“Are you scared of the dark?” He must have caught the expression on my face.
“No, I just can’t see,” I lied, uncomfortable with the disclosure.
He reached in and flicked on the lights. The walls were old, chunky brick, and the air hung thick, musty, and damp with chill.
I shivered all over. “It’s fine, I don’t need to go down there,” I said, backing away.
“It’s just the cellar.” He cocked his head to the side. “There’s only wine.”
“There’s wine at the bar—I don’t need to see it.” I spun away.
He flicked off the lights and closed the heavy wooden door. The sound of it shutting behind me made me jump.
Breathe, Amy, breathe. I scurried to the sitting room.
“Will this be suitable?” Karson asked, as if I might say no. I wondered what kind of home he normally lived in; this was a mansion compared to what I was used to.
“It’s more than suitable—it’s almost too good to be true. How is it possible to find a home so beautiful so quickly?” I asked dubiously.
Karson grimaced. “There’s just one small catch.”
“Welcome, roomie.”
I looked up. Ethan stood leaning on the door frame, a big grin on his dial.
“You live here?” I asked with resigned disbelief.
“Yes, I do. How lucky are you!”
Chapter 30
Founding Families
Aweek went by without incident. BJ had brought some cream his mom had made for my wounds, and, surprisingly, they were healing fairly quickly. They were no longer as painful, and new skin had begun to grow, covering the exposed, burned flesh. There would be scars, but I didn’t care. I was lucky to be alive.
Despite my initial reservations, Ethan was relatively easy to live with. He was super tidy, bordering on ridiculous. He refused to let me do any housework, with the exception of my own laundry, and cleaning my bedroom and bathroom. I’d vacuumed once while he was out, but in all honesty, it didn’t need doing. I never saw him doing any of it, but the house was always spotless. I guessed he did it when I went out.
I’d bought myself a new car—a gray Jeep four-wheel drive. Insurance hadn’t paid out yet, and I knew it wouldn’t cover all the costs, so I had to dip into my savings. But this one, Ethan had said, was much safer for the winter snows. If I was still here.
The town mourned the loss of the Tolles, the Millers, and the Torontos, giving up any hope of finding them. There hadn’t been a memorial for any of them yet. The Toronto’s funeral took place in New York. The Tolle’s daughter was traveling and couldn’t befound. The Millers had relatives who needed to be reached, but no one seemed to know where they were.
I just returned from a coffee date with Jodie and Georgie, and Karson’s car sat in the drive. My stomach whirled. It was the first time he’d been here since he dropped me off—the day he rejected my advances.
I threw my keys and bag on the hallway table as I tried to keep my feelings for him under wraps. But my traitorous heart had other ideas; it launched at the mere sight of him.
Calm down heart, I told it, drawing in a slow breath. I didn’t understand how he could have me this wound up.
His hazel eyes regarded me with reserved interest. “Amelia, it’s good to see you.”
“Karson, you too,” I said, a little blunter than I’d intended.
His brow creased, and his eyes explored mine for a moment, seemingly trying to work out why he’d received such a hostile greeting. Try getting rejected, asshole. “I have some information to do with the development.”
My interest piqued, and I perched myself on the arm of the chair. “What did you find out?”
He set his whiskey down on the mantel. “The land Cole wants to build on is owned by eleven families. All members of the original founding families who arrived here in the 1500s. The contract states they are not allowed to sell the land, but it can get passed on after death to a direct surviving descendant. If there are no immediate surviving relatives, the other members vote on who gets to hold that person’s balance. The families are the Torontos, Tolles, Jeffersons, Dicksens, Overtons, Bentleys, Smiths, Thompsons, Locklears, Brentworths, and Taylors. The founding families must also vote on anything to do with the land, with the majority vote being the deciding factor. Jefferson, the Dicksens, and the Brentworths are on board. The Tolles are gone—they can’t find Claire yet, the Torontos...” He paused andlooked uncomfortable. He didn’t need to fill in the blanks. “It’s yet to be determined who will get their share. If they get one of those on board, they only need two more families to agree, and Cole gets the go-ahead on the development.”
“But if they aren’t allowed to sell the land, how can he build on it?” I asked.
