All of them except for Sawyer.
But that didn’t matter. It would be three against one. I’d been told to make an offer the Gilley family wouldn’t refuse, and that’s exactly what I’d done. But that still didn’t mean that a part of me wished that in another world, in another situation, the Gilley men might have refused anyway.
That Sawyer might have walked away from the meeting victorious. But there was only one piece of property, and we couldn’t both own it. They would sell, my client would prevail, and the only remaining question was just how much Sawyer Gilley was going to hate me when all was said and done.
4
Sawyer
I wanted to punch him. And kiss him. That was the problem. Even though James had just exploded my entire life, I still couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or wanting him.
“Take a breath, Junior,” Uncle Brian said before sitting back with a sigh. “No reason to panic just yet. Let’s talk this through like adults.”
I glanced over at him. “You and I both know I’m not considered an adult in this room.”
Uncle Mark leaned his elbows on the table. “Not true. But the three of us damned sure have more experience dealing with these things than you do. So you might consider we have more reasons for wanting to accept the man’s offer than fucking over your family.” His pointed glance made me feel like an ass. He was right. I wasn’t giving them any respect the same way they weren’t giving me any.
I sighed, uncrossing my arms and placing my hands on the table. “Sell me on it, then,” I told him. “Tell me why Nana and Grandpa would have gone along with this when we all know they agreed to the renovation plan before Grandpa’s stroke.”
Mark flared his nostrils, but before he could open his mouth, Uncle Greg cut him off.
“You know the reasons for selling already, the good we could do with that money. The security it would bring all of us. The financial boost it would bring to our friends and neighbors when a new resort comes in bringing money-spenders. Mom and Dad aren’t here anymore to run the inn.”
I opened my mouth to argue that I would obviously run it, but Greg continued. “And we don’t think it’s in your best interest to tie yourself to something that’s only going to pull you into years of debt with so little guarantee of success. Besides, with a new resort in town, everyone in McBride can benefit, not just the Gilley family.”
“But they won’t,” I said, leaning forward. “Resorts like this one put everyone else out of business! They bring in fancy shops and restaurants that drive property values up until even we can’t live here anymore. Don’t you see? There’s a happy medium here, and McBride needs the Sea Sprite to be the one to lead the revitalization.”
Greg shook his head, appearing almost regretful. “Because there’s no money for the kind of renovation you want to do. That’s what it comes down to. In order to turn this place around, we’d need hundreds of thousands of dollars we don’t have. You know as well as I do that half my legal clients pay in trade these days, and it’s not like Mark’s plumbing business is raking in the money. Hell, Brian’s probably doing the best of all of us, and he’s one bad tourist season away from closing down. Money, son. It makes the world go round, and we don’t have it to spare.”
He was right that money was an issue. But he was wrong in thinking it was an insurmountable one. “I can get it,” I insisted. “I have a plan.”
Greg and Mark exchanged a glance. Neither of them rolled their eyes, but they may as well have. I ground my teeth together to keep myself from saying something disrespectful. The last thing I wanted was for this disagreement to tear my family apart. It would have killed my grandparents to think that what they’d intended as their legacy—the Sea Sprite Inn—was actually their family’s undoing.
Uncle Brian reached out to pat my shoulder the way he always had when I’d caught fish too small to be anything other than bait.
Better luck next time, keep trying.
“Wishes and dreams don’t pay the bills, Junior. Four million pays a boatload of them. Greg is right. Your father would kick our asses if we didn’t force you to take this money and provide for your future.”
“My dad isn’t here,” I said though clenched teeth. “I am. And I know what’s best for my future.”
“Unfortunately, you’re not the only one whose future is a stake.” Brian said it with kindness, but the truth of it still stung.
I tried to determine if it was even worth my breath to pitch them my plan. Even if it was, the plan itself wasn’t quite ready yet.
My brain scrambled to come up with a stopgap measure to at least give my plan a chance, but James’s offer of a rush bonus had made it damned near impossible.
I looked around at my three uncles. Their faces showed a mix of determination, relief, and continued worry. I knew this wasn’t as easy of a decision as they made it seem. They loved this place as much as I did. They simply didn’t see an alternate path forward the way I did.
“Give me some time,” I begged. “Let me pull my plan together and finish renovating one of the rooms so you can see my vision. At least give me a chance to convince you.”
Mark sighed, but I could tell by the look on Greg’s face he was at least willing to humor me.
Brian glanced over at his two brothers. “Technically this deal won’t be final until the paperwork is signed in three weeks, right? What do we have to lose by listening to Sawyer’s plan?”
“Our time,” Mark muttered under his breath.
“Uh, four million bucks,” Greg said.
Brian sighed. “Look, all four of us have equal ownership in the Sea Sprite, and while technically we can make a decision based on majority vote, that doesn’t mean we should. It would be better if we could all come to an agreement on this.”
“Not likely,” I said under my breath, rolling my eyes.
Brian cut a sharp look at me. “Not helping.”
I made a show of pressing my lips together and shutting up.
“All I’m saying,” Brian continued, “is that we don’t need to be so hasty with our decision. We can take a few days to think about it.”
“But the bonus,” Mark pointed out. “The lawyer wants a decision today or we start losing money.”
“Those are his rules, not ours,” Brian countered. “If his client’s willing to pay that much for this land today, he’ll still be willing to pay that much in a few days. I have every confidence Greg can negotiate us a few extra days before we’re required to answer, can’t you?” he asked, pivoting to look at his former lawyer brother.
I held my breath, waiting for my uncle’s response. If I could have just a little more time, I could formalize my plan and present it to them and hopefully win them over to my side. “Please Uncle Greg.”
He let out a sigh, tapping his fingers against the old table for a moment before responding. “Fine, I’ll negotiate for more time.”
A wave of relief rolled through me. I’d come so close to losing the inn before I’d even had a chance to truly fight for it. “Thank you,” I said, bolting from my chair and starting for the door. “You won’t regret this,” I added hastily as I pushed my way out of the room. If I wanted to convince them to go with my vision for the Sea Sprite, I needed to pull together my best pitch fast, and that meant busting my ass.