In Hugs of Dream

“Sweetie! All’s hunky-dory. The bird has brought me the news that Dimond-Westwood Enterprises refused to buy this land. Short and clear. It’s not suitable. Dot. Congratulations, you’ve done a great job. I hope, in a way to thank me you’ll leave me that cottage where I always stay.”

Angie smiled, question-order. That was how Unity kept in her small fist the whole town including her kind, calm as a bear, husband. Mayor Timothy Douson.

“Of course, Unity. You know this cottage is always at your hand,” – Angie answered.

“Awesome,” Unity yawped. “I’ll go and ask Timmy whether he goes with me.”

“Yeah, right, you ask” Angie thought with a smile and said goodbye.

After the talk with Unity she slept calmly for the first time since Christmas. False report served her aim and likely vanished in nonebeing in a shredder. Nobody would ever check. Alex read the false report and understood that he would lose more if he built it in that exact place, and like a real businessman he would find another one. In a result, she didn’t steal anything from him. For him whether that land or any other one was just a place for building up. She made a sip of strong, morning coffee and unblocked her mobile. There was a message from Teresa.

“Did you get up sleepyhead? Don’t forget about the celebration of anniversary of our hero-town on Saturday. And on Sunday there will be the opening of the restaurant. Everything must be prepared. We are all here, waiting for you.”

She smiled. She was very glad that all her workers became her friends in spite of the main rule in business, friendship comes with friendship and work with work, she couldn’t play a role of unpassionate boss and based all her work on the mutual understanding and support. Though, that role of cold-blooded boss was acted by her aunty Daisy with great pleasure. That was the right person to give orders. Moreover, she was an accountant both according to her education and to the calling, that’s why all hassles with the internal service were lying on her delicate shoulders. If it wasn’t her, Angie would never be able to make her dream of opening her own restaurant come true. Almost one year she prepared the project, then she found contractors and looked for the financing. She wanted that opening to be the main event of the town. She worked so long in completing her dream that now, when only two days separated her from it, her knees were knocking down with fear. She dialed Teresa’s number.

“Hi, hi! Are you hinting that I’m a lazybones sitting here and drinking coffee while you are all working like slaves?”

“Not me, aunty Daisy.”

“Is she already there?” Angie was appalled. “She was supposed to come back from Denver only after the dinner.”

“I’ll open you a secret,” Teresa whispered to the phone, “your aunt has magical abilities to transfer from one place to another one during mere hours. She is a witch, for sure.”

“Watch out that she doesn’t hear you or we’ll spend the whole holidays not at the fair but on the restaurant’s kitchen.”

“That’s why I’m whispering. Common, get ready and come here until she doesn’t drink all our blood.”

“Coming.”

Angie put her mobile and smiled. Aunty Daisy was really a lady with an engine. How she managed to do everything on time was a riddle for Angie form the childhood.

She finished her coffee and went to dress up for the restaurant. The camp was situated only in two miles from the town. That’s why the way to the work and back home didn’t take a lot of time. All her life consisted from the work and the camp. There was not a word about her personal life. After school relationships and a short marriage with Henry Millestone, she was dating with economist Steve from the local Mayor’s office during four years. When she was ready to put a ring on her finger, buy herself an apron and bring up a couple of children, her groom realized that he wasn’t actually ready for such a determinate step, and, yeah his career, oh what a miracle, went up. He was invited for the training period in Finance Department in Denver. He got away from the town with a lightspeed, forgetting not only about his fiancée but also about his dog. Small, golden-fur beauty named Goldie the breed of King Charles Spaniel had jumped into his car at the gas station and didn’t get out of it until he came home. Steve decided that the safe-keeping wouldn’t be inapplicable. But when the question of moving to Denver arose he was murmuring awkwardly something about the rental apartment and the problem of walking the dog that Angie simple didn’t have any other way out. Getting such sweet thing to the shelter for euthanasia, she just couldn’t so she took the dog to her place. Now Goldie was the only mistress in the camp and demanded all other dogs coming to leisure with their masters played with her. Angie bended and scratched her softy fur. Goldie immediately turned on her back asking for continuation. She could lie by hours and enjoy her belly being scratched. Taken a look at her watch, she left Goldie warming under the sun and drove to the restaurant.

