Vegas Heat (2 page)

“Just a goddamn minute, Fanny You can’t waltz in here and tell me how to run this business.”

“I just did. We’ve moved on, Ash. What part didn’t you understand?”

“You’re deliberately screwing this up, Fanny. The minute you get your fingers on something it goes to hell.”

“I made a decision, Ash. When I do that, I don’t look back, and I don’t back down. If I did, I wouldn’t be in business, and you wouldn’t be sitting here in this ... this obscene den of opulence. As I said, I came here for a reason. I’m giving you all the courtesy of asking your opinion. I’ll weigh what you have to say very carefully.” Fanny drew a deep breath as she stared at the faces of her family.

“What is it, Mom?” Billie asked gently.

“Billie Coleman needs our help. As you know, your grandmother Sallie bought into Coleman Aviation years ago. The stock has been holding its own until now. Ash, I know Moss talked to you about the plans for his new plane before he died. I also heard you say you would help in any way you could. Simon also agreed. The Colemans are tapped out. They have nowhere else to turn. They’ve come too far now to let it all settle in the dust. I think we should do all we can to help Aunt Billie bring Moss’s dream to life the way we all worked to make this dream possible for you, Ash. I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

“Charity begins at home, Mom. What have the Colemans ever done for us? Uncle Seth didn’t give a damn about Grandma Sallie. His own sister. I don’t plan on forgetting that,” Birch said.

“What happens if they go belly up?” Ash asked. “Where does that leave us, Fanny? What exactly do you want from us? Our cash flow isn’t that strong. Or are you saying you want to mortgage everything. That’s it, isn’t it? Jesus Christ, Fanny, we could lose everything on some cockamamie dream of Moss’s.”

Fanny’s heart hammered in her chest. She waited.

“Aunt Billie is family. Families stick together. If this is a yes or no vote, then I vote yes,” Sage said.

“Me too,” Billie said without hesitation.

The score was two to two. If Sunny didn’t vote, it would be up to Fanny to break the tie. The turmoil on her daughter’s face tore at her heart. Once before Sunny had taken a stand and made a decision she couldn’t live with.

“What are you waiting for, Sunny?” Ash demanded, his eyes boring into his daughter.

Fanny shivered at Ash’s tone as she too waited for her daughter’s response.

“I love Aunt Billie. I love all the Colemans. I say what’s ours is theirs. I know in my heart Aunt Billie would do the same for us. I’m voting the way Grandma Sallie would want me to vote. I vote yes.”

“That’s just dandy. And when that plane doesn’t get off the ground and we’re hiding out from our creditors, where will you all be?” Ash snarled, his wheelchair burning rubber as he pressed the electric control.

“You’re a jerk, Sunny,” Birch said. He followed his father out into the hall.

“No, you are not a jerk,” Billie said as she wrapped her arms around her sister. “I know what it took for you to do that.” This last was said in a hushed whisper.

“So, what’s the game plan?” Sage asked.

“I’m going to talk to Simon. He’s our investment man. I don’t think he’s going to agree. This could go either way. Sage said it best. Families need to stick together. It’s possible we could lose our shirts.”

Billie’s voice was flippant. “The sign on my door says I’m the head designer of Sunny’s Togs and Rainbow Babies. If we lose our shirts, I’ll design us new ones.”

“Attagirl,” Sage said, pounding her on the back. “C’mon, Sunny, sit down. You don’t have any color. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Fanny’s head jerked upward at the concern in Sage’s voice. “I’m taking all of us to lunch at Peridot. Billie, call Bess and ask her to meet us there. Sage, ask Birch if he wants to join us. There’s no point in asking your father, but do it anyway. I’ll meet you at the front door. I want to call Billie and tell her the good news.”

The moment the door closed behind her children, the phone was in Fanny’s hand. She would call Billie, but first she was calling Sunny’s husband.

“Dr. Ford here.”

“Tyler, it’s Fanny.”

