ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

As the couple walked into the den, Susan looked up. "Shana, you look frustrated. Is something wrong?"

"She's decided I'm incorrigible," answered Anderson.

"Oh, so she's figured you out. She's a smart lady. I knew she would." Susan turned her computer toward Shana. "You should be able to find what you need here."

Anderson held the chair for Shana. "You can compare stories." He grinned as he left and caught up with Jeff.

"Is everything all right with Shana?" asked Jeff.

"I think so. I didn't see a TV in her parents' house, and she never watched one in New York or in Chicago. I'm guessing she got her first taste of soap operas."

"She's really that innocent?"

"Yep, she's the real deal." Anderson grinned.


TODAY'S POST:

After Shana had ordered her necessities, Susan switched sites. "I always like to search here." She pointed to a hutch. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful, but that price tag is unreal."

"I know. I want to redo the front entrance. I just haven't found exactly what I want." Susan stood. "Come with me."

The two ladies went to the foyer. Susan pointed to the north wall. "This needs something, but I'm not sure what. Any ideas?"

Shana tilted her head. "Have you thought about repainting? What if you do this wall in a complementary color, maybe a little lighter?" She moved her arms to show the area she was talking about. "I think it would brighten the area and be more inviting."

Susan tapped her cheek. "I think you're right." Shana followed her back to the computer, where she added, "The other day I saw this shelf," after a few moments of searching, she pointed, "This one. What do you think?"

"I like it a lot. It'd look great there with a few cute vases or candles. Of course, then you'd need to remodel the living room." Shana smiled as she reached down and rested her hand on Romeo's head.

"I like how you think. Michael will argue with that, but he'll eventually come around. I need to start small. He isn't big on change."

Anderson and Jeff came into the room. "We're about ready to leave for Wild Road. When are you and Dad leaving for Houston? I want to make sure we're back by then."

"Your dad said right after lunch. It takes about three and half hours to drive there, if traffic's light. He wants to be there around dinner time. We'll stop on the way and bring the family dinner. We won't be back until late tomorrow morning at the earliest."

Susan stood and took Anderson's arm. "Let's talk."

"Drew, I'll wait in the truck." Jeff walked away.

Shana continued searching through the site for shelves. She glanced toward Anderson and Susan. I wonder what they're discussing. It looks serious. Susan's doing most of the talking. Drew's listening. It's really none of my business. She searched a few more pages for shelving. "That one's really cute." She walked over to the area Susan wanted to redecorate. "It would look perfect here."

Susan joined her. "Looks like you have an idea."

"I found a shelf that would look cute here." After the ladies returned to the computer, Shana showed her the one she'd found. "What do you think? I like the tiered idea."

"So do I." Susan clicked on it. "Look, it comes in natural black cherry wood. I really like that."

*****
As Anderson sat behind the wheel, Jeff glanced at his friend. "By your face, I'd say Susan had one of those talks only a mother could get away with."

Anderson was silent as he backed out of the garage, straightened the pick-up and continued down the road. "It shows?"

"Yep." Jeff paused. "Care to talk about it or should I shut up?"

"How about shutting up?" Anderson blew out a deep breath. "I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"I know."





Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Oscar - - Team Leader of the security detail
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective