“I’ve got dozens of sunrise shots and only one chance to help you.” Big brown eyes blinked up at him. “I can’t let you leave knowing something is wrong. You’ve gotta talk to me.”
“Savannah, you have enough on your—”
Hands on hips, she pursed her lips. “Spill it, King.”
“We lost a hundred and twenty-five million on a project that ended abruptly when the executives got arrested for fraud.”
Her eyes grew large. “Oh, wow, that’s bad. So, you’re out the money?”
“Looks that way.”
“Don’t you have other projects?”
“We do, but those can’t generate the cash needed to pay back the loan we’d taken.”
“Does this mean the company is bankrupt?”
“It’s worse. We won’t be able to bounce back from this. We’ll have to shut down.” He pressed his temple to soothe the throbbing.
The line inched ahead and they shuffled forward.
She broke eye contact for several seconds. “Would the Starry Cove project save your company?”
“Savannah, you don’t—”
She crossed her arms. “Answer my question, Zander.”
“Yes, it would.”
“Am I the only thing standing in the way of making this happen?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Just because we didn’t resolve the Starry Cove issue doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it. I’d planned on contacting Sheldon and surprising you.” She smiled up at him. “I’ve changed my mind. You have my full support.”
He stared at her for several seconds, questioning whether he’d heard her correctly.
She squeezed his shoulders. “Starry Cove. Remember that one?”
With his heart beating out of his chest, he enveloped her in his arms and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Are you sure? You were dead set against it.”
“I don’t want The Town that Time Forgot to become a tacky tourist trap. But I believe we can revive the area while maintaining its natural beauty. Initially, I wanted to follow K-Dad’s wishes without considering how that decision would affect the bigger picture. I made assumptions about you and I was wrong.”
Staring in disbelief at his stepsister, Zander fought against the welling emotion. “Thank you. So much.”
She brushed hair from her eyes. “I can do for you what K-Dad could not. As much as I adored that man, I’m not making the same mistake he did.”
“What mistake was that?”
“Rejecting you outright because, at first pass, I disagree. You opened my eyes, too. You’re a good man, you’re open to change, and you put me before you.” Her gaze flitted over his face. “I believe you’ll do right by that town and you’ll do right by me, too. The magic lives in discovering that middle ground and I have every confidence we’ll find it.”
Tears pricked his eyes. He dipped his head, brushed his lips against hers. “You didn’t just save King Development, you saved me.”
“Right back atcha.” She hugged him. “Let’s draft an email to Sheldon. He can have the paperwork ready by the time you land. We’ll make this project work so we both win.”
So we both win.For a man who’d spent his life pushing to be number one, he liked the sound of that…a lot.
