Page 109 of Trick or Tease

“You really love this, don’t you?” I asked quietly.

“Love it?” Billy laughed. “Man, I haven’t felt this alive in years. You know what the best part is? It’s not even the money, though God knows we need it. It’s seeing families having fun, kids getting scared in the best way, couples holding hands on the hayride. We’re creating memories for people. I would bet there will be at least three marriages this time next year. All because they got together here.”

I nodded, remembering the way his face had lit up earlier when a little girl told him our haunted house was the “best thing ever.” He’d practically glowed for an hour afterward.

“And Lucy?” I prompted.

“What about her?”

“What does she think about doing this kind of thing every year? It’s a lot of work. And it ties you to this place. What happens when you get married and have your own family? Isn’t it going to be hard to keep up with all of this?”

His grin got even wider. “She’s amazing. She loves all of this. You should see her with the customers. She’s got this natural way of making everyone feel welcome. And the way she’s thrown herself into all the planning and setup...” He shook his head. “I’m going to marry that girl, Garrett. As soon as we get through this season and I can afford a proper ring.”

I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to shatter the easy contentment of this moment. But Billy deserved to know. He deserved the choice.

“Billy, I need to run something by you.”

“What’s up?”

I opened my mouth to explain about the appraisal, about Ron’s call, about the offer that could change everything. But before I could get the words out, the back door burst open with a bang that made us both jump.

Sabrina stood there, her face flushed with fury, her eyes blazing. In her hand was a thick stack of papers that made my stomach drop to my feet.

“Run this by him,” she said, her voice deadly calm as she thrust the contract toward Billy.

My heart stopped. The sales contract. The one I’d hidden under my pillow, thinking it would be safe until I figured out how to handle this. How the hell had she gotten it?

Billy took the papers with a confused frown, his eyes scanning the first page. I watched his expression change as he read, saw the exact moment comprehension dawned. His face went from confusion to shock to something that looked like betrayal.

“Let me explain,” I said quickly, standing up from my chair. “It’s not what it looks like.”

But Billy kept reading, his jaw getting tighter with each line. When he finally looked up at me, his eyes were cold in a way I’d never seen before.

“You went behind my back?” His voice was quiet, but there was hurt underneath that cut deeper than any shouting would have.

“I was just exploring options,” I said, hating how weak it sounded even to my own ears. “I wanted to know what we were dealing with before⁠—”

“Before what?” Billy stood up, the contract clutched in his fist. “Before you sold my home out from under me? Before you destroyed everything we’ve built here?”

“It’s seven point two million dollars, Billy,” I said desperately. “Do you understand what that means? You could buy Lucy any ring you wanted. You could buy her a house, start fresh anywhere you wanted. You would never have to worry about money again.”

“I don’t want to start fresh somewhere else!” Billy’s voice cracked with emotion. “This is my home! This is our life! I thought you understood that!”

Sabrina was standing in the doorway like an avenging angel, her arms crossed, watching this whole scene unfold with an expression of pure disgust directed at me.

“I was going to tell you,” I said, reaching toward Billy. “That’s what I was about to do when⁠—”

“When what? When you’d already set everything in motion? When you’d already had the property appraised and found a buyer?” Billy shook his head, backing away from me. “I trusted you, Garrett. I trusted you with my future, with Lucy’s future. I thought you were here to help us.”

The pain in his voice was like a physical blow. “I am here to help you. This could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Seven million dollars, Billy. Think about what that could mean.”

“I know what it means,” Billy said, his voice getting louder. “It means my big brother came home pretending to care about our family business while secretly planning to sell it to the highest bidder. It means everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve dreamed about, means nothing to you.”

“That’s not true⁠—”

“Isn’t it?” Billy’s eyes were bright with anger. “You’ve been lying to me since you got here. Lying to all of us. Making us think you cared about this place, about what we were building.”

I glanced at Sabrina, hoping for some kind of support, but her expression was arctic. She looked at me like I was something she’d scraped off her shoe.