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“Not without my socket wrench.”
The sarcasm flooded out of her before she could stop herself. Damn him for baiting her.
Olivia was not going to explode. Pasting on a practiced smile, she crossed her arms over her chest. The sooner she could resolve this situation, the sooner she could get back to Atlanta and climb that last rung of the ladder at her firm . . . which was a whole other issue she didn’t have the mental capacity for right now.
“You know full well why I’m here, so let’s not play games.” When he said nothing, she went on. “I’d like to talk to you about selling this property, Jackson.”
“Jax.” He took another step forward, then another until he stood close. Too close. “Nobody calls me Jackson anymore.”
Obviously, they were not getting off on the right foot if he was already throwing her words back in her face.
“Anyway,” she trudged on, trying to ignore those soul-piercing eyes. “I’m sure you’re aware—”
He swiped a fingertip down her cheek.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she jerked backward, but ended up teetering in her heels.
In an instant, Jackson—or whatever he wanted to be called—snaked an arm around her waist and caught her . . . his hand landing on her ass.
Olivia’s breath caught in her throat as his hand remained firmly on her backside. Flattening her palms on his taut chest, she extracted herself.
“Get your hands off me.”
His abrupt release had her stumbling back a few steps, finally catching her balance. Infuriating man.
“What were you doing?” she demanded.
“You had something on your cheek.” He propped his hands on his narrow waist and appeared to be biting back a smile. “What were you saying?”
If he thought mocking her was going to get him anywhere, he was dead wrong. The city had been good to her but it had been hard—she’d worked with men who thought they could best her simply because she was a woman. She learned early on to never back away from a challenge.
“With acreage this size, the land is worth more if we can tear down these buildings and sell the empty space.”
Jackson shifted his stance, his eyes holding her in place. “Are you that detached from everything outside your perfect world?”
“Excuse me?” How dare he talk to her like a child? And after he’d manhandled her with those filthy hands no less.
“You heard me. You can’t just drive your fancy car in here, expect me to bow to your wishes, and be on your merry way.”
Okay, so this wasn’t going like she’d hoped. Why was Jackson treating her like a spoiled princess? She was fully prepared to make him an impressive offer—and he wasn’t even open for a discussion. Who didn’t like money?
“Listen, I understand your livelihood is wrapped up in this place.” Appealing to his softer side should pay off— if he even had one. “But, in the end, this would be the best scenario for you and for Haven.”
One dark brow lifted. “And I’m sure you’re not getting anything out of this?”
“Money, of course.” But beyond that, Olivia wanted closure on this town once and for all.
“This is my life,” he countered. “If you want to make money off this land, then I suggest you come up with some miracle on how to revamp the airport, because we sure as hell could use it. I want this place to live up to its full potential like it used to be. The concrete is all cracked, the buildings need new roofing, I won’t even get into the plumbing issues in the office area.”
Olivia opened her mouth, but closed it when Jackson turned on his booted heel and walked away. Really? Did he think he’d just ended this conversation? She was not leaving here without a firm resolution to her issue.
And just like that, the walls came down. Olivia could play hardball all she wanted, but at the end of the day Jackson had something she desperately needed. Not just for financial gains, but for her to keep her sanity. Otherwise, she might just crumble, something she swore she wouldn’t do when her past came back to haunt her in the form of this half ownership fiasco.
Olivia marched right into the open hangar where she’d seen Jackson disappear. Nobody walked away from her—ever. That was a life lesson she learned long ago and made her into the business shark she was today.
Blinking against the sudden change from bright sunshine to a darker space, she glanced around the near-empty area. One plane sat near the closed bay door. She recognized the plane . . . she’d learned to fly in that Cessna.
Pulling in a deep breath, she forced herself to focus, but the door to the cockpit was open as Jackson leaned inside.
