Chapter 102: Bradley and Skinner

Thursday, June 10, 1971

Brennan’s likes to start off their brunch guests with a special brandy milk punch or ‘Eye-Opener’ as the menu calls it. Pitchers of ice water and fresh squeezed orange juice, along with pots of hot, blue-black coffee and crystal cream pitchers were also at hand.

Vickie had already greeted our guests, making apologies for me, and introducing Adriana and herself as my assistants. Then she and Adriana had played the part of hostess, filling our guest’s drink orders from the huge antique sideboard.

I approached the threesome to introduce myself, apologizing for the brief delay.

Roger Skinner was a tall, distinguished looking man, in his early fifties, I guessed. I scanned him and sensed that he was here because he liked his clients to know he was personally involved in his firms’ projects, especially ones as lucrative as this one could be. I knew in an instant I liked him and would be doing business with him because I could sense he was a man of principle and integrity. Now, I just needed the appropriate moment to tell him. He had brought two of his youngest associates with him, in hopes of their relating to the purportedly young client.

He introduced the younger man as Steve Long, a new associate with the firm and the nephew of his partner, Luther Bradley.

“He recently graduated from Auburn with dual degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering. He will be the Project Architect and GC on your project, if you should select our firm. He’s only twenty-eight, but he’s worked in construction since he was a teenager, and he is very up-to-date on all the newest energy conservation ideas, and construction methods,” Roger explained.

“I can tell you’ve swung a hammer or two,” I told him as we shook hands.

“My momma and uncle Lou were big proponents of child labor,” he said with a laugh. “They started me and my brothers off carrying one brick at a time when we were barely old enough to walk.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re not a wimp,” I said.

Steve looked at me with a curious look. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I just mean that you must be a pretty strong individual to have gone to college at Auburn, and then come to work smack dab in the middle of Big Orange country!” I replied with a laugh.

Roger also laughed as he said, “His uncle and I both warned him he could be in for a hard time when folks found out he got his degrees from an Alabama college!”

Then to Steve he said, “See? I tried to get you to go to UT!”

Steve smiled. He had grown up in Columbus, Georgia, and even though he had attended an SEC school, the dual degrees had required the vast majority of his free time for studying. He also worked part time to help pay his way through college, so he hadn’t had a lot of extra time to get involved in sports. And while he thought of himself as an Auburn supporter, he wasn’t a big sports fan. And he definitely wasn’t a diehard SEC fan.

Then turning to the pretty brunette sitting beside him, Roger said, “Michael, this is my daughter, Jessica Skinner. I know I’m going to sound like a proud poppa when I tell you that she graduated from UT’s School of Architecture second in her class!”

Jessica blushed as she stood to shake my hand.

“Congratulations!” I told her. “That’s quite an accomplishment. Now I know who to come to when I need help with my high school drafting class this fall,” I quipped.

She looked from me to her Dad and back, trying to figure out if I was kidding or not.

“Jessica is going to be the design architect if you choose our firm,” her dad quickly interjected.

Jessica was conflicted. She knew what her father intended by surrounding a young client with young professionals in hopes of making me feel more comfortable communicating with them, but she hadn’t realized her client would be a sixteen-year-old teenager who was still in high school. She was not at all sure of how this was going to work. I could see her framing her thoughts in her head on how she would approach her father on the flight home to see if she could talk him out of this crazy idea.

“I didn’t work my butt off to get a degree just to become a babysitter! Shit! He’ll probably want me to design a room just for his baseball card collection or his pinball machines,” she thought. “Or somewhere to sneak off and mess around with one of his, quote, assistants! Gold-diggers more likely, after his money. What does a sixteen-year-old need with assistants?”

