Breaking Ground Read online

  “Think I’ll skip—it’ll keep me awake. How can you help about the condo development?”

  “Indirectly. Are you still off tomorrow?”

  Julie said she was. It was Saturday, after all, and she had arranged with volunteers to handle tours.

  “Good,” Rich continued, “because I’ve been looking into routes for a hike. It’s supposed to warm up tomorrow but still be cool enough for hiking.”

  “I could do with a hike.”

  “Me, too. So I found a trail that runs from the river back to the west over Sutter’s Mountain. Let me get the map.” Rich went to the shelf along the window, rummaged through some items, and extracted a large topographical map. “See, it’s right here.” He pointed to the trail marked on the map he spread on the kitchen table. “It follows the ridge to just above a brook, and then you drop down beside the brook and come back in at the river, about three miles west. We could just walk back on the road by the river, or we could leave a car out there and drive back. Anyway, it looks pretty good to me—nice views, and probably four to five hours if we use two cars.”

  “That looks great, but what does this have to do with the condo development?”

  “The brook you follow down to the river at the west end is Birch Brook. Isn’t that where the development’s going to be?”

  “You’re a genius! Let’s do it.”

  “Early start,” he said. “Why don’t you head to bed and I’ll clean up down here?”

  Although their custom was to rotate cooking and cleaning up, and Rich’s delicious meal certainly kept his end of the bargain, Julie didn’t require additional encouragement.

  Happy and content, she even felt brave enough to glance on the way at the living room as she left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. But it was a brief glance.

  CHAPTER 18

  Dropping Rich’s car at the end of their hiking route would save them a long and flat road walk back to the beginning of the trail. It also gave them the chance to be certain the Birch Brook on Rich’s topographical map was the site of the Nilsson-Dyer development. So when they started out Saturday morning, Rich led, and when Julie, in her own car, stopped behind him at the turnoff from the main road by the river she was pleased to see the sign:

  Birch Brook

  LUXURY TOWNHOUSE DEVELOPMENT

  Model Open This Fall

  “Think it’s okay to leave it here?” she asked when Rich opened the door to her car and slid into the passenger seat.

  “Don’t see why not. I’m sure they expect people to stop to look over the site. Besides, they won’t be working today. They don’t technically own the land yet.”

  “That’s true. The closing isn’t until Monday. I guess it will be okay.”

  They retraced their way back along the river in Julie’s car, turned north at the highway, and parked in the lot just across from what Rich insisted on calling the recycling center, but that Julie, in line with local custom, thought of as the town dump. The trail began at the parking area and almost immediately ascended sharply to the right across ledges. It was steeper than Julie had expected. Rich paused at the first clearing in the trail, ostensibly to catch the view but more likely, Julie realized, to give her a chance to catch up.

  “What a view!” he said as she leaned against a tree and followed his gaze out to the east, over the river and to the low hills beyond. “From the top we should be able to see to the west, to Mount Washington and the northern Presidentials. Ready?”

  Replying that she needed a few more minutes to catch her breath didn’t seem like a good idea to Julie. It wasn’t exactly that she felt competitive with Rich, but it wasn’t exactly that she didn’t, either. “Lead on,” she said.

  “Probably a false summit,” he said an hour later when they reached an open area at what seemed to Julie like the absolute top of the world.

  “Who cares?” she asked. “Just look!” To their left, toward the southwest, two high peaks were visible above the river.

  “Nice,” Rich replied. “But I’m sure we can see Mount Washington from the top. See how the trail cuts across those rocks over there? Probably another fifteen or twenty minutes will take us to the real summit, and the views to the west. Should be a good spot for lunch.”

  When they reached it, she agreed it was indeed perfect for lunch, and well worth the challenging climb. The view wasn’t quite 360 degrees, but it was very close. To the east was the river and the low hills, but the best sight was to the west, where Mount Washington dominated the horizon with its volcanic peak.

