Jacob looked around, wild-eyed and almost drunk with the sensation of smashing. "Sorry," he said quickly, dropping the mallet. "Got a bit carried away.
"So I see," Ant grinned. "You were really going for it, huh?"
"Guess it was kind of cathartic," Jacob admitted. "Thanks."
"Thanks yourself," Ant said, pulling back the trash bag and examining Jacob's handiwork. "This is perfect."
"What's it for, anyway?"
"I'm making a mosaic," Ant explained.
"From beer bottles?"
"Yep. Wanna know what of?"
"Your face?" Jacob guessed.
"Did I already tell you?" Ant looked disappointed.
"Seriously, dude?"
"Yeah, it's a whole thing. Examining my relationship with alcohol through the bottles," Ant shrugged. "It'll be like this big stained glass thing; it will look dope."
"It probably will," Jacob admitted. "I mean, these things always sound insane when you tell me, but then..."
"It looks incredible?" Ant supplied. "Just a testament to my genius, dude."
Jacob laughed. "Something like that, anyway." He looked around the courtyard. "Got any more? I wouldn't mind a bit more smashing."
Ant laughed. "Sorry, mate," he said. "You'll have to sit with your feelings now. All the smashing is over."
✽✽✽
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Well, that hadn't taken very long. Jacob winced and held the phone at arm’s length to avoid severe damage to his eardrums.
"Hi Dad," he said, wanting, strangely, to laugh.
"Don't you 'Hi Dad' me. I just got off the gone with Martin, and he said that you told them the site isn't for sale. Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"No," Jacob said. "I just don't want to sell it. Especially not to Kappa. They're a horrible company, and they'll bulldoze the whole site, won't do anything to protect–"
"Is this about that hippy chick you're seeing?" Chuck thundered. "Your brother mentioned that you're involved with that woman next door with the skincare business or whatever. You can't seriously be throwing a deal like this away. You'd betray your family just for some woman?"
"This isn't about Beatrix," Jacob said, even though that wasn't entirely true. It was at least a little about Beatrix, or perhaps it was about being the man she had thought he was. The man he wanted to be. "It's about doing what's right."
"What's right is making this deal happen," Chuck insisted. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you. This is for your family."
"Come on, Dad, it's not like we need the money," Jacob said desperately. "And I showed you the projections, we'll retain far more value in the long term, over a twenty-year—"
"I don't give a damn how much it will be worth in twenty years!" Chuck sounded like he'd very much like to climb through the phone and throttle Jacob personally. "I care about making this deal, right here, right now. Show everyone what sort of company we are."
"Look, Dad," Jacob said, rubbing his face with one hand. "You can show people who you are. But you put Shepherd's Crossing in my name. And I've got to show the world who I am. And I'm not a guy who's going to sell out to Kappa. I'm not that guy."
"I always said you were soft," Chuck's voice was biting and harsh. "Your mother would defend you, say you were just sensitive. Thoughtful. But you're soft, that's what you are. No head for business. No balls."
"I've got balls," Jacob said, his voice rising slightly. "And I don't need your permission to use them." He swallowed, still holding the phone away from his ear. "Look, Dad, I want to stay with the family company. I want to make this work for us, long term. Give us something to really build on. But if I have to...I can do this on my own."
There was a silence. "You're out of your bloody mind," Chuck said finally. "I'm calling the lawyer. There's no way that you can stop this land sale."
"I really wish you'd just let me do this, Dad," Jacob said, a little sadly. "I wish you'd trust me."
"Trust you?" Chuck thundered. "Trust you? I don't know who you are. The son I raised would never betray me like this."
"I guess I'm my own man after all then," Jacob said quietly. "I love you, Dad. I really hope you know that."
But the line went dead.
Jacob hadn't expected the call to go much better. If anything, he thought it could have been worse. He had expected the possibility of actual bodily harm being threatened. That was the sort of thing his dad did, after all.
Prada jumped onto his lap then and began to lick his face, her little tongue going right up his nose until he squirmed and pushed her away. "Ugh, too much!" he said. "No one likes a tongue up the nose."
"You'd be surprised," Ant waggled his eyebrows. "It takes all sorts."
"Ew," Jacob said. "That's disgusting. You know you're disgusting, don't you?"
"Ah, but you love me," Ant said, sitting down next to him. "So, it's done then."
"It's done," Jacob confirmed.
"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Ant said, shooing him with one hand. "Go and get the girl! Turn up on her doorstep with roses and a boombox, or whatever it is that you straight people are into."
Jacob made a noise. "I don't think she'd like that."
"Well, then you should work out what she will like and do that," Ant said. "And soon, dude. I can't stand to see your miserable face another minute. Please. For me."
"You don't have to convince me," Jacob said, squaring his shoulders. "There's just something I need to do first."
✽✽✽
Dad's fucking furious. But you knew that. Come out for beers soon, and we can talk.
Jacob smiled as he saw the message from Tom. At least his brother was still speaking to him, still wanted to drink with him. Although that wasn't much of a commendation. Tom probably would have gone drinking with Vlad the Impaler, Jack the Ripper, and the Zodiac Killer, so long as they could keep up.
He had tried to call his mother, but she hadn't answered. That stung, he had to admit. Bethany had mediated his blazing rows with his dad since he was a teenager. But maybe this one was too big for even his mother to see his side.
