Michael or Mac Ep. 09

Hello, and welcome back. Wow, number eight of Michael or Mac, time is going past too quickly.

As usual, all people active sexually are over the age of eighteen.

I would like once again to give Ian D a big thank you for giving his precious time to edit my work.

Also, I would like to once again thank you for sending all the wonderful messages in the comments. I have said it before and will say it again. All this is pointless without you.

Please feel free to leave a comment and score this chapter when you have finished.

Please Enjoy................

******

It's the day after the night before, and I'm sitting on the beach, giving the ocean one last look before we leave for home. The truck is packed up and I have been ushered out, because Emma and Donna are giving the place a good clean before we leave.

"Hey, Mac." A voice says a bit tentatively from my left.

I close my eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. "Hello, Amelia. I'm sorry I messed your wedding day up."

"Nonsense, you made it for most of the guests. More for some than others." She says, sitting down next to me. "I must say, Dad hasn't taken it well. I wouldn't be surprised if he sells up and moves."

"Why? Because he's not the richest on the island, he steered his daughter away from a fortune, or the humiliation that the guy he approved of is trying his best to fuck his career up before it's started?"

"Yep, that about sums up the reason," she says with a warm smile. She moves up next to me and puts her head on my shoulder.

"I must say, you're taking this well."

"Between you and me, I wrote you off as a potential husband years ago. I knew, before you did, that I had no chance. It was hard, and my heart has never stopped loving you, but I am a realist, and I knew in the long run that it would be easier to let you go."

"You know, I like this Amelia better than the other."

"Mmmmm, that was my defense mechanism. I don't need it anymore. That girl left yesterday with 'I Do.'"

"How's Lucas?"

"Not sure; he's not surfaced yet. After I locked him out of my bedroom, he decided to get shit-faced and passed out in one of the spare rooms."

"Mac," Emma shouts. I put my hand up to say I've heard her. "We're heading back soon. Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. It's my husband that's got all the problems. I think Daddy wants me to get an annulment."

"An annulment?" Emma says as she sits on my other side.

"Yeah, it's a possibility, especially if he doesn't rescind his resignation."

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be fun to crash your wedding. I didn't imagine Mac's beach house secret would come out."

"You mean there's more?" Amelia asks suddenly intrigued.

"Amelia, Mac here is the most open secret out. Ask him a straightforward question he will answer it truthfully. Don't ask, and you will never know."

"Okay," Amelia says, trying to think of something. "When you were here last and disappeared, did you have to help Paps out buying some land?"

"Yep, on the Sunday morning, my assistant turned up in my private jet and took me up to my West Virginia ranch, where I brokered a deal with the next farm for two point three million dollars."

"Holy shit, what's his Jet like?" Amelia asks Emma.

Emma gets her phone out of her pocket, thumbs through her pictures, and finds the photos of the jet. "There you go," she says as she flicks through them.

"Mac, when I've got my degree, can I come and work for one of your companies?"

"I'm sorry, that's not a promise I can make. You are welcome to use my name to enter any door you want to go through, but I can't get involved in the day-to-day running."

"She could work for you, direct, Mac," Emma says out of the blue. "Let's face it, people you know and can trust are hard to find."

"How can you be so trusting with your man? I presume he told you what we talked about the other day."

"Amelia, I have total faith in our love for each other. Even with him being with someone who told him that she loves him, doesn't change my faith in him." Amelia's eyes double in size, and she goes a little red.

"Amelia, Emma came up with a good point. Sort your life out, get your degree, and meantime, I will get Olivia to contact you. She will not mess you around. If we can use you, the job is yours."

Amelia gasps, "What, really?"

I put my arm around her and hug her. "Yes, Amelia. I will contact her when I get home, but she's a tough cookie to please." I rest my forehead against hers. "Amelia, we have to get going. Remember, I am at the other end of the phone."

I kiss her forehead and stand. Amelia follows Emma and me up the beach path toward the house. "Mac, when will you be in Boston next?"

"Three weeks. Want to meet up?" I ask.

"Will that be okay?"

"Yes, of course. Seeing a familiar face when I'm away from home is always good. Emma will be coming with me this time, though. She's getting the guided tour before she decides where she would prefer to go." I say as we get to the house.

