Just Coming Of Age
Chapter 3
The meeting wasn't boring, at least not as far as most of these meetings went, but every few minutes someone new would start droning on about sales projections or construction estimates and her eyes would find their way to the floor-to-ceiling windows showing off Albuquerque's buzzing business district. Past the sea of buildings Taylor could see the beginnings of the suburbs she'd grown up in and couldn't help but grow a bit nostalgic. Her boss's voice quickly pulled her back to reality and she forced herself to focus once more on the debate raging around her.
Mr. Drake Paulson had hired her as his personal assistant fresh out of college. They'd met at an alumni dinner she was running and he was impressed by her heavy schedule of school, charity work, and social life. Even though she'd planned on getting her master's in business he convinced her to forego that, promising that the experience she got under his wing would be invaluable and put her far ahead of any master's program graduates. And, it hadn't helped her decision when she found that he was moving his corporate headquarters to Albuquerque.
She had always been the girl determined to get out of her hometown and go make something of herself in the world. She'd had her goals laid out before her since freshman year at East High. But once she started at college, those goals changed. Business became her passion and law only a passing fancy. She still wanted to change the world, but she was coming at the battle from a different direction. And, she really wanted to go home. She hadn't had the money for trips home during her years at college, spending her summers working any jobs she could get and her holidays curled up in dorms and the meager apartment she could afford as a student. She'd never thought she would miss the place she grew up, but she supposed that was because it had always been there, once it was gone she was desperate to get back. And Mr. Paulson provided her the means to do that.
"We need to decide on this today, gentlemen," Mr. Paulson said, his firm hand hitting the table in aggravation. "Field, I sent you ahead to get the lay of the land, do you have any information that might sway this decision?"
Taylor quickly glanced at the screen at the head of the conference room. They were back on the construction of the new store. The debate had been going on for weeks, since long before they made the move down here. All Paulson's stores were done in similar styles, which should have made it easy for the architect they hired to build the new Albuquerque store. To date they had gone through three architects and Paulson was so annoyed that he'd forced their latest to sign a contract saying that if he didn't finish the job he would owe the company more money than he could hope to make in a year. Taylor knew the contract would never hold up in court if the man decided to back out, but with contracts as with Christmas presents, it was often the thought that counted.
"I'm afraid, sir," Field said, shuffling papers uselessly as if they would give him the answer he sought, "that I, um -- have been unable to gather any other useful data on the contractors."
Mr. Paulson's hand fisted on the table and Taylor, like most of the room's occupants, looked away. Drake Paulson was a fair and just boss, but this project had stretched his patience to the limit and a blow up was immanent. She found herself looking at the screen once more, studying the data that had been complied about each of the contractors vying for the job. She'd seen all of their names before, having grown up in the area, but one at the bottom of the list attracted her attention.
"Sir?" she said, stopping Paulson's tirade before it could start.
"Yes, Taylor?" he sighed, some of his anger going out of him. "Can you somehow save us all?"
He was teasing her. She had a knack for coming into a situation and finding the solution everyone had missed. It had gotten her a few enemies, but also won her the boss's undying gratitude, which she felt was a workable tradeoff.
"Well, I don't know about all the companies," she said, focusing her attention on Paulson to block out the feel of all eyes in the room on her, "but I know that you can trust Danforth Construction. They'll do the job well and always treat you fairly, no matter what."
"And how do you know that?" Taylor slowly shifted her gaze from Paulson to Trent Waters. He was her age and had gotten the job on his merits as the son of one of Paulson's investors. He was also one of the people who hated her for her natural business strengths and never passed up an opportunity to push her buttons. His sneer was muted now though, since the boss was sitting right there, but his blue eyes were like ice.
"I dated the owner's son in high school," Taylor said smoothly. "Mr. Danforth was always fair to everyone, especially in business. His bid may not be the lowest, but he is the one I'd trust above all the others."
"You say you dated the kid in high school," Trent said. "That was years ago, a lot could have changed. The business could have been sold, for all you know."
