ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

Soon after Anderson returned, Susan walked in. "How's the bed coming?"

Shana shook her head. "Lousy. Drew refuses to follow the instructions."

Anderson stood and put his hand out to help Shana to her feet. "She doesn't understand that common sense works better than directions. Mom, Shana needs some help with something. Can you help her?"

"Sure. What's the problem? We can talk about it on the way to dinner."


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 29 part 1


Michael helped Susan carry the food from the kitchen to the dining room. "Drew, I hear all the money I paid to MIT for your education isn't paying off too well. Putting this bed together seems to be quite a challenge." He smiled and patted his son on the back.

"If he'd follow the instructions, there wouldn't be a problem." Shana accepted a platter of meat. "It looks good."

"Dad, when you've put things together, how many times did you follow directions?" Anderson dished up some vegetables.

"Exactly none."

"Thank you. That's my point." Anderson faced Shana and then made a face as he watched Romeo belly crawl to get closer to Shana. "Romeo, not by the table."

The dog backed up.

Susan carried in a drawer. "And this is the extra parts' drawer. I empty it every few years." She laughed. "Occasionally, I have been known to add a few of these to help the project become sturdier."

"That's in case you lose some parts," teased Zachery as he walked in. "Everybody knows that. Hey, pretty lady. Don't tell me you expect us to read instructions. That just ain't happening."

"A real man reading instructions, now that's not right." Jeff sat at the table. "Drew, the adjustments have been made."

Shana asked, "What adjustments?" When all the men looked at her, she said, "I guess it's a need to know thing." Her cheeks tinged pink.

"We'll talk later." Anderson nodded and then faced his Mom. "Have you squared away Shana's shopping?"

Jeff's eyebrows rose. "You didn't mention her going to town?"

"Don't worry, Jeff. I've got this covered." Susan tilted her head. "We forgot to bless the food. Drew, I think it's your turn."

They all held hands.

After the blessing, Anderson's phone dinged. He glanced at it.

"Drew, not during family dinner." Michael frowned.

"It's Philip. Everything's good. I'll respond later."

"I'm wondering if that bed will be finished by bedtime," teased Zachery.

"It'll only take another ten minutes. I could use it now. It just needs a few extra screws. I'm not sure why this is such an issue." Anderson cut his meat and took a bite.

Zachery's phone rang. He clicked it off. It rang again. He, again, clicked it off. Again it rang. "Dad?" After Michael nodded, he left the table and took the call. Moments later, he returned. "I need to leave. One of the sites by Corpus has a fire."

Anderson stood. "Do you need any help?"

Over his shoulder, Zachery said, "I don't think so. Julio said they have it under control, but I'll be in touch."

"What does that mean?" asked Shana.

"One of the oil rigs has caught fire. It's not common but it does happen. The men have been trained to contain it." Anderson's eyes met hers. "I doubt it's anything serious. We'll know more when Zack gets there."

Moments later, with his bag in hand, Zachery stood in the doorway. "I'm ready."

Jeff stood. "Which men do you want to go with you?"

Zachery raised his t-shirt and revealed his handgun. "I'm used to taking care of myself. Keep the men here. I'll be fine." He grinned. "Besides my Harley can outrun all of them." He winked at Shana. "Pretty lady, try to stay out of trouble."

Shana grinned. "Please take care of yourself."

"Oh sweet thing, I'll return. I still have tons of reasons to tease you." He walked over and kissed the top of her head. "Drew, take care of her. She's a keeper."

Anderson stood and shook his brother's hand. "I plan to. Take care." They embraced.

After good-byes to his mom and dad, Zachery left.

Silence filled the room. Finally Susan stood. "I'll get dessert."

"I'll help." Michael followed.

"Drew, this fire is more serious than you're letting on, isn't it?"

"We honestly don't know, yet. It can be contained just like Zack said, or it can burn out of control for days. It just depends."

Shana's phone rang. She glanced at it. "It's Papa. He rarely calls. I need to take it." She got up and left.

When she returned, she stood in the doorway and glared at Anderson. "How dare you touch my checking account! I'm capable of financially taking care of myself. I don't need your money. Your money can't buy my affection. I'm not for sale." She stormed to her room and slammed the door with Romeo following.

Michael glanced at his son. "I'm guessing you just made a gigantic mistake."

Anderson stood and stared in the direction had she left. "I just tried to help. I never expected that reaction." He ran his hand through his short hair.

"Obviously." Jeff watched his buddy.




Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Oscar - - Team Leader of the security detail
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective