I interrupted. “It’s just that if we sell the land to your company, we give up our control over how the land is used. Not just Aunt Rita and me, but the entire town. We have to trust that your company will do what it says it’s going to do with the land—and that it won’t bring in dollar discount stores and storage units. Just look at what happened in Shelbyville.”
I kept my gaze fixed on William. I wasn’t going to back down. Willam pushed his lips together tightly. I saw his broad chest rise as he took a deep breath. He said slowly, “So what would it take for you to feel comfortable selling your land?”
“A Christmas miracle,” Aunt Rita quipped, and raised her eyebrows. I could tell she was as interested as Nick and William in what I would say next.
“Well,” I started, “I think I’d only feel comfortable selling to a company that had more of a stake in the community.”
“Well, I’m local. And I’m very invested in the positive outcomes of this development,” Nick chimed in. Then he nervously added, “I mean, otherwise, William would have to just move to Creekstone and become a local.”
Nick and Aunt Rita laughed to break the tension. Aunt Rita slapped her knee and said, “And he’d have to rent one of our rooms in our boarding house because this town doesn’t have any available affordable housing.” This made Aunt Rita and Nick laugh a little louder.
“I’d do that,” William said, almost expressionless.
“They aren’t being serious,” I said, rolling my eyes. “They’re just trying to get under my skin.”
Aunt Rita gave a little gasp. “I was being quite serious!” She winked at William. I scoffed.
“I believe in the potential of Creekstone. I think the development of your property is the cornerstone for this project. It elevates the entire development, and if moving to Creekstone is what it takes to show that our company has the best intentions with this project, then I’d be happy to do that. It’s just that my job requires me to be in New York so frequently…”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course it does.”
William placed his hands in his lap. He took a slow deep breath and then let a little sigh go. I tried not to shrink in my chair when I realized I had cut him off so rudely again. William’shandsome mouth twitched a little and he said with composure, “Like I was saying, I think Creekstone is an amazing community. And Braithway & Randall would be lucky to partner with this community. If you’re interested in working with us, we’d love to continue discussions.”
“Definitely,” Nick said with a smile. He looked nervously over at me.
“Well, this meeting has been really enlightening,” I said, standing up abruptly. “We don’t want to take up any more of your time. Good luck with everything.”
Nick and I shook hands. Nick offered to walk us out, but I told him we could see ourselves out. I nodded curtly at William. Aunt Rita lingered behind me saying goodbye.
As soon as Aunt Rita joined me in the lobby, I hooked my arm into hers and walked with her side-by-side. I whispered under my breath, “Ugh. That was awful.”
I forced a smile as we passed a few people and headed for the door. Aunt Rita replied in a louder whisper, “Oh, stop. I’m sure nothing will come of it, but renters aren’t exactly falling out of the sky, so if that really good looking one happened to…”
“Aunt Rita!” I exclaimed as we pushed through the front doors of the lobby and back out onto the sidewalk. Aunt Rita squinted, looked down into her bag, and fished around for something. She pulled out a pair of stylish, oversized sunglasses and put them on.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure William knew I was just joking,” Aunt Rita said dismissing my worry. She started digging through her bag again, pulled out a lip gloss, and began applying it.
I shifted my weight as I waited while Aunt Rita fussed around in her bag and then said, “So you’re not mad at me for not wanting to sell the land right away?”
“Of course not,” Aunt Rita said as she applied her lip gloss. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, my guess is they would have offered us a decent amount for the land, and well…” I sighed, hating to admit it aloud. “We really need the money, so I was just worried you’d be upset that I didn’t jump at the chance to sell the land.”
“Not in the slightest, my dear. We have to do what we think is right. Trust your gut. That’s what your mom always said. Otherwise, we’ll live with regret. And that isawfulfor the soul.” Aunt Rita patted me on the shoulder. I felt a sense of relief wash over me hearing my aunt say she was okay with how the real estate meeting had gone.
Aunt Rita pressed and popped her lips together to evenly apply her lip gloss. “I won’t be home for dinner tonight.”
“Oh, yeah? Hot date with Roger?” I asked as I zipped up my jacket.
“Hot date with Hank.” Aunt Rita tipped her chin down so that her glasses slid down her nose and she winked. Then she turned on her heel and gave me a little wave as she headed for her car.
As Aunt Rita bounced down the street, waving at strangers, I couldn’t help but think how much she looked like my mom. I took a deep breath and let it go slowly. I felt the tension in my shoulders release. It was such a relief that Aunt Rita wasn’t upset. It was true that I didn’t trust an outside corporation to develop the land, but I also wasn’t ready for Creekstone to change. I felt comfort knowing things were just as my mom had known and loved them. She loved the quaintness and quirkiness of Creekstone. I wasn’t ready to let go of that yet.
Chapter 2: William
As soon as I opened my laptop, I saw the email from Mr. Braithway. Come to my office when you get here.
The clock above the door in my Atlanta office read a quarter to 8 a.m. A dread began to build in the pit of my stomach.
