She grumbles as we head toward the door again. “But you hate each other. There’s no ill will between me and the developer, you know? Half the fun is in being called a bitch one second and a good girl the next.”
I snort. “You really are a gem of a human.”
She grins. “Hey, I’m just saying what we’re both thinking.”
I eye her. “That that man can wear the hell out of a flannel?”
Eyes wide, she nods.
“Stupidly hot, right?”
She nods again.
“Fucking gigantic dick though.”
She sighs. “A girl can only hope.”
6
RYDER
Ishould take all of my business advice from Gam.
She was never a huge fan of my dad’s work—especially the person he turned into once he found success—so I always kept that part of my life separate from her. But considering I’m now using my business in an effort tohelpGam, I probably should have expected the intersection.
And man, she isgood.
I toe a log with my foot, testing how heavy it is and whether it’s worth trying to clear from the overgrown path.
About half of this property is covered in woods that fan out toward the top of the hill, blocking the residential properties on the far side that—as far as I can tell—are nothing more than abandoned cabins. The side of the property attached to Eve’s is mostly clear, aside from a pile of rubble at the end of her dirt road and a buildup of fallen leaves and debris. If I had to guess, she sends somebody over to clean up the land every once in a while. No way this property’s gone untouched for the better part of a decade and still looks this good.
That seems like something she’d do. A neighborly kindness.
When I first stepped on her land, I had a feeling that being pushy with her wouldn’t do me any favors, but I wasn’t sure whatwould. I need her in my corner, so I figured the best way to do that was to be who I am in any business deal. Respectful, confident, put together.
When I told Gam that, she only looked at me, shook her head, and reminded me that Eve Harper is not a businesswoman. And that as handsome as I look in my suits, I should take a step back and remember what it’s like to be in this town.
I grew up here too—albeit a few years ahead of Eve—so it’s not like it's a foreign concept. And while the suit and a strong handshake work on the many people here who come straight from Manhattan, it won’t work on her.
I never lost sight of what she truly cares about, but I presented myself as someone that—to her, at least—isn’t trustworthy.
I do my best to kick the log away from the path, but it doesn’t move far. The top of the dead tree is caught in a bush, and I’m not up for fighting nature today. I’m really just here to get to know the land better. See what my cleanup is going to look like. Maybe make Eve Harper aware of my presence.
Gam suggested I channel my high school self. I might not have been an adult looking to run a business or win someone over for the sake of having a good working relationship with them, but a good part of my personality was born and melded from this town. From the people here.
After all, while my dad was commuting back and forth to New York and slowly driving my mother away, I was running around here looking for trouble. Drinking beerdown by the river long before I was legally allowed to. Waving at the pretty girls who drove by in party buses for bachelorette parties. Riding my bike through the woods and narrowly avoiding death by branch at least once a week.
After getting so far with Eve last night, I decided not to push things today. No gift baskets or business cards, and definitely no showing up on her land without an invitation.
But I am making it clear that I’m here, if she wants to talk.
I stomp through more underbrush in my attempt to get up the hill. There’s a nice flat part of land that connects to Eve’s, one side sloping steeply down to the road, the other shooting up above hers.
And I really want to see what’s at the top of this hill, because Eve is concerned about my “ugly apartments” ruining her pictures, but if I can stick an apartment complex at the apex of this hill, she won’t have to worry about her pictures, and this building will have the best view of any I’ve built. It might involve cutting into the woodsslightly, but the plan currently percolating in my mind is the least invasive option I’ve come up with so far.
And if Eve would be willing to grant me an easement, this could be a home run for both of us.
It sounds like a perfect compromise to me.
