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“Do you think my wrinkled old ass is really what folks want to see when they decide to get married at the park? Use your gosh-darned brains!”
“Why do you keep looking at me?” Colt exclaimed. “I just do what I’m told.”
“Instead of thinking for yourself—”
“I don’t have to listen to this!”
Beckett stepped forward. “Cool down, Colt.”
“Sure, because everything is my fault,” he snapped. “Like always.”
“I didn’t say that,” Beckett said, his voice tense. “We should hear him out without losing our tempers, that’s all.”
“Easy for you to say. He didn’t accuse you of being a peeping perv!”
Mel caught sight of me just then. “Wes Potter, please tell me you know what’s what around here! I can’t get a straight answer with these two bickering, and I’m not getting any younger.”
Colt opened his mouth to protest, but Beckett sent him a glare and he snapped it closed again, crossed his arms, and glared at the ground. He looked so much like a frustrated teenager being chastised by his parent I didn’t know whether to laugh or give the guy a hug. Colt was not my favorite person by any stretch of the imagination, but he was young, like Andi, and our sister loved him. That meant he had to have some redeeming qualities.
“Mel, I’d be happy to help, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop insulting my crew.”
Colt whipped his head up to stare at me in surprise.
“Colt is a hard worker, and it’s sure not his fault if you’ve got a problem with our plans. And Beckett is my partner in crime around here,” I said. “He runs this company just as much as I do, and he’s our best landscape designer. So if you’ve got questions, you can come to either one of us. We’re equally responsible.”
“Well,” Mel blustered, “if Beckett’s such a good designer, why does this dang gazebo have a direct line of sight to my deck? I’ve got no privacy, and trust me, no blushing bride wants to see me on her special day.”
Beckett spoke up, saying dryly, “Mel told us he enjoys nude sunbathing, and he generally walks around his place naked. With the windows open.”
“I enjoy a fresh breeze on my nether regions,” he said.
“I see.” I tried to maintain a neutral expression, but it wasn’t easy. “Beckett, you would know better off the top of your head. When we’re finished, will there be a clear view into Mel’s yard?”
“Not from where we stand. We’ll be planting hedges to screen off the park from neighboring properties. We know you all don’t want everyone in your business, but there is one potential angle that might be unobstructed. Give me a minute to take a look.”
“Well, thank you,” Mel said, sounding chastened now that he realized we weren’t just a bunch of idiots who wouldn’t listen to his concerns.
While Beckett circled the gazebo, presumably checking the view from different vantage points, I made awkward small talk with Mel. The old guy seemed a little sheepish about his initial temper tantrum. “Tell your dad I said hello,” he told me. “I bet he’s sure glad to hand off the heavy lifting to you, huh?”
“Me and Beck,” I said as Beckett returned. “We run the business together.”
Beckett gave me a look I couldn’t quite decipher before turning to Mel. “All right, so there is one angle we don’t quite have covered, but I think we could adjust our plans slightly to ensure that there’s proper screening.”
“Well, that sure is a relief. I’m sorry I blew my top without getting all the information. I told the Dix liaison, and he said he’d pass it on, but I never heard anything back. When I tried asking the young man there, he didn’t know anything about it, and I assumed the worst.”
“Colt’s a good guy,” Beckett said, proving what I already knew, that Beck also had our crew’s back. “He’s just newer to the business and hasn’t been involved in all the planning we’ve done.”
“Well, thank you again.” Mel guffawed. “I’m sure all the families who enjoy this lovely space in the future would thank you too for saving them from the need to bleach their brains.”
Colt snorted, and Mel wagged a finger at him. “See, this one gets it. I’ll let you all get back to your work.”
Mel shook Beckett’s hand, then Colt’s, then mine.
“Just do me a favor and don’t tell all your neighbors about this,” I said with the most charming grin I could deliver.
His bushy eyebrows rose. “Why not?”
“Your concerns were easily addressed, but that’s not always the case. We’re happy we can help you out, but the fact is, plans were presented at a town hall, everyone got a chance to give input, and now we’re locked in.”
