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I raised an incredulous brow. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
My mom laughed. “Okay, so he won’t be thrilled with it, but he’ll definitely deal with it. I mean, what has she said?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I presume you’ve already had some kind of discussion about this. I’m just curious if Rhea has expressed why they wouldn’t be willing to part with the handful of acres we’d need. Would it mess up their operation?”
As soon as my mom mentioned it, I realized I didn’t have the slightest clue. I’d gone on and on to Rhea about what we did at Westwood’s, but I didn’t necessarily have a clue as to how they were currently using every part of their land. “I’m not sure.”
“You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “I feel horrible admitting this, but I haven’t really taken the time to consider how Rhea or her family would be impacted. I guess I just assumed going into this that it’d be easy to convince them with money.”
It was my mom’s turn to send me a dubious look. “Could someone convince you or your family to give up part of Westwood’s just for money?”
“I don’t think there are many people willing to pay a fair price for Westwood’s,” I argued, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“You know that’s not the point. Is there any sum of money that could be paid that would have us selling Westwood’s?”
With those words, I swallowed hard and offered another shake of my head. “No.”
She smiled at me. “Why not?”
I looked away, nodding, as understanding dawned.
Family.
Westwood’s might have been a place where people came from all over to visit for an experience like nothing else. But for us, for my parents, my siblings, and my grandparents, it was something so much more.
How had I not realized it? How could I have missed that what Rhea had at her family’s farm could have been the same?
It made sense now why she’d all but accosted me when I first stepped foot in The Sweet Landing and revealed who I was.
My mom was right. “Because it’s not about the money. It’s about the legacy we’ve built, the memories we’ve made. This place is more than just a business for us.”
Her smile grew as her hand reached up and squeezed my shoulder. “Exactly.”
“I feel horrible for not thinking about this differently,” I shared. “I know you all want me to bring her to Ivy’s party this weekend, but I wouldn’t blame Rhea if she didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about this, Wyatt. If it helps, your father was initially very focused on his goals when the two of us met. And I think you can see where we are now. It’s not easy, and I don’t know Rhea to be able to say how she’ll respond, but I think you stand a good chance if you can convince her to join you at the party. Maybe it would help her to see the kind of people we are. And if it doesn’t sway her decision, that’s okay, too. I just want you to be happy.”
I closed my eyes as my head dropped forward. “Thanks, Mom.”
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
I twisted my neck, looked in her direction, and smiled. “I know.”
“Everything okay in here?”
I tore my attention away from my mom to see my dad had entered the room. Before I had the chance to answer him, my mom stood from the couch, moved toward him, and said, “It’s perfect. I just wanted to make sure Wyatt got the advice he needed.”
My dad looked at me. “And I can only assume if you didn’t have it before that you have it now?”
Standing, I nodded. “I do.”
He eyed me for a moment, likely in an attempt to discern whether I was being truthful. “If that changes, and you need anything else, you know where to go.”
“Always,” I assured him.
