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“You asked.” Her response was blunt, but she could feel herself becoming defensive. “What is it you want to do with the place?” It was time to turn things back around to him.
He drummed his fingers on the table. “I want to build some kind of ball park for kids to train on.”
“Soccer, baseball, or basketball?”
He looked thoughtful. “In an ideal world, it would be multifunctional. But that doesn’t really work when you need bases for baseball, hoops for basketball, or goals for soccer. Just a place for kids to run about, do some fitness training.”
“So, you’re thinking about the space behind the gardens and greenhouses?”
He nodded. “It’s a big piece of land.” He gave a sad kind of smile. “Probably some developers dream. Sell it off and put six houses on it.”
The thought actually sent a shiver down Piper’s spine. “You’d consider that?”
He shook his head. “What can I say—I’m a sports-head. But you know as soon as people find out we own that space, we’ll start to get wild and crazy offers.”
That hadn’t even occurred to Piper. “Surely, we just ignore them.”
“Might be easier said than done.”
Too much was happening all at once. She had work to complete. Other contracts to consider, and all of this? Was just throwing too many complications into the mix.
“Why don’t we just stick to the clues? After all, if we can’t solve them, none of these dreams can become a reality.”
Dawson looked down at the card in front of him again and ran his fingers over the letters. “True. Why don’t we sleep on things? Meet up tomorrow and see if we can find any inspiration to help us solve this clue.”
Piper blinked and then pointed. “Your phone. I forgot about it. It’s still recording us.”
“Darn it.” Dawson leaned over and switched it off. “Don’t worry. I can edit things. I’ll need to decide if I do want to film our experience or not. You’re good with this, aren’t you?”
“I suppose,” said Piper, even though she wasn’t entirely sure at all. Piper shifted in her chair. “I have some work to finish. I need to spend some time in my greenhouse and complete some work.”
“And I’ve got someone to interview for, later in the week. Let’s say about three o’clock tomorrow?”
Piper gave a slow nod and slipped her own card with the clue on it back into her purse. “Three o’clock sounds good.” She stood up and tugged on her jacket, covering the stains on her shirt. “Where do you want to meet?”
“I’ll pick you up. Just in case you have car trouble again.”
Piper rolled her eyes at the little dig. She’d have to give him her address. “You just can’t resist, can you?”
He grinned at her. “Maybe I’m just making sure you’ll be on time.”
She shook her head. “Watch it. I might find a new partner. Are you sure you want to pick me up?”
He nodded. “We can decide where to start when I collect you.”
Piper swallowed and gave him a nod. This could be the best decision she’d just made, or the worst. “See you tomorrow,” she said. Wondering what on earth she’d just gotten herself into.
Chapter Four
When the blackvehicle with thick tread tires pulled up in front of her house, Piper was relieved. Snow had fallen heavily overnight and the whole world was covered in a blanket of white. Her small heaters in her greenhouse were all aimed at the plants she was monitoring, meaning her toes had been frozen solid by the time she’d finished in there.
Although she had no idea where they might go, she was taking no chances. Piper was wearing thick boots, two pairs of socks, jeans, and a green long padded coat. She pulled gloves from her pocket as Dawson climbed from the driver’s seat.
“I bought you a coffee,” he said as he opened the door for her to climb in. “And a donut,” he added with mischief in his voice.
Piper sighed and let her head thud back against the headrest. “I agreed to be your partner to solve the clues. Not to let you torture me on a daily basis.”
“Come on,” he said in his TV-smooth voice. “You gotta let me have a little fun.”