Donna and Mitch are sitting on the deck waiting for us. "Paps went around twenty minutes ago. He said he'll see you at home." Donna says.

"Okay, thanks," I say. "One last look around, and we should get," I say, turning to Emma. "Amelia, this visit will go down as one of the strangest, and it had stiff competition," I say, turning back to her and kissing her cheek.

"I'll see you in Boston, Mac. Have a safe journey back." She waves at Mitch and Donna before walking back towards her dad's house.

I disappear into the house to check the windows and ensure the water heater is off.

******

It was a smooth drive home, and the girls chatted most of the way as Mitch fell asleep. I think he will be glad of the rest when he gets home. I smile to myself as I look at him in my rearview mirror.

I stay quiet as my mind turns to my trip to Charlestown mid-week and how I should act when I see Uncle Calvin. I think uncle tosser fits better, but I need to keep my thoughts of him as straight as possible.

We drop Mitch off first, followed by Emma and then Donna. Terri comes out to greet me, and I get subjected to another hug marathon from both women as Donna tells her mum what happened at the wedding.

When I finally walk into the kitchen, Paps already has dinner on the go. To my surprise, Ron is waiting there for me. "Hey, Ron. Everything okay?"

"Hi, Mac, welcome back. Yes, everything is fine at home. I apologize for not talking to you at my place, but I was in my office when you dropped Emma home, and I've been desperate to speak to you about this for days."

I look at Paps for guidance, but he shrugs and continues with dinner. "Okay, you've got my attention. What's got you so excited?"

"The renovation of the HQ in Charlestown," he says.

Now he's really got my attention as it's my baby. "Okay, go on," I say, sitting.

"Olivia put an up-and-coming designer from the UK called James Stokes in touch with me about solar glass that can be developed to be used in buildings."

"What's that got to do with the HQ?"

"Because this designer has included the idea in his design for the HQ upgrade. His plan has many ideas that nobody else has come up with and is the one that Olivia thinks will stand the best chance."

"Yes, okay, but what can't wait until tomorrow?" I ask, hoping I will see the point soon.

"The board meets this week, and I would like you to put this design forward and recommend they accept it. Mr. Stokes concept is way ahead of everyone else, and both Olivia and I agree it would have the best chance of getting planning consent."

"By the sound of it, it's already out of my hands. I'm guessing that from your involvement; you want a central grant to develop the glass?"

"Yes, the implications are far-reaching and could make C&W world leaders in renewable energy in construction."

I look at Paps, "I thought we already were." I take a deep breath. "One question. How far are we from getting a workable product with existing technology?"

"That's the beauty of it--the way Mr. Stokes plans to use it, we are very close. I will need to do some tests, but at this time, our only development problem is size. That's where Mr. Stokes has had some ideas, and I need the money to quantify the theory and put them into practice."

I get my phone out and call Olivia. "Hey, Mac, I wondered if you would call tonight. I take it this is about a certain Mr. Stokes."

"Yes, Olivia, and hello to you. What's your take on it?"

"Mac, this is the only design we have received that would stand any chance of getting approval. It's also very ambitious in the way he uses the space we have. Mac, I am booked on the six thirty tomorrow. Can you skip tomorrow at school? We must go through a lot and have little time to do it. I left you on your holiday because you needed the break, so now it's time for payback."

I laugh. "I thought I might miss some school this week, so I forewarned them. You are a wonderful person Olivia. You've earned yourself an extra hug. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Your bonus system is much appreciated, boss. I guess a haircut before we meet is out of the question?" She laughs. "I'll see you tomorrow Mac; I'll leave you with all my love. See you tomorrow, Paps and Ron."

"One last thing before you go. Just a thought. Do I have the authority to let Ron get on with the development? This glass thing could be big without using it on our HQ."

"You and Paps do, so either of you could sign the forms. Want me to e-mail it to you?"

"Yes, please; either way, I think Ron's excitement is enough for me to sign it off and get that ball rolling." Ron's face drops, and I can't help but say, "Close your mouth Ron; you're catching flies." He looks at me like 'what the......' "Okay, Olivia, I will see you tomorrow. Once you've emailed me, you need to get to bed."

