Adam nods as though reading my thoughts. “As the new adjoining landowner, Glenmill have the right to buy this place if they want to. And they want to. It’s as good as theirs.”
Theirs. I make a face, imagining them turning us into some sort of franchise. One with flashy advertising and terrible uniforms.
“So what? They’re just going to buy Kelly’s? Just like that? Why would they even want us?”
“They don’t,” Adam says, and that icy feeling returns.
“Okay,” I say abruptly. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be here. I’ll come back when I’m supposed to.”
“Katie—”
“Remember that Gemma needs you to fix her machine. I’ll see you later.”
“They’re going to close us down.”
I stare at him, crossing and uncrossing my arms as I try and process his words. “I don’t understand.”
“They’re going to close us down,” he repeats. “Tear us down, actually. They want to build a new clubhouse for the golf course here.”
The…I scoff, the noise coming out like a snort. That’s just…that’s…“That’s bullshit,” I say eventually, and he sighs. “No, they could be lying. Did you talk about this with someone who actually knows these things?”
“Of course I did. Don’t you think I went to my solicitor the second they called? I’ve had three different people look over the papers. There’s nothing we can do.”
“For how much then?” My left leg is shaking. Why is my left leg shaking? “You said they can buy the pub, but for how much? You can just ask for something ridiculous and make them go away. Tell them five million euros or something. They’re rich, but they’re not that rich.”
“It doesn’t work like that. Option clause was two hundred pounds back then.”
“Twohundred?” It’s hard to wrap my head around. “So, they’re leaving you with nothing?”
“Not nothing,” Jack says, striding out from the back room. I whip around to glare at him, wondering how much he heard. “Adam will be more than welcome to work at the hotel. As will you be. He tells me you’re a fine bartender.”
He makes the compliment sound like an insult, patronizing and placating like he’s dealing with a child.
“I don’t want to work at the hotel,” I tell him, as Callum appears alongside the lawyer. “I want to work here. Why do you have to knock it down at all?”
“Because the last time anything of note was done to this place was fifty years ago and even that was shoddy work at best. You haven’t even seen the plans,” he adds, looking genuinely confused by my attitude. “We’re going to build a terrace all the way out to the lake. The view will be stunning.”
“But what’s everyone going to do?” I ask, turning back to Adam. “The clubhouse will be private, and people rely on this place. Where are they going to go?”
“To the hotel,” Jack says as though it’s obvious, and the last of my patience snaps.
“I wasn’taskingyou,” I say, and his smile drops as the door to the pub swings open. The woman I saw at the construction site enters with the same guy lugging his camera with him.
Jack brightens immediately. “Ah good, you’re early.” He waves them in as he turns back to Adam, ignoring me once more. “We’re putting together some behind-the-scenes footage to show our progress over the next few months. I thought getting some shots of the lake might be good. In fact, why don’t we take our little tête-à-tête outside? You should join us. Be good to get your knowledge on a few things.”
“Sure,” Adam says, his eyes on me as the others file out the back door. Callum’s the last to go. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
“I can’t believe you’re letting them get away with this,” I whisper as soon as they’re gone.
He scowls. “I’m not letting them get away with anything.”
“But you’re allowing them to roam around like it’s already set in stone.”
“What am I supposed to do?” he asks, exasperated. “Kick them out? Bar the doors?”
“You could fight it!” I hiss. “You could act like you care.”
“You don’t think I’ve tried?” He’s snapping now, or as much as he can, with our voices still lowered. “I’ve been looking for a way out of this for weeks. But I don’t have the kind of money to deal with what they’ve got. Or the connections. Of course I don’t want to let this place go. Of course I care. This is my life, Katie. How could you say that?”
