When he pulled into my driveway, I didn’t get out right away. I didn’t know what to say.
“Colt.”
He looked at me, and for just a second, I saw the man I had in my arms an hour ago. The guy that held my hand on the beach.
“Thank you for tonight,” I said. “For the dress. For dinner. All of it.”
He smiled. “Thank you for saying yes.”
I leaned across the console and kissed him. Just once, soft and quick. Then I got out before I could change my mind and do something stupid like ask him to take me back to his place. Lord knew I couldn’t be sneaking a man into the house with my niece and nephew running about.
I made it halfway up the walk before I heard his car door open.
“Summer.”
I turned.
He stared at me for several long seconds. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Colt. Sleep well.”
I went inside, locked the door behind me, and leaned against it.
The house was quiet. Everyone was asleep. I kicked off my shoes and padded upstairs. I felt alive. More alive than I’d felt in four years.
And all I could think about was September. The end of summer. The end of me and Colt.
CHAPTER 26
COLT
Ileaned back in the leather desk chair like I had all the time in the world. I was cool as a cucumber. I looked at all the little faces in boxes on my screen for what I hoped was the last Zoom call with these people. Judd’s little tantrum was nothing more than background noise. The truth was, my heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat, but I’d be damned if I let him see that.
“Are you finished?” I asked when he finally paused to take a breath.
“Finished?” His face was red, whether from the workout or the rage, I couldn’t tell. Who the hell ran on a treadmill during a business meeting? It was another sign I was doing the right thing by severing our contract. “I’m just getting started, Anderson. You think you can just walk away from this? You think there won’t be consequences?”
“I’m fully aware of the consequences,” I said evenly. “That’s why I’m paying the penalty. Every dollar of it. My lawyers have already processed the paperwork.”
The other investors had been eerily silent. I knew it was a shock. I knew I just tanked my reputation in the business world.None of that mattered. I had to do what made my conscience quiet and getting out of the project was the only way to do that.
One of the other investors cleared his throat. I was pretty sure I saw relief on a few of the investors’ faces. No one wanted to be attacked by the environmental groups. We all knew that’s what was coming next. The locals were already making noise and they were just getting started. Once their cause got picked up, it was going to be very loud with lots of negative publicity.
“Mr. Anderson,” an older guy said carefully. “Can you walk us through your reasoning? This is a significant financial hit for you personally.”
I appreciated that he was at least asking instead of screaming. I straightened in my chair and looked directly at the camera.
“The community opposition isn’t going to subside,” I said. “If anything, it’s escalating. We’ve had vandalism, protests, and now property damage. The locals aren’t backing down, and forcing this project through is going to cost us more in legal fees, security, and delays than any of us initially projected.”
“That’s what they want,” Judd snarled. “They want us to roll over and give up. And you’re handing them exactly what they want.”
“I’m making a business decision based on updated information,” I countered. “Something I should have done months ago when the signs were already there. I ignored them because I was too focused on the numbers and not focused enough on the reality of what we were walking into.”
“The reality?” Judd’s voice dripped with contempt. “The reality is you got soft. You went back to your little beach town and got sentimental. Don’t think I don’t know what this is about.”
I held his gaze through the screen and didn’t flinch. “This is about protecting my family’s name and reputation. TheAnderson name means something, and I won’t have it dragged through the mud because you want to bulldoze a community that doesn’t want what you’re selling. I’ll take the business hit, but trust me, I’ll survive. What I won’t survive is the guilt that will come from this destruction.”
“Weak,” he spat.