  “Still some snow in Tuckerman’s,” Rich said, pointing to the Mount Washington ravine. “But I think we should go a little farther to get the best view.”

  “This looks pretty good to me.”

  “Just a bit more. But we can take a breather here. We’ve got to climb Washington this summer, Julie. I haven’t done it in years.”

  “Think I could handle it?” she asked.

  “No problem. But it’s an all-day hike, so we’ll have to work up to it.”

  “We ought to hike every weekend this summer, Rich, and then we’ll be ready for Washington in the fall. I wish you were here all the time. It’ll be great in August when you can come for the month. You remember that my folks will be here that second week, right?”

  “You told me.”

  “And that’s okay?”

  “Why not? You don’t see much of them.”

  “You sound like my mother.”

  “All I meant was they live in Ohio and you’re here in Maine, so you don’t see much of each other.”

  “They were here last August, and I went to Marietta for Christmas. I’m thirty-five years old, for God’s sake.”

  “Sorry I said anything. Let’s get going.”

  As Rich resumed the hike, Julie noticed he didn’t hesitate to reach and keep the fast pace he had earlier slowed for her. So, she told herself, seeing him disappear momentarily ahead around a turn, he’s mad. She well understood by now that Rich O’Brian didn’t yell and throw things when he was mad. He just went silent, but in a way that made his silence a weapon to hit you with. Fortunately, that hadn’t happened often, and Julie felt bad that she had set him off since their time together was so precious.

  Still, she considered as she pushed herself to close the physical gap between them, the matter of her family and her relationship with them, which was good, shouldn’t make Rich quarrel. He got on fine with them last August, the longest they had all been together, and they seemed to like him. Or at least her mother did. Dad had been pleasant enough, and told Julie later that Rich seemed a fine young man, but she recognized that in her dad’s eyes, no man would ever be worthy of her, his only child. A math professor at the college in Marietta, he appreciated Rich’s academic career, though he did ask Julie if the University of Maine was the best Rich could do. Julie had gotten mad at that, and Dad had tried to joke his way out of it by saying that he himself didn’t have much to talk about since there he was at little old Marietta College on the banks of the Ohio River. Unsaid was what Julie knew: that he had turned down offers at far more prestigious places because he and her mother liked the small-town life of Marietta.

  “You back there?” Rich yelled from where he had stopped at the top of the trail.

  “Just trying to keep up with you, in my usual slow way.”

  “Hey, turtle,” Rich said as he stepped back down the trail to her and put his arms around her. “We hares don’t always get to the finish line first,” he said. “I’m sorry I went off in a huff.”

  “What did I say?”

  “Nothing you said. Just me. I’ll be happy to see your parents next month. No problem. I like them, and at least they put on a good face about me.”

  “They like you, too, Rich.”

  “Maybe your mother, but let’s not kid about your father, Julie.”

  “Rich, he does like you. He told me that several times. But, face it, I’m still his little girl. No guy will ever measure up. I can�
��t tell you what he was like when I was in high school, inspecting every guy I dated like they were at the bottom of his class. You’re from a big family; being an only child is different, and being a girl with a strong father, well …”

  “You survived it. Pretty decent interpersonal skills. Noticeable but not dysfunctional self-centeredness. Spoiled, yes, but not beyond redemption. I could go on.”

  “Don’t,” she laughed, “because if you do I’ll start in on some of your less-than-admirable traits.”

  “I have some?”

  She laughed. “Let’s eat,” she said. Rich took off his backpack and Julie began to sort through it to set out their picnic lunch.

  When they finished their sandwiches, Rich jumped up and said, “It’s all downhill from here!” A half-hour below the summit they reentered a thick forest of birches and lost the view, but the trees themselves and the occasional waterfall provided equally pleasant sights.

  “This has to be it,” Rich announced as he stood by the bank of a brook. “I thought it would be wider, but it probably opens up as it goes down.”

  “You’re sure this is the famous Birch Brook?” Julie asked as she looked at the three-foot-wide body of water that seemed more like a marsh.

