Chapter 17

Coulter

It was three weeks following Buddy’s accident and we were moving him into the best physical therapy complex I could find. Every patient was given a personal workup and the therapist to patient ratio was one to three. In between workouts, Buddy was served five-star meals and given massages by the industry’s best. I saw to it that he didn’t need to worry about a thing. Luckily, the surgery had worked and once the swelling reduced, Buddy regained consciousness on his own. Other than the physical therapy needed to regenerate his body strength and flexibility, he had come through it like a champ. He was strong and as I reminded him, I’d never had any doubt.

My commitment to my friend also required that I look after his business interests until he could return. It added considerably to my workload but I was more than willing to do it. I had no life of my own any longer, not since Gwen left.

Bitsy was probably the most loyal person I’d ever encountered. Not only was she there each and every day for Buddy, but she protected Gwen furiously and wouldn’t tell me a thing. While I was fairly sure Gwen had gone back to her family, what left me baffled was the reason why. We’d spent that wonderful evening together and I had felt the beginning of something new rising in my chest. It involved pride, a sense of belonging, and yes, love. Then came the accident and everything changed.

I was breathing, there was no better way to describe it. I had opened my heart and trusted and for some reason, she turned her back on me and left, again. I spent long hours and many bourbons debating whether I should go after her. For the immediate future, it was out of the question. I was too busy with Buddy and his obligations. Then I had my own businesses to look after. All my permits had been restored and the busiest season for building was upon us. Whatever was wrong with Gwen, she needed to sort it out for herself. She needed to put some time and space between us. God, but I wish I knew what had her so terrorized. She didn’t trust me, that much was evident.

So, it was early winter, and Buddy was finally to the point where he could put a couple hours into work each day and was becoming stronger. He said they told him he would be himself again within a year, to just add to his duties gradually. He asked Bitsy to move in with him once he was able to go back to his condo. She hadn’t hesitated, and I didn’t blame her. Not only was he, in my opinion, one of the greatest guys on the planet, he needed her and she responded to that. I sent a couple of guys with her to the apartment to clear out her things, but they’d returned with an empty truck. She’d told them it wasn’t necessary, she was leaving almost everything behind in the dumpster. I guessed Buddy was her future and I wished them both success and good health.

That left me with Gwen. Over the interim months, I’d gone through a series of phases. At first, I had been puzzled by her disappearance. Bitsy was not forthcoming and there was no other explanation as far as I could find. I even sent my receptionist back to the dress shop and she asked for Gwen by name but was told that she no longer worked there and could someone else help her. It was a dead end.

Gwen had never picked up the car I bought her. I probably hadn’t handled that well. I should have given it to her face to face, but with Buddy’s accident, well, there just wasn’t an opportunity. I felt compelled to look after her and her child. Giving her safe transportation was a very small part of what I was willing to do.

The next phase I went through was anger. I asked myself what I had done to alienate her? Had I not been a good lover, or had I been too good? Had I reminded her of someone and was that someone the person who rooted the distrust in her? Had I ignored her? No, I didn’t think so. If anything, I had pursued her beyond the normal fashion. Maybe that was it. Maybe I didn’t give her the space she needed. Whatever it was, she was gone and that’s when I moved into the final phase.

I missed her. There was no simpler way of stating it. I was in love with the woman and the woman wanted nothing to do with me. Life became colorless for me. There was no longer any challenge in building a skyscraper or fighting with the unions. Money had never been an issue so making more seemed redundant. My parents could see the change in my attitude and asked me about it over long dinners at their house on weekends. I started going there more frequently than I had before, simply because it gave me a sense of belonging. I became the little boy who was homesick, how silly was that?

I tried dating other women. It didn’t work. They didn’t have her hair, her eyes, her mouth or that sweet, voluptuous body that had nestled against my back the night we spent together. I rejected each one in turn, almost to the point of cruelty before I finally called it quits and accepted the fact that there was no other woman who would ever make me happy again.

That left me with one choice. I had to find her, and I had to win her back. The finding part wasn’t hard. I put my guy on it and a couple of hours later, I had an address and phone number. I knew where she was. I told Peter to pack a bag and sent to him down to Brookfield. His job was to lay low but watch high, in a matter of speaking. He was my man on the ground and he reported to me at least six times a day. He found her but she was not aware of it. He made several inquiries in town and just as I had thought, there had been a man early on who was Carrie’s father. He had joined the Army and at some point, the Army decided they no longer wanted him. How that affected her, I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to be certain she was safe. That, too, for the meantime, was Peter’s job.

I had him scout out a location for a new business. I had no great thirst for starting yet another company, but I wanted a reason to move to Brookfield and to do my own watching. He found a manufacturing company that was on the edge of foreclosure. They produced health and beauty aids for generic brand labeling. The company should have expanded long before and that lack of foresight had led to the competition swallowing them. They held a few patents, which was a plus, but their equipment was antiquated and slow. Their employees were underpaid and frequently injured. In the normal course of things, they would have gone out of business through mere attrition. In my usual style, I was going to interfere with that. Thus, I bought Marshall Manufacturing.

I rented a car and wore sunglasses and a ball cap to disguise my appearance. I went by the name of Mr. Marshall, with Tom as my first name. The employees were told I was a cousin of the original founder and they accepted that without question. They were only too happy that I had become involved because it meant that their jobs were safe. I closed up my condo and moved to Brookfield, purchasing a large rustic cabin deep in the woods not far from the company. I had privacy fencing with security installed on the perimeter and for all purposes, became a hermit except for the time I spent at the factory. I was always in disguise, with only Peter knowing who I really was. I’d hired someone to take my place in the city until such time as Buddy was back up to full speed and would take over for me. I’d already decided to stay in Brookfield permanently.

I had a small staff at the cabin, people I brought with me who weren’t interested in local gossip. There was a housekeeper, a groundskeeper, a security man, and Peter lived in a guest cottage at the edge of the property. It seemed he had, in the course of investigating for me, met a young local girl and become quite enamored. He never let it interfere with his job and I allowed him to bring her onto the estate to stay with him at the cottage from time to time. It was a situation that seemed to meet everyone’s needs. Everyone, but me.

I revamped the entire plant, installing state-of-the-art equipment, instated the latest in production techniques, and gave salary increases with benefits including an on-site health club, restaurant, daycare, and a few shops. In many ways, working for me was better than living in town. I kept quality high and the prices dirt low. There was a waiting list for jobs as they opened up.

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t try to see Gwen. There was too great a chance she would see through my disguise and that would ruin everything. Once the plant was running smoothly, I put a supervisor in charge and retreated to the cabin. I sent Peter out to make sure that Gwen needed a job and was hired at Marshall Manufacturing. She was given an administrative job, one that gave her some managerial control. I thought that might help her to restore a bit of the insecurity she built since that first relationship. Word got back to me that she was doing well, in fact, she was very good at her job. She was well-paid, far above that of the others and for that reason, anyone who divulged their salary was instantly fired. I watched her now that I was on high. I watched her, and I waited for my chance.