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“You mean because Troy and his brothers have also bid on the land?”
She nods.
I pick up my cup from the coffee table and take a sip of the berry tea. “Are you looking at any other locations? Assuming there are other properties for sale in the area like the Wakefields’.”
“Not right now. Sebastian saw the land and said it was perfect for what we need. We’ve talked to him about the possibility of building elsewhere if Robert and Tuuli decide to sell to someone else, but he said it has to be that land. Nothing else is comparable.”
“But what if they don’t sell it to you? Does that mean you won’t build the lodge or will you keep looking?”
“I don’t know. To be honest. We’re still counting on getting that land. It’s perfect. I couldn’t imagine a more romantic location for the lodge.” Crystal smiles, and it’s clear the love she feels for the land is real. But even so, the land doesn’t hold the same meaning for her as it does for Lucas and me. “Can I ask you the same? Do you know if your husband plans to keep looking if Robert and Tuuli sell the land to someone else?”
“Do you know what Lucas and his brothers want the land for?” I say instead of answering her question directly.
“To build a paintball park.”
Okay. Wasn’t expecting that.
“Not exactly.” I explain the purpose of the program, how it will benefit military veterans, and how eventually Lucas wants to have his own PT practice there. The latter which won’t be possible if Lucas is sentenced to life in prison. I skip mentioning that detail. “In addition to being the ideal location for their goals, the land means a lot to Lucas. I don’t know if you are aware of it, but Lucas and my brother were best friends. They practically grew up on the Wakefields’ land.
“Tuuli and Robert let them camp there as kids, and they had all kinds of adventures there. For Lucas, Aiden’s memory is heavily tied to that land. It’s part of his soul. The program will benefit military vets and it will honor my brother’s memory. Both of those are extremely important to Lucas. And to me.”
Crystal’s lips tug into a three-quarter smile, more understanding than before, but also a little guarded. “I’m glad you told me that. I guess I didn’t understand why Lucas is so determined to build on that land…nor did I fully understand the purpose of the program he wants to start.”
“Do you think the logging company and environment group are still in the running when it comes to their offer?” Maybe she and Walter have some insight into those bids that Lucas and his brothers don’t have.
“I have no idea. I would like to believe it’s just down to our bid and your husband’s at this point, but there must be more to the other bids that we don’t know about, or else Tuuli and Robert would have already eliminated them.”
“I don’t suppose you have any idea what that could be?”
“None at all. But I have heard the logging company is desperate to get their hands on the land. They’ve increased their bid.”
They have?
And just how desperate are they to have the winning bid? Desperate enough to want Lucas locked away in prison?
If that’s the case, what does that mean for Crystal and Walter? Are they at risk of something happening to them? Something like what happened to Lucas?
Or something worse?
25
Simone
I sit on Lucas’s guest bed, the bed I’ve been sleeping on for the past eleven nights. The conversation I had with Crystal an hour ago repeats in my head.
Not the conversation about Sebastian. The one about his sister, Bethany. Now that I’m alone, I spread my hand over the spot where Lily once grew, like I wanted to do when Crystal told me you never really get over the loss of a child.
Downstairs, Lucas is cooking dinner. He’s oblivious to the pain I went through ten years ago, the pain that still flares in me on a regular basis, just not as intense as during those first few years.
I told Lucas when I got home that Kincaid Timber has increased their bid. He doesn’t need to know about the conversation Crystal and I had about losing a child.
I shift to crouch beside the bed and pull the wicker box out from under it. The wicker box containing the letters Lucas sent me while he was in the military. I have no idea why I brought them here when I moved in. I still haven’t read them since returning to Maple Ridge.
My hand rests on the lid, my fingers trembling with the memory of waking up in the hospital with Avery sitting next to my bed, looking devastated. For me. Tears prick my eyes.
It’s too soon. I push the box under the bed. Once I’ve pulled myself together, I go downstairs.
I enter the kitchen. “Wow, what smells so good?”
