“Yeah.” I sketched out my plan to build a wet wall along the central load-bearing wall.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Trip said, “but I wanted to run it by you first. We’ll have to do a raised floor to make the toilets work, but it’s a lot more cost-effective than jackhammering through the foundation.”
“No kidding. And I was thinking of furring the other walls and adding insulation and drywall.”
“Oh? Why?”
“To make them more homey. Cinder blocks are kind of institutional.”
He nodded.
“Also, the insulation will help if we add wall-unit air conditioners. They don’t make sense for the cabins, but the motel buildings are where most short-term campers stay. Susan’s competing against traditional vacation resorts, so the A/C will make the Pines more attractive.”
“Now you’re thinking like a project manager,” Trip said with a grin.
“Do you still think we can do it?”
“I’m getting more confident as I get more information.”
“I talked to Joska about it.”
“What’d he say?” Trip asked sourly. “That we should focus on school instead?”
“Not at all. He thinks we should do it.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. He told me to stop by his office next week and he’ll take a look at what we find this weekend.”
“For real?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait, does he want to get paid or something? As a consultant?”
“No,” I said with exaggerated patience, “he wants to help.”
“Teacher’s pet,” Trip teased, but it had an edge of resentment to it.
“Whatever. You’re better at the management and planning, but you don’t hear me complaining.”
“No, you’re right,” he admitted. “I guess I’m just a little jealous. I’m used to being the MVP. I don’t like being the runner-up.”
“Well, I wish I could do what you do,” I said. “But I can’t, and I’m okay with that. To each his own. Now, was that all? I’d kinda like to shower before we eat. And then I have a ton of reading to do.”
“No, one more thing,” he said. “Susan wants to talk to Christy.”
“Talk to Christy? About what?”
“If she’d told me that,” he said with his own brand of exaggerated patience, “she wouldn’t need to talk to her, now would she?”
“No, I guess not.”
“She talked to Wren for a while too. Sounded like PR stuff and advertising. So I suspect she wants to talk to Christy about art and decorating.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. It’s a big project—”
“With a lot of requirements,” he added.
“And Susan’s the real project manager here.”
“Right. You and I are just the construction managers. We have the biggest share of the budget, but—”
“We aren’t the only ones working on it. Got it. Okay, I’ll tell Christy.” I stifled a yawn and scrubbed a hand over my face.
“You okay?” Trip asked.
“Yeah. Just tired.”
“Same here. I’m worried about Wren, though,” he continued. “She’s burning the candle at both end— What’s so funny?”
“I said the same thing to Joska.”
“I guess we all are. Well, except Christy.”
I bit back a peevish reply. “She’s busy too,” I said instead. “You don’t see it ’cause she’s in the studio most of the time.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He paused for a moment and chose his next words carefully. “Did I do something to annoy her?”
“No,” I lied, “not at all.”
“I thought maybe I had. I know I was sort of a jerk about Sayuri and the gifts, but…” He shrugged. “Wren accused me of taking her for granted.”
“Who? Sayuri?”
“No, Christy!” he laughed. “God, no. I don’t wanna… you know… with Sayuri.”
“Well,” I said diplomatically, “if you wanna ‘you know’ with Christy, you might be a little less… presumptuous.”
“So Wren was right?”
I shrugged instead of confirming it and making him feel bad.
“Oh, man, I’m sorry.” He paused and then sighed. “I guess I’m just eager ’cause Wren’s been too tired to… you know.” He laughed. “Well, not as much as usual, at least. She still has needs, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.” She and Christy hadn’t been spending time in Siobhan’s office, which said a lot about her level of exhaustion.
“Tell Christy I’m sorry,” Trip said, although he immediately changed his mind. “No, don’t. I’ll try to be more…” He searched for the right word.
“Respectful,” I said when he couldn’t come up with it.
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“Is that why you asked her if you could borrow me?” I asked.
“Yeah, sort of. I’m trying to do better.” He grimaced. “Wren also accused me of being bossy.”
“Ha! That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
“That’s what I told her,” he agreed, “but you can imagine how that went over.”
“Fireworks?”
“Sort of, but not really. She was too tired. She sulked a little, but…” He shrugged.
“Anything we can do to help?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh?”
He shot me a glance and then decided to go for it. “She wants to start looking for a job. I told her she’s crazy, especially on top of everything else, but…” He shrugged. “You know her. She’s so stubborn.”
“No kidding.”
“So I’ve been thinking about what she can do after she graduates. I have a couple of ideas, but I need to talk to her father first.”
My eyebrows ticked up.
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “I still don’t like that she’s Daddy’s Princess, but this is my idea. Besides, I don’t have enough money or the right experience to pull this off.”
“Oh? What’re we talking about?”
“I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I wanna get my hitters lined up first.”
“And I’m one of those hitters?”
“Yeah,” he said, a little guiltily. “But I don’t wanna seem… presumptuous.”
I grinned at the word.
“It’ll mean some design work, which we’ll pay you for,” he added quickly.
“What kind of design work?”
“I’ll tell you more after I talk to her father. But… are you up for it?”
“Of course,” I said. “You know I am.”
“Thanks. I was hoping you’d say that, but…” He shrugged again and sighed with more than simple exhaustion.
“Hold on,” I asked, “are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He thought about it and decided to say what was on his mind. “I guess it seems like me and Wren and you and Christy are going different directions lately. Spring break, then Easter… We do our thing and you do yours.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I shrugged in silent agreement.
“I guess I always thought, you know, once you and Christy started sleeping together…”
“That we’d all just hop into bed and have a big orgy?”
He winced guiltily. “Something like that.”
“I dunno if that’ll ever happen,” I admitted. “Christy’s… weird… about sex.”
“She doesn’t like it? But Wren said—”
“No, it isn’t that. She likes it fine. Loves it, in fact. But… she’s weird about guys and sex.”
“Ah,” he said slowly. “So it is me.”
“It isn’t personal.”
“Are you sure? I know I rub her the wrong way sometimes.”
“As long as you understand that swinging is her choice, not yours or mine.”
“Of course,” he said, although it sounded pro forma.
The phone rang before I could reply.
Trip sighed and leaned forward to grab the handset. “Hello? Oh, hi! Yeah, sorry. They got home a while ago, but I’ve been talking to Paul.” He listened for a moment. “Sure, hold on.” He covered the mouthpiece and said to me, “Susan. She wants to talk to Christy.”