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I want you to tell me. Sunny looks like death warmed over, and that’s a kind statement. Aside from morning sickness, a pregnant woman usually has a wonderful sparkle in her eyes, color in her cheeks. She’s a happy woman. This is not the case with Sunny. And another thing, she shouldn’t be working twelve hours a day ”

“You’re right about everything, Fanny. Were you ever successful in changing Sunny’s mind or getting her to do something she didn’t want to do? I’ve spoken to her doctor, and he tells me she’s fine. He said if she wants to work, she should work. She eats well, she exercises moderately, she takes her prenatal vitamins, and she sleeps through the night. She tells me she takes an hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. She makes sure she takes breaks and walks outside. She didn’t have morning sickness. She’s never been one to complain. My personal opinion is she’s under a lot of stress at the casino with her father and brothers. Did something happen or did you just call to ask me questions? Whatever we say, Fanny, will go no farther.”

“I know that, Tyler.” Fanny told him about the brief meeting and Sunny’s vote. “She looks so ... fragile, so washed-out. She appeared a little wobbly to me. If she’s willing to come up to Sunrise for a week or so, would you have any objections?”

“None at all. I’ve suggested the same thing to her, but she’s married to that casino. I hate that goddamn place.”

“Not as much as I do. Maybe I can work a little mother magic.” She told him about the vote to help the Colemans. “How’s everything going otherwise, Tyler?”

“Reconstructive surgery is not glamorous, but it is rewarding to make someone feel whole again. I love what I do as much as Sunny loves what she does. So, you see, I’m the last person who should even make suggestions where her job is concerned. I’m being paged, Fanny. Call me if you think there’s something I can do. Not that my vote counts, but I think you’re doing the right thing. Tell Billie I said hello when you talk to her.”

“I’ll do that, Tyler. She adores you, you know. She said you remind her of her son Riley.”

“That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Look, you do what you feel is right and don’t let anyone make you back down. Families need to stick together. We’ll talk again.”

Fanny’s fingers drummed on Sunny’s desk. She should be feeling better after Tyler’s reassuring words, but she didn’t. Her motherly intuition was telling her something was wrong. She dialed Billie Coleman’s number in Austin, Texas.

“Is everything okay?” Billie asked, breathless. She had picked up the phone on the first ring. “Every time I hear the phone the word disaster rings in my head. Before you can ask, we’re facing a brick wall. Money just pours out of here. I don’t know what to do. If I don’t finish this project, then Riley’s death and all those other boys who died in Coleman aircraft will have been in vain ... how can I live with that? As sick as he was at the end, Moss worked tirelessly to perfect this plane. How can I do less?”

“You can’t. The Thorntons are going to help, Billie. I’m at Babylon right now. We voted and the money will be on the way by the end of the week. If it isn’t enough, we’ll go back to the drawing board. Please, Billie, don’t cry. Be thankful your granddaughter Sawyer is the aeronautical engineer on this project.”

“We’re all obsessed with this plane project, Sawyer more so. My own children ... Fanny, how is it possible for a mother to be estranged from her two daughters? I never, ever thought such a thing would happen to me, how my daughters can fight me on this plane. All they want is the money they say we’re wasting. They say a new plane won’t bring Riley back, and they’re right about that. He was their brother, and I know they loved him. On a more pleasant note, I just know Sawyer is going to explode when I tell her about your offer. That child has worked for months now, getting by on three hours’ sleep a night. She eats, sleeps, and dreams about her grandfather’s dream plane. She’s going to get it off the ground too, thanks to you. Fanny, I wish there were words ...”

“Words aren’t necessary, Billie. We’re family.”

“We could lose our shirts.”

“Well, guess what? Your namesake said if that happens, she would design us new ones. You can’t beat an offer like that.”

“No, you can’t. How are things going on the Big White Way? How’s Sunny? Is Birch still giving you heartache?”

“I’m in the conference room here at Babylon, Billie. I’ll call you this evening. I’m taking the kids to lunch at Peridot.”

“That place where you and Sallie got blitzed at your first meeting? When I told Thad how Devin took you two home in a hearse because no one had gas, he laughed until he cried.”

“Drunk or not, that is one of my fondest memories of my mother-in-law. Oh, Billie, I miss her so much. She had such faith and trust in me. I hope I can live up to her expectations. I know in my heart she would approve of what we’re doing. Family, Billie, is what life is all about. Sallie always said our families’ destiny was in your hands and mine. Together, we’ll work toward that end.”

“We won’t fail, Fanny. You can take that to the bank. Do I dare ask about Simon?”

“Tonight, Billie. Give everyone my love. Now, take a nap, okay?”

“At ten o’clock in the morning?”

