Chapter 5

• Amanda was enraged at the situation. Without her permission, a work crew had arrived and began their job without her knowledge, causing more damage to the greenhouse than was originally caused by the plane removal. He ignored the damaged pots and exquisite plants that she had admired throughout this year. She feared that the insurance would not cover all of this. She had no idea how she would pay off her debt, much less all of the other expenses that lay in anticipation. Without the insurance or the money, the crop would have brought in within weeks.
• They had put up plastic sheets to protect her greenhouse from collapsing, but she sat in the midst of the rubble and wanted to vent her frustrations. Aside from the fact that her intended target had been hospitalized due to a concussion and other possibly concealed ailments, she was not in a position to unleash her fury.
• Since she was already in the mood for a battle, she decided to phone her stepbrother, Alecks, her insurance broker. Why couldn't he spell his name like a regular man? God, she loathed it. In spite of all that had transpired, she couldn't tolerate the fact that she was still obligated in some way to him and his family. Amanda assured herself that this would go much more smoothly if you stayed enraged. As she sat among the ruins of her life and career, she got out her phone and dialed his number.
• "The timing is not right for this, Mags. "Currently, I'm busier than a drunken college student on a Friday night in a dive bar," when the phone rang, he muttered.
• "You'd know," she snorted sarcastically.
• My clients are waiting for me here, and you know how terrible the storms and flooding have been. Right now, there are more pressing matters than your tiny flower farm. " She could see he was about to hang up when he snapped.
• "My greenhouse was hit by a jet this morning, and I'm a customer." Unless you stop being a jerk and come through for me for the first time in your life, I'm going to lose my entire crop, Alecks. " On the phone, she screamed.
• "Fuck! Is everything well with you? " He said,a tone of astonishment if not worry evident on his face.
• His father's business has arrived and made some minor repairs to the plane. I'm good. It's probably true, but I've lost half of my flowers and Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away, so I'll probably not sue them . Despite harvesting everything I can, how will I inform my customers?" Even though she was relieved that her voice hadn't been shattered, she clung on to her rage with all her might.
• There would be no need to wait for him to emerge, he promised.
• She added that a helicopter is the only mode of transportation available to go in and out of the area.
• Alecks speculated, "The person who crashed must be loaded."
• It was a "dumb accident," she conceded, attempting to hold onto her rage and failing. "His father is, but it was just a stupid accident. He's probably just thankful Ernest didn't die."
• Ernest, I don't know you. Alecks inquired, attempting to identify the subject.
• Amanda filled up the spaces with, "Ernest Kesler, as in Kesler Mining."
• "Fuck!" The obscenity from Alecks' mouth was heard on the other end of the phone. "Then we'll litigate them to the ground."
• She whispered, "Alecks." Her voice trembled as she said, "I don't want anyone to know he was here with me." In the midst of the media frenzy that has erupted around him, I prefer to stay out of it. To be contrasted with, well... nothing more than that, really, "she remarked. They both knew how uncomfortable it made her feel when others made comparisons between her and the gorgeous women she had dated in the past. She didn't want anything to do with him or his lifestyle, not because they were dating or anything.
• I'm confident they'll settle out of court in order to avoid any ill-feeling from the other side. Considering how often that guy gets himself into problems, I'm sure they responded swiftly to help you out. " She was comforted by Aleck. Amanda could tell he was smiling as he said, "Especially if you let Mother do the negotiations."
• Why do we have to inform her, God forbid? Amanda let out a groaning sound.
• Surely you are joking. This time around, you need her on your team. My guess is that she knows them and their friends. If you want to save your tiny flower farm, you need her on board. " He gave a speech. "Look , the BOM says the weather is clearing, therefore the roads will be passable tomorrow, no doubt. We'll check out the damage tomorrow, and I'll make sure Mom is up to speed. In the meantime, I hope you got some shots before they started working on the repairs, temporary or not. "
• She finally answered, "Yeah," after some hesitation. In her fury at the team for showing up without first introducing themselves and making an appearance at her door to begin work on her property, she had shot images of them all and the helicopters from which they came using her phone. Now that she'd given Alecks the complete tale, she was more relaxed and aware of what his mother would do with it. It doesn't matter how much she dislikes or dislikes them these days, they were her only family.
• "The time has come for me to go, Mags." This week has been a complete disaster. Is it okay with you if my mother and I come out tomorrow afternoon? Do not accept any proposal from them till then. " Amanda could overhear Aleck's hard work in the background as he spoke distractedly.
• Amanda said, "Oh God." As she sank her face into her hands, she wept, not for the first time that day. "This is going to be a circus, and instead of Ernest's circus, it was hers, and Alecks and Elena were her monkeys."