It looked like the ‘age difference’ thing was just as important to twenty-two-year-olds as it was for the younger girls, I decided as I scanned her. But I remained silent, trying not to chuckle as Jessica continued her mental rant. I glanced and saw that Vickie and Nicky were also grinning, and Ileana was trying very hard not to laugh, especially at the ‘gold-diggers’ thought. Adriana was smiling, but she also felt a little sympathy for Jessica. It was obvious to me that Vickie was following Jessica’s thoughts, and connecting the other girls, as well.

“I would never go out with some goofy teenager just because he had a few bucks. I’d rather sit through a month of old Professor Kasterlee’s horribly dull lectures than ride herd on a grabby little hormone driven adolescent. I’d bet my last paycheck he makes a pass at me the first time we’re alone!” she thought sarcastically.

“Of course, I realize the ink’s barely dry on her diploma, but trust me, Jessica has worked for the firm since she was sixteen. She’s a real artist and a genius at designs. I think you’ll be impressed with what she can do,” Roger said proudly. He wasn’t sure why his normally friendly daughter had suddenly clammed up, but he’d worry about that later.

“I’m sure that I will enjoy working with your firm, Mr. Skinner. And with Steve and especially with Jessica. I’m certain that she will impress me,” I said, turning to give her an exaggerated wink.

Jessica blushed as her temper flared.

“He didn’t even wait until we were alone!” she thought. “Oo-o-o I don’t want to do this job. I hope Daddy doesn’t make me.”

Ileana laughed out loud and Vickie quickly slapped her shoulder, telling her to be quiet, while she was barely able to contain her own laughter at my act.

“Michael ... quit!” Nicky said grinning. “Don’t do that to her!”

Just then two waitresses came in to see if we were ready to order.

“Can you refill their drinks and give us a couple of more minutes?” I asked.

They could and did, efficiently and quietly. I could tell they were well trained for serving the customers who could afford this private dining room.

“I’m waiting on my grandmother to join us,” I explained to Roger, Steve, and Jessica. “And while I do, I’d like to take the time to introduce my family and describe a little of what I’m envisioning for my new home, to see if it is something your firm is up to handling. If that’s okay?”

“I’d say it’s your show, Michael,” Roger answered for them.

“First, let me assure you that I do not own any baseball card collections, or any pinball machines,” I said mischievously. “at least, not yet!” I said winking at her again.

“Michael!” Vickie warned me, but she was trying too hard to stifle her own laughter to be seriously mad.

Jessica began to blush as she scrambled mentally to figure out if she had said that out loud. Ileana gasped as she tried to stifle a laugh and Adriana coughed as she tried to cover for her giggle.

Steve looked a little lost at my comment and everyone else’s reaction. Roger just passed it off as some kind of adolescent humor.

I stood and walked around the table to Ileana, holding out my hand. Ileana took it daintily as she stood.

“May I present my wife, Princess Ileana, of the Island Nation of Tapato,” I said formally.

Roger was at a loss as how to respond. “Pleased to meet you,” he stammered, rising to his feet.

When he had been referred to me by his attorney, John Sanders, he had done a little checking around. Mostly it centered on Wagner Industries, and of course their ability to pay. But there was little information available on the Wagner family, and nothing on the teenage heir who wanted his firm to design his new home.

I found it curious that Uncle John had not bothered to mention our family ties.

Ileana curtsied, and resumed her seat, giving Roger a big smile and a nod to Steve and then Jessica.

Jessica bolted up straight in her seat, failing to acknowledge Ileana’s nod.

“Is something wrong, Miss Skinner?” I asked.

“Did ... did you say wife?” she stammered.

“Actually, I should have said ‘one of my wives’. Mikeya is back on the Rowena,” I told them.

“One of your wives? You have two wives? Here? In America?” she was really stammering now. “I didn’t know that was legal.”

“Oh, it’s quite legal. At least on Tapato. I guess I should tell you that Ileana’s sister, Mikeya, who is also a Princess, and Heir to the throne of Tapato, is pregnant with our twin daughters,” I explained to them. “So one of the bedrooms will probably need to be a nursery.”

