cross fire between two of my most important clients.
“I hope everything’s okay,” I said, walking over to him. Up close, I could see how the weight loss had further loosened his jawline. And there was a new pouchiness around his eyes that made him look older and somewhat sad.
“No, actually, it’s not,” he said. “I’ve hit some pretty choppy water, Alice. And after years of smooth sailing I’m afraid I’ve lost my old knack for coming about.”
I didn’t know what to say. Should I try to commiserate? Or offer solace? Here we stood in this man-made paradise he’d paid me an enormous sum of money to create for him, and I was pretty sure that he was barely taking it in—let alone deriving any pleasure from it. And I was surprised at how much that bothered me. How much it mattered that he should enjoy our great shared endeavor. I’d known when I took on this project that I wanted to prove something to myself. Now I realized that I’d been hoping to prove something to Mackenzie as well. I wanted him to feel that he’d been right to believe in me. That I’d done him proud. I longed to hear the old excitement in his voice.
What I’m hoping for is something totally unexpected and unique. The fact is I want you to create the most beautiful garden in the Berkshires for me.
“You’re right,” he muttered, as though I’d actually been speaking to him. “Enough of this! Self-pity is such a ridiculous waste of energy. So, Alice,” he said, turning to face me. His gaze was hooded and weary. “I understand you’ve been trying to get hold of me.” I knew that Eleanor had been attempting for days to get him to respond to my repeated requests. Was it Gwen who’d prompted this sudden willingness to talk?
“Yes,” I told him. “Something’s come up that I think you’re going to like. At least I hope so. Because, in my world at least, it’s a pretty big deal. . . .”
I was sure that my news about the Open Day would shake Mackenzie out of his slump, but he seemed to just absorb it into his general unhappiness.
“So I agree to let the public come traipsing through here,” he said, “and they trample all over the flower beds and have their little dogs pee on the bushes. What exactly do I get out of it?”
“Recognition,” I said, my heart sinking. This was hardly the response I’d been counting on, and his peevishness surprised me. I was aware that he could be bullying and demanding, but this was the first time I’d ever known him to be small. “A chance to show off what you’ve done. This is an amazing accomplishment. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“Oh, Christ!” he said. “The thing is, this isn’t the optimum moment for me to be showing anything off. I hope you didn’t go and promise that Yoland woman anything. I got at least two dozen different messages from her. You’d think people would start to get it when you don’t call them back!”
“Of course I didn’t promise anything,” I said, affronted. “Though I might have given her the wrong impression about how you’d react. I’m sorry—I assumed you’d be pleased.”
“Don’t get all martyrish on me, Alice,” he said. “I have enoughon my plate right now without having to deal with your tender feelings.”
“I’ll live,” I told him, though in fact I was bitterly disappointed. It was my garden, too, I wanted to remind him. But the truth was that without his money neither of us would have been standing there, surrounded by beauty and utterly miserable.
“I’m not sure
I
will,” he said. “Along with everything else, I feel like absolute hell. If we’re going to continue this, do you mind if we find a place to sit down?”
“Of course,” I told him. “But would you like me to give you a quick tour of the gardens first? There are benches down there by the waterfall. Do you think you can make it that far?”
“Well, let’s give it a try,” he said, and then, surprisingly, he held out his arm. He
“I hope everything’s okay,” I said, walking over to him. Up close, I could see how the weight loss had further loosened his jawline. And there was a new pouchiness around his eyes that made him look older and somewhat sad.
“No, actually, it’s not,” he said. “I’ve hit some pretty choppy water, Alice. And after years of smooth sailing I’m afraid I’ve lost my old knack for coming about.”
I didn’t know what to say. Should I try to commiserate? Or offer solace? Here we stood in this man-made paradise he’d paid me an enormous sum of money to create for him, and I was pretty sure that he was barely taking it in—let alone deriving any pleasure from it. And I was surprised at how much that bothered me. How much it mattered that he should enjoy our great shared endeavor. I’d known when I took on this project that I wanted to prove something to myself. Now I realized that I’d been hoping to prove something to Mackenzie as well. I wanted him to feel that he’d been right to believe in me. That I’d done him proud. I longed to hear the old excitement in his voice.
What I’m hoping for is something totally unexpected and unique. The fact is I want you to create the most beautiful garden in the Berkshires for me.
“You’re right,” he muttered, as though I’d actually been speaking to him. “Enough of this! Self-pity is such a ridiculous waste of energy. So, Alice,” he said, turning to face me. His gaze was hooded and weary. “I understand you’ve been trying to get hold of me.” I knew that Eleanor had been attempting for days to get him to respond to my repeated requests. Was it Gwen who’d prompted this sudden willingness to talk?
“Yes,” I told him. “Something’s come up that I think you’re going to like. At least I hope so. Because, in my world at least, it’s a pretty big deal. . . .”
I was sure that my news about the Open Day would shake Mackenzie out of his slump, but he seemed to just absorb it into his general unhappiness.
“So I agree to let the public come traipsing through here,” he said, “and they trample all over the flower beds and have their little dogs pee on the bushes. What exactly do I get out of it?”
“Recognition,” I said, my heart sinking. This was hardly the response I’d been counting on, and his peevishness surprised me. I was aware that he could be bullying and demanding, but this was the first time I’d ever known him to be small. “A chance to show off what you’ve done. This is an amazing accomplishment. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“Oh, Christ!” he said. “The thing is, this isn’t the optimum moment for me to be showing anything off. I hope you didn’t go and promise that Yoland woman anything. I got at least two dozen different messages from her. You’d think people would start to get it when you don’t call them back!”
“Of course I didn’t promise anything,” I said, affronted. “Though I might have given her the wrong impression about how you’d react. I’m sorry—I assumed you’d be pleased.”
“Don’t get all martyrish on me, Alice,” he said. “I have enoughon my plate right now without having to deal with your tender feelings.”
“I’ll live,” I told him, though in fact I was bitterly disappointed. It was my garden, too, I wanted to remind him. But the truth was that without his money neither of us would have been standing there, surrounded by beauty and utterly miserable.
“I’m not sure
I
will,” he said. “Along with everything else, I feel like absolute hell. If we’re going to continue this, do you mind if we find a place to sit down?”
“Of course,” I told him. “But would you like me to give you a quick tour of the gardens first? There are benches down there by the waterfall. Do you think you can make it that far?”
“Well, let’s give it a try,” he said, and then, surprisingly, he held out his arm. He
Similar Books
