AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If it was actual business talk, maybe, but instead they always get distracted by so-and-so going through a hard time. Plus Dad always gives me a disappointed look if I ever talk about my real estate business.
If he had his way, I’d be stuck here, just like Knox.
Dressing in my most modest suit, I pick out a plain tie. If I don’t rub my wealth in his face, maybe I can have a decent conversation with Knox. I don’t like how things are so tense between us. Yeah, I know he’s got to feel torn because of this rift between me and Dad, but I don’t see why that has to destroy our relationship.
Even if I wish he’d put his skills to better use—he was truly an artist with an eye for fine detail—he’s still my brother. He and Callum came to New York every January to have a sort of make-up Christmas. So long as we don’t talk about Willowcreek, we have fun together. Callum’s a great guy. If anyone can make long-term work, it’s the two of them. I only hope that Callum doesn’t get sick of small-town life and leave.
I drive to Mrs. Kendall’s property in the car I rented at the airport. It’s not as flashy as what I’d usually drive for the same reason I wore a plain suit. Knox needs more of the down-home approach, and rolling up stinking of money will only make him dig his heels in more. Jealousy often makes people act against their best interests.
I haven’t been idle these past three weeks. I had the land assessed and put together a file with the projected property value if the wooded land was developed.
I need to convince these people to sell. Knox is going to be my biggest barrier. Even Madison, who never left the town, can be persuaded if Knox wants to sell. The others don’t even live here, so they won’t be as attached to the place.
Knox is in the treehouse when I arrive.
“Come on down,” I call.
“Nah, you come up,” he replies.
I’m suddenly transported back to the years and years of standing in this exact spot, having this exact conversation. I roll my eyes and lean against the tree. “That thing won’t hold the both of us. It needs to be torn down and rebuilt.”
Knox laughs as he climbs out the window frame and lowers himself down until he’s dangling from both hands. He drops, brushes his hands off his jeans, and grins at me. “What do you think I’m doing? Part of fixing up this place for a community center means restoring the treehouse.”
“Right,” I grumble.
“So you said you wanted to talk?” Knox dusts off his jeans. “Something new happen?”
“You know that I want to talk about this place,” I tell him.
“If you’re here to convince me to sell, forget it. This project is too important,” he says as he jerks his head toward the house. “I thought the last three weeks proved I’m serious. I’m not selling, not even to you.”
I follow him in, choosing my words carefully. “You can profit off the property and have your community center both, you know.”
He grunts as he leads me to the kitchen, which smells strongly of fresh coffee. Knox pours himself a mug, then hands it to me. Surprised, I take it.
Oh. He’d been pouringmethe mug. I take a sip as he fixes himself a mug, using cream and sugar.
“All right. How can I have both?” Knox asks, a suspicious glint in his eyes as he leans against the counter.
“Keep the house, the yard, the treehouse,” I say. “Sell me a share of the land. Then everyone can invest and receive a share back.”
“For…?” He arches his eyebrows at me. “A nature preserve?”
I grimace into my coffee. “Of course not. Luxury homes. At least one condo development. There might even be space for a country club, to bring some class to Willowcreek. The property values throughout the entire town will go up.”
“A country club that nobody in Willowcreek will be allowed to join,” Knox says flatly. “Besides, you said the area isn’t ritzy enough for a restaurant or bed and breakfast. So how do you propose to build a country club?”
I laugh. “Because luxury homes and a country club are a far cry from a bed and breakfast. The clientele will be built into the business plan.”
Knox doesn’t look convinced.
“People always want what they don’t have,” I tell him, shaking my head. He knows it, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. “Always. People who live and work in New York City long for an escape from their high-powered jobs. They want to have a simple life, or at least a vacation in a cabin by a lake.”
“And they’ll have a simple life if they own a house in Willowcreek that they only use a couple weeks out of the year?” he asks, unimpressed.
I shrug. “They’ll be able to live the simple life for those few weeks a year, which is worth the money to them. Other people, who have worked tirelessly and clawed their way up from nothing to finally be wealthy, want a fancy high-rise condo, where their every need is taken care of. They want opulent luxury. They want?—”
“Dante.” Knox puts his cup aside and sighs, looking very old and tired. Clearly the effect of all the work he does for Dad. “You do realize that everyone isn’t you, right? Some of us are perfectly content with what we have. We don’t want luxury high-rises replacing our forest and driving us out of our own town.”