Taylor forced her expression to remain neutral. He was right. She had only spoken to Chad a handful of times since high school and all of those in her first year of college. The pang of regret that accompanied that realization was quickly pushed away as Taylor stood and marched to the alcove at the back of the room that hid the projector and computer from view. A few clicks later and she'd pulled up Danforth Construction's webpage.
There were few changes from their senior year when Jason Cross had offered to design the page as part of his final computer science project. For all of Jason's faults he was a wiz with electronics and Charles Danforth had even paid him for his troubles (though, Jason had appreciated the A more). The logo and color scheme (red and white, naturally) remained the same, but the images had been updated to show the company's more recent projects. Taylor had to bite her tongue from letting forth the shocked cry that welled up when she saw what they were currently working on. Instead she clicked on the image and was taken to a larger version with the words "Opening Spring 2014."
Trent didn't bother to hide his derisive snort. "If that's the kind of work they do, I doubt we want them working for us."
"This," Taylor said, "is The Regal. It was built over sixty years ago and for longer than I've been alive people have been lamenting its decent into disarray. I believe it was actually condemned several years ago. No doubt they're using the old image of the theater to keep people in suspense for what it will look like when they're done. If Danforth Construction is revitalizing this landmark, I'm sure they can handle us."
Trent fumed behind Mr. Paulson's back while he nodded slowly.
"All right, Danforth it is. Waters, you can take point on this. Draw up the contracts and get the work started. Now that that's figured out, I think it's time for lunch. I'll see you all back here in an hour."
Taylor followed Mr. Paulson out as the room emptied. Trent was already calling Danforth Construction and the smile he threw her way told her he was already planning some way to make trouble for her. She ignored him and walked into Mr. Paulson's office.
"What would you like?" she asked.
"A recommendation," he said, rifling through his desk. She walked over and lifted a folder, revealing his wallet. "Thank you," he said and shook his head at his own bad habits. "You know the area, what's good?"
"What are you in the mood for?" she asked, more for her own benefit than his. She hadn't often come to this area of the city unless she was spending the day with her parents, and needed the time to think of a good restaurant in his price range. She could easily name a dozen establishments that she adored from her high school days, but she doubted he'd appreciate the greasy fare.
Taylor smiled, thinking of the hot dog vendor that used to be on the corner by the bank. She'd never found better than those questionable franks, not even when she'd visited Ryan and Kelsi in New York.
"I suppose Italian would be a bad idea?" he asked, glancing at his suit.
She nodded. There was no way he'd come back unstained if he had Italian. "How about Vietnamese? There's a great place just around the corner and I know a lot of the businessmen like to eat there."
"Cute waitresses?" he asked, coming around the desk and heading for the door.
"The food's good too," she said.
"Great."
As he left Taylor flipped open her phone and dialed Sharpay's number. Danforth Construction had done a lot of work on Lava Springs ever since the Evans found out their son was friends with the owner's son. If anyone was likely to know whether Trent was right and the company had changed hands, it was an Evans. As it was, she would have called Ryan but he was probably working and she doubted Sharpay would mind getting a call, no matter what she was doing at the time. Plus, Sharpay had called several weeks ago to invite her to some show along with all the other wildcats. Taylor hadn't been able to attend, but from what she remembered the show should have been some time this month and she wanted to hear Sharpay's gossip about the others. There was no answer so she left a quick message and headed downstairs in search of some lunch.
Mr. Paulson didn't go to the Vietnamese place. He still wasn't used to the city and was quickly turned around in the lunchtime rush. He did find a questionable hotdog stand in front of a bank and quickly ordered one with the works, figuring that if his wardrobe suffered his employees would just have to deal with it. Oh a whim he asked the large, sweating man who owned the cart if the Regal was nearby. The man pointed the way and within minutes he was standing before the theater.
The public parking structure kept the street mostly free of parallel parkers, but he took note of a Danforth truck by the curb. A bright pink convertible was parked just ahead of it and Drake shook his head, wondering who would buy such a flashy car. Deciding this was a good opportunity to see how the men worked without anyone knowing who he was, he ducked inside the open door. Once through the foyer he realized that there was no construction crew in sight. The theater was done and performers were practicing on stage. Drake took in the theater itself, noting the craftsmanship on the arches, the decorative sculptures on the balconies, and the beautifully patterned ceiling.
