I blink, wondering whatelsethis man is buying. My eyes dip to the address listed underneath.
And it’s the cabin I always dreamed might be mine.
39
RYDER
Sana and I wander a few feet away from where everyoneoohsandahhsover the now-working water wheel. Eve rocks up onto the balls of her feet as Luke waxes poeticagainabout how much he loves the water wheel, and she’s eating it right up.
If she hadn’t wondered aloud which of her friends she could set him up with after their first meeting, I might be worried. He seems like the kind of guy someone like Evieshouldend up with. Down to earth, with a love of everything that she loves. From a nearby town that’s as obsessed with lavender as this one is about sunflowers.
Not somebig shotfrom the city.
We lose sight of them as we walk, Sana pulling her jacket tighter around her body. I direct us in a small loop back to the barn so we won’t be out for too long.
“So, the lawyers sent over the purchasing agreements. I just need your signature when you have a chance.”
“Beautiful,” I say, eyeing the properties in the distance that are soon to be mine. Not part of the business. Just mine.
And Evie’s, if she’s still holding onto that fantasy.
“I take it you were able to make a convincing argument when you talked to the mayor,” Sana says.
I let out a long breath. “Apparently so. I’ve never felt so much like my father.”
“Oh stop it,” Sana says. “You’re nothing like him and you know it. You’re doing all this for Eve, right? Your father didn’t have a bone in his body that cared for anyone else. Your tactics might be similarly shady, but your motivations couldn’t be more different.”
I laugh. “Well, I guess I should be thankful I know how to think like him when it matters.”
“As long as you use your power for good,” Sana says, patting me on the arm. “So, what’s the plan for those cabins? Driveway off that side of the property?”
“Yes… and.”
“And what?”
I shake my head. “I have to see what the architect comes up with first.”
Her eyes narrow. “But that’syourproperty. Not the company’s. What are you building?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure yet.”
She grins, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as we head back toward the barn. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll love it.”
I look at her from the corner of my eye. “You signed an NDA when you started working for me, right?”
“Is that your way of telling me to shut up? Or are you just worried my loyalty has already slipped right out of your hands and into the pockets of a certain pair of overalls? Because maybe you should be.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t know whether to be relieved that the two of you have taken a liking to each other, or very, very scared.”
“And that’s right where we want you, isn’t it?”
I expect to hear voices as we round the side of the barn to the water wheel, but as we step from the dirt road to the grassy bank, we find ourselves totally alone.
Until we hear the door to the studio opening on the other side.
“I’d bet you good money she dragged Luke up there to charge his phone on the water wheel outlet.”
Sana laughs. “She’s so cute.”
