“You really think you can get it done in a month? There’s a lot to do.”
“Yeah. The landscaping and construction are the easy parts. The audio visual and electrical installation are going to be trickier, but we can get it done.” He gave her a faint smile. “Especially since there are penalties if we don’t hit the deadline.”
She glanced at Tanner, who shrugged. “It’s business.”
Another reminder of how different he was to the boy she once knew. As if she needed it.
“Who’s doing the audio visual installation?”
“We’ve got a subcontractor coming in from Richmond. Virginia Sound.”
“I know them. They’re good.” She nodded and pulled a pen from her bag, signing the statement of works before handing it back to him. “I guess you can get started,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you.” He nodded. “And this is your number, right? In case of any problems?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be here when you are as much as possible. That way we can minimize delays if you have any questions.”
“Great. Okay then,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s get to work.”
The men followed him to the construction vehicles parked on the grass, climbing inside and starting them up. She turned to Tanner, who was looking at her with a smile playing at her lips.
“A month?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s ambitious.”
“I want it up and running. Hit the summer season. Otherwise we’ll have to wait a whole year to make money from it.”
“You.”
“What?”
“You’ll have to wait a year to make money from it. I’m just a salaried employee.”
“You haven’t read your employment contract, have you?” The ghost of a smile passed his lips.
“Of course I have. I gave you my signed copy.”
“So you read section six, paragraph eight?”
He was teasing her, she could tell by the way his eyes crinkled up. “What does it say?” she asked, her voice low.
“You must know. You read it.” He looked like he wanted to laugh.
“Stop it.” She shook her head. “Tell me.”
“It says that you own thirty percent of this land. Not in so few words. There’s a lot of legalese.”
She was dumbstruck for a moment. Unable to form any words on her tongue. His eyes didn’t waver from her face as he waited for her to finally say something.
“I didn’t see that.” Her voice trailed off. So lame. “What does it mean?”
“It means that a third of this whole place is yours.” He threw his hand out at the field where the vehicles were driving. Somebody had already unloaded a giant lawnmower and was cutting the grass.
“I don’t understand…”
“I can’t expect you to do everything without getting some form of compensation.”
“You’re paying me.”
“It’s not enough.”
She shook her head. “I can’t accept this, Tanner. It’s too much.”
“You already did. You signed on the line. You want me to get it from the car and show you?” His voice was full of humor.
Her eyes shot to his. “How much did this cost you?”
“A lot less than you’d think. Old man Chaplin was desperate to get rid of it. And land around here isn’t worth a whole lot.” He shrugged. “Renovating it is costing more than the land itself. Then there’s the running costs, but I figure we’ll make a profit if we play it right.”
“And if we don’t?”
“Then I’m the most benevolent man in Hartson’s Creek.” He shrugged. “Stop looking so worried. It’s peanuts.”
“Not to me.”
“Read the contract when you get home,” he urged. “You have no liability. That’s all on me. And the land itself will be leased to the company I’ve formed.”
She let out a mouthful of air. She still couldn’t work out why he’d given her thirty percent of this field. Yet there was a tingle inside her. A frisson of excitement. The construction workers weren’t just remodeling a field.
They were remodeling her field. Thirty percent of hers if you wanted to nitpick.
“I’ve never owned land before.”
He eyed her steadily. “I know.”
She tipped her head to the side, amusement curling her lips. “So what’s in this for you?”
“For me?” He raised an eyebrow. “I guess I get to have fun with my best friend again. We can sit on top of the ticket booth and watch movies together like the old times.”
“You’re a lot heavier than you were back then,” she told him with a grin. “You might fall in.”
He laughed. “Then it’s your job to work with Rich to make sure the roof is reinforced.”
“I guess it is.” She still wasn’t sure whether to laugh or hide. This was so damn crazy. It felt like something she would have thought up as a kid to tease Tanner. Yet here he was, grinning down at her, giving her something she’d never had before.
She owned land. Probably the first Butler in history to do so.
“I’ll work my damn fingers off to pay you back,” she told him. “I’m no charity case.”
“I’m counting on it.” His eyes were warm as their gazes met. “I always give my employees a stake in the business. I’ve learned it can make the difference between failure and success.”
Okay then. So now she owned part of this earth. What the hell did she do next?
“Hey!” she called out to the man steering the lawnmower across the expanse of overgrown grass. “You missed a bit over there.”
And if Tanner was grinning widely as she stomped over to the construction team, her arms folded across her chest? Well he could do that. He was the boss, after all.
Hey, bro. I hear you didn’t come home last night
Tanner sighed as he read the message from Logan, his fingers curling around his cellphone. Damn Becca. Nothing stayed secret around here for long. Thank god Johnny Fairfax had found a few houses for him to look at, even if they were rentals for now. The sooner he moved out the better. His family relationships depended on it.
T - I didn’t realize my sex life was so interesting to you.
L - So you were having sex? Interesting ;) Which poor girl am I going to have to console this time?
T - Mind your own.
L - Oh come on. Hartson’s Creek isn’t that big. I either know her or know of her. Who was it?
T - Get out of here.
L - Was it Van?
Tanner stared at the question. Why the hell did his brother have to be so perceptive? Logan probably knew him better than anybody. Right now that made him feel uncomfortable as hell.
Before he could tap out a reply, his phone started to ring. Sighing, Tanner answered it.
“Van? Seriously?” Logan asked. “Didn’t you learn from the last time?”
“I never said it was her.”
Logan laughed. “Your silence told me all I need to know. So what’s going on? Is she over what happened? Everything you did?”
The question made Tanner’s stomach lurch. He leaned back on the bed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We haven’t talked about it.”