Page 122 of Trick or Tease

Later, Billy and I sat on the back porch, sharing what had to be our third or fourth beer of the night. The October air had gotten colder, but neither of us seemed inclined to go inside. We were both exhausted, running on adrenaline and the satisfaction of pulling off something incredible.

“I can’t believe we actually did it,” Billy said, taking a long pull from his bottle. “Did you see the line of cars still leaving at midnight? People didn’t want to go home.”

I nodded, feeling a deep satisfaction I hadn’t experienced in years. “It was amazing. You should be proud of what you built here.”

“What we built,” Billy corrected, clinking his bottle against mine. “And thank you. For standing up to Ron tonight. For choosing us over money and your job. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

I stared out at the dark fields, feeling the weight of what I’d almost done. “I’m sorry, Billy. I’m so fucking sorry I even considered selling this place. Seven million dollars seemed like this incredible opportunity, and I thought I was looking out for everyone’s future. But I was just being a coward.”

“A coward?”

“I was scared,” I admitted. “Scared that staying here meant giving up everything I worked for in the city. Scared that I wasn’t cut out for this kind of life anymore. The money felt like an easy way out.”

Billy was quiet for a moment, processing that. “I get it, you know. The money was tempting. More money than any of us have ever seen. But this place?” He gestured around us at the farm. “This isn’t just about money for me. It’s about building something that matters. Something that brings people together.”

“I can see that now,” I said. “Tonight, watching those families having the time of their lives, seeing how proud everyone was of what we accomplished, I remembered why I used to love this place.”

“Think you could love it again?” Billy asked quietly. “For real this time? Not just for a season, but for good?”

I thought about that question. A month ago, the answer would have been an immediate no. But now? Now I could picture myself here, working alongside Billy, maybe setting up a small law practice in town to help locals deal with the kind of corporate bullshit I had been dishing out for years.

“Yeah,” I said, surprising myself with how certain I sounded. “I think I could.”

Billy grinned. “Good. Because I’m going to need all the help I can get if we’re going to make next year even bigger.”

We talked for another hour about plans for the future, improvements we could make, ways to expand without losing the charm that made this place special. By the time Billy finally headed inside, I felt more optimistic about my future than I had in years.

But sleep wouldn’t come.

I lay in my childhood bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to process everything that had happened. In the span of one evening, I had blown up my entire career. Telling off Ron had felt pretty damn good, and if I was being honest, it wasn’t just about the contract. It was the result of years of being overlooked. I was so frustrated with the asshole for not giving me the kudos I felt like I deserved. I knew I probably burned every bridge I had built in the legal world. Ron wasn’t kidding when he said he would make sure I never worked in corporate law again.

It was a huge network but also a very small world. Going out in such spectacular fashion was going to have far-reaching repercussions. Ron was right when he said it would reach California. I knew it would. I didn’t have the kind of connections he did. I might be able to salvage some of my reputation, but no firm was going to hire me. No client would trust me.

My future in Manhattan was done.

And for some reason, I was having a hard time feeling bad about that. I was going to have to give up my apartment. The expensive suits I paid for weren’t going to have much use out here.

The car.

The fucking gym membership. My life there was so far removed from my life here. Was I really going to live with my brother and what I assumed would be his wife very soon? Sleep in my childhood bedroom?

I was going to need a new bed. I was done with the small bed.

And it was time to redecorate.

I looked around the room and almost laughed. People at the firm would never believe where I landed. They would laugh their asses off by how far I had fallen.

The strange thing was, I didn’t care. Not about the job, not about the money, not about the prestige I spent years chasing. All of that felt hollow now, meaningless compared to what I found here.

What I cared about was Sabrina. The way she looked at me tonight when she told me Ron was at the farm was brutal. She hated me. I disappointed her in ways I never thought possible.

The way she had driven past me during cleanup, flipping me off without even slowing down told me everything I needed to know. I was dead to her.

I hurt her. Badly. And I didn’t know if she would ever forgive me for it.

But I had to try.

The truth was, everything that had happened had shown me exactly what mattered most. Not my career, not making partner at some soulless firm, not impressing people who didn’t give a shit about anything but billable hours and profit margins.