Nerd Gone Wild (Nerds, #3)(26)
Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson

“That’s where you’re wrong, missy.”

She wasn’t crazy about being called “missy,” either, but Uncle Kurt meant it in a good way, so she decided to let it go. “Seriously, I need to get a lot of basic training before I’m ready to submit to magazines. I’m hoping Tanya can give me a crash course in technique. Then it’s up to me.”

Uncle Kurt leaned closer. “Tanya can tell you exactly how to take those pictures, so that your first efforts are more than adequate to create a coffee-table book. And we don’t look for a publisher, we publish it ourselves! I have great contacts in that area. Distribution will be a snap. We’ll flood the media with advertising. We’ll—”

“Hold on a minute.” Ally put a hand on his arm. He meant well, but he didn’t understand. “This is sounding a little bit as if I’m going to buy my way in.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Uncle Kurt laughed. “Let the other poor slobs dink around for years. Take your God-given talent and head right for the top!”

Ally took a long, shaky breath. She’d known Uncle Kurt was a go-for-the-gusto kind of guy. That’s why she’d been so eager to hook up with him after Grammy died. She hadn’t counted on this attitude, though. He wanted her to cut corners on her way up.

“See my point?” He beamed at her. “Good God, Ally, you’re richer than God! Why not use some of that money to get what you want?”

She clutched his arm and lowered her voice. “I don’t want people around here to know about the money,” she said.

“Yes, for heaven’s sakes, Kurt,” Tanya said. “That isn’t the sort of information you broadcast. No telling who might be listening. Next thing you know, all sorts of people will be pestering the poor girl for money.”

“I could handle that,” Ally said, still keeping her voice low. “But what I couldn’t handle is people treating me differently. I came up here to escape the heiress label.” She glanced at Mitchell. “Which hasn’t been easy.”

“Why escape it?” Uncle Kurt looked puzzled. “Why not use it to get where you want to go? Wouldn’t you agree, Tanya?”

Ally turned to her, hoping that Tanya would see it her way. “You worked your way to the top. Don’t you think there’s a basic integrity to doing it that way? Aren’t you more confident, knowing you perfected your craft before hitting the big time?”

Before answering, Tanya glanced disapprovingly at Serena, who was still torturing the zither. Then she turned back to Ally. “If I’d had your resources, I wouldn’t have spent all those years in the trenches, believe me. Why do that when you don’t have to?”

“But I want to,” Ally said. “I think trench time is a good thing.”

“Trench time is highly overrated.” Tanya had one hand on her glass, but the other had disappeared under the table. “Public perception is everything. Put out a slick package of your photographs, spend enough on publicity, and you’ll be launched. You could have it happen by next year, instead of working like a dog for ten or fifteen years, like I did.”

Mitchell abruptly scooted his chair back. “Excuse me a minute. I’m going to get another beer. Anybody else need something?”

“More nuts.” Tanya’s hand reappeared as she reached for some peanuts in a bowl in the center of the table. “I do love nuts.”

Ally was flabbergasted. Although she couldn’t prove it, she thought the great Tanya Mandell had just made a grab for Mitchell under the table. Judging from her comment, Ally had a fair idea what she’d grabbed for.

The good news was that Mitchell hadn’t been happy with the move. He had more than half his beer left, so he definitely didn’t need another one. The bad news was that Ally wanted to slap Tanya silly. And this was the woman who was supposed to help her realize her dream.

Ally got up, too. “I could use another Irish coffee,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

“Isn’t that what the waiter is for?” Uncle Kurt asked.

Ally glanced over to where David stood holding an empty tray while he talked casually with Betsy and Rudy. “He’s very busy,” she said, and hurried over to the bar to join Mitchell.

* * *

Kurt leaned across the table. For once he was glad the hippie woman was playing the damned zither, because the noise gave him some cover for the conversation he needed to have with Viv. “What did you do just now?”