In a several minutes she was standing in the restaurant’s kitchen near the huge batch of unpacked boxes. Her faithful fellows were standing near. Teresa was her main assistant; a tall woman in her thirty-five with earthy manner of speech and a very tart-tongued sense of humor. Kate was Teresas’s assistant, small, brisk with the same age as Angie, a fan of making jokes and laughing. Danny was her economist, a computer genius of twenty-eight; in glasses, always shaggy looking whether the student or a vagabond, crazy in love with Kate and ready for everything to win her favor. He was invited to work in the leading companies in Denver but he appeared to be the faithful soldier and was true to Angie helping aunt Daisy to betide the computer submission of document and handover the reports through the online system. Teddy was the chief cook; big, bulky man with dark hair tied in a tail and with the same color moustache. The master of any dish. Angie met him in Denver where she worked as a restaurateur in a popular restaurant. He accepted her suggestion to move to Monte-South and became in charge of her kitchen without thinking. That veteran of Iraq war wanted only silence and calmness. And here in Monte-South he founded both. And the most important as Angie suspected, he found Teresa who blatantly ignored him but the attention of such an impressive man evidently flattered her. Angie proudly looked at her team and smiled; everything was like anywhere else: work, love, intrigues. They were her family.

“So, are we going to stand like this and stare or maybe some men start to open these all?” Teresa declared out loudly, squinting at Danny.

Teddy mutually accepted the order and rushed to open the boxes. Danny immediately blushed and snapped: “You personally banned to touch anything until Angie came.”

“Angie is here. What are we waiting for?”

Danny blushed more and joined to Teddy. Teresa glanced at Angie and winked. Angie only shook her head. For all seasons, Teresa didn’t miss a chance to tease the boy and it really amused her in fact as she liked to check people’s endurance and often quirked and needled. Only Danny took it all too seriously especially in Kate’s presence. As for Teddy, she preferred to turn a blind eye on him. In next several hours they were unpacking all the boxes, taking out all the products and putting them into the fridges. In the end of the day, when everything was done Angie gave a stretch and with a content smile said: “Great. Everything we had ordered came. I think, there’s more than enough, so we will be able to send some food to the fair as an advertisement and leave here for the opening.”

“We don’t need any advertisement, the whole town can’t wait the moment when you take off the sheet from the building and show everybody your masterpiece. All town will be here, well, and some tourists too.” Teresa declared.

“There aren’t too many tourists right now here but if some of them appear here, I’m sure, their Socials will be filled with selfies against the restaurant,” Kate interfered. “In this case we will possibly have to open more such restaurants or sell them in franchising.”

“Your words to the God’s ears, Katie,” Angie laughed. “But for now, we start from what we’ve got. Teddy, do you have enough assistants or I shall hire some additionally?”

“No, I chose and checked every who is going to work on my kitchen personally,” the powerful bass of the chief cook sounded. “I’ve got everything ready Angie, don’t worry. Just do one thing for me, keep aunty Daisy with her advices as far as possible from my kitchen. With all my respect to her but the kitchen is my territory. Until I’m here, I’m in charge.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already talked to her after your loud hassle which was heard to the whole town or even the whole state. She understood everything, so as you see she isn’t here. She is in her study making her accounts and planning our murder.”

Teddy nodded satisfied and went to make correction to the menu. Angie thanked her friendly team and left. She was so tired for the last few days that she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pill.

CHAPTER 6

Five months later

Alex Dimond made himself comfortable in the chair, took his i-pod with a fixed keyboard from the bag and opened the last draft variant of the contract with Rainford Building Enterprises for building the steel factory in France. The President of that company Christian Rainford had to come into Denver for negotiations. Building that factory with such constructional giant like Rainford-Building Enterprises was supposed to open the supplements of the steel products all over Europe and, in prospect, the possibility of collaborative building of one of the most expensive, up-date complexes for leisure on Cote d’Azur4. Those were his first steps in construction including DWB, but he was learning fast and now he was going to get a Master’s degree in civil engineering. This education was strikingly different from his first one, which he had got while working at the steel factory at the same time. It was the place where he understood that for the creation his own company, he needed to learn the bases of economy. That’s why he successfully finished New York University and got the bachelor’s degree in economy at the age of twenty-four.

