Chapter 3 #2
Bowie interjects. "And the business that my husband and I run is called Lawson Manufacturing, which is now partnered with Drummond Motors, and we operate out of North Carolina."
Lark points at us both. "Oh my goodness, my colleague just sold a house to Stone Lawson."
"That would be Rush and Jagger's cousin." I smile. "He's in town right now, hanging with Rush while I'm away. It really is a small world."
"Wow. Well, I'm glad that you came over and introduced yourself. Now that you know that I'm not some crazed lunatic backpacking her way alone through Europe, let me buy your dinner. It's the least I can do for you coming over to say hello."
I wave her off. "Oh, not to worry. This meal is a business write off."
"Are you sure?" Lark looks me up and down. "Because it looks like you've barely touched yours. Should I call the server to bring you something else?"
Bowie interrupts. "Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Maybe the grilled cheese is too much. Maybe choose something different."
"I had the chicken pot pie, Izzy, and it was terrific. As you can see, I've just about cleaned my plate."
I consider this for a moment. "Sure. That sounds like a good idea."
Lark calls the server over and has her take my plate away.
"So, tell me." Bowie says. "What's Stone Lawson like?"
She shrugs. "I have no idea. I've never actually met him. I just saw him when my colleague took him to look at the estate that she sold him."
"How come you didn't get him as a client?" I ask.
"Oh, because he's been Lucy's client forever, and I'm relatively new there."
"What were you doing before?" I ask.
"The same thing, just, I was working for a different company, and it just, well, it didn't work out." The way that she says this leads me to believe that there is a lot more to this story.
"Is that why you decided to hop on a plane, Paris-bound?" Bowie asks, catching the same nuance in her voice.
She takes another sip of water. "That was well over a year ago. And this was the first time that Stone has been interested in the realty market for a while. At least, for personal use, anyway. Lucy has a dual license, for both commercial and residential property sale."
"And you just have the one license?" I clarify.
"Yes." She nods. "So, I bet, with you working for Drummond Motors, you probably have a swanky car."
"You would think." I grin. "But no. On the occasion when I do drive, it's just a Toyota. A top-of-the-line model, of course, but it's still just a Toyota. What about you?"
“I actually have two vehicles. A hybrid and a gas powered. Both worth less than twenty grand. I don’t like fancy cars."
"And you don't spend your money on vacations." I observe. "So, what do you spend your money on?"
She folds her arms over her chest. "I don't. I want to retire early, so I invest just about everything.
My house is just a small fixer-upper, too.
That's sort of what I do on the side, if you're keeping score.
I like to buy them and fix them up over time and then sell them. I also have investment properties."
Bowie is impressed. "It sounds like you've got your shit together."
"I do." She grins. "What about you two? Where do you spend your money?"
Bowie goes first. "Well, I wasn't making that much money until I changed jobs. When I was working at Kruger, my ex paid me a pittance compared to what I get at Lawson. And, so far, I haven't spent much. I'm going to invest, too, I think."
I raise my hand. "I invest a lot, too. Although, I do have dual properties. One in England, and one here in North Carolina. And both are very nice. Worth a couple million each."
Lark lifts a finger. "Don't kid yourself. Real estate is one of the best investments. The more you have that are making you money, the better."
"Well, they're not exactly making me money. Not until I sell."
"Still. It's a wise way to spend your money and watch it grow later. That's what I did."
The server brings my plate. I take one smell of it and I'm immediately repulsed. My hand goes to my mouth as I try to stifle the bile that's coming up my throat.
"Nope. Get it away." Lark states, clearly knowing what to do in this situation.
The server lifts the plate swiftly. "Oui, Madame."
Bowie looks at me. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I don't really know." My voice quivers slightly. "The surgeon told me that my digestive system may not be quite right."
Lark interjects. "Is this a twisted surgeon? What sort of surgery causes nausea like that?"
"I had a ruptured gall bladder and a stone caught in the bile duct. It's a long recovery process."
"Hm." She frowns. "I thought that maybe you were pregnant. That's how my sister reacted when she was expecting. She couldn't eat at restaurants unless they were all pancakes."
Bowie chuckles but I don't.
In fact, my face goes blank.
My heart starts to beat faster.
"Now you really look like you want to puke." Bowie says.
That's when I run. I run like hell to the loo, and as I lean over the toilet bowl, as my stomach tries to decide how punishing it wants to be, it all comes back to me.