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Stefan
I hear Neal’s voice, but for the life of me, I can’t focus on what he’s saying. She’s Belle’s sister. I didn’t expect to see her again so soon, but I’d be a liar if I say I’m not grateful.
She looks better today in those little shorts and that tank top than she did last night in that business dress. The shape of her hips and the hourglass curve of her waist were hidden from me last night. I appreciate the update. Her legs are so long. They’d look so good pressed back against her shoulders while I ram my–
“Stef? Did you hear me?” Neal’s brows are raised as he considers me. I smoothly move my forearm into my lap to hide my growing bulge.
“Sorry, what was that?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“I said how many more investors do we need to move on the First Avenue Apartments Project?”
The effort it takes to shift my mind to the business at hand is laughable. My brain works to come up with the answer to his question while also picturing the way Lily’s hands will feel wrapped around my– no, investors. Investors.
Exhaling, I pull my laptop out of my bag and pair it with the TV hanging on the wall. Our project spreadsheet brightens the screen. I click our investor tab that shows how much money we’ve raised and how much more we need.
“I have an investor that might be able to cover the last 10 million,” I say, thinking of an old friend.
“The whole 10?” Neal asks with wide eyes. I nod.
“She’s been nagging me for a while for an investment opportunity. She’s going to want us to get the deal under contract first, though. I think I can handle that.”
I’m positive I can handle that.
“Have you spoken to the seller yourself, or has your acquisition manager been the only point of contact?” Neal asks.
“It’s just been Jake, but I’m going to reach out to the seller Monday to see if we can schedule an appointment to tour the place. Jake’s seen it already, and he says it’s a wreck. Worse than the pictures we have.”
“Ah well, that doesn’t matter. The potential is all that matters here. It’s on First Avenue. We need to get this under contract ASAP.”
“I agree,” I mumble, letting him pull the conversation into another direction. We discuss a budget plan and the earning potential of the entire project. Neal plans to schedule several inspections of the property, and I email our designer and architect to schedule a meeting with them.
This will be my biggest deal by far. The profit made after we refinance will be in the seven figures and the potential earnings blow every other acquisition I’ve done out of the water. My excitement bubbles in my stomach. After a while, Neal leans back in his chair with a sigh.
“I think it’s time to throw those steaks on the grill,” he mutters, rubbing his stomach. A pair of angry, hazel eyes flashes through my mind. As if reading my thoughts, Neal leans forward settling his forearms on his desk. “I know you, man. She’s not your type, trust me.”
I snort. How would he know my type?
“I’m serious!” He shakes his head, a look crossing his face. I wonder if something happened between him and Lily that would make him dislike her.
“I just think she’ll be a bit of fun,” I reply, grabbing my phone off his desk and slipping it into my pocket.
“Lily can be a lot of things,” he laughs. “But fun ain’t one of them.”
“Ah. We’ll see. Maybe she just needs someone to tame her a little.”
“Good luck. For the sake of all of us, don’t mess up. She hates men enough already without you adding fuel to the fire.”
He stands, ready to head out, and I follow him when he does. From what I know of Belle, Lily seems to be her opposite in every sense of the word. Even down to the way they look. Belle is all golds and sunshine. Small in shape and stature. Lily is taller, with darker hair, darker eyes. They have the same slimly, curvy shape, but that’s where the similarity ends. It’s clear Lily and Belle, and even the youngest, Ella, are sisters. The resemblance, facial wise, is prominent, but they seem to be as different as the moon and the sun. I wonder about Ella. What kind of person is she to grow up under two sisters, one cynical and the other optimistic?
Two voices are talking simultaneously, well arguing, when Neal and I come down the stairs. I can only see the back of Belle’s blonde head from where she sits on the sectional, but Lily is facing the stairs. She looks annoyed. Ella is between the two sitting in the U part of the sectional. Her head is in her hands. Lily is rolling her eyes at Belle with her arms folded and her long legs pulled in and crossed on the couch.
“Ladies! Ladies! I’m about to ban these book club meetings. All you two do is argue, and poor Ella is always left having to break it up,” Neal says, going around the couch to stand in the middle of the three.
“Don’t worry Ella. I got your back,” he jokes with a wink. Her smile is amused, and a little of the tightness around her eyes lessens.
“Fine. We’re done,” Belle sighs, getting up and heading into the kitchen with her empty wine glass. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Lily’s always going to try to see the worst in every situation.”
“I do not! I just don’t live in a frosty E rated fairytale land full of cotton candy and peppermints!” Lily says angrily. Belle flushes and sets the wine bottle down a little too hard.