He ran his hand over his eyes and closed i-pad. The contract was on the level as usually, Max knew his business very well and it was he who coped with all those crafty twists and turns of the legal nuances. It was his passion. The only thing to do was to meet with Christian Rainford and discuss all the details. He looked at his friend who was sprawling in the opposite chair and snuffling calmly. Alex pushed him lightly with his leg. Max rolled over and opened one eye.

“Hmmm,” he murmured sleepily. “I can’t see you.”

And turning on his side tried to bend his legs but with his height of 6 feet 10 inches it was really hard to do and his legs constantly slid down to the floor. Suddenly he made a sound obviously showing the extreme degree of annoyance and sat with a sigh still sprawling his legs. He didn’t look his best way with his shaggy hair and scrub, he could easily be taken as a vagabond if it wasn’t his expensive suit and Rolex on his hand. He said hoarsely glancing at Alex dreamingly:

“I hate you! With all my heart and my soul”

“Do the lawyers have them?” Alex interested with a smirk.

“Touché,” Max murmured watching though the illuminator. “How long shall we fly?”

“Forty minutes,” Alex answered thoughtfully. “I’m working here and you’re shamelessly flopping. It won’t go.”

“Awsome,” Max exclaimed, “it is not enough that you got me out of the great party where I almost found the only one who I was ready to live in the richness and poverty with and here, in a few minutes, all my plans went down the chute and I’m a hostage on the board of the plane.”

“Your every mistress is a wife and a mother. You’re killing me, Max. Until you get marry the Atlantic Ocean will dry out. And you as a company’s lawyer must be present on the meeting. Moreover, there is a possibility that somebody will need to go to France to see everything on the location.”

“Somebody you mean me. Talk the true. I know you set sights on some village near Denver for holidays.”

“Wanna an exchange? Unity craves to behold you personally not according to my stories.”

“Oh, Gods, no way.” Max’s face sprawled with horror. “I’m going to France. There is business up to my neck I’m needed there as the air.”

“So we finished off. Christian is leaving in three days. We’ll have to discuss everything now before his departure. And being there in France you’ll check everything and call me out for the signing the contract. So stop whimpering. By the way, did you pay the detective services?”

“Yes. Everything is paid, the detective has already started to work. But for now, there is no move. I have no idea how she could just disappear that even the detective tripped out. She didn’t leave any tracks.” Max shrugged his broad shoulders. Foxy girl, nothing to say. And why do you need her?”

“I want to brighten some events of that night, Max. I didn’t use to forget what happens with me. I’m not an old man suffering Alzheimer.”

“But you aren’t sure that it was she who gave you the seductive. Moreover, we searched the whole office from the floor up to the ceiling. Nothing missed either money or documents.”

“I’m up a gum tree what she needed in fact.” Alex said thoughtfully. He mistily remembered the beautiful stranger girl and here his memory failed him. He couldn’t remember anything more. “Not a word.” he gave Max a warning look.

“I’m mutual,” Max grinned, “the detective also checks everybody who was at the party. That seductive is ethical, so if it was prescribed to anybody he’ll find.”

“I really hope.”

In forty minutes the plane landed in Denver. Coming out from the plane, Alex made a deep breath of the air of his native town with pleasure. He came here today not as a usual worker of the steel factory but as a busy successful man who created himself. Yawning Max was standing nearby.

“Back to the past,” he smirked coming down the air stairs. “I remember us coming here as eager beavers from the steel factory and going to all companies and banks in a search of the financing.”

“If you’ve got a nostalgia we can attach you to one of our factories,” Alex needled his friend.

“Oh, big thank you. Now I’m a lawyer, so you better kill me.”

Still laughing, they came down the stairs and sat in an awaiting limousine. The advantage of big money was that there was no need of getting get through the severe control.”

The next morning, they were sitting in restaurant “Glenn” – the best one in Denver.