"Goodnight, Mac, and it's already in your inbox." I smile, put the phone down, and make my way to the office. It takes a couple of minutes to print off the paperwork and for me to sign it. "There you go, Ron, don't say I never give you anything. You realize I will be Mr. Unpopular with Kim?"

"I'm sure one of your hugs with smooth her out, boss." He takes the paperwork and bids me goodnight before making his way home.

I am up early on Monday morning and going to the airport to pick Olivia up. Her plane lands on time, and she's through security in less than twenty minutes.

"This must be some design," I say as we pull out of the airport's car park.

"Mac, I won't lie to you. When you said you wanted to look again at expanding the HQ, I thought it was a waste of my time. When I saw this design and James's ideas on achieving this, I have to admit, I was wrong."

"Holly shit. Did you just say you were wrong?" I smile at the lady who has been my rock for many years. "So, Olivia, what is our objective today?"

"Right, Mac, I will run through the design with you. The reason for my haste is that I want you up to speed so we can present to the board on Thursday. Once the board has approved it for planning, we will liaise with the Sampson Harris group to get James over to finalize the plan. Then we go for planning."

"This inside what time scale?"

"We hope to finish the planning by the end of September. We will get the plan fast-tracked through and should be able to start work in the new year."

"That fast? Let's do this." We talk about what's been happening in our lives since we last met. The old Parker Ranch riding school is nearly up and running. The indoor arena will be ready for the fall, and the stables are near completion.

I told her what I had promised Amelia and she took my phone and took down all Amelia's details. Olivia spent a moment messaging Amelia and asking her several simple questions. Once she was happy she had that covered, Olivia put her phone away and sat quietly for the short time we had left.

Olivia set her computer up in my room so that she could plug it into my smart TV. Paps came up to see what all the excitement was about. Olivia starts by giving us the run-through. At first glance, the building doesn't look much bigger, but I notice two extra floors as the program runs. I stay quiet because I know I wouldn't even be looking at this if it didn't meet the criteria. As the image rotates, I notice the car park at the back has gone and is replaced by an identical structure to the original.

Then we get a walk-through. We are in a car being driven toward the HQ. Instead of turning left to the car park, we feed off right onto a ramp that goes into an underground car park. "He's put the parking under the building, ingenious," I say. We exit the car and head for a walkway that goes up toward the entrance to the building. At the moment, you have to walk right around.

Entering the building, nothing has changed as the building separates into each floor plan. I notice a larger conference room, a gym, a larger canteen, and a daycare center. This guy has read the city planner guide because he uses every Charlestown City Council initiative he could find.

Once the presentation has finished, Olivia looks towards me. "Any questions?"

I look at Paps. "You first, let's see what you took from that," he says.

"Okay, I will start with the viability of the building. Are two extra floors enough? Daycare and gym needs a viability study. Will the conference center be able to be used for other business? This guy is English, you say? He's done his homework, and it looks like he's got the Child care and Workers' health, the dual use aspects, and then we have the environmental part. Have I missed something?"

"Nope, you did better than I did," Paps said.

"It took me three run-throughs to get that list," Olivia says.

"Okay, last question. What's it going to cost?" I say, looking at Olivia.

"That depends, the estimates vary between one hundred and twenty-eight and one hundred and fifty million, if we can find bedrock and one eighty to two twenty million if we can't." Olivia says.

"That's less than a third of the price for a new build either way....." I think for a moment. "And you say nobody has come close to this?"

Olivia shakes her head. "Would you like to speak to James? He's just finishing his degree at Cambridge University, and we've asked him to be available." She doesn't wait and puts Skype up and presses connect. The familiar sound of skype comes up, and then a young good looking guy appears on the screen. "James, thank you for waiting to take this call."

"Hello, Mrs. Jackson; good to put a face to the name." He then spots Paps and me. "Mr. Carter and Mr. Walker, a pleasure to meet you both."

"Hi, James, the pleasure is mine," I say. "We have just been running your simulation through and are impressed. I'm also a little shocked you know who I am. Still, with how you have researched Charlestown's planning initiatives, I guess that should have been expected."

