First Friday, page 6
“This was one of my students back in the day. The notorious Carla.”
Carla smiled widely. “Oh, you were ever the charismatic one yourself, professor.”
“Well, those were memorable times, as it were. And you haven’t changed a bit,” he added, straightening himself and smoothing his jacket. “What has it been, twelve...fifteen years?”
“Closer to fifteen, I think,” Carla answered with a wry smile.
He shook his head slightly as if reminiscing, then reached into his billfold and handed Agatha a check.
She noticed him looking towards the wall on his right, a slightly startled expression on his face, and wondered what it was he might be hallucinating.
“I’ll see you next week,” he said to Agatha. “Nice to see you after so long, Carla,” he added, nodding at her as well.
“Thanks, Charlie. Take care. See you next time,” Agatha said.
“Oh,” he stopped short, addressing Agatha. “I’ll be coming to that First Friday event if I can make it. I’m thinking it’ll be a good opportunity to talk up the book with the locals.”
“Right you are, Charlie. Hope to see you there.”
Carla watched him depart with interest, then turned to Agatha and smiled again.
“What a character that man is,” she said, “Professor Bishop.”
Agatha nodded in agreement, then paused, confused, “But his name is Charlie Thompson.”
“Oh, I know. But we always referred to him as the bishop. He had his ideals, you know.”
“Oh, I see.” Agatha thought she had a sense of why he might acquire a nickname like that. “He’s a great conversationalist. I always look forward to seeing him.”
“Does he come here to see you regularly, then?” Carla asked.
“Somewhat,” Agatha answered evasively. She never gave any details to anyone else about her clients, not even how often they came to see her.
“He was a bit of a looker a couple of decades ago, if you can believe it,” she giggled. “He’s writing another book, huh? I remember we had to read his first book as one of our textbooks for his classes. I couldn’t say I loved it. Although he does have a good sense of humor.”
“Yes, this one’s about the Medieval ages, featuring Hildegard von Bingen in particular, I believe,” Agatha replied, looking at her curiously. That, at least, was public knowledge Charlie would be proud to spread.
“Oh, goodness. Still on the evangelical rant, is he?”
Agatha didn’t answer, but motioned Carla to follow her into the treatment room.
“Let’s head on in. How are you doing? Any migraines since I last saw you?” she asked, steering the topic away from Charlie.
“Only one or two since the last time I saw you. Luckily, my niece, Nina, who’s a physician’s assistant and lives in the area is blessedly knowledgeable about pharmaceuticals, so I’ve been all taken care of in the headache department for now. Who knows which is the better medicine, the pills, or the hands? I’m happy either way, just here to relax and catch a little R & R.”
“Okay, sounds good,” said Agatha, motioning towards the armchair. “Do you want to have a seat and chat first or just hop up onto the table?”
“Honey, I’ve talked plenty all day. I’m ready for the table.”
Carla sighed as she made herself comfortable. Agatha moved towards her feet and held the dorsal side, tuning into the pull of the IT band and the fascia up her legs and into her hips.
Carla’s nervous system seemed to be revved up and it took some time before she really did sink into the relaxed state she was seeking. But after a little while, Agatha noticed her breathing change and it seemed as if she might be dozing. Agatha doubted Carla was often the napping type.
After the hour was up and Carla was checking out, Agatha asked her how business was going. There was a slight but perceptible shift in her level of ease as she answered, “Oh, beautifully. Blaze is doing well. We’re packed every evening.”
“That’s fantastic. Glad to hear it.”
Inwardly, she wondered what the discrepancy could be in Carla’s financial world if she was raking it in but couldn’t manage to pay all her employees. It didn’t add up, but then it wasn’t any of her business.
“Hope to see you in there again sometime. Bring that handsome friend of yours,” Carla added with a wink.
Agatha laughed. “Oh, yes, we’ll be in again. It’s a great place.”
“It is, thank you. I think it’s my best venture yet,” she said opening her purse and handing Agatha cash once again.
“All right, bye, honey.” Carla flashed her another dazzling smile and whisked herself out the door.
Chapter 10
Dean lowered the hood of the Porsche and closed it gently. Just looking at the engine gave him a sense of satisfaction. What a beauty. He threw his tools into the box by the dolly and reached into his back pocket for a handkerchief to wipe his hands and face, then walked up to the front door and knocked, but there was no answer. He needed to wash his hands and wanted to update Stuart on his progress. The car was getting there, he’d only need another couple of days to finish the job.
“Hello?’ he called. He opened the door and stepped inside.
A voice was coming from behind a closed door down the hall, but Dean saw the bathroom to his right and stepped inside.
After a moment the door to the study down the hall opened and Stuart stepped out and began pacing up and down the hallway while continuing to speak on the phone, his voice lowered slightly.
“Carla, I need to see you. All I want to do is pick things up again, but I have to tread carefully. Diane doesn’t like that I still work for you.” He paused, and Dean could hear him walking up and down the hallway.