“There is nothing healthier than a full breakfast,” Max noticed and ordered special scrambled eggs with fried bacon slices and orange juice.

“Agree,” Alex answered and made an identical order, plus toasts with jam and black coffee.

“The same for me,” Christian Rainford said, taking off his expensive suit. Tall, sinewy with the aristocratic appearance inherited from his mother who was pure French, and had in her family tree the nobles with the royal blood, he effected the lasting impression. Arrogance appeared in every part of his beautiful face. Thin with a small crook nose, firm chin, clear formed mouth and light-grey like melted silver eyes. Light brown hair with the sun burned golden lines only emphasized the eyes color and the steady tan. He was more handsome than many modern top-models.

There was such a feeling that the faith had fun and brought together those three dreamboats in one place. If one by one they effected the lasting impression, so together it was the killing one, attracting the attention of all women in the restaurant. They were successful, wealthy, confident and handsome, every of them was in his own manner. Alex was handsome with the fast, rampageous, strong beauty; Max was one with the boyish, insolent charm while Christian was the one with the aristocratic arrogance. Without paying any attention to the interested looks, they took i-pads and opened the contract they had to sign and create a new age of collaboration for their companies.

“I learned attentively the contract and I don’t see any barriers for its signing. You did you best Max, taking into account all my remarks,” Christian sounded equally, raising his silver eyes from his i-pad. “My lawyers would like to write down the item about the possible involvement of the third persons for investing but I think we’ll manage to go with our own assets. I wouldn’t like anybody to have the right to interfere into the production and building. It is fine for me to have fifty per fifty as we have dealt. In a case of the funds loss, we can apply for banks to get a credit.”

“Agree,” Alex answered, “I’m ready to deal with American banks and the European are up to you.”

“In this case, we have an agreement to the main points. Some details will be cleared with in France. Who is going to fly with me?”

“Me,” Max answered, quickly raising his hand up, “I adore France with its heavenly wine and glamorous women. I hope it hasn’t changed since my last trip.”

“Only the best wine and the best women,” Christian agreed with a light smile, touching only the corners of his lips.

“I think you both will find the common ground. As soon you prepare everything, call me and I’ll fly immediately.”

“Great, we’re leaving after tomorrow,” Christian nodded. The men continued the breakfast talking about France, States, politics and their future business. After Christian left Max addressed to Alex.

“Does it seem to me or there is a normal man under this cold appearance?”

“I thought the same.”

“How much are you sure in him as a partner?”

“Sure enough to put my signature and tighten our deal with a handshake. At the age of nineteen, he inherited from his father a broken, spilled by creditors and direction company that was on the stage of the bankruptcy and during five years he has made it a powerful, building empire. And what did you when you were nineteen?”

“Drank, smoke, inhaled and slept with any female person in a ten mile radius. But I’ve changed, it’s all is in the past.”

“Except women, of course,” Alex couldn’t hold on.

“True,” Max answered and broke into his charming smile. “Maybe I’ll marry a French girl,” he added dreamingly.

Alex grinned and shook his head, that one won’t change his spot.

CHAPTER 7

Monte-South was founded as a small, trade town in 1848. In 1858 it was attacked by Indians that took many lives of the locals and only few of them stayed alive and continued to live on their land. In 1861 the town flourished thanks to the founded gold fields here in Colorado. People came here with the whole families and in several decades the town became twice bigger of its initial size, so the population increased too. During the time Monte-South became one of the best places for leisure that was actively supported by the locals, because their budget depended directly from the tourists’ flow.

At the anniversary of town foundation which was celebrated on 10th June many tourists came, and this day was officially considered to be the beginning of the summer season. Everybody dressed up in traditional clothes of Americans and Indians of the 19th century and made a joking battle on the big field. After the battle the Mayor made a speech in the honor of their great town and its nice livers. Immediately after that, the celebration which was lasting couple of days began. Locals together with the tourists danced directly on the streets, sang songs and had a lot of fun.