"Thank you, Mr. Carter," James says. "So what happens now?"

"James, I'm not going to drag this out more than I must, so let's get down to brass tacks. You've come up with a design that is the best and the only one we think will get planning consent. On Thursday, we will present your plan to the board, and if we get the okay, we will then put it in for outline planning. Once that is in place, I believe you will come with your team and do the structural and ground tests."

"Yeah, before we bring anything onsite, we will need to check the plans are right and do some ground checks outside. We had a similar soil problem in Dubai, and with your subsidence history, it would be wise to see how far we are from bedrock. If it's as I suspect, we must draw up plans to underpin the building before laying a new base. The one advantage to this is that we can do this under the existing city conservation order."

"You mean we can update the building to conserve the structure?"

"Yes, pretty much. I believe the company I work for did a similar thing in Denver. That's what gave me the idea."

"Paps, is there anything you need to ask?"

"Ummm, no. I would like to thank James for giving us something we can give the city planners. We've tried to develop the site for years, but we've been knocked back each time. With all the different initiatives you've put in place, we might get past the front door."

"That's okay, Mr. Walker. It might surprise you, but I enjoyed the process."

"So, if everything goes to plan, I will see you in the summer?"

"Yes, Sir. I finish here in June. From what Mr. Sampson told me. You will be seeing me in mid-July. Can I say you bear a remarkable resemblance to Mac, the guy that did the song with Miley Cyrus called Emma?"

"That's because I am the guy that did the record with Miley Cyrus," I say.

"Don't forget about Isabel," Olivia says, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Olivia says you will bring your girlfriend and co-worker, Isabel Richards. I gather she's at Cambridge with you and will be working at Sampson Harris with you, but in the legal department."

"Yes, she's looking to expand her knowledge, and Olivia has been kind enough to show her the ropes." James's expression has changed.

"Oh look, he's got that same goofy look you get when we talk about Emma," Paps says from behind me.

I roll my eyes. "Talking about Emma, we are considering spending some summer at the ranch. You and Isabel will be more than welcome to stay."

"That would be fantastic," James says, looking pleased.

"Do you ride?" I add.

"No, never been on a horse," James says. "Would be rude not to learn if we get the time," he adds.

"We have a riding school, so teaching you will be no problem. Okay, James. It's been fantastic to meet you. Can we swap numbers to keep in touch just in case anything changes? Is there anything we can do at our end to get things moving quicker?"

"Olivia, as well as Ron, has my mobile, e-mail, and Skype. The only question mark is what lies below the building, causing the structural history. Suppose you can get the core samples done down to thirty meters. That would get us to the point of knowing what we will be doing."

"As soon as we've got the go-ahead from the board, we will put the wheels in motion." I look around at everyone. "Is that all we need for now?" I get a nod from both Olivia and Paps. "Okay, James. Thank you once again, and we will be in contact."

Olivia breaks the connection and smiles at me.

I'm driving Olivia back to the airport; this was a flying visit. My dash lights up with an incoming call. I frown at Olivia when I see the caller ID. "Matt Costa? Wonder what he wants," Olivia says as I press the button to answer the call.

"Matt, how's it going?" I say.

"Hi Michael, I'm fine, thank you...Mac, are you still coming to the six monthly meetings?"

"That's the plan. Why is there a problem?"

"Your Uncle has pulled it forward to Wednesday."

"Well, it will have to be unpulled back to Thursday. I'm not changing the date. I have no problem if he can't make it. He doesn't need to be there, just my Aunty, who I haven't seen since Grammy's funeral."

"I doubt she will be there," Matt says like it's normal.

"Why? It's a requirement for the stockholders to attend the half-yearly meetings." I look at Olivia, who nods.

"Unfortunately, that's been allowed to slide in recent years."

"Can you call all the relevant parties and tell them their attendance is required? I will accept no excuses other than hospitalization."

"Can I tell them you are attending?"

"I think Mac would like that to stay a secret for the moment, Matt. You can put my head on the block. If they complain, state section 4B of the company charter they've all signed up for."

"Hello, Olivia; sorry, I didn't realize you were there. Can I put Pap's name behind it to give it the authority?"

"Yes, I will call him now and prewarn him."