Chapter 23

Brent had made contact with Tom Blanton, and they had arranged to meet when he was next on the coast. It would be two weeks before Stampede. He hoped that Blanton Construction would be interested in his product line and recommend it to their customers. A little research by phone had confirmed that Blanton was the right choice for a leading builder endorsement. By all accounts, they were the front-runners in the renovation and luxury construction market in the very exclusive North Shore market. Exactly what he was looking for, he thought.

Brent met Tom Blanton on one of their jobsites, and they sat in the cab of his truck with a coffee from the mobile unit that serviced the various sites.

"Thanks for taking the time to see me," Brent began.

"Yah, well, sorry it couldn't be in a more comfortable location, but I've got a lot on the go right now and this is our busiest time of the year. I can tell you, though, that my experience with your door and window products has been good. I've used them a couple of times and I like the quality and the finish. The fact that you can custom fit to almost any opening is a big feature in the renovation part of our business," Blanton said positively.

"I'm pleased to hear that. My intention today was to invite you and your lead supervisor to our plant for a tour, and to meet our key people. My ambition is to have Blanton Construction recommend and feature our products on their jobs as your first choice. I think we have the product that best meets your needs, and a look at our operation should give you some confidence that I'm not just blowing smoke."

"How much time would it take?" Tom asked.

"Just one day. We'd fly you up to Castlegar on the first flight and bring you back on the early evening flight. That would give you a full day to see the operation, meet the people, have lunch and dinner ... and we'll cover the costs."

"OK, I think we can find a day somewhere along the line. It would be in the mid-week, if that's OK."

"Definitely. Just let me know who you would like to have attend and we'll arrange the tickets."

"Great. Well, my lead guy is Robbie Delgado, but if it's OK, I'd like my brother Vinnie to come along as well. He does all our framing, and I want him to know what your structural requirements are on the larger window-wall units."

"Absolutely. Great idea, and one I should have thought of," Brent admitted.

"OK, well, I'll talk to Vinnie and Robbie and we'll let you know which days look best for us."

"You have my card, so just call my cell and you'll find me no matter where I am," Brent concluded.

The two men shook hands and Brent climbed out of the cab of the big truck and headed for his rental car. Mission accomplished! He had every confidence that the visit to Castlegar would convince Tom Blanton and his people that they had the best product for their application. He waved to Tom as he pulled out of the yard and turned toward the road to the village below. He had a good feeling about Blanton Construction, and their future with Verano Custom Millwork.

He also had a good feeling about his future two weeks with Bonnie along the Oregon coast. If he could arrange the Blanton visit for mid-July, his decks would be clear for an uninterrupted vacation for the first time in four years. In the meantime, he had a couple of other issues to deal with. One was to come to a decision about Will Franzen. He had an idea that had been rolling around in his head over the past couple of weeks and he needed to talk to Henry. His second objective was to have Bonnie meet both Andrea and Scott. He wanted them to know that she was an important person to him. He was worried that they might have trouble accepting her in place of their late mother. He was unsure just how they would react. He needed to know.

"Hey, babe, how are you?" he crooned.

"I'm good ... even better when I hear your voice," Bonnie replied, softly.

"That's my girl. You sure know how to make me feel good," he smiled.

"Are you still coming here next week?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Absolutely! I wouldn't miss a date with the finest looking woman in Calgary."

"I can't wait. I miss you so much. Every day seems like a hundred days when you're not here."

"I know. I feel the same. I'm just lucky to have enough work to distract me now and then," he admitted. "Listen, Bonnie, there's something I want to do that's important. I want you to meet my kids. I want them to know we are ... involved. I mean ... that it's serious for us. You aren't just a girlfriend," he said tentatively.