  “The trail turns here.” Rich pointed to the two yellow paint swabs on the tree that indicated a turn. “So if the map’s right, this has to be Birch Brook. The head of it. The trail’s pretty clearly marked along this side, and the timing’s right, so let’s head along here.”

  As they descended, the brook widened to six or seven feet, and the water was deeper. To both sides of the brook the land flattened out, and then ahead was an opening. And the sound of car engines.

  “Are we close to the River Road?” Julie asked.

  “Must be.”

  Within a few more minutes, they saw the source of the sounds. A Ford Explorer and an oversize pickup, both with their engines running, sat side by side on the flat grassy area just in front of them. Rich’s car was in the smaller area just below them.

  “Pretty good planning,” he said as he pointed down to his car. “We came out exactly where we should have. I wonder what those other guys are doing here?”

  “Julie,” a loud voice said from just off to their right. “I’m a lucky man, seeing you twice in two days,” Frank Nilsson added as he walked toward them, Luke Dyer by his side.

  “Glad you came by,” Frank said after Julie had introduced Rich to the two men. “Lucky Luke and I are here so we can give you a tour. If you have time to look around?”

  Julie explained that they had just hiked through from the eastern side of Sutter’s Mountain.

  “That’s quite a trek,” Frank said.

  “That your car then?” Luke asked. Until now he had said nothing beyond a crisp “Nice to meet you” to Rich; Julie warranted only a nod.

  “We parked it here so we didn’t have to walk back on the River Road,” Rich explained. “Hope that’s okay.”

  “Fine,” Frank answered. “The road’s pretty enough, but not exactly what you want to do after coming over the mountain. Good advertising for us—people’ll drive by and see your car and think everyone’s rushing to buy a condo! In fact, Luke and I did have a couple of potential buyers out here earlier. Tourists, probably just looking for something to do on a pretty July day, but then you never know. We just gave them the tour—not much to see yet, but a little imagination goes a long way. Anyway, care to do the same?”

  “If it’s no problem,” Julie replied.

  “Well, let’s start right here then,” Frank said, pointing to the flat areas on either side of the brook. “That’s phase two over there, and phase three that way. Phase one, the first twenty townhouses, is over there.” He pointed off to the right and down closer to the main road. “We need to get a structure in place so we can do a model for next ski season. The plan is to have phase one done in sixteen months, but next fall and winter is really the selling season. That’s why we need the model.”

  He led them across the flat area so they could better appreciate the view. Luke followed behind, silently, like a schoolboy on a historical society visit. Julie noted Rich holding back to walk beside him, and she took the cue and moved closer to Frank. From behind she heard Rich asking questions and Luke’s monosyllabic answers. So she concentrated on Frank.

  “I know you told me yesterday,” Julie said, “but I’m surprised it’s so big. Did you say four hundred acres?”

  “Actually four hundred and thirty. We’re aiming for upscale folks who don’t want to feel cramped. The clusters will be limited to four townhouses, and even when it’s fully built out, you won’t see more than one other cluster. Mostly you’ll see views like that.” He pointed up the river, to the west, where the first range of mountains was visible.

  “That’s pretty impressive,” Julie said. “I enjoyed my condo up at the skiway, but they’re right on top of each other. Not like this.”

  “That’s the idea. Of course this isn’t going to be ski-in, ski-out, but we think the kind of people who will buy here want space and a view and won’t mind driving up to the skiway.”

  Luke and Rich had caught up to where Frank and Julie were standing in time to hear the developer’s last comment. “How much?” Rich asked.

  “In phase one, $299,000 for the middle units, $350,000 for the end ones, plus fees—but as we build out, the fees will drop because more people will be sharing them.”

  “Wow,” Julie said, making a quick calculation: The first phase would bring in over $6 million.

  “Of course we have to sell them,” Frank said, and laughed. “And before that we have to build them. All top-flight construction, high-end interiors. It’s a pretty big investment.”

  “Including the land,” Julie said.

