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“Good morning.” She set a folder on my desk. “Those are some last-minute notes I made for your meeting.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t anticipate this being a hard negotiation.”

“You disappeared last night.” She gazed out at the windows that overlooked Central Park. “I thought we could have a drink, but I couldn’t find you.”

“I’m sure you had a good time without me.” I stood from my chair. “There were plenty of people to have a drink with.”

“Where did you go?”

“To my suite.” Take the hint. I’m not elaborating.

“Hmm…” She glanced at her watch. “Ivy Mason is in the lobby.”

“She’s early.” I straightened my tie. “Let’s keep her waiting for a few minutes.”

“I’m sure this girl won’t be a problem for you.”

“Girl?”

“I did some digging.” She came around my desk and leaned against the edge, facing me. “She’s in her early twenties. The property was left to her by her grandmother, much to both of her uncles’ disappointment, but they honored their mother’s wishes and didn’t contest the will.”

“They probably didn’t have a case if the will was solid.”

“You’ve done business with them before. The Girardi brothers.”

“Yes, they own a successful construction company.” They were arrogant but got the job done. “I often refer clients to them.”

“Ivy tried to keep the inn operational, but the property is old and needs a lot of work. Her uncles don’t seem to be helping her.”

“I’m aware of the state of the property.” I had seen it during my survey of the land. If the inside was in as poor a shape as the outside, I’d have to demolish the whole thing. Why weren’t her uncles helping her? “Anything else I should know?”

“She works at the local diner part-time and still actively advertises for guests, but not one has stayed at the inn since early June.”

“Is the inn paid off?” I asked.

“It is, but she owes back taxes. I’m sure we can call in a favor and have the town threaten to seize the property by the end of the year. That may make her more inclined to take you up on your ridiculous offer.”

“I’m offering her the same amount I offered all the other property owners.”

“Hers is by far the worst one. It’s not worth a million dollars. You could lowball it. She’s young, so I doubt she would even know.”

“The land is worthy of the money,” I reminded her. “And I need it to move forward. She has access to the lake. That’s a crucial piece.”

“You can go as high as a million and a half and that still keeps you on target.”

“Do you think I’ll offer any more than I already have?” I patted my chest, almost offended that Angelica would think I wouldn’t be walking away with what I wanted. Then I could move on to the next part of my wish list. Forest. “I’m already paying too much for it. I’ll get her to accept my generous offer within the next ten minutes.”

“I don’t doubt you.” She touched my bicep and ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “You always seem to get what you want. I’m learning so much from you in that regard.”

“Why don’t you see Ms. Mason in?” Lately, her attempts to get my attention were becoming more obvious. Her inappropriate behavior annoyed me most days, but she was here for a reason.

“Of course.” When she straightened her posture, I recognized the irritation in her mood. “Maybe we can have lunch to celebrate your victory.”

Her aggravation each time I shut down her flirtations didn’t seem to stop her from trying.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I would celebrate a victory, but I didn’t anticipate doing that with my attorney.

She opened the door and asked my assistant to show our appointment in.