That Night with You by Alexandrea Weis Page A

room doors. “Who should have been
here by now.”
    As if on cue, Adam—decked out in a
tuxedo with shiny lapels and a lopsided black bow tie— appeared in
the dining room entrance. His red hair was sleeked back,
accentuating his long face and skinny neck. In his hand was a
cardboard tube, and when he spotted Hayden and Madison by the
fireplace on the patio, his smile broadened, reminding Madison of a
salesman in a used car lot. He took off in a determined stride as
he approached their party. When his smile morphed into his usual
pompous grin, all of Madison’s contempt for her haughty office mate
reignited.
    “ Madison, what a lovely
dress,” Adam commented, with all the sincerity of a well-seasoned
politician running for re-election.
    “ Hello, Adam. You look very
elegant.” She then took a quick sip of the drink in her hand,
yearning for the bolster of alcohol in her system.
    “ Adam,” Hayden waved toward
the Martins, “these are your clients, Pat and Stevie
Martin.”
    Adam enthusiastically gripped Pat
Martin’s hand, pumping it up and down. After complimenting Stevie
Martin on everything except her shoes, Adam’s overzealous eyes
returned to Hayden.
    “ I’m not sure how much Mr.
Parr has told you about my design.”
    “ I haven’t said a thing,
Adam,” Hayden insisted, holding up his hands.
    Adam beamed at the Martins, tugging at
the cardboard tube under his arm. “Well, when I viewed your
property and the surrounding homes, I knew I could give you exactly
what you wanted. I got such a wonderful vibe from the land and the
neighborhood, and what I drew reflected the essence of everything I
absorbed there.”
    “ Absorbed?” a confused
Stevie Martin asked.
    Madison took another badly needed sip
of her cocktail.
    “ Absolutely,” Adam went on.
“The Turtle Creek area is so esteemed, so prestigious, and the
homes there are some of the most brilliant representations of
classical architecture. Like this mansion we are in now.” He
dramatically waved his hand about the patio, looking more like a
bad actor in a B movie than an architect. “I wanted to capture the
essence of that in my design for you.” He then pointed to the
perplexed looking Martin couple.
    Hayden took a step toward Adam,
rubbing his hand across his chin. “Why don’t we dispense with the
explanations and just show Pat and Stevie the drawing, eh,
Adam?”
    “ Ah, sure,” Adam agreed,
appearing a bit befuddled. Opening the top of the cardboard tube
under his arm, Adam approached the black iron table behind
Madison.
    She moved to the side, and waited as
he spread his plans out over hers. When her eyes craned over his
shoulders to get a peek at his finished design, she recoiled. The
massive, three-story home had wide colonial windows, Doric columns,
and a triangular pediment over the front entrance. Resembling an
ancient Greek temple with its Greek Revival design, Madison thought
the home appeared nothing at all like what the Martins had wanted.
She shifted her eyes to the middle-aged couple as they eagerly
scanned the plans, the disappointment etched on both of their
faces.
    Mike came forward, interested in the
plans on the table. “Jesus,” she gasped.
    “ Yes, it’s certainly big,”
Stevie Martin commented.
    Adam took it as a compliment and
smiled voraciously. “Yes, I have six bedrooms with bathrooms
upstairs, and a grand-sized kitchen, family, living, and dining
rooms on the first floor.” He gestured to the rooms drawn on the
first floor. “Plus, there is plenty of space for a media
room.”
    Pat Martin studied the plans. “What
about blending in with the property? We want it to be natural, like
the land.”
    “ Oh, it will.” Adam touched
the drawing, pleading his case. “I have included wide windows on
the rear of the home in the family room, den, dining area, and even
the kitchen. A large deck will come off the back and go down to the
creek.”
    “ I don’t understand,”
Stevie Martin voiced, eyeing the