AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I groan. Of course. They’re going to try to force their own ideas onto the property without knowing any of its potential.
Asher snorts. “No. In this small town? Not a chance. The best bet would be to sell it. Dante, you can put it on the market, right?”
I’m pleasantly surprised that Asher would turn it over to me like this, rather than me having to interject. From the way the others were shifting in the seats—especially Knox—I knew it wasn’t going to be popular, though.
Madi proves me right when she leans forward, her eyes narrowed at Asher. “Woah there, big dog. What about other options, Mr. Celebrity? Just because you want to run back to whatever tail you’re chasing now doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have any other ideas.”
Asher scowls and flips her the bird.
Kylie leans forward, her brow puckered. She opens her mouth, then shuts it and slumps back. Her gaze lowers to the table as she shakes her head to herself. I’d forgotten just how shy she actually is. Even among her old friends, it seems.
Madi rolls her eyes at Asher. “We can turn it into a bed and breakfast, and my mom could supply the pastries and stuff from her bakery.”
I internally groan with frustration realizing they all have their own ideas for this place. Which means I have to approach this with care. I can’t just start pushing for them to sell right now, there’s too many other possibilities for them to work through.
Taking a moment, I glance around at each of them. I’ll start with Asher since he’s willing to sell already. The only reason any of them have any desire to keep the place is the sentimentality attached to that rickety old treehouse in the back. The treehouse might be the key, actually.
Maybe I can start by telling them about how many children will be able to enjoy Mrs. Kendall’s property if they sell the land for development.
A dozen different ideas roll through my mind as I ponder over what to do. I’d been iced out of their group often enough as a kid to know it’s going to be difficult to break in, so if I stand any chance at getting what I want, I need to be patient.
Knox interrupts me before I can even start, resting his elbows on his knees. “That’s not such a bad idea. Dad and I can do the new furniture at the carpentry shop and?—”
“You don’t have the time or resources for that kind of project, Knox,” I snap, just as Asher shoots down the idea as well.
Kylie stiffens, her bright green eyes flashing at me. She opens her mouth?—
“But I do,” Jaxson cuts in.
I scoff, unsettled by the lingering attention from Kylie. While she was all softness before, her glare seems to burn a hole through me. “Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re a big-time chef in Italy or whatnot, and that you own how many restaurants? But don’t let sentiment blind you. This is not a viable business spot.”
Not that sort of business, at least.
Kylie continues to glare at me. Why isn’t she saying anything? Is this still her shyness, or is it because she can’t be bothered to talk to me?
“He’s a chef in New York now, you penguin,” Madison says.
I have to resist the urge to flip her the bird just like Asher did. God, she’s insufferable! Normally I don’t have any problem controlling my emotions, but for some reason being back in Willowcreek, around the same people I knew when I was a kid, is making me feel like him again: the teenage me with a temper problem.
But I’m not a teenager anymore and I can control myself.
Leaning back in my chair, I watch as they start arguing again. The only person who doesn’t join in the discussion is Kylie. Instead, she looks as if she is trying to take the information in, but is unsure if she should speak up. It’s clear to see her shy demeanor hasn’t changed much.
Shaking my head, my eyes drift towards the window, my thoughts going over the land I came here to acquire. To think that the people in this place have no idea what potential wealth they are sitting on. What change it could bring to their lives.
We don’t even have to take down all the trees. They’re part of the appeal and I’ll be able to sell the idea of privacy in the woods to anyone who wants to move here.
When Madi suggests something else ridiculous I scoff, rolling my eyes before I glance at my brother. He has remained quiet the entire time for the most part. Except for the stern glances he keeps shifting my way, which I choose to ignore.
The last thing I need is Knox and our father, with their small-town vision and rinky-dink carpentry shop, mucking up the place. But once I convince the other five to sell, he won’t have a choice, anyway.
A gentle shift in Kylie catches my eye. Her expression has smoothed out, as if she is done with all the back-and-forth conversation. And for a split second, I find myself wondering what it is she is thinking. What can I do to convince her to sell?
After all, it isn’t like she has anything tying her here.
Images of her flood my mind. A seven-year-old standing next to Mrs. Kendall as she asks Knox to play. A nine-year-old, shyly offering me a homemade chocolate for Easter. A twelve-year-old, crying in the bathroom at school because she’d stammered through her speech in front of her class. A fifteen-year-old, twirling in a brand-new skirt as she asked me what I thought.
Now, as she watches her friends, I get the feeling thatshe’splanning, too. What does she want from the property? I suddenly have the feeling that she, not Knox, might be the biggest obstacle in the way of getting what I want.
