"Yeah, man, sorry. I just have this thing and you said I could call…" I clench my jaw and watch a woman and a little girl walk across the street in front of my truck. It rankles my nerves but it passes quickly. "I need you to dig into someone for me. A developer named Victor Langford."
"Dig into him how?"
"The full treatment. His company, his financials, partners, investors, lawsuits, liens, anything you can pull. He's buying up waterfront property down here and pushing local businesses to sell, and I think he's got somebody at city hall doing his dirtywork." Saying it out loud makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist, but if he saw what's happening, he'd understand.
"What do you mean, dirty work?"
"Look, I'm not sure… I just think he's got the city council in his back pocket. I'm pretty sure he's leaning on state inspectors to shut down businesses so they have no choice but to sell."
"Jesus. That's bold even for a developer." Kyle's quiet for a second and I hear him typing already. "You got the name of his firm?"
"No. That's part of what I need." I tell him the details I know, where Langford is out of, what his business supposedly is here in Beaufort. If anyone can hunt him up, it's Kyle.
"Alright. Give me a couple days… though it might take longer. I'll run him through everything I've got access to and see what falls out." More typing. "This about your dad's place?"
"Partly. He's coming after Cole and Son's, trying to get the lot. But it's bigger than that. He's going after the whole boardwalk. I'm trying to figure out who he is before I do anything."
"That's the first smart thing you've said since I've known you." He laughs and I hear him lean back in his chair, the springs creaking. "How's your dad holding up? He doing okay?"
"The business is hurting and the house is behind on taxes, but he's still getting up and going to the yard every day." I sigh and let some of the tension out of my chest. Getting worked up over this shit is gonna be the death of me.
"Your old man's not the type to quit—that is, if he's anything like you." Kyle pauses. "You need anything else? Money, a place to crash if it goes sideways?"
"No, I'm good. Just get me everything you can on Langford." I tap my thumb on the steering wheel and glance at the clock on the radio. I still have a few minutes, but I should get out and start walking.
"Copy… I'll check it out. It'll take time and I got a lot on my plate before I head out again."
"Thanks, Kyle."
"Don't thank me. Just buy me a beer next time I'm down there." He hangs up, and I slide my phone into my pocket and shut the truck off.
With Kyle looking into things, I feel a bit more at peace about my choice. Dad has no clue I'm stopping into the bank to get approved for a new mortgage loan. I have a bit in savings to tide me over, which might not be enough to save the business, but it'll save the house, at least—if I can get approved for a loan.
I climb out of the truck and lock up, then start the weave through the crowd toward the bank. Vendors sell homemade crafts, fabric, produce, and even fresh baked goods too. I pass a metal worker beating on a hot piece of steel he pulled out of a forge, and when I stumble upon the fruit vender, I see the exact sight I was hoping for. Emily stands hunched over a barrel of fresh peaches and her little girl stands beside her, staring with wide eyes at the candy booth next door.
I angle toward them because I can't help it. Emily's made it clear she doesn't want me anywhere near her daughter, but the kid is right there, twenty feet away. I need to look at her face and either put this to rest or confirm what my gut's been telling me since the day I saw her on the sidewalk.
Mercy's got her hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a yellow sundress with sneakers. She's got Emily's mouth and chin and the same way of tilting her head when she's looking at something that interests her. But there's something else in her face that I can't place, something around the eyes and the brow that doesn't come from her mother.
I walk right up to them without any shame or guilt. She can hide from me in her own bakery, and she can push me away in a crowded room, but she can't just snub me right here in front of hundreds of people without looking like a total jerk.
"Morning, Em."
Emily's head snaps toward me and the color drains out of her face. She shifts her body so she's between me and Mercy, a move so instinctive it looks rehearsed. "Jaxon. What are you doing here?"
"Passing through. Had some business at the bank." I look past her at Mercy, who's staring up at me with open curiosity, no fear, no hesitation, just the blunt interest of a child trying to figure out who I am. "Hey there," I say. "Remember me?"
Mercy nods and grins, biting her bottom lip. It's so wholesome, it makes my heart swell. I swear she looks like my mother.
"Mercy, look at the honey apples. Pick one out for Nana." Emily puts her hand on Mercy's shoulder and tries to turn her toward the booth, but Mercy doesn't move.
"Hi," Mercy says to me. "You're at Mama's bakery. Is your name Jacob?"
"My name is Jaxon, remember? I'm fixing a few things in there for your mom." I crouch down so I'm at her eye level and restmy forearms on my knees. Emily makes a sound of protest and stomps her foot, but I don't look up. "You like the farmer's market?"
"I love it. We come every Saturday. Mama gets the bread from that booth over there and I get to pick the fruit. Sometimes, she gets me candy." Mercy points across the aisle at a tent with baskets of strawberries and peaches stacked on the table. "Today I want blueberries because Nana puts them in pancakes."
"That sounds pretty good to me." This kid is so smart and bright. God, it physically hurts that my best friend didn’t tell me about her kid. And though I'm trying to tamp down the anger, it's frustrating that this kid could be mine and I don't know it.
