“Angelina knew I was on my way over here,” the police chief said, adjusting his cap.
Hailey’s quick wave and weightless steps into the house indicated: Don’t worry; Angelina should be out in a minute.
Brian tried not to watch Hailey’s every action, but she mesmerized him even when she wasn’t around. He continually saw her face and felt her lithe gait, coming and going.
Meanwhile, Trevor introduced Brian to the man who had kept him from his first gig at the Avalon. “Bri, big up fi Chief Clay. Chief, mi cris brudda, Brian.”
[Click here for the first episode or here to read the previous one.]
Brian and the Chief shook hands and Brian elbowed Trevor, signaling yet again: “Talk straight.”
Advice that should be unnecessary. Trevor rarely fell into his accent anymore. Lloyd and Andrew teased him for falla fashin, acting the copycat who never got it right anyway.
But in the few minutes they waited for Angelina, Trevor asked the Police Chief, “Who inna crosses, boss?”
Chief Clay sank into a rocker, wary of Trevor’s charm, which always affected even him. Everett Clay supposed Trevor might have stepped out of a storybook, a modern, pot-smoking pied piper.
The screen door opened and shut and Angelina said, “Hey Everett. Guess you can see why we need dormitories.” She offered the three men lemonade, and Hailey arrived with a tray with a pitcher, ice, and glasses. Polly was presumably tending to Carla. The chief claimed he didn’t have time. Hailey turned her head, smiling privately at Brian before returning inside.
Angelina and Chief Clay along with Brian and Trevor walked along the narrow path to the adjacent field. Angelina wanted to build two dormitories, one for women and one for men, and a big, multi-storied building for classrooms. When they reached the sun-drenched acres, Angelina pulled Royce’s blueprints from her apron pocket.
Everett glanced back at Brian and Trevor. “Brian’s the college president,” Angelina said. “Or he will be after he gets his degree. Right now Kaya is the nominal head, but Brian has run the show from day one.”
“Who’s Kaya?”
“Pat Cluny. The professor. She changed her name.”
“So all you ladies changed your names.” Angelina told him that Trevor had rechristened those whose names were obviously not right.
Chief Clay said, “Ah, yes, well, that makes sense then.”
Near the high hedge surrounding the field he touched Angelina’s hand. “And you’re sure this is what you want, this arts school? In town, people are saying you’ve put all your money in this project.”
Angelina wanted him to tell her exactly how “people in town” might know that.
Brian and Trevor had fallen behind, discussing different circumstances. “Carla knew what she was doing,” Trevor said. “So why feel guilty? You’re the most blameless person in the world.”
“Trevor, no extremes. Carla must have known I didn’t care enough about her to protest. I mean, that’s what happened. She left and I didn’t say a word.”
“What were you supposed to do, Brian? Challenge the video maker to a duel?”
“Trevor, come on. I could have warned her. Or, you know, tell her I wanted her to stay. Instead, I didn’t even notice. Remember? You had to tell me.”
“So what? Carla wasn’t worrying about you. She moved out without saying good-bye. That’s why you didn’t notice.”
“So what do I say now?”
“Don’t say anything,” Trevor said. “The one you should talk to is Hailey. Everybody sees that. Everybody’s waiting.”
“Everybody’s waiting?” That was a frightening thought.
The police chief was assuring Angelina that the building inspectors, who would visit tomorrow, would hurry the approval through.
“Even so, I’ll need to set up something for the fall and winter.”
Trevor was telling Brian not to be shy. “You can go slow with Hailey but you gotta let her know.” Midway through the connecting trail, a blue-jay swooped on to Trevor’s head. He and Brian slapped at it, while it pecked Trevor’s scalp and beat its wings as if to suffocate him.
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