“Thanks, Cassidy.” He can try to act unaffected all he wants, but there’s no missing the slight change in his cadence whenever she comes into a room. I take another sip of my beer so as not to let on with my grin.
“Cheers,” Dave says, leaning forward to clink our glasses. “This club is hella nice, but it honestly doesn’t have the same appeal for me now that I’m off the market.”
“Dave here just tied the knot,” Max says.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d have a ring on my finger, I’d swear you were high.” He chuckles. “But I’m learning that whatever your opinion on such things, sometimes life has other plans.”
“Speak for yourself.” Max chuckles. “Charlene is a good girl and all, but you can keep that matrimonial bliss all to yourself.” The words are barely out of his mouth before his eyes are trailing Cassidy to the bar, where a tall, dark-haired man in a Tom Ford suit leans in to whisper something in her ear. Unable to help myself, my gaze flicks back to Max, whose jaw is so tight he might break a molar. Hell, I might have to come here more often just to watch this self-proclaimed bachelor torture himself. What’s the saying?
Misery loves company.
“Max says you’re trying to get a new business off the ground here in the U.S.,” Dave says, taking a sip of his scotch, completely oblivious to the bevy of women around us.
“Yes. It’s proven to be a lot more complicated than I anticipated. Not only is the seller of the property I’m interested in acquiringfixated on selling to someone married, but I also haven’t had a lot of luck locating a good contractor.”
“You need to meet Harrison.”
“Who?”
“My buddy, Matt’s brother. He owns a construction firm in Florida, but he flies all over helping his clients get their projects up and running. He hires subcontractors and oversees many of the projects through to completion, training the subcontractor to take over the next location.”
I sit up taller in my chair. “Wow. You really think he’d consider working with me on a project in Virginia?”
“I don’t know why not. I guess it would all depend on his schedule. His brother, Matt, is on my shift at the fire station. Once I get home, I’ll see if we can arrange for the two of you to meet. Next time Harrison’s planning to visit Sycamore Mountain, I’ll message you so you can drive down and meet him. I think you two would hit it off. He’s a great guy. Very successful and down to earth. Kinda like you.”
“No shit. Thanks, man. This is the best news I’ve had in days.”
“No problem.”
“It’s really important to me that I manage this project well. I was starting to get more than a little frustrated that I might’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I know if push came to shove, I could turn to my stepbrother and stepfather, but I don’t want to live in their shadow. I want to do this on my own. Creating something that is uniquely mine.”
Dave shakes his head. “I understand more than you know. My father tried to rope me into the family business. But I’d wanted to be a firefighter since I could remember. Best decision I ever made.”
I take another pull of my beer and shake my head. “Now I just need to figure out how to find a wife so this guy will stop dragging his feet and sell me his property already.”
“I’m sure any one of these women will gladly stand in for the role.” Dave snorts.
My mind drifts to the night at the restaurant with Grace in myarms on the dancefloor. How perfectly we fit. The way Milton seemed to fall for her as effortlessly as I have. “Nah. That wouldn’t work.”
“Yeah, something tells me that Ben already has someone in mind for that position.” Max gives me a knowing smirk. He’s right. But I need to come up with a plan if I’m going to salvage the opportunity to secure this property.
On my way home, I decide to take a chance. I’m not sure how on earth I’m going to be able to pull this off. But the clock is ticking, and I need to try. So I dial his number.
“Hello, Milton?”
“Good evening, Ben.”
“Grace and I would love to meet you for dinner.”
“Welcome to Sycamore Mountain,”Dave announces proudly as he strolls over to greet me. “Population nosey neighbors and people who know your business before you do.” I follow him up the small town’s Main Street to Elliot’s Hot Chicken. A place that smells like fried heaven and local gossip.
“Wow, and I thought Hanover was small.”
“Ha ha. Yeah. It takes some getting used to if you are a big city guy. No real need for a ring camera on your door when you’ve got a neighbor like Mildred, who sees almost everything from her front porch swing. And there’s no late-night pizza delivery or Uber drivers,” Dave explains. “But Jethro will pick you up if you buy him some vape juice.”
I chuckle. “Gotta love a guy who knows how to bargain.”