  “Exactly. Luke and I have to put in quite a bit before we see some returns, but that’ll happen. Right, Luke?”

  “Not doing it for fun,” Luke answered. “I need to get going, folks, if you’ll excuse me. Want me to turn off your ignition, Frank?”

  “I forgot we left them running. Thanks.” Luke nodded and mumbled a good-bye to Julie and Rich and headed toward the spot where the two vehicles were sitting with their engines on.

  “Want to go around to the other side and see the views?” Frank asked. “Up above phase three, it’s really pretty spectacular.”

  “If you’re sure you have time,” Julie said.

  Frank led them across the flat area by the brook and up through a stand of birches to an open meadow high enough to command views to the east and west.

  “We’re still not sure about this,” Frank said as they took in the views of the river and mountains. “We call it phase four, but I’m kind of thinking it will be different—individual houses rather than townhouse clusters, three-acre plots. But that’s a long way off. Right now we have to concentrate on getting enough of the townhouses up and sold to finance the purchase and construction.”

  “Pretty impressive,” Rich said. “I can’t imagine planning and doing something like this.”

  “It’s my biggest project,” Frank said, “but I’ve done enough others to know how it works. And Luke is a great contractor. And partner—we’re in this together; he’s got a fifth of the equity, but he’ll be making most of his on the construction itself.”

  “I didn’t realize you were partners,” Julie said.

  “When you develop projects, Julie, you have to have lots of partners. You just have to keep them all straight! And make sure you protect everyone. But Luke’s a good partner, easy to work with if you don’t mind long periods of quiet.”

  “I noticed he’s not too talkative,” Rich said, and laughed.

  “Not Luke. But he brings plenty to the table. He just wishes his father never sold the land!” Julie’s quizzical look prompted Frank to continue. “You wouldn’t know about that, being new, but Birch Brook used to belong to Luke’s dad. He sold it to Dan Swanson.”

  “As a matter of fact, I think I did
hear that, Frank. I guess the financial part of this would be a lot different if the Swansons didn’t own the land.”

  “You got that right. Luke and I would be getting rich here if his old man hadn’t sold to Dan. Or hadn’t sold so low. That really bothers Luke, and I can’t say I blame him. Paul, Luke’s dad, got $700,000, and we’re paying almost four times that, but of course, land does appreciate. Try to tell Luke that, but it still bothers him. Well, I shouldn’t bore you with all these details, but that’s it in a nutshell. Help yourself if you’d like to look around more. I should be getting home.”

  Rich and Julie accepted Frank’s offer of a ride in his Explorer down from the clearing to the parking area where Rich’s car sat. Frank gave them a final wave and drove off, and Rich and Julie got in the car and drove east on the River Road to pick up Julie’s car at the trailhead in Ryland. “Thinking about our hike?” Rich asked to break Julie’s silence.

  “It was wonderful, wasn’t it? Such incredible views. This is a really great area, isn’t it?”

  “Sure is. But somehow I get the impression you’re thinking about something else.”

  “Okay! I’m thinking about the hike, but I was also thinking about Birch Brook. Pretty interesting.”

  “How so?”

  “How about money? This is a huge deal, Rich—the first phase alone is $6 million or more, and if they do the next two, then the lots for private homes at the top, we’re talking big bucks here.”

  “But not necessarily big profits. They have to buy the land and then build the townhouses before they get a penny back. Plus taxes, financing costs on the land and the construction, and …”

  “I know, I know. But you heard Dyer say he wasn’t in it for the fun. They’re going to make a bundle here.”

  “Probably they will, eventually, but it’s not like they’re going to get rich overnight. And what if they can’t sell those places? They’re stuck with all the carrying costs. I just think you’re making too much of it.”

  “Another interesting thing,” Julie continued, instead of trying to rebut Rich’s obviously rational analysis, “is that Luke Dyer is a partner with Nilsson—not just the contractor. Howard mentioned that, but Nilsson confirmed it—Dyer will own a fifth.”