“Nothing.” She cracked open a shell and popped a peanut into her mouth.

“I don’t believe it was nothing. I think you tried to grab Mitchell’s balls under the table.”

“What if I did?” She chewed the peanut and swallowed. “I like that whole nerdy look he’s got going. Makes him more of a challenge than the sculptor.”

“Vivian, how many times do I have to say this? You’re supposed to be gay”

“I think this trip will mark my conversion to bisexuality.”

Kurt fought for control. He couldn’t lose it in the middle of this godforsaken little bar, because then he’d blow any chance of bringing Ally around to his way of thinking. “Viv, we have to concentrate on the goal.”

“I am concentrating.” She cracked open another peanut. “Mitchell J. Carruthers, Jr., is in our way. Did you happen to notice that?”

“Yeah, but he’s a nerd, like you said. I’m pretty sure he’s after Ally, but she wouldn’t get hooked up with a boring guy like that. I’m not worried about him.”

“Ally likes him. And he doesn’t much like you. Plus, I don’t think he’s as boring as you imagine. He could be more of a problem than you’re counting on.”

“And you’re going to solve it by grabbing his crotch? Jesus, Viv.”

“It’s a start. But I have the feeling that Plan A is doomed, anyway.”

A trickle of cold sweat slid down Kurt’s backbone. He liked Ally. He didn’t want to see something happen to her. “No it’s not. Give it time.”

“How much time? Ten years, until she feels ready to do that coffee-table book? You said we could get her to hand over the money for the printing right away, but I don’t see that happening. She loves the trenches.”

“Forget what she said. Trust me, before long we’ll see nak*d ambition.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a nak*d nerd.”

Kurt groaned. He’d often wondered if Vivian had ADHD because she was so easily distracted. Now he was sure of it. “Look at what we’ve accomplished. She’s forked over a check for your mentoring fee and your expenses for coming up here. Tomorrow she’ll order camera equipment through your favorite catalog and give you the money for that.”

“That’s right.” Vivian tossed a shelled peanut in the air and caught it between her teeth. She crunched down and the peanut cracked. Then she chewed the peanut and swallowed it. “I need to remember to get that catalog out of my suitcase.”

“That suitcase weighs a ton. What’s in there, anyway?” He took a swallow of his drink.

“My gun, for one thing.”

He choked on his Scotch.

“You didn’t know I brought a gun?”

He coughed into his napkin. “No, Viv, I didn’t know you brought a gun.” And suddenly his stomach got queasy. He didn’t have to ask why she’d brought it. Plan B.

He’d have to make sure she never had a reason to take that gun out of her suitcase. “So anyway, adding up where we are, you already have the money for your fee and expenses, and tomorrow you’ll get the check for the camera equipment. Then in a couple of days you’ll get a call about a lucrative assignment, which you’ll refuse. She’ll feel honor-bound to replace the money you turned down.”

“It’s the honor part of her makeup that worries me. You didn’t tell me she was ethical, Kurt. How are we supposed to work with someone who has ethics?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never had to before. But I’m sure there’s an angle to play. I’ll figure out what it is.”

* * *

On her way over to where Mitch was standing at the bar, Ally was stopped by Betsy.

“How’s it going, toots?”

“Great.” Ally hated to tell Betsy that Tanya Mandell, the woman to whom Betsy had given her beloved parlor for the duration of her stay, was into groping men under the table. Betsy might have sex on the brain, but she wouldn’t do something like that, at least not to a man she barely knew. “I appreciate all the trouble you went to, giving up your room and everything.”

“It was nothing. I knew the minute your uncle Kurt introduced her that I’d need to put her in the parlor instead of a regular room. I’m just glad you showed up to cover for me while I ducked in there and emptied the armoire of my duds.”

“No problem. Tanya seems really happy with the parlor.” A little too happy, in Ally’s opinion. She’d never pictured Tanya as a nympho.

