“How’s the guy doing on the property? How are the kids?” I asked.
“He’s doing well. Got himself groomed up a bit with his last paycheck. We got him set up with a bank account and a formal I.D., and his kids are loving this daycare area. He’s latching on really quickly to all the shit, from what Foreman Duke says. And his landscaping capabilities have come into play a few times. Really impressed everyone.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. Keep me posted on when the big reveal is,” I said.
“I thought you didn’t want press on this,” he said.
“I can hear your smug little grin. I just want to be there when we tell him that one of the mobile homes is for him and his kids. That’s all.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll keep you posted. Let me know if you decide to take on this project. I’ll get it on the books.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
I hung up the phone and hopped in the shower. I had to look up some prices on some wholesale websites for the stuff she wanted on the interior as well as price out electrical and plumbing updates. I had a feeling with all the fun stuff she wanted that everything would throw her way over her budget. I cursed myself for not asking her what her budget was to begin with, so I decided to simply write down some other cheaper options she could go with to skirt on the price a bit while still giving her the same look she wanted.
I wrote down numbers and did some quite additions. I looked at multiple sites and placed some phone calls. I even tried to do a little bit of haggling to get them to come down on their prices formally. I had four different numbers I could throw at her, but all of them were still well into the one-hundred-thousand-dollar arena.
But it was the best I could do, so I grabbed my things and called up Hailey on her phone.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Miss Ryan, It’s Bryan.”
?
??Yikes. Call me Hailey, please. I’m not old or anything,” she said, giggling.
There it was. That angelic little sound I’d dreamed about last night.
“So, I’ve got your estimates,” I said.
“Estimates? As in plural?”
“I priced out a few different ways you could go with updates, products to use, and changes you could make to cut corners moneywise. Are you free today to sit down and discuss things?”
“I’m at the gallery now. Want to head on over, and we’ll talk here?” she asked. “If it goes long, we can always cross the street to get a milkshake.”
“All right,” I said, smiling. “I’ll see you soon.”
I cruised through San Diego, leaving the hustle and bustle behind me as I traveled down the coast. The closer you got to the southern tip of California, the rougher the sand got, which was why the tourists always stayed in one area. That was part of the reason why this little area of the city didn’t get much foot traffic. There wasn’t much in the way of entertainment, except for the diner and an old movie theater, and the beach wasn’t fit to lounge around on.
I pulled into the small parking lot beside the decrepit building Hailey was calling her gallery, and I walked right on in to find her sitting in the middle of the room. She had her legs crossed, and she was leaning back on her arms. Hailey was taking in deep breaths, and I watched closely as her chest expanded. I wasn’t really sure what she was doing. Meditating or centering herself, maybe. I wasn’t really into that kind of stuff, but she struck me as the kind who would be.
“Want to take a seat?” she asked.
I looked around for a chair, but when I saw none, I realized she meant on the floor by her. I walked over and sat down, crossing my legs as I waited for her to open her eyes. She looked so peaceful. Her milky skin so calm. A small grin played across her cheeks like she was keeping a secret from everyone that would eventually knock the socks off them. She looked to be in a perpetual state of giddy excitement, right before that point where someone was ready to burst.
Then she opened her eyes, and her peridot stare hooked onto mine.
“All right,” she said as she swiveled on her butt and crossed her legs. “Hit me.”
“Here are the numbers I drew up.”
I handed her the sheet of paper and watched her eyes run over the numbers. I slowly watched the blood drain from her face, and the surprising sadness I felt deep within the pit of my gut took me by surprise. She sighed, and in that moment, I knew it didn’t matter the corners I’d cut.
All the numbers were still way out of her budget.
“Even with the money I borrowed, I can’t afford any of these figures,” she said.