I flick back through the many-page document now.
From what I can tell, it isn’t the first time Blackthorn Acquisitions looked at this land.
Gramps originally considered a lodge there twice. He even thought about buying the adjacent land now owned by Daley.
He never moved forward due to environmental concerns.
Apparently, they were bad enough to shelve the whole idea.
That poses some huge glaring questions about Daley’s scheme, but I’m not the one making the decisions anymore.
He latched on to this because it was personal, his desire to make amends, but he approached the CEO of Blackthorn Holdings and his deal was with me.
Fuck, at least Cooper tried it play it straight.
I can respect his willingness to look his past sins in the eye and try to move past them.
As far as annoying assholes on my personal shitlist go, Cooper Daley’s ranking has plummeted.
I should tell Daley’s lawyer I’m out of the game and let the chips fall where they may.
Regardless, I’ll leave him something workable, whether the ski resort moves forward or not. A final goodbye, tying up loose ends.
A few weeks ago, the report would’ve been a fire-breathing dragon.
Now, with my life blown to shit, it feels more like an angry kitten, scratching frantically at the uncertain void of my future.
If only I knew what the fuck I wanted.
But even that feels out of reach now.
It’s going to be a very long road back to sanity and I sigh.
Ares mirrors me, heaving a tired groan as he twists his head in his sleep.
Outside, a few stray seagulls land on the deck, looking for scraps.
All the birds in the world to chase, and he’s oblivious, peacefully leaving bird problems for someone else.
I wish I had it so easy.
I snort and slam my laptop shut.
The last bourbon courses through my blood now, punching fire into my brain.
I’m old enough to know this bad habit doesn’t help worth a damn.
No amount of booze will erase my problems.
No drink can make me forget.
The last time I faced tragedy, drinking made it worse.
Except I was a kid then. I got blackout drunk because I didn’t know any better.
If Gramps hadn’t found me, if he hadn’t dragged me off the floor and sent me away, I might have died face down in my own vomit.
At the time, it felt like a gift.
