The mayor walked to the microphone that had been set up next to the covered sculpture.
“Good afternoon. It is with pleasure that I present the work of Caterina Stoicasescu. This gifted artist has given the town an original piece. To quote her, it represents all that is beautiful and feminine in the town of Fool’s Gold.”
The mayor pressed her lips together, then nodded at a woman in a city park uniform. She pressed a button, and a pulley system was activated. Over the low hum of the engine winding the rope, the heavy canvas rose higher and higher.
Nevada stared at the slender supports, then the bottom of the piece came into view.
The metal curved into a near point. Random squiggling designs decorated the sides. As the cover exposed more, the V shape was more pronounced. At the top, two bulging pods sat on either side of the curving V.
Nevada tilted her head as she stared. To be honest, it wasn’t all that vaginalike — probably a good thing for the town.
“What is it, Mommy?” a little boy asked.
“I have no idea,” his mother replied, sounding puzzled.
“Thank God,” Mayor Marsha murmured.
For the first time in days, Nevada laughed.
TUCKER’S FATHER’S OFFICE was about the size of a bus terminal, with sweeping views of Lake Michigan. Tucker generally enjoyed visiting Chicago. He liked the feel of the city, the restaurants, enjoyed the people. But this time he wasn’t interested in his surroundings. Instead of enjoying the view, he paced in front of his father’s desk.
“I can’t go back,” he repeated for the third or fourth time. “I’m totally at fault. I shouldn’t have gotten personally involved. I know better. I didn’t mean to, but she was there, you know? Just there.”
He paused and looked at his father, who was simply watching him.
“She’s beautiful. That’s part of it. Not traditionally gorgeous like Cat or some model, but there’s something that grabs you, and then doesn’t let go.” He jammed his hands into his jeans pockets, then pulled them out. “She’s good at her job. The guys like her a lot. They respect her. And she’s funny. I have a good time with her.”
He stopped in front of his father’s desk. “So, you see why I have to leave.”
“No,” Elliot Janack said slowly. “I don’t.”
“I can’t be with her. I know what she’d want. Love. Marriage. Forever.”
“Why is that bad?”
Tucker started for the door, then turned back. “I never told you what happened with Cat. Caterina Stoicasescu. That artist? We did the installation for her about ten years ago. It was the first time you put me in charge of a job. I fell for her, Dad. I fell hard.”
Haltingly, he detailed his obsession with the irresistible artist and how difficult it had been to break away.
“I don’t want that. Sure, Nevada is great and I’m going to have a hell of a time getting over her, but I can’t be that man again.”
His father nodded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I take on another job. Prove myself. I know you’re disappointed that I’m not staying on to finish up the Fool’s Gold resort.” He shook his head and swore. “Finish. It’s not even started. The pipes are just now going in. There’s a lot to do. Will’s a great guy and capable, but this is bigger than anything he’s ever done. He’s going to need help.”
Elliot leaned back in his chair. “Why do you think you have anything to prove?”
“I have to earn my way into the position. You’re not going to leave the company to me just because I’m your son.”
“That might be a concern if you were someone else, Tucker. But you’ve been capable of running Janack Construction for years. Everyone else knows that — I’ve been hoping you’d figure it out, too. The only reason you’re not in charge now is that I haven’t been ready to step down. I didn’t ask you to run the Fool’s Gold project to prove anything. You said you were interested, so I gave it to you. You’ve already earned my trust, and you’ve always had my love. I’m proud of you.”
Tucker felt like he was a kid again, all long legs and awkward gestures. He swallowed. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You’re welcome.” His father motioned to the chair in front of his desk. “Ready to have a seat?”
“Sure.”
He sank onto the soft cushion, then wanted to jump up again. He couldn’t just sit still. He needed to be doing something. Get busy. Or run.
He pushed the last impulse away. He wasn’t running. He was making an intelligent choice. There was a difference. Not a big one, but it was enough.
“When your mother died,” his father began, “all that kept me going was knowing I had to take care of you. I couldn’t stand to stay here, there were too many memories. So I took you wherever the work was. All over the world. I told myself that you would enjoy living in different places, meeting different people. And you did. But while you gained a lot, you also lost out.”
Elliot leaned forward in his chair. “You didn’t get to have the same friends year after year. You never stayed in a school long enough to play sports or fall for the girl. I’m not saying there weren’t women. I still remember that incident with the ambassador’s daughter when you were seventeen.”
Tucker grinned. “Hey, that wasn’t my fault. She’s the one who crawled into my window to wish me happy birthday.”
His father smiled. “Point taken. But while there were different girls, you never stuck around long enough to fall for any of them. Until Cat.”
Tucker studied his dad. “You say that like you knew her.”
“I knew of her. One of the guys on the crew called me and told me what was going on. He said you were in over your head, but I figured it was time you learned about life and love. So I stayed away.”
Tucker grimaced. “They knew?”
His father laughed. “You weren’t subtle. You fell hard, got your heart broken and learned your lesson, just like I’d planned. Only it was the wrong lesson, son. Love doesn’t make you a fool. Some of us are blessed with several partners we can love, while others never find anyone. But the lucky ones find that one person who changes everything. For me, it was your mother. I love her as much today as I did when I proposed. I would rather have had her those few years than have loved anyone else for a lifetime.”
Elliot’s mouth twisted. “I would give all this away.” He motioned to his office. “I would sacrifice everything but you to have her back just for a day. To love is to be blessed. What you had with Caterina was…”
“An obsession,” Tucker said grimly. “I’ve heard.”
“But you don’t believe. You think you can’t love and still be who you are. You think the price of love is too high. You’re wrong. Love is worth everything. Not that I’m going to be able to convince you,” his father added.
“Probably not.”
Elliot nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s get together in the morning and talk about the next step. We can start the transition for you to take over the company now or find another job you want to run.”
That was more than Tucker had expected. “Thanks, Dad.” He rose.
“You’re welcome.”
His father stood and walked around his desk. The two men hugged. Elliot put his hands on his son’s shoulders.
“Your mother would be very proud of you. She loved you.”
Tucker thought of the vague memories that had no real form and wished he could have had her in his life longer. But she’d been taken without warning, leaving behind a little boy and a grieving husband.
Tucker left.
Once he was in the hallway, he crossed to the elevator and pushed the button to go down. He kept a small apartment in the city. Getting some sleep seemed like a good idea. Then he’d give some serious thought to what he wanted to do next. Getting out of the country sounded good. He would stay busy. Forget. Because there was no going back.