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I nodded my head slowly as I bit down onto the inside of my cheek.
“Get over it, Everett. Everyone else is. We all make mistakes. Remember when Lucas forgot to—”
“I know we all make mistakes, but none of them have cost us two million dollars,” I said.
“We can absorb it. We’re fine. Get over it and keep moving forward. And honestly? Now that this is arson? Once we figure out who it is, we can sue them for twice that, easily.”
I nodded my head before a familiar voice appeared at my side.
“You gonna scoot over for your old man?”
I chuckled and shook my head as I slid over in the booth.
“Paradise Lost in a bottle, please,” my father said.
“Ah, the imperial IPA,” I said.
“I still don't know how you guys choke down beer,” Cash said.
“It’s an acquired taste. Don’t worry. It isn’t one I’ve developed either.”
Colton came walking up to us and my father immediately stood. He shook the man’s hand before Cash stood up from his seat and ushered for Colton to be the one to scoot. He slid into the booth before he ordered his traditional Scotch on the rocks, then he turned his attention back t
o us.
“Sir, nice to see you again,” Colton said.
“Been a while. How have you been?” my father asked.
“No worse for wear, though I do come bearing news,” Colton said.
“What’s going on?” Cash asked.
“Colton’s been in New York for the past week or so and he’s got some information for us,” I said.
“What news?” my father asked.
“You haven’t filled them in on our little meeting, have you?” Colton asked.
“Son?” my father asked.
I shifted myself to look at him as I launched into my story. I told them about how I went to see Colton the week of the fire and how there had been some chatter about other properties in the state burning down mysteriously. How they were all ruled out because of electrical issues, like ours almost was until the fire marshal stepped in. About how a lot of city investors are branching out into poorer states in the U.S. because of the ballooning real estate investment economy. About how the small town at the border of North Carolina and South Carolina was just discovered to have a nice stock of natural gold in the dirt and water that runs beneath the town.
“What?” my father asked.
“It was just confirmed a couple of days ago,” Colton said.
“You’re talking about a second age gold rush here,” Cash said.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Colton said.
“The theory is that it takes a lot of money to correct outdated electrical issues. And even more money up front to correct the houses that burned down due to them,” I said.
“What does this have to do with our property?” my father asked.
“I gave your son the card of a man who gave me a wonderful little lecture the last time I was in the city about this exact topic, sir. How the city markets have no properties worth investing in. How they’ve reached their peaks. How they’re about to topple over and how the real money in the next three decades going forward will be in the poorer states of our country,” Colton said.
“And?” my father asked.