“Why not? Aren’t we independent women? If we are, then we can take a nap anytime we want. Actually, we can do anything we want. Both of us have earned that little perk. Talk to you tonight.”

The Peridot restaurant was as old as Las Vegas itself. It was also Fanny’s favorite restaurant for the very reason Billie Coleman had mentioned earlier.

“I love it when my brother finally acts like a grown-up and holds our chairs out for us,” Billie said.

Sunny’s voice was blunt yet sad when she said, “You’re leaving, aren’t you, Sage?”

“I want to. I’m willing to stay until you have the baby and get back into the swing of things. We’re just flunkies, Sunny. You know it, and I know it. I glide around the floor trying to look important. I’m not sure what you do behind those closed doors. I don’t know if you’re aware of the latest developments. Is anyone interested?” The women nodded just as Bess Noble, Fanny’s second-in-command, joined them.

“I heard that,” Bess said as she kissed everyone before taking her seat. “Now, tell us what the latest development is.”

“Dad and Birch want to buy riverboats in Biloxi, Mississippi, for gambling. He planned to apply for a mortgage, but you beat him to it, Mom. At least I think you did. Dad and Birch can be secretive at times. Those riverboats are a great big can of worms. I spoke up and said it had to be put to a vote, but they ignored me. At the risk of repeating myself, what the hell kind of family is this? Tell me, Mom, what you want us to do to help Aunt Billie.”

“I’m going to call Simon this evening and discuss everything. We’ll sell off all our shares of Rainbow Babies and Sunny’s Togs. Simon never sold them. He fibbed to us about that transaction. Thank God he did. We’re going to move our offices out of Sallie’s Bingo Palace. It will go on the market tomorrow. It’s prime real estate so it should fetch several million. I’m going to mortgage Babylon. By tomorrow the news will be on the Strip and the sharks will start to gather, so be prepared. I’ll empty out that monster safe in Sunrise. I’ll
mortgage
Sunrise. I’ll sell all the jewelry Sallie left me. That’s already in the works. I’ll borrow what I can to make up the difference. The only monies we’ll have coming in will go to make the mortgage payments. I did have a thought, though, and I’d like your opinions. Sallie never raised the rates for the other casinos to tie into her sewage and electrical systems. It’s time for a hefty increase. Those fees, I believe, will keep our heads above water.”

The sighs of relief could be heard around the table. “Good thinking, Mom,” Sunny said.

“It’s about time,” Sage offered.

“This might be a good time to unveil my latest creation,” Billie said as she dug into the voluminous bag she was never without and pulled out two soft dolls. “Meet Bernie and Blossom. I showed them to a few of our salespeople who took them on the road. Guess what! We already have orders for ten thousand. The big question is, how are we going to market them? The next question is, where do we get the money? Do we form a separate company or do we license them under Rainbow Babies or Sunny’s Togs? I thought we could hire the Bernsteins to get our publicity started. We can have a million of these on the market by next Christmas.”

Sage stared at his sister, his face full of awe. “Just like that! Where are you going to manufacture them?”

“Made in the good old U.S. of A. Forty bucks a pop or $39.95. People like to walk away with change even if it’s only a nickel. We learned that in marketing class.”

Fanny held the soft fabric doll in her hands. As always, she marveled at her younger daughter’s abilities. “The scraps from Rainbow Babies, right?”

“Yes, but each face is different. I know eight people that come to mind who will be willing to work on the faces. The doll itself and the garment can be made for under a dollar if mass produced. The faces are what will cost, and labor of course. Sign on, Sage, we can use your expertise. You said you want out of Babylon. So, what do you all think?”

“I think this is one of your best ideas,” Bess said, a calculator in hand.

“Billie, these dolls are priceless. I wish I had your talent. Can I have the first one off the line for my new baby, Bernie if he’s a boy? If I have a girl, I’ll take Blossom. They are so adorable. Raggedy Ann and Andy will be passé.”

Billie reached into the bag again and withdrew two tissue-wrapped bundles. “I already made them for you. I wanted something special for you. That’s where I got the idea. Think about it, Sunny, you have a clothing company named after you and now you’re the inspiration behind these two dolls. I don’t think we’re headed to the poor house just yet.”

“This calls for a celebration,” Fanny said.

“Let’s have some of that same wine you and Grandma Sallie had that famous day you first met. Tell us the story again, Mom,” Sage said.