“Like what?” Virginia sounded skeptical.
Carl thought about it. “You’d still need to repair the building, but once that’s done, you need something that makes people sit up and take notice.” He thought of Sven again. “Like… robotics. That would get press like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Robotics, huh?” Virginia mused. “I like it. No one will see that coming.” She nodded as if it was settled. “I’ll need the proposal next week.”
“The proposal?”
“That’s right.”
Carl laughed but faltered when Virginia’s chin lifted in anger. How had his role escalated from pitching possibilities to overseeing the project? “Virginia, I’m just giving you ideas, remember?”
Virginia smacked her umbrella on the ground. “I thought you needed a ranch.”
“I already found one. Going to put an offer in tomorrow.” He’d like to help bring Chance Creek High into the twenty-first century but on his own terms.
Her eyes narrowed. “What ranch did you find?” she demanded.
“Hilltop Acres, over by—”
She snorted. “Hilltop Acres is a dump. The ranch I told you about is ten times as big.”
Ten times? Carl’s hands curled into fists in his pockets. He could do a lot with a property like that.
But Hilltop Acres was for sale today, and Virginia had already said she wouldn’t tell him about the other property until they’d won the prize—which would be months from now, if ever.
“Maybe so, but I can’t wait around, because—” he wasn’t about to tell Virginia about Camila “—I’ve already waited long enough,” he finished lamely.
“But you haven’t bought it yet?” Virginia watched him silently for a moment, and Carl couldn’t begin to guess what she was thinking. “I have a feeling you’ll come around,” she said finally, then turned on her heel and walked away.
“You’d better get going,” Fila said under her breath. “It’s been ten minutes already.”
“Carl can wait.” Camila didn’t know why she’d agreed to talk to him in the middle of the lunch rush, but Fila hadn’t given her much choice, nagging at her to give him a chance to say his piece until it was clear she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“Go.”
“Fine. Be back in a flash,” she said loudly for Maya’s sake. “Just heading to the bathroom.”
She quickly undid her apron and left it folded beside the grill, then ducked out and made a beeline in the direction of the portable toilets. She slowed her steps when she spotted Carl ahead of her. He was standing with his uneaten plate of nachos in his hand, watching Virginia Cooper stalk off to the craft stalls. Camila walked right by him, wondering if he’d follow.
Had he really found a ranch? Would he actually buy it? What did it mean that he’d come to her food tent and announced it like that?
It wasn’t like they were together anymore. She was over him—
No. That wasn’t true, no matter how hard she wished it was. Somehow she couldn’t shake her feelings for the man. It had been that way ever since she’d met him. A friend of hers, Mia Matheson, had told her how helpful Carl had been when she was opening her event planning business. When Camila confessed she had some questions about her restaurant, Mia had gotten them together over coffee to see if Carl had answers. He’d definitely given her some good advice—and when he’d called later to see if she’d like to meet again, she’d said yes, unsure if he was simply being friendly or had other things in mind. Back then she’d been nervous around the millionaire, but she’d soon relaxed. Carl was a good listener, and he took his time to explain everything to her, down to the smallest detail, treating her restaurant as if it was as important as the tech company he owned.
She’d fallen for him during those conversations, and she still craved his company after all this time. She hated herself for the hope that had flared within her when Fila told her he wanted to talk to her. Surely a woman her age knew life didn’t give you second chances. Besides, even if it did, Carl had hurt her once. What would stop him from hurting her again?
Her thoughts tangling in her mind, Camila picked up her pace until she was out of sight of her booth, hovering near enough to the row of portable toilets that anyone who saw her would assume she was waiting for her turn but far enough away the smell wasn’t too bad. Butterflies jittered in her stomach as she prayed Carl wouldn’t keep her waiting long. She needed to get this conversation over with and get back to her life—before he broke her heart all over again.
“Victoria Cooper could talk the paint off a barn,” Carl said by way of apology when he joined her. He’d made short work of his plate of nachos in the past few minutes, and he tossed the remains in a nearby trash can. “And Maya Turner sure is nosy. Thought I’d never make it here to talk to you.”
Camila was too busy studying his face to pay his words much attention. The past few years had left their mark on him. New lines framed the corners of his eyes. His time outdoors had given him a deep tan. He was more muscular after years of helping out at Thorn Hill, his black T-shirt emphasizing his shoulders and biceps.
How had she ever thought she was over him? She was growing hot under his direct gaze, desire threading low in her belly just from his proximity. Did he ever think about their nights together? She did, no matter how she tried to wipe them from her mind.
Suddenly Camila was sick of keeping her feelings for Carl buried. Maybe instead of turning him down, she should have gone all in instead, and trusted him to keep coming back to Chance Creek no matter what happened with Whitfield Tech. After all, here he was—buying a ranch. She could have spent the last three years with him.
Instead, she’d spent them alone. Busy with her work and friendships, of course, but climbing into an empty bed night after night.
What a waste, when she still wanted him as badly as she ever had.
She glanced back at the food tent, knowing how Maya would react if she saw her standing so close to Carl. She’d need to keep this conversation under wraps.
“Are you really putting an offer in on—” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it, as if she could jinx his purchase merely by saying the words out loud.
“That’s right.” He looked around, reached out and took one of her hands. Tugged her closer. Checked again to make sure no one was watching. “First thing tomorrow, but I was wondering—”
“Wondering what?” She ached to nestle into his arms the way she had so many times before. The distance between them was killing her. She’d been such a fool giving him ultimatums and destroying both their happiness.
“If you’d like to come see it first.”
Camila’s breath caught. Why would he want her to come see it, unless—
He still wanted her.
She looked up to find him watching her. Even if she thought she knew the answer, she still had to ask.
“Why?”
“You know why,” he said firmly. “Nothing’s changed on my end, Camila.”
Her stomach flipped as if she was riding a roller coaster. If he still felt the same about her, then she wasn’t a fool for craving him so badly, but if he was still torn between California and Chance Creek—