Jessica flopped back in her chair, her mouth open. Her mind was reeling as she was forced to reconsider her earlier evaluation of me.

It was Steve who finally asked, “What’s the Rowena?”

“It’s our custom railroad car. We’ve been traveling by train for the last week or so. When we leave here, we’ll continue on to Houston, then tour some of the Rockies, before heading back to Tennessee, with a couple of stops in Colorado,” I explained, giving them our planned itinerary in case they needed to reach us.

“Can we stop at Yellowstone?” Nicky asked excitedly. She was bouncing in her seat as she asked.

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. It depends on whether the railroad goes there,” I answered before continuing the introductions.

“What’s so exciting about a yellow rock?” Ileana asked.

“Yellow – STONE! It’s one of the oldest and most beautiful National Parks in America!” Nicky explained.

I turned to Roger and said, “The excitable one is my twin sister and the President of the new foundation we’re establishing in memory of our parents. Her name is Nicole, but she goes by Nicky.”

Nicky made a face at me for using her given name, then smiled at our guests.

“The young lady beside her is my cousin, Amy Patterson. She’s just accepted the position as Executive Director of our new foundation. She and Nicky are traveling with me as we get things set up. I’ll be moving half a billion or so into the foundation’s coffers soon, so we have a lot of details to get worked out in the next two weeks,” I explained.

Roger’s eyes let me know he didn’t miss the big number I referred to.

“They’re both younger than me. How can they run a foundation?” Jessica thought to herself.

“Amy’s eighteen, Jessica,” I told her. “Nicky and I are both sixteen. Between the three of us we have absolutely zero experience running a half billion dollar foundation. So you can check back in a few years or so to see how we do. But, in the meantime, we’re going to try to do as much good for as many people as we can.”

“And have a blast doing it!” Nicky added.

Jessica was puzzled. “It’s like he can read my mind,” she mused to herself.

“The redheaded beauty in blue is Miss Adriana Petrowski. She is my administrative assistant at Wagner Industries. Did I mention that I have been designated president of my company?” I asked, rhetorically.

Adriana just nodded to them.

“You’re the president?” Jessica asked skeptically. “Of what company?”

“Wagner Industries,” I replied. “However, my appointment won’t be official until the twenty-fifth.”

“According to what I was able to learn before we came, Jess, Wagner Industries is one of the largest privately held companies in America,” Roger said pointedly to his daughter.

“We were ranked ninth largest last year,” I supplied. “But we just sold one of our companies to the Russian Government for a billion dollars. I don’t know yet how that will affect our ranking, but it should move us up a little.”

I could sense that Roger was concerned about his normally poised and congenial daughter. He was beginning to worry her attitude might blow their chances at the contract. Jessica opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but no words came out. So I continued with the introductions.

“The young lady at the end of the table is Miss Beth Dickson. She’s here as my grandmother’s security detail. And the pretty lady next to her is FBI Agent Lane. Agent Lane has decided to leave the FBI to head up my security. And last, but not least, this beautiful redhead,” I motioned to Vickie sitting next to me, “is Miss Vickie Wilson. She is my other administrative assistant.”

Adriana had written a quick note and reached across the table to hand it to me. On it was written one word, ‘Explain’.

“Adriana has asked me to explain that she has a minor birth defect that has rendered her unable to speak,” I explained. “So she communicates by written notes, sign language, or ... other ways,” I said as I grinned at her.

She shook her head disapprovingly, but she was smiling at the innuendo.

“I’ll show you other ways!” she thought to me.

The girls all laughed as they heard her thought. Roger and Steve laughed slightly, assuming that we were all laughing at the look she had just given me. Jessica sat with her mouth still open, staring now in disbelief at how wrong she had been in her preliminary assessment of me, and trying to wrap her young mind around all these new developments.

“Did you say half a billion? As in five hundred million? Dollars?” Roger asked carefully.

“I did. But I realize now that it sounded like I was bragging,” I told him. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to convey some of who I am and what I am about.”