Page 14 of Just Trouble

I think he’s going to end the call, but Jake hesitates for a moment. “Anything else?” I prompt.

“I just want to note that I appreciated the idea of Luke wanting to provoke change. I saw no harm in encouraging that.”

“Why not?”

Jake laughs a little. It’s a rueful sound. “Well, it’s an exercise in futility, isn’t it? Dad is never going to agree. Luke’s heart might be in the right place, but it’s not going to matter in the end. Dad will nix it all.”

“Then why did you agree?”

He considers this so long that I think he isn’t going to answer. “Because Luke drew the short straw,” he concedes finally. “It’s not his fault, but he’s paid the price of being an outsider over and over again. I know I’ve been a part of that and I was glad he came to me. I saw an opportunity for change between us, which I welcomed. We had a good talk, which is new, and I’m optimistic that things might be easier between us going forward, no matter what Dad does.”

“And if Patrick does agree?”

There’s a full beat before Jake answers, as if he can’t even wrap his mind around that possibility. “Then Luke will finally get something he wants. Whether that’s a good or badthing remains to be seen.” I hear another phone ring. “Is that everything? I’ve got to go.”

I add Jake’s admission that Luke was always an outsider to Luke’s comment about Mike being a contributing variable to his choices with regards to Sylvia, and decide that as rich as they were (and are), the lives of the Cavendish clan haven’t been all sunshine and roses.

But then how could they have been, with Patrick as their father? The patriarch sets the tone and when he’s as domineering, demanding and inflexible as Patrick, there’s not going to be a lot of kindness going around.

I think about Luke’s mom then, without expecting to. Such a pretty woman. Louise worked at the hair salon in town and never seemed to catch a break. She never said anything against Patrick either, which maybe means she’s a saint. I wonder where she is now.

Back to business.

Mike is next. Unlike Jake, he’s slow to come to the phone. They page him and I wait, then they page him again. He must be in that enormous greenhouse. It literally has acres under glass, and there are more greenhouses beyond that one, too. The workers ride bicycles to get from one end of the complex to the other.

I have time to wonder whether I should say anything about Sylvia, then decide against it.

Mike sounds even more impatient than Jake and though I can hear someone yelling in the background, I can’t understand the words. It could be Spanish. I hear him drumming his fingers while I explain the reason for my call.

“I signed it.” He gives a wry laugh. “I suggested that he add that piece of land that Rhodes Vineyards wants to his list and when he agreed, I was sold. I’d give anything to get Augustine Rhodes off my back. That man is making me almost as nuts asDad is over this. It’s a small parcel of land that’s useless to us. Those two just like a fight more than I do. I don’t have time for this crap.” He clears his throat, evidently realizing who he’s talking to. “Everything has been within the law, of course, just a steady drip of annoyances, like water on stone.”

“But the rest of Luke’s proposal?”

“I didn’t even read it. If Luke has a plan that will make Augustine Rhodes go away, I’m all for it.”

So, Mike might not have even noticed Una’s house on the list of properties.

“Of course, Dad’s never going to agree to any of it. I wouldn’t want to be the one who gets to present it to him.” He pauses. “Who’s going to do that? Luke? He won’t even manage three words before Dad turfs him out.”

“Apparently Patrick already declined to hear his proposal, so I’m going to present it on behalf of an anonymous party.” I decide that, right then and there, and not just because Mike is probably right.

“Well, good luck to you, Daphne. Set your phaser on stun, at least.”

I smile despite myself at the warning. “What do you think might convince Patrick to agree?”

“Nothing! I’ve been trying for a year to get him to agree to cut loose that one property. I swear, he thinks he’s going to take it all with him. I’m out of ideas.” His voice sharpens as I hear more Spanish. “Is that all you need from me? Things are a bit crazy today.”

I thank him and end the call, then sit looking at my phone for a long moment. They both signed, partly because they thought Patrick would never agree.

I have no way to reach Austin, given how famous he is, so I text Abbie. Her reply is immediate.

Daphne! Of course, I agreed, but not for the house.

Tho it was sweet of L to think of me.

Why, then?

Who am I to trash his emotional recovery?

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