He’d spent all day Saturday working on his proposal, ignoring the urge to slack off. He would’ve preferred to spend the day with Stevie and Nico, but he resisted the urge, reminding himself that his future was riding on this, and he wanted to get it right. There would be plenty of time to spend with them once he got his life back on track.
And that was the real goal here. To find a track and stay on it. Stone wanted to stop looking toward the future, outlining his existence with words likeeventuallyandin the long run.He was finally living in the now, measuring success on what he did today rather than what he would do one day.
Not only was he out to prove to Nico and Stevie, as well as his family, that he was someone they could rely on, but he also wanted to prove to himself that he had it in him to make the hard decisions.
At the moment, nothing was more difficult than spending time away from them, but he was making it work. He’d kicked off the tough decision-making on Friday night when Stevie and Nico had come over for dinner. He’d been a gentleman the entire night. They ate, they talked, they laughed. He played with Jäger for a little while, and then he’d graciously escorted them out to their truck and sent them on their way.
He knew he’d surprised Stevie when he didn’t make a move. The boy she used to know would’ve coerced them both into staying the night, then let the tide take them where it may. But Stone wasn’t that boy anymore, and though he ached for them in a way that he’d never experienced before, he was trying to be good. He wanted to slow down this train to ensure it didn’t derail before they reached the end of the line. They had their entire lives ahead of them.
He laughed, shutting off the water and grabbing a towel. Like he was some sort of saint who would’ve turned Stevie or Nico down if either of them had put the moves on him. He couldn’t resist them if he tried.
Thankfully, they hadn’t put his resolve to the test that night.
And fine. He hadn’t been quite so good yesterday, but he had remained focused for the entire day. The only reason that was possible was because he’d holed up in the barn, communicating with them via text message. He’d nearly caved when Stevie got sassy and started taunting him. Apparently, after a busy day—which she said they’d had—she preferred some extracurricular activities to reduce stress. Since Stone could think of a few dozen things he’d like to do to help her out, he’d wanted to rush right over to deliver. Hell, he’d gone so far as to put on his boots and grab his keys. But he’d glimpsed the laptop on his way to the door and knew he had to put work before play. At least for a little while.
But today was a new day, which was why he was getting ready to go see Stevie and Nico. His business proposal was complete. To the best of his ability, anyway. Now it was time for Stevie to review it. He’d put a lot of effort into mapping out a plan for them, and he was hoping it would be enough to convince her to take a chance on him.
Stone finished getting ready, then stopped in the kitchen to down the rest of his coffee before rinsing the cup and putting it in the dishwasher. He grabbed his iPad and pulled up his proposal, wanting to make sure he was prepared. With one final deep breath, he resigned himself to tackling the hardest part: getting Stevie on board with the plan.
Ten minutes later, Stone parked in the lot in front of the D & S Landscaping office. He hesitated because he didn’t see any of the company trucks parked anywhere. Not in front of the office or near the other buildings on the property. Stevie’s little Bronco was there, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was.
He got out and looked around, getting a feel for how large their lot was. It was part of the tract of land he was looking to get from his uncle. In his proposal, Stone had left it exactly as it was—the fifty-year lease in place—but he’d added an option for expanding if the company needed additional space.
Although he hadn’t notated it anywhere, he’d also considered relocating them to a spot closer to the central part of town to increase walk-in traffic. He didn’t intend to bring it up because the last thing he wanted was for Stevie to think he intended to take over what they’d already built for themselves. He didn’t, but he was willing to help them in whatever way he could.
His only hope now was that Stevie saw this as a positive opportunity and not as Stone attempting to steamroll over all that she’d built for herself.
The humidity had increased, warming the morning significantly. According to the weather channel, another cold front was moving in sometime in the next few days, but the potential for precipitation was low. He had nothing against cold weather. It was the rain and shit that he wanted no part of.
“Good morning. Welcome to D and S Landscaping,” the woman at the desk said before looking up.
“Mornin’,” he greeted, looking at her for the first time.
“Stone Jameson.” Her dark brown eyes flashed with what looked to be recognition, but he knew he’d never met her before.
He moved toward her. “That’s me.”
She stood up quickly and thrust her hand in his direction. “Tara. Tara Chadwell.”
“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand, wondering why she seemed nervous. “I’m sorry. Have we met?”
Tara shook her head, causing her long, reddish-brown curls to bounce on her shoulders. “I’m a … uh … a friend of CJ’s.”
Ah. Well, that explained it.
“He’s told me all about you,” she added. “Not that we talk about you all that much. He just…”
Stone chuckled. “No need to explain. My brother likes to talk. Whatever he told you, I’m sure it was a lie.”
She giggled, looking more at ease. “Only good stuff. I promise.”
“Then we’re not talkin’ about the same CJ.” He glanced toward the offices at the end of the building. “Is Stevie in?”
“She is.” Tara sat back down, reaching for the phone receiver.
Stone stepped back from her desk to wait as Tara pressed a button on the phone. A second later, she was talking—presumably to Stevie—explaining someone was there to speak to her.
“It’s Stone Jameson,” Tara whispered, ducking her head as though that would make it impossible to hear.