Angie thoroughly got ready to the performance. She as a true local of this town considered herself as a part of the history, no matter she hasn’t been living here from the early childhood, and this holiday was her favorite one. The whole hour she was twisting in front of the mirror, touching up, retouching some parts; she really wanted to look perfectly according to the character. This year she decided to robe as an Indian. The only problem was her golden, burned with the sun hair and light green eyes. It was solved with the help of black wig with the hair length down to the waist which she decorated with Indian strings and talismans, and dark brown lens. Her forehead was embraced with the thin, twisted from colorful threads fillet with long white feather aside it. A dark, brown tunic hardly touched her knees and opened slender legs with the delicate ankles. Lighter fringe was sewn on the edges of it. In front and on the back, it went down in a form of a triangle opening well-rounded hips. Her feet were dressed in golden sandals on the flat sole with the lacing up to the knees. Fair brown and golden shadows emphasized her beautiful, almond eyes. A bit of a blush-beige lipstick and, voila, she was a completely different person. A swarthy, dark hair beauty-Indian girl who was ready to meet her enemies on the battle field was looking at her from the mirror. Angie was very glad. Her character was brisk and at the same time extremely realistic. She twisted in front of the mirror one more time and went to the celebration.

Black jeep was driving along the road from Denver to the South in direction to Monte-South. Two men were sitting in a deadly silence. Finally, one of them couldn’t restrain himself.

“What the hell, Alex? I’m not your nanny. I don’t understand why I have to drag with you somewhere, I have no idea where to. I wanted to go back to New York, finish my things and fly to France with Christian.”

“Because you’re my best friend, my support and armor. You’ll stand for one day.” Max frowned and squinted his dark, astonishing eyes. “You know, Unity was my Mom’s friend and the only person who offered her help, when Mom got a cancer. She came to her, gave her medicine and look after her, until I beavered away at the factory and studied. And why am I telling you this, you know it too well.”

“I do,” beetle browed Max huffed. “But I refuse being her victim.”

“A victim?! Oh, you’re just a moaner and a pessimist. Look at the things more optimistically. There will be a celebration, everybody will have a good time and fun, that won’t be a bother for us. Last six months were incredibly hard.”

“Without leaving the place, I can offer you as a minima dozen variants of a great leisure.” Alex reproachingly squinted at his friend. Max rolled his eyes up and turned to the window. “You send her expensive presents every holiday. Why do you want to meet her right now?”

“I haven’t seen her for ten years, since the moment when my Mom was gone. It seemed to me that, if she looked at me with such a compassion as she did at the funeral one more time, I’d cry out. She is the part of the past I’d like to forget but it’s impossible.” he screwed up. “Moreover, she can’t stop searching for a wife for me and this is unbearable. She constantly sends me photos of her sisters, cousins, aunts, friends, neighbors, thanks God, she’s got some mercy for me and don’t send her grannies.”

“Oh, don’t tell it to me,” Max smirked, “my Mom constantly manages to make the another bride show. I’m afraid that at one wonderful moment woken up in their house, I’ll see a priest standing near my bed and proclaiming marriage vows; there is a ring on my finger and next to me in my bed… my wife. And don’t laugh, you’re the next one after me. So save me as an apple of the eye. Mommy sleeps and sees us being married, respectful Misters with big beer bellies and a batch of children.”

“I do save you as a crystal statuette.”

“That’s it.”

Max nodded contented with the answer and looked at his friend who he had known many years and saw a usual, smiling man having nothing in common with the man who spiflicated his opponents without missing a beat. They had been best friends and partners in business for almost ten years already but even he couldn’t peek under his skin. Alex never opened completely to anybody. A board appeared ahead “Welcome to Monte-South, town of love and piece. Population 2000.”

The celebration of the town anniversary was in a full swing. Bright, trade stalls with different things were spreading from the center till the border of the town where the woods line started. All sorts of things were at that fair: and clothes and handcrafts and different household stuff and postcards; everything the soul could desire. The music from 80th up to nowadays was sounded from the columns, creating the atmosphere of the joyance and happiness. People worn in costumes of Indians and simple Americans of the 19th century were walking among the stalls, bartering for the fancy thing, singing in karaoke and dancing. There was made a special battle field near the woods for the fight between Indians and the locals that was appointed precisely at four in the evening. That’s why most of people were going slowly but clearly to the place of the epic battle for the town.