The foreman was happy to see us, which was a welcome change from the man in Knoxville. The road crew wouldn’t have been working without our contract, and they treated Trip like a proper boss. The job site was loud enough that we were standing forty feet from anyone who might overhear us, so the foreman dropped a couple of hints about the camp itself. He was a local and had heard rumors.
“Thought I might check it out,” he added.
Trip deferred to me.
The foreman was in his fifties and seemed genuine. I felt the need to be cautious anyway, since predators and perverts don’t wear signs.
“I’m a good Christian,” the foreman felt the need to explain. He was salt of the earth and spoke with an Appalachian twang. “Church every Sunday. But I don’t pay no attention to what they say about this place. God made us naked in the Garden. If it was good enough for Adam an’ Eve, it’s good enough for me an’ the missus.”
I relaxed slightly when he said the magic word and mentioned his wife. Still, I decided to pass him up the chain of command, to someone with far more experience at separating the curious from the creeps. I pulled out my little spiral notepad, wrote down Susan’s phone number, and tore out the page.
“Call and talk to her,” I said. “She’ll give you the information.”
“Much obliged.” He stuffed the note into a leather wallet that was already crammed full of business cards, pictures, and other scraps of paper. “A’ight, back to business,” he said to Trip. “We’re makin’ good progress here, and we’ll be ready for the trencher…”
* * *
We returned to camp and toured the cabins next. The smaller ones were all occupied, but only two of the larger ones had families in them. The others were probably safe for guests, but Susan had removed them from the rental list, just to be sure.
“I talked to her last week,” Trip said, “and we’re cleared for demo on these four. Oh, I forgot to mention, we’re going to rent a dump truck. The pickup doesn’t carry enough, and we’d spend as much time hauling loads to the dump as we do working. So it just makes sense to get something larger.”
“That’s fine,” I agreed.
“I figured. But I just thought I’d let you know. It’s your company too.”
“Thanks, but… You don’t have to tell me about every expense. Besides, you’re way more frugal than I am.”
He chuckled and didn’t deny it. “Still,” he added, “I like to clear the big expenses with you. Renting is cheaper than buying, but it still costs. We’ll need to rent a backhoe too, with a grapple and maybe shears as well.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “We’ll need someone to operate it.”
“Nah, I can do it. It’s been a few years, but I learned back when I was working for my uncle. It’s like riding a bike.”
“If you say so.”
“Trust me. Besides, this kind of demo doesn’t need precision. Knock it down, load it in the truck. And a backhoe’ll be a lot quicker than doing it by hand. Speaking of hands, how’s yours?”
“Better. Still weaker than I’d like—”
“It’ll take a while.”
“—but I can work.”
“Uh-uh. Stick to design until you’re a hundred percent.”
“Dude,” I insisted, “I can work.”
“Probably, but no sense risking a permanent injury.”
“You sound like Christy,” I grumbled under my breath.
He laughed. “She’s right. Listen, don’t worry about the demo and other things. The schedule was never set in stone. That’s why Susan’s paying us, to deal with contingencies and other problems. Not that your hand’s a problem,” he added quickly. “It’s just something we have to deal with. So chill out, dude. I’ve rearranged everything to give you time to recover. Spend the next few weeks finalizing all the designs.”
“Roger that,” I said, although I still felt guilty about it. “And thanks.”
“No problem. I lined up a local guy for you to work with. He’ll be the architect of record for our permits. He even knows Joska. Well, by reputation.”
“For real?”
“Yeah. He said he used to work in Charlotte and had an intern who graduated from MIT when Joska was there. He said he talked about him like he was ‘the cat’s meow.’” Trip shook his head in disbelief. “That’s what he said, ‘cat’s meow.’ He’s a character, but his registration’s current, so he can do what we need.”
“Cool.”
“One more thing. You’re officially going to work for him. At least on paper.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Have to.” He quoted, “Architects may not seal drawings that are not prepared under their direct supervision.” He paused to let it sink in. “The guy made a point to emphasize the ‘direct supervision’ bit. Which means you work for him. And you’ll need to meet with him at least twice a week.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. I told you, you’ll still be working. Just not manual labor. Anyway, he’ll review your plans. But you need to have them ready in the first place. Can you draw on that little board we gave you? Or do you need a real table and drafting machine?”
I thought about it and came to a difficult decision. “I’ll need a real table if I want to do real drawings. Sorry. I guess that means we buy one here?”
“Are you kidding? No! You’re as bad as Wren.”
“Then… what?”
“We’ll swing by Knoxville and bring yours here. On the way back from Atlanta. Have to take the pickup instead of the Rabbit,” he mused. “Won’t be as comfortable…” He thought of something else and made a sour face. “Won’t be as fast, either. But it’s a whole lot cheaper than the alternative.”
“If you say so.”
He rolled his eyes and pretend-glared. “You balk at a new computer but want to spend a fortune on a new drafting setup?”
“For the record,” I said, a bit stiffly, “I wasn’t ‘balking’ at a new computer. I was defending mine. Besides, you’ve bought new things.”
“Yeah, things we don’t have elsewhere, unless you have a pickup truck and an IBM computer at home. Maybe somewhere else I don’t know about? Your pockets?”
“You know I don’t.”
“But you have a perfectly good table, chair, and machine at home. So we’ll bring ’em here.”
“That’s fine.”
“Make a list of anything else you want me to bring. Pens, triangles, stencils, whatever.”
I nodded.
“Anyway, let’s head down to the houses and take a look there. I need you to start producing drawings. Time is money.”
I climbed into the pickup truck and scowled.
Trip started the engine. “What’s the matter?”
“Now I know how Wren feels when I say, ‘Your wish is my command.’”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. If you tell me ‘time is money’ one more time…”
He laughed, lighthearted and completely unrepentant. “Time is money. So hustle up.”
* * *
We spent the next hour poking around the empty houses down in the main part of the camp. Trip used spray paint to mark an X on things we needed to demolish, while I sketched ideas for turning the houses into modern single- or multi-family rentals. I also had an idea to turn one into a rec center, with a fitness room, sports equipment, and maybe even a small arcade.
“Sweet. I like it,” Trip said when I told him. “Insurance might be an issue, though.” He answered my uncertain frown, “Susan has to carry liability insurance. It costs a fortune. And it goes up with more guests and more risks. Like that commercial kitchen you mentioned for the new clubhouse. She has to be covered if some moron burns himself. The same with fitness equipment.”
“You’re kidding.”
“People sue these days.” He shrugged. “Insurance is part of doing business.”
Susan herself arrived at that point, although she had a new couple with her.
The man was well-built and handsome, probably in his late twenties. He was taller than me, with sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and a dimple on his chin. He looked like he tried to keep in shape but spent too many hours behind a desk. I silently wondered if I’d look like that when I was his age.