“Don’t joke with me. There’s nothing shady about it. Look, the other businesses are doing fine. Blaze’ll get there. It’s early days. You’ve got all the investments to work off – the money’s tied up. I know, I know. Just give them something from the cash register to tide them over. The funds will be there eventually, trust me.”
Dean didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop but now that he’d overheard things that he imagined Stuart wouldn’t have necessarily wanted him to, he wondered if he should stay put and sneak out after the call was over, or if he should step out of the bathroom and alert Stuart to his presence. If only the man would just shut up and go back into his office.
“Yeah, look, I got this guy working on the Porsche. Maybe we could go for a ride when it’s done. We need to go over the numbers. And I miss you,” he added, almost pleadingly.
Dean could fathom that he really wasn’t supposed to be privy to this conversation, but it was getting a bit ridiculous to continue to hide in the bathroom and he didn’t know how long this conversation would go on. It could only get more embarrassing. So, he cleared his throat loudly while running the water again and fumbled with the door, making as much racket as he could.
“I gotta go. Okay, okay, bye.”
Dean stepped out of the bathroom.
“I’m done for the day. I’ll be back tomorrow and then it should be almost there.”
Stuart fixed Dean with a cool, searching look for a moment. “Okay, thanks,” he said hurriedly. “See you tomorrow.”
Dean nodded, gave an awkward wave, and turned to head back outside.
Carla. Carla from Blaze? Dean’s pace slowed as he made the realization that Stuart was an accountant after all, and Carla must be one of his clients. And more than that, it would seem.
But he was married, and to that pretty horse woman, too. Very different type than the lover, if that’s what Carla was.
He wondered how Diane would react if she knew that her husband was having an affair with Santa Cruz’s woman of the hour.
Chapter 11
Nina typed in a refill for a prescription and sent it over to the pharmacy. Having worked as a pharmacist herself for several years before becoming a physician’s assistant, she was somewhat of an expert when it came to finding the right medication for the right person. And she had quite a few people and patients who relied upon her liberal tendency to write up a prescription when it was needed.
She didn’t do it for just anyone. It either had to be someone who was close to her, who she could trust, or someone that she owed something to. And on rare occasions, maybe someone who offered her enough compensation to make it worthwhile.
She’d only done that a few times, under special circumstances. But through Kevin, who sometimes served as a middleman, she could be known to have the inclination to write up a prescription when someone requested it.
She didn’t think of it as a business lark, just a supplemental favor she and those close to her were entitled to because of her profession. See no evil, hear no evil. Pills made people happy. And they could make her pockets full.
Nina liked to make money, and although she had a fairly lucrative salary working in the medical field, living costs were outrageous in Santa Cruz and she had her aunt to compare herself to and keep up with. Carla was always one step ahead of her, whether it was money or men, even looks, although she was nearly fifteen years older than Nina. The thought made her scowl.
Her relationship with her aunt was complicated. Nina’s mother had died several years ago, when she was still an undergraduate in college, and Carla had been a source of comfort and company for her during that time. Her mother had been nothing like her charismatic sister, and had been nearly ten years older than Carla, but because Nina had gone to UC Santa Cruz and lived locally, she and her aunt had gotten to know each other pretty well in the years following her mother’s death, and they had bonded over her loss.
In fact, it seemed to Nina that the only person Carla had ever expressed any real love for had been Nina’s mother, and this had made her warm to the otherwise aloof and overwhelming personality of her aunt. Being close to Carla had its perks, anyway. There were the restaurants, which she had an interest and a share in, being Carla’s next of kin, and it was through Carla that she had met her boyfriend, Kevin, after all.
It still made her uncomfortable at times that he worked for Carla, because Nina knew her aunt well, and knew that she didn’t care if someone was a decade older or younger than her. If he was attractive, he was fair game, whether or not he was already taken. Carla had no boundaries. That was her only real problem. Although she never seemed to have to answer for it, Nina thought with resentment. She was always, always the one on top.
Twenty minutes later, Nina walked down the hall to the pharmacy, knowing her prescription for Carla would be ready for pick up. As both her doctor of sorts and her closest relative, Nina had the liberty to pick prescriptions up for her aunt, so that Carla didn’t have to bother to come into the pharmacy. She did this quite frequently.
Chapter 12
Agatha had been careful not to schedule Diane and Carla in the same day again after seeing the tension between the two women when they’d crossed paths. But as luck would have it, Diane had forgotten her earrings on the counter during her visit the previous day and returned for them just as Carla was arriving for her appointment. The women looked at each other dismayed, Carla with uncharacteristic stiffness, Diane with a shudder she could barely conceal.
“Thank you, Agatha,” Diane said as she was handed the earrings, “I’ll see you next time.” She turned and left without looking at Carla again.
Agatha felt awful about the timing. She wondered whether she could continue to see Carla as a client at all and wondered how she would approach a conversation like that with her. Diane was a longer standing client and deserved to feel safe in this space. It was supposed to be therapeutic, after all, not incite panic attacks. But when the door closed Carla turned to her.
“That woman doesn’t like me. I’m sure you can tell. In fact, she despises me,” Carla said bluntly, looking Agatha in the eye. “And I don’t blame her.”