“I’m glad she is. And I’ll be over bright and early in the morning to cook breakfast, so don’t worry about that.”

“So where are you staying, Betsy?” Rudy asked.

“Upstairs with Poopsie, but don’t let that get around. It’s temporary. I’m not living with a man until I have a ring on my finger. But I can’t stay in a regular room at the lodge or Tanya will figure out she’s in my room.” She motioned Ally closer and lowered her voice. “Do you think Tanya’s after Mitchell? I thought she liked girls.”

“Who knows? But speaking of Mitchell, I need to go talk to him. See you guys later, okay?” She hurried over to the bar and caught Mitchell as he was about to head back with a full glass of beer.

She lounged against the bar and batted her eyelashes. “Buy me a drink?”

He looked her up and down and smiled. “You sure about that? You still have most of your first one.”

“So do you.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to guarantee I had a spare. In case Dave got busy.”

She gazed up at him. “Or maybe something was happening under the table that didn’t appeal to you.”

His eyes widened. “You saw that?”

“Not literally. I’d have had to be sitting on the floor to see it, but I noticed her hand disappearing and then you reacted like a man who’d been the unwilling victim of a grope.”

Mitch adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “Maybe it was a mistake.”

“But you don’t think so.”

“I want to think so, for your sake. Not that what she does regarding men has anything to do with what she can teach you, but—”

“I know. I told myself the same thing. And I still intend to learn a great many things from her. This is a terrific opportunity.”

“Yes, it is, and you deserve this chance. I meant what I said about those pictures. They’re wonderful.”

“Really?” Maybe his opinion mattered more than she’d thought.

“Yeah, really. I know I’ve been trying to discourage you, but I can see now that this is what you should be doing with your life. I want you to get some coaching from Tanya.”

“Thank you, Mitchell. That means a lot to me.” She looked into his eyes. “But I still don’t like her behavior. It’s icky. And I especially don’t like her trying something like that with you.”

He didn’t say anything for several seconds, but his eyes did plenty of talking. They grew all warm and soft, like chocolate left out in the sun. “I appreciate that.”

She shrugged. “She’s my ticket to breaking into this business, but when she starts putting the move on you, I can’t seem to look the other way. The truth is, I have no right to care what happens between you two, but I do.”

“Ally, I’m not even slightly attracted to her.”

“You didn’t have to say that, but thanks.” Her whole body thanked him. Significant parts started dancing with joy at the news.

He took a deep breath. “I’m attracted to you.”

“Yeah, same here. Sex ‘R’ Us.” She was amazed at how possessive she felt about him.

“I thought when your uncle showed up with Tanya, you’d forget all about that.”

“I thought I would, too. I guess my curiosity is getting the better of me.”

His gaze heated. “Only curiosity?”

There it was, the look that turned her legs to licorice whips and made her want to strip him down and climb aboard. “Maybe something more than that. You’re a great kisser.”

“You’re a great kissee.”

She laughed, feeling tons better. “I’m really starting to like your brand of humor, Mitchell.”

“If you think I’m funny now, you should see me nak*d. Talk about hilarious.”

She looked him over and smiled. “Somehow I doubt that. Besides, I want to get you alone so I can find out what Grammy said to you about Uncle Kurt.”

“Ally, you don’t really want to—”

“Never mind. We’ll talk later. Now, about that drink you’re going to buy me…”

* * *

Mitch didn’t eat a whole lot of his meal. Between listening to the schemes Kurt was laying out, anticipating some alone time with Ally tonight, and making sure Tanya kept her hands to herself, he didn’t have a chance to deal with food. At least Ally didn’t seem to be going for Kurt’s plan of publishing an expensive coffee-table book right out of the gate.

He hoped one day he’d see a book of her photographs, though. Those five pictures she’d brought with her had blown him away. Until now he hadn’t fully appreciated that this was far more than a hobby. Ally had the makings of a star. But the coffee-table book idea sounded fishy.