“Gram’s right,” Charlie agreed once more. “Let’s plan to go out together this weekend, Mom. It’ll be so much fun!”
“Sure. Fun.” I tried to muster a smile, but it wasn’t easy when my insides were churning with dread. “I’m sure it’s all going to be big fun.”
Chapter Two
Nash
“Reggie, you are out of your fucking mind. Seriously. What were you smoking this morning when you had this brainstorm?”
I glared at the man sitting across the table from me, while he in turn gazed at me with a placid smile.
“Nash, my friend, this was not my doing. It’s all the work of the universe. It’s serendipity.” He steepled his fingers. “How long have we been working on this deal, trying to buy this piece of land?”
One side of my mouth curled, remembering. “A long time.”
“Fifteen months, to be exact.” Reggie nodded. “And this has enormous potential. We’ve discussed that, haven’t we?”
I rolled my eyes. I’d known Reggie for a long time, been in business with him for nearly as long, and most of the time, I appreciated that he treated me like the younger brother he’d never had. But there were moments when his big brother attitude grated on my nerves. And this was one of them.
“Yes,” I replied through gritted teeth. “I know. I know that the Penderfields will not sell their parcel of land unless we can also purchase the adjacent property that belongs to Jared Brady. Because of some stupid ancient agreement between the two families.”
“Nash, you and I are in this business together because we both wish to honor not only the land we develop, but also the families who have lived and worked on that land for generations. If we did not respect the wishes of the Penderfields, we would be doing a disservice to ourselves and our principles.”
I wanted to mutterScrew our principles, but I couldn’t say the words even in anger. Despite my current frustration with my business partner, I really did believe in what he was saying. It was the cornerstone of our work together.
“All right, fine. I get that. But maybe if you talked to Jared or his sister one more time?—”
But Reggie was already shaking his head. “They won’t speak with me anymore, Nash. They said they have made up their minds.” He sighed and swiveled his chair to face the windows. “Normally, I would accept that this was how it was meant to be and suggest that we move on to another opportunity, but then I saw the email?—”
“Myprivateemail,” I ground out. “That you had no business looking at, partner or no.”
“It came to our main email address,” Reggie countered. “Why wouldn’t I look at it, and see that the universe had an answer for us?”
“Fucking universe,” I muttered, unable to stop myself this time. “But you know what, Reggie? I don’t care. I’m still not going. If you think it’s such a great idea, you should do it. Go with my blessing.”
“I can’t go, and you know it.” He wagged his head. “It has to be you, Nash, and you have to do this. There is no other option.”
Before I could formulate another response, the office door opened, and a tall young man with jet black hair sauntered in, his usual smile brightening the room.
“Hey, Pops!” He made his way over to me, greeting me with a bear hug when I stood up. “Hey, Uncle Reg!” He turned to Reggie and repeated the gesture, then glanced from one of us to the other, his grin fading. “What’s going on, guys?”
In the fifty-three years of my life, I’d made more than my share of crappy decisions and suffered a good many disappointments. But having this kid in my life—having him call me Pops—more than made up for everything else.
“Max.” I slapped him on the back. “What’re you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Had a little time to kill. Figured I’d stop by to say hello to my favorite male role models.”
“Always good to see you, my favorite nephew.” Reggie beamed. “Also, you can help me convince this stubborn father of yours to see things my way.”
Max chuckled. “I make it a rule never to get involved in family disputes. Or business disputes. So I’m staying out of whatever you two are arguing about.”
“But this is important,” Reggie insisted. “Let me tell you what’s going on, and then I am positive that you’ll be on my side.”
I opened my mouth to argue and then shut it just as quickly. “Go ahead. Tell him.”
Reggie sat down again, leaning forward as he looked up at his nephew. “Do you remember the Penderfield deal?”
Max frowned. “Penderfield . . . oh, yeah, I do. The family with the land east of town. You guys want to develop it for sustainable housing, specifically for people who work in the Pooler or Savannah area, right?”
