Theo And Reed's Unfortunate Homecoming

Chapter Eleven

" Mr. Walton - Fisher, my most sincere condolences on your loss ," the tall and quite physically impressive White woman with greying black curly hair and sharply shrewd grey eyes said respectfully. She shook both his hands and Matt's. She didn't comment on Theo's pained expression on being exposed to the brutal Texas sun or even the lip gloss and eyeliner his partner in crime was wearing. Which was a plus in her favor to Theo.

" Thank you," he said smoothly. " Call me Theodore. This is Matt St. Austin, a family friend. You're Jasmina Raye?"

She burst out laughing. She shook her finger at him teasingly. " I'm not Jasmina. I'm her twin sister Hannah. I know. It's difficult to tell. We used to play such tricks on people growing up. It was fun. Jassy is in the field. Don't know when she'll be back. She keeps an odd schedule. Come in out of this blasted sun and heat. I'll have the receptionist bring in sweet tea. It's too damn hot today. They say it's climate change. If it is I wish it would stop. "

They all entered the thankfully air conditioned building with it's massive banks of windows and followed her to a back office. She sat behind the biggest glass topped desk Theo had ever seen. The whole top was filled with giant sized maps and numerous brochures. After she buzzed the receptionist about bringing in refreshment, she leaned back in her chair, a slight smile widening her lips. " You don't remember me, do you, Theo ?"

Theo couldn't say he did. Or her sister although Grace had mentioned that they had attended high school with them. Of course he had tended to block out most of his own high school experience seeing it was so hideous. He shrugged and apologized, saying his faulty memory was blamed on age. He was forty three now. Hannah smirked at that. People were doing that to him a lot today.

" Please. Forties are nothing. To me forty is the new thirty. We're hardly bound for the bone yard. We ran in different circles back then. Jassy and I had our goth period in high school. Drove our parents wild. "

As a tall model thin and fashionably dressed young man came in bearing a silver tray with tall glasses of sweet tea and some delicious looking lemon bars Theo's mind suddenly kicked in. He pulled up a old image of two sullen looking young girls dressed in black with painted white faces and sharp black lipstick. Yeah. She was right. They had run in different circles. He was an isolated nerd back then but the Raye twins were on the offside of everything by their own choice. They were into stuff other Sweet Flower teens weren't. He recalled rumors of hard drug use and even them dabbling in voodoo.

" Thank you, Derek. Help yourselves, gentlemen. While you tell me what brings you here today. Let me guess. In the event of your family tragedy has your lovely mother changed her mind about selling the house to us ? We will make a very fair offer to her. Enough for her to live quite comfortable the rest of her remaining days. And for you and your sister after her own passing. "

Theo and Matt exchanged a look before Theo turned back to the woman who kept smirking at him. " No. My mother will never sell our family home. She loves her home as did my father. My sister said you were very insistent on them selling? "

Hannah Raye laughed merrily as she took a long sip of the drink and fanned herself with a glossy brochure. " I wouldn't say insistent! But we did make it quite clear to your delightful father that the sale of the house was quite crucial to our deal. Our million dollar deal. A deal that will transform this town. Sweet Flower will become another Dallas or Houston. "

Matt leaned forward, eyes on her , as he said," Really? I thought that real estate market everywhere was a little iffy these days?"

" It's always iffy without a plan, Mr. St. Austin. "

" And you and your sister have a plan? ," Theo asked wryly.

" We always have a plan, Theodore. Always. And your father was standing in the way of our plan. In the way of your neighbors' benefiting economically. In the way of progress. Progress will save this small town and others. Not tradition. Or sentimental claptrap. Your father didn't understand business at all. He was too concerned about his beloved house and the historical integrity of his neighborhood as he called it. Please! They're just falling apart old houses that are ugly as sin. And pardon me but he really was a foolish old man who would have been better off today if he had said yes. "

Theo heard a ringing in his ears and a pounding that had zero to do with his hangover and everything to do with his current growing rage. His father had never been foolish. About anything. On fact it had been him who taught Theodore and Grace about the true value of a dollar. How to make it stretch. The importance of investing wisely. All lessons he took to heart. Like he had everything his father had ever told him. No. If his father had rejected this offer Theo suspected it had been a wise move. From the calculated look glimmering in Hannah's eyes he also suspected Grace might be right. There might be more to their father's death than just old age. Far more. He wondered how Reed and Grace were doing at the police station.

" You look like a smart man, Theodore. Convince your poor mother to sell. With the money she can retire. Travel. Move to a nice assisted living home where she can live out the remainder of her days. "

Theo smiled coolly. " My mother says I'm my father's son. So, in the foolish tradition of my father I must say no. We're not selling. "

Hannah met his cool smile with her own. " Pity. I hope you don't meet your father's own fate. "

Theo never broke his stare with her although his heart began to beat faster.

Matt lifted an eyebrow and with a vivid air of shock said ," What does that mean? "

Her smile widened. " Oh pay me no never mind! This heat tends to make me babble. "