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“There you are,” Stella says next to me.
I jump, not realizing she’d come outside. Max stands just behind her. Worry is etched on both of their faces. I wince as I realize what it must look like to them. First I step outside to take a call, and now I’ve been out here longer than I ought to be. Neither of them are prone to over-worrying but even in this part of the city, there are things to be worried about in the evening.
“What did Knox need?” Max asks.
“Mrs. Kendall passed away,” I whisper. “Looks like I’m headed back to Willowcreek.”
Chapter Two
DANTE
My hands tighten on the steering wheel of my rental car as I drive down Main Street. Nothing has changed in Willowcreek. Maybe a paint job here and there but that’s it. I shake my head in disappointment to ignore the curdling of my gut. This place brings up too many memories.
It’ll be worth it if I finally close the deal,I tell myself.Then I’ll never have to come back here again.
“John McKinnon called for you this morning,” my secretary, Lizzie, says over the Bluetooth. “He was getting pushy about where you’re at so I told him California. I think he’s trying to find the deal you’re working on to try to steal it.”
“Can’t blame him after I stole that deal in Tulsa,” I reply with a laugh. “But this is too local of a deal for him. You can go ahead and tell him I went to my hometown if he gets pushy again. It’s not like he’ll be able to do anything with the people around here. None of them can wrap their minds around the possible profitability of this place.”
Lizzie hums. “I suppose because it is a small town.”
“Yeah, but it’s also beautifully situated, close enough to larger city centers that it’s easy to get to them but not so close that traffic is constantly backed up,” I say, as I turn the corner and head down to the Kendall property. “The natural beauty of the area is enough to make a retiree weep.”
The two-story home I’m after comes into view. At least the part that can be seen from the road. The cream-colored siding has seen better days, while the burgundy shutters should have been replaced ages ago. I slow down as I gaze past the house to the forest beyond. Desire and frustration well up inside me as I imagine what this would look like if people had any ambition.
The old Kendall place is prime real estate, and buying land cheap to develop into high profits is exactly how I’ve made my fortune.
“Sounds like a good investment for sure,” Lizzie agrees.
“The old bird—”May she rest in peace,I add silently, “—always refused to sell, no matter how generous my offers were. It’s over fifty acres of treed real estate; with Willowcreek’s great location, it’s a prime spot to develop into a luxury residential area.”
I’ve been drooling over this place since I realized just how profitable it could be.
“Maybe the locals can see its potential these days,” Lizzie suggests.
I snort in reply. “The town’s exactly the same as when I escaped as a teen. The only difference is the welcome sign.”
Oh, I’d come back a handful of times. To see my brother and to try to bring some profitability to this tiny town. You’d think they’d be grateful; instead, they’re all too jealous of my success.
I clawed my way to where I am today. Now at thirty-one, I’m richer than this whole town put together. I actually made something of myself. Something that certain people—my dad—will never do.
“Good luck with the will reading,” Lizzie tells me. “I’ll email you the information on the office buildings you might be able to use with Sean Moore.”
“Thanks.” I hang up.
I park my car on the street, surprised that there are so many other vehicles around. I’d thought Mrs. Kendall would have only a handful of family members here for the reading of the will. I frown as I catch sight of an old beat-up thing that had once belonged to my grandfather.
Knox is here. Dammit! Why is he here? I haven’t talked to my brother since he called me on my birthday. He’d tried to convince me to let Dad say hi. Fuck that! I don’t need that kind of grief in my life.
But Mrs. Kendall was always good friends with Knox. Maybe she had left him a handful of knick-knacks, or some tools or something.
I shrug and clear my head. My secretary has gone to great lengths to get me the time and date for this reading. I’ll have to rethink my sales approach if Knox is here, that’s all. And if Mrs. Kendall left him the property? I’ll have to rethink it even more.
I head into the old house. It smells wrong. It takes me a moment to realize there’s no scent of fresh-baked goods. Mrs. Kendall was always making cookies or bread. Every time I came here to try to convince her to sell, she’d sit me on the sofa and counter my every argument with some sweet treat.
My chest starts to tighten and I stride across the entrance, ignoring the spot where she’d always be standing when she greeted me. Trying to buy this property brought me back to Willowcreek more often than I ever thought it would. When I left at the end of high school, I planned to never come back. And now look at me, here once again.
My polished shoes thud against the thin carpet as I approach the living room.