“Oh,” Agatha didn’t quite know how to respond.
“It’s okay. I’m not embarrassed, just regretful, which I hate to admit. Can we go into your office?” she asked.
“Of course. Let’s head down the hall.”
Agatha opened the door and they both sat down in the armchairs, facing each other. Carla stretched her legs out and then tucked them up underneath her.
“I can tell you know something is up. After all, she sees you, too. For all I know, she’s confided in you about how I’ve wronged her,” she said, rolling her eyes and smoothing her hair. “But it was nothing. I don’t even like the man all that much,” Carla angled a penetrating sideways glance towards Agatha and then shifted her gaze to the painting opposite her.
“Her husband is smart and attractive enough, but, well, he became a little obsessed with me, frankly, and I don’t go in for that sort of thing. I like to maintain my independence. Sometimes a dalliance can serve a purpose, knock things back into place, but I certainly don’t think that his fascination with me did their marriage any good.”
Agatha shifted in her chair and cleared her throat. “This is a little bit of a difficult situation for me, to be honest,” she responded, her suspicions confirmed. “I have to make it clear that anything that is shared here is absolutely confidential. I can’t speak about Diane with you. She’s a client and I have to respect both your and her privacy.”
“Of course, I appreciate that. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. I’m not a monster. And you know, this is new for me,” she said, motioning towards Agatha. “This whole confiding thing. But it’s so nice to have someone to talk with, I have to admit. I’m enjoying my sessions with you. And I never thought I’d go in for talk therapy, but it has its merits, being able to voice something to ears that are essentially absent of judgement.”
“I’m glad, Carla. It’s been nice to get to know you, too.”
“Well, and I don’t have many female friends. Rarely, that is, can I call another woman a confidante. But I feel like I can talk with you, Agatha. I know I’m paying you to do it,” she laughed. “But still, I trust you. That means something.”
Agatha smiled. “I’m glad you’re coming in and taking care of yourself. You really balance an impressive amount with your businesses. And you’re right, it’s not my job or my business to judge anything that is shared with me. Everyone has their secrets and their challenges.”
“Believe me, you have no idea. I’m so glad that I started seeing you. Things have been a little rocky lately, to be honest. And then there’s these tension headaches that I’m always battling. Too many painkillers in my system, I tell you. Although, the migraines have been less frequent since I started coming in here. That really makes a difference because they can knock a person out.’
‘The truth is, Blaze isn’t making what it should be. I mean, from outside appearances it’s successful. It’s packed every night, there’s always a wait for the bar, the music is great, but I haven’t been able to meet the expenses yet, and I don’t quite understand why my books aren’t balanced the way I would expect them to be.”
“Hmm,” was all that Agatha contributed, and Carla rattled on.
“You know, you invest an enormous amount in a new business. I’ve done it twice before, so I knew what I was getting myself into, but this time it’s been different. Blaze is more ambitious than my other two ventures, and my accountant has been scrambling to keep up with the bills. The loan was larger than I’d realized, and I am not generally one to overlook details. It’s been so stressful to keep up with and I’m beginning to suspect that something just isn’t quite lined up the way it should be. And I don’t like that feeling. I like to be completely on top of things. I’m never in over my head. That’s not how I do things.”
Agatha looked at her curiously. “It’s all beyond my experience. I don’t think my business experience could ever compare.”
“No, you’re right, it’s completely different. You don’t have to oversee anyone but yourself, which you do quite well, by the way,” Carla looked at her appraisingly.
“Generally, I like being like the lieutenant who leans back and watches the troops do the work. But I’m not there yet with this gig. Not by a long shot. And the worst part is that I haven’t even been able to break even and pay everyone consistently. It’s astonishing, frankly. I may have to borrow from one of my other restaurants just to catch up and balance things out. But I don’t like doing that . . . it’s not my style. So, I’ve just been procrastinating and brushing off some of the employees until I can get the funds together from Blaze’s profits.
“At least you have that option, though, of borrowing from your other successful business to keep up with expenses?”
“Well, it’s an advantage for sure. But I like keeping them all separate, their own ventures, you know? I don’t want to borrow against one to support another. That’s just not the way I’ve done things in the past.”
“Is that what your financial advisor is recommending?”
They both knew they were talking about Stuart, but neither mentioned his name.
“He is. I’m not sure I trust him entirely to be honest. Not at this point. He’s become a little tedious to deal with lately, but that’s another story, as I’ve mentioned.”
Carla shrugged her shoulders and didn’t say more on the subject. She stood up and moved to the massage table. Agatha had an inkling that she needed to tread carefully when it came to the subject of finances and didn’t ask Carla to elaborate any more on her financial difficulties. Once again, it felt like there was a fine line because of all the professional affiliations and relationships that overlapped.
“I for one am ready to relax,” Carla said, slipping off her shoes. “Thanks for letting me vent. You’re somehow so easy to talk to. I appreciate that.”
“It’s my job,” said Agatha.
‘Well, let’s get on with it,” Carla said, hopping up onto the table. “I need you to dig in with your fingers under my skull the way you do and get rid of this headache.”
