“Honestly, better than I would have expected,” I said taking a sip of water. The waiter appeared with the wine and commenced pouring each of us a glass. I nodded as he set mine in front of me. “Thank you.”
“Seems like land acquisitions have slowed down. What’s the status of that last parcel by the river?” Meredith asked.
“Owned by two relatives. One relative has assured me she is interested in selling, but the holdout is the other relative. It hasn’t been a hard no, and I’m working on it.”
“This is boring.” Addison said with a pout. “Have you dated anyone since you moved to Georgia?”
I ran my hand through my hair and shoved my hand in my pocket. “Eh, not really.”
Meredith’s eyebrows raised, and a huge smile broke out across Addison’s face. She leaned forward. “I know that look. That’s the look of a man interested in someone. Tell me all about her.”
I shrugged with a chuckle. “There’s nothing to tell. I’ve just been spending a lot of time with one of the women I live with. She’s the librarian there in town. She’s very dedicated to Creekstone. She is very cute, but she’s not interested in anything serious, and honestly, she doesn’t seem that interested in me.”
“Impossible,” Meredith announced. “You’re what every straight woman wants. You’re incredibly handsome, wealthy, and at the top of your industry. You’re smart, funny, and come from humble enough beginnings that you’re not entitled—you don’t take people for granted. Of course she wants to date you. Unless…” Meredith paused and narrowed her eyes, “What did you do?”
Addison interjected. “I agree that you’re a catch, so why wouldn’t she want to date you?”
I sighed. “Two things. First, I was a little too honest about how I’m not known for committing to the women I get involved with. So, I think Kit saw that as a big red flag. And the second thing is that Kit doesn’t like what I do for a living. She doesn’t want Creekstone to change. So, she just sees me as a friend.”
Meredith’s eyes went wide and she nearly choked on her wine. “William, are you kidding me? Kit? As in Katherine Campbell?”
Addison looked back and forth between us. “Who’s Kit? Who’s Katherine?”
I took a deep breath. I was about to get it from Meredith.
“Have you lost your mind?” Meredith ignored Addison. She ran both her hands through her hair in frustration.
“Listen,” I said putting out my hand. “Nothing has happened. We aren’t involved. We’re just friends. I can close this deal.”
“William, I can’t even keep up with the long list of women you’ve dated. There have been ballerinas, models, schoolteachers, lawyers, doctors, strippers, and now, a librarian. Andnoneof them are your friends anymore because you break all their hearts. It’s your pattern. And if you get involved with this woman, and she refuses to sell you that riverfront property, you can kiss that fucking CEO job goodbye.”
Addison’s jaw dropped. She leaned forward and said, “The plot thickens, my dear William. Have you two kissed?”
“Just on New Year’s Eve. We got caught up in the moment.”
“Holy shit. We’re screwed,” Meredith said, running her hand over her face, then dropping her hand on the table in such a way that the dishes clattered.
“Baby, you’re getting all worked up and assuming the absolute worst,” Addison said, rubbing her hand over Meredith’s. “Use your steps, baby.”
Meredith’s nostrils flared as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She kept her eyes locked in on me in a way that let me know that if Addison hadn’t been there, she would have thrown the crabcake in my face. I tried not to laugh. Addison nodded encouragingly. “See? That’s so much better.”
“Meredith, listen.” I smoothed the tablecloth in front of me. “Kit is the one who rebuffed me. If she wanted to get with me, she could have. I have been there this whole time. She goes on a date with a different guy almost every week, and she tells me about it. She just sees me as a friend.”
Meredith’s shoulders relaxed a bit. Addison tsked her tongue. “Oh, I’m sorry, William. Unrequited crushes are so hard. Maybe you could just tell her how you feel. Maybe she doesn’t know? Maybe that would change things,” Addison reached for my hand.
Meredith pinched the bridge of her nose. “Addison, baby. Read the room. We want William to stay away from this woman."
I smiled at Addison to show my appreciation for her. “Nah, Addison. I think she does know. I am just not her type, I guess.” Admitting that out loud gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. I frowned. “Kit has had a hard time. She lost her mom a couple of years ago, and it seems like she’s finally coming out of the grief. She deserves this new happiness she’s been feeling. I’m nottrying to rock the boat.” I looked up and saw Meredith’s eyes were about to pop out of her head. “And I don’t want Meredith to kill me, so I’m going to keep my laser focus on closing this deal."
The waiter appeared with a second bottle of wine. “A gentleman sent this for you. From the table by the window.”
Meredith turned in her seat, and I craned to look. Braithway was sitting at the table with one of his daughters and a teenage boy. The boy looked sullen and uncomfortable as his mother fussed about his shirt collar being askew. Braithway waved at us, and I gave a little wave back.
Meredith turned back around, and whispered, “Is that his oldest daughter?”
“Yeah, and his grandson, the turd,” I said with a chuckle. “I hope the kid has figured it out.”
Meredith looked puzzled and I said, “It’s nothing. Braithway just has a way of making people learn and grow. He puts them way out of their comfort zone, and sets an incredibly high bar.” As soon as I said it, I realized the challenge that had been set before me and knew I could get this done. I just needed to continue to build trust and stay the course. The waiter had lingered to ask if he could take our order. Addison kept the rest of the dinner conversation light.