"Can I help you?"
Drake whirled to see a woman about his own age sitting in the last row of seats. She was dressed in an outfit that he would have called eccentric a decade ago, but now found quite charming.
Deciding to be truthful, he said, "I knew that Danforth Construction was working on this place and wanted to see how they operated. I'm considering them for a big project."
"Really?" she asked, approaching him. "What sort of project? It wouldn't happen to be that new supercenter, would it?"
Drake smiled. "You recognized me."
The woman inclined her head. "Renee Darbus," she said, holding out her hand.
"The Renee Darbus?" he asked.
"It depends on who you're thinking of," she said with a small smile.
"You used to perform on Broadway?"
"Oh, yes, that's me."
"I remember you. I saw Oklahoma! when I was in college. It was the night you had to fill in as Ado Annie."
"That must have been the first night. My predecessor got chicken pox and had to sit out the rest of the run. Don't think you've distracted me with flattery though. You said you're considering hiring Danforth Construction."
"I am. And if what I see in here is any indication they're worth the extra money they'll cost. Not that I'm looking for all this, but I like the attention to detail."
Renee nodded. "You'd be very lucky to have them working for you."
"So I've been told." At her questioning look he explained, "My assistant. She apparently dated the owner's son."
An emotion Drake couldn't identify flashed over her face before it was quickly hidden. "Really?" she asked. "That is serendipitous. For you, I mean," she added quickly. "I suppose you'll want tickets?"
"Tickets?" Drake echoed.
"To the performance!" Renee declared, walking past him and making a grand gesture towards the stage where some boy was falling all over himself as he said his lines.
"Oh. What are they performing?"
"A modern rendition of Much Ado About Nothing. It's sure to be spectacular."
"Well, I've always loved the theater."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to come. We're sold out. The reopening of the Regal is a very big deal. The only tickets we have left are those reserved for friends and said friends' dates. You would have to know someone."
Drake smiled, he knew where this was going. "I think I do know someone," he said.
Renee looked at him sharply. "Oh, who?"
He was so surprised by her sudden change of attitude that he, a well-known businessman used to giving presentations in front of hundreds of people, stuttered. "W-well, a rather famous actress who I'd like to get to know better."
Renee smiled coyly. "Oh. Well, that's all well and good, but I was thinking perhaps you knew a certain former student of mine. One who used to date a construction worker's son?"
Drake's eyes widened. At first he was confused by the student comment but then quickly caught on to Renee's point. "You want to set Taylor up with her ex?"
Renee rolled her eyes in a pitying way. "You haven't done this whole meddling thing very often, have you?"
"The most I do is tell her she needs to get out more," Drake said with an apologetic shrug. "What did you mean your former student?"
"I teach at East High School. Taylor and Chad were in my class. They both appeared in several of our productions."
"Taylor? Acting?"
"And singing. And dancing. Trust me, it took quite a bit of work to get her there."
"Did this Chad character have anything to do with that?"
"In a way," Renee chuckled. "Each of them had a best friend who was leaning towards the theater and the two of them set aside their numerous differences to foil their plans. It backfired on them. Not only did the two of them join the theater as well, they ended up discovering a mutual attraction for one another." A dog's bark echoed through the theater and they both looked up to see a small dog on the stage staring at a man with curly hair in the other aisle. Renee held up a hand to keep Drake silent as the man hurried away. Once he was gone Renee sighed. "They were not unlike Benedict and Beatrice."
Drake smiled, but it faded quickly. "Are you sure it's a good idea getting them back together? I'm sure they had a good reason for breaking up."
"What eighteen year olds have a good reason for anything they do?"
"Good point."
"And you said yourself that Taylor needs to get out. Perhaps she doesn't because she hasn't put Chad behind her. At the very least forcing them to talk to each other will help them come to terms with their respective pasts."
Drake nodded. "All right, I'm in. What do you want me to do?"
Every time you review an angel gets its wings. Okay, that's bunk, but it does make my Christmas a little bit merrier.