the phone.

“What the hell are you so cheery for? And how come you came home, changed your
clothes
and left me here?”

“Honey, you were sawing logs and were all alone in my big bed. I thought I’d just leave you there.”

She let out a loud grunt. “I don’t snore.”

“Whatever you say.”

“I’m starving,” Tiffany whined. “Are you coming back home soon?”

“Ed and I are on site then headed down to Broadway to listen to Warner rehearse. We’re going to eat down there. Feel like heading down?”

He heard the familiar sounds of a hungover moan escape.

“Or I could pick you up,” he offered.

“I’d love that. I’ll clean up.”

“Oh, and Tiff, take my sheets off the bed and dump my trash before I come home.”

“Ha-ha. I slept in this bed alone you saw.”

He held back a step and let Ed go on. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it later. I’ll be ready when you get here.”

Spencer disconnected the phone call and slid his phone back into his pocket. He knew the sound of her voice after a night of drinking. He sincerely hoped she’d drowned her sorrows in a bottle of wine, but he’d been in the apartment. There were two plates from dinner. Two glasses of wine, a few beer bottles, and some Jack to go with the Coke cans. She had to be feeling like crap, but where had the British accent gone? He didn’t take advantage of her when she was drunk did he?

Spencer’s temper began to fuel. He’d kill the bastard if he…

“You coming?” Ed shouted.

Spencer looked up and saw Ed and Chuck looking over plans. He nodded and headed their way.

He’d been too worked up over Julie all night and now he was worried about Tiffany.

They’d be done in a few minutes and he’d pick up Tiffany and take her to lunch. They could discuss what had happened the night before over a beer for him and a club soda for her.

As he walked toward the other
men,
he thought a day with his girl was exactly what he needed. She could always make him feel better. And for a few hours, he could forget about work and the next week when Julie would be right there with him—every day.

Tim-Tim-Tom’s was the name on the door. Julie laughed as she followed Avery inside the extremely small bar on lower Broadway, which looked to be tucked between two bigger bars. She couldn’t imagine Warner Wright was actually inside, but a moment later she
heard
the familiar sound of his music. Though she wasn’t really familiar with country
music,
she was familiar with reality TV. That’s where she’d known Warner Wright from.

“I’ve never heard of this place,” she said as they weaved their way around the empty tables that were crammed into
the small
area.

“No. You probably haven’t. It’s new. It’s small. And it’s kind of a secret so far. Warner and Ed are some of the partners.”

“Who are Tim, Tim, and Tom? The other partners?”

Avery sat down at a high four top. “Would you believe it if I told you they had us all throw names into a hat and they picked three.”

“And that’s what they came up with?”

“I think it’s catchy.”

Julie agreed with a nod.

“I’ll go up and order for us. They don’t have much in the food department yet, just your basic bar food, but the nachos are killer.”

“That sounds good.”

“How about a beer?”

“I could go for that.”

Avery started for the bar. “We’ll do yoga and take a walk later to combat this.”

She watched her wave to the man on stage and Julie turned to see Warner Wright and she was quite sure he was sitting with Randy
Sayner
. She squinted. Yep, she’d seen his face on some award show—she was sure of it.

The surreal moment washed over her. She was sitting only feet from a famous person. Two famous people. Panic flowed through her. Chances were she was going to meet those famous people.

Her stomach began to slowly twist into a knot.

She looked toward the bar where Avery stood with a woman who was very pregnant. They laughed and both turned toward the
stage
before they walked back to the table.

“Julie, this is my cousin Clara,” Avery said setting two beers on the table.

Clara held out her hand to shake Julie’s and it was then she got a good look at
the woman
with the dark hair and familiar face.

No words came out. She was meeting Clara Wright. Warner Wright’s wife. Half of the duo of The Wrights.

Clara smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you. Avery says you’re the newest tenant in the basement.”

Julie could only nod and then she pushed that lawyer’s gut into place and took back her calm. “It’s very nice to meet you. Yes, I’m living in the basement.”

Clara sat down and placed the bottle of water she carried on the table.

“I love to watch those two perform,” Clara said watching her husband with dreamy eyes. “They work well together.”

“And here I always thought you’d end up with Randy.” Avery lifted her bottle to her lips and sipped.

“I had as much chance with Randy as you do with Pete.” She considered for a moment. “I had less. I still think you and Pete will figure it out.”

Avery nearly choked on her beer. “What I have with Pete is exactly what my mother had with Uncle Zach. Nothing. All I can hope for someday is he will marry someone with a nice brother and set me up. It worked for my parents.”

Julie sat and listened to the two women banter. What an interesting web this family had woven. She tried to put all the pieces together.

“So your dads are brothers, right?”

Both women nodded.

Julie pointed toward Clara. “Your dad is the adopted one?”

“You’ve been getting a Keller family run down.”

Julie shrugged. “I thought it was a Benson run down.”

Both women laughed. “It all ties together,” Clara confirmed. “But yes, my father was adopted by the Kellers when he was seven. Avery’s dad is the only biological son of my grandparents.”

“That’s awesome,” Julie said with quite a bit of enthusiasm. Being an only child she couldn’t even image what it would be like to have a bounty of cousins and siblings.

Clara rolled her bottle between her hands. “My parents were high school sweethearts. Got married. Had kids. Got divorced and married other people—then got married again. To each other.”

Julie realized her mouth had dropped open. “They’re married now? To each other?”

“Have been for nearly twenty-five years this time.”

“Why did they divorce?”

“Times were hard. They just forgot their way. But you can’t mess with fate. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

Julie turned to Avery. “Your Uncle Zach, is that Spencer’s dad?”

Avery grinned. “Yep.”

“Your mom had a thing for his dad?”

Avery’s shoulders straightened as she crossed one slender leg over the other. “They grew up together. His dad was shipped off to France to boarding school. My mother is French.”

That explained the beauty of Avery, Julie thought. The dark hair,
the fine,
nearly fragile features of her face—she was model perfect.

Avery tossed her hair over her shoulder. “My mother fell in love as a small girl and chased Spencer’s dad until he married Spencer’s mom Regan. Then at Clara’s dad’s
wedding to
…” she looked at Clara for confirmation.

“Kathy.” Clara looked at Julie. “He married a woman named Kathy. They were married about eight hours.”

Julie nodded as if she had kept up, but she might need a refresher course later.

“Right,” Avery said. “Kathy. Anyway, my dad was set up as my mother’s date for the wedding. They ran off and had this quick affair. Jetted off to my grandfather’s yacht where my mother stranded him.”

Julie swallowed hard. Who was this woman?

“You know they had some affair?”

“It was a big deal because I came from that lustful week.”

Clara laughed and her cheeks filled with color. “Her family is a lot more open about this stuff than mine would have been.”

Avery shrugged. “Sex is sex. Love is love. My mother doesn’t hide that she had sex with a lot of different men. She was in a position to have whatever she wanted. My dad was a young, and handsome doctor with his own list of go to nurses.”

Julie had to remind herself to blink. “You know all of this?”

“I know all of this. It’s no big deal.”

It sure would have been to her, Julie thought. Then again, her parents were in their late forties when she was born. She didn’t really know anything about their younger lives. She’d missed out on grandparents and everything these girls seemed to have.

“Anyway,” Avery continued as she picked up her beer. “Mom got pregnant, moved to Nashville and did what she could to prove to my dad she could be more than some rich snob. She could be a good mother and she wanted him to fall in love with her.”

“Rich snob?”

Avery’s eyes lit. “Pierpont Oil ring a bell?”