Inside, the air was dim and hot, full of cedar dust and old rubber. The hours clipboard hung on its hook. Her tote sat on the shelf where she'd put it at the start of shift. The folded note from yesterday was no longer there. I'd put it in my truck before the crew arrived, because I didn't need Fletcher walking through my gate and seeing anything in Daphne's handwriting.
Daphne took her phone from the tote. "Should I answer?"
"Yes. Put it on speaker if Monica agrees."
She swiped the call and held the phone between us. "Hi, Monica. I'm with Zane McCrae in the P-Patch shed. No one else is in here. Is speaker okay?"
Monica was quiet for a beat.
"You may leave me on speaker," Monica said. "Mr. McCrae, this is Monica Owens with Cascadia Land Partners."
"I know who you are," I said.
Daphne glanced at me.
I added, "Good morning."
Her mouth twitched, and I got the look that meant I wasn't helping.
Monica didn't waste time. "Daphne told me yesterday that you own the adjacent McCrae parcel and Beargrass Lake access referenced in our West Ridge packet."
"I do."
"Have you signed any access agreement, easement agreement, letter of intent, or preliminary authorization connected to West Ridge?"
"No."
"Have you given Fletcher McCrae or McCrae Land Brokerage permission to represent your parcel as a viable acquisition or easement route?"
"No."
"Have you agreed to owner engagement within the current project window?"
I looked at Daphne.
She held the phone steady, but her eyes stayed on my face.
"No," I said. "I've told Fletcher I'm not selling, I'm not granting access, and I'm not sitting down to make my no more comfortable for him."
Daphne's mouth curved again.
Monica's voice sharpened. "Has your refusal been clear?"
"Clear enough that my brother stopped asking nicely and started talking around it."
Monica went quiet again.
"That is useful," Monica said.
"It's also irritating," I said.
Daphne looked down fast, but I saw the smile.
Monica continued. "I reviewed the broker history, the revised access appendix, and the land-use map this morning. Cascadia is pausing the West Ridge access pathway tied to your parcel.We are also removing McCrae Land Brokerage from current external representation until the discrepancy is reviewed."
Daphne's shoulders dropped, and her grip eased on the phone.
My hand tightened on the edge of the workbench. "Pausing means what?"