But Jacob didn't regret his decision, not for a moment. He was his own man, and he knew he had done the right thing.
All that remained was to see if it was enough for Beatrix to give him another chance.
28 Beatrix
Saturdays were quiet in Shepherd's Crossing. Beatrix knew not to expect the sound of Onyx's old Honda or Shauna's sensible minivan. It was just her, Gumbo, and trees for miles around. Nothing to disturb her peace and serenity. For now, anyway.
Beatrix knew it couldn't last. Not now that the land had been rezoned. Even if, by some miracle, the site next door wasn't taken over by Kappa and turned into a high-security nightmare, she knew it was only a matter of time before the trees began to disappear, concrete was poured, the bitumen set. The hallmarks of industry would start appearing all around her.
But she couldn't leave just yet. Couldn't bring herself to phone back that far too perky real estate agent. Couldn't make herself do it, not yet. She needed to—
She didn't really know what she was waiting for. Every reason she could possibly give herself sounded stupid, even in her head. But she knew she couldn't decide what to do, not until Jacob told her it was truly over. That he was really selling the site.
Beatrix knew it was ridiculous, waiting for Jacob. He'd probably never speak to her again. She had told him not to, after all. But she couldn't let go. A tiny part of her heart would always keep hoping, keep caring, keep loving until Jacob himself crushed it, once and for all.
Beatrix shook her head. She had to stop thinking about this. She should be thinking about the ream of orders as thick as her wrist sitting on the desk for next week. She should be looking at possible new locations for Just Like Magic. The south coast? The other side of the mountains? The moon, maybe?
But she had done none of those things. All Beatrix had managed to do this morning was get o
ut of bed, pull on a huge and ugly sweater decorated with the image of a glittery dog who looked a little like Gumbo, help herself to a handful of chocolate biscuits, and return to her bed. The real Gumbo was beside her, tongue alert for biscuit crumbs he could helpfully deal with.
She was just thinking about how very nice it would be to take a nap. A lazy morning nap. A nap was a complete indulgence; she hadn't done anything that warranted extra sleep. She had just closed her eyes when she heard the distant rumble of a car engine.
Beatrix didn't pay it any mind at first. She sometimes heard cars from the nearby main road, especially if they were assholes with supercharged engines. But she could have sworn it was getting closer. She had to be going crazy, right? No one would be coming here on a Saturday.
She bit her lip. Maybe Shauna or Onyx was worried about her. She supposed she couldn't blame them. Beatrix knew she had been at turns weepy, manically energetic, and irritable since what had happened with Jacob. She had told them over and over again that she was okay, really. Truly, genuinely, honestly, she was totally fine. Hell, she almost believed it herself, sometimes
Maybe it was her imagination, she thought. She shoved the last half of biscuit into her mouth, crunching loudly and spraying crumbs over her usually pristine duvet cover, laughing as Gumbo licked them up with his tongue like he had been given a rare and delicious treat. She closed her eyes again, wondering if maybe, just maybe, sleep would finally come when—
Knock, knock.
Someone was definitely knocking at her door. For a moment, her heart soared. Jacob? But she shouldn't want to see him, should she? What could he possibly say that would make up for his betrayal? Then she felt guilty. It was probably Shauna, with her two boys in tow, holding a casserole to try and get her to eat properly. Or maybe it was Onyx, with a pile of horror movies and a box of wine, determined to cheer her up.
Knock, knock.
"I'm coming!" she called, feeling extraordinarily annoyed. Okay, it was after ten. That was a reasonable hour of the day. But it was a Saturday. What if she had been hungover? What if she had been really very hungover and unable to leave her bathroom? After all, she was only in her late twenties. Her disgustingly hungover days weren't behind her, surely. Maybe she'd get absolutely slaughtered at Onyx's gig next week, she thought. Really disgustingly drunk, so she didn't have to think about missionaries on her doorstep, her disapproving mother, or Jacob.
"Okay, okay," she said grumpily and cracked open the door.
"Beatrix LaGrange?" a woman in a yellow polo shirt printed with a courier's logo stood in front of her. "I need you to sign here."
"What?" Beatrix asked, wrinkling her nose. "Sign for what?"
"Sign for this," the woman said, waving an envelope at her. "Registered post for Beatrix LaGrange. Sign here, please." She thrust a tablet and pen at Beatrix expectantly.
Beatrix frowned but complied, mostly because she wasn't sure what else to do. Could you refuse registered post? She was in no mood to push the boundaries.
"Where's this from?" Beatrix asked, handing back the pen.
The woman shrugged. "Not my problem," she said and handed the letter to Beatrix.
Overcome by curiosity, Beatrix ripped open the envelope.
It was a confirmation letter from the Land & Environment Court. A confirmation letter stating that all of the dense bushland that bordered her property had been granted biodiversity conservation zoning. It was protected, could never be bulldozed, never be developed. Never be sold to a company like Kappa.
Along with the very official-looking letter was a hand-scribbled note.
I want you to know your home is safe, even if you can't ever forgive me. I'm so sorry, Beatrix. Please give me another chance. Jacob
Beatrix let out a breath and bit her lip. All of that prime real estate was protected. The trees, the birds, the cheeky kangaroos, even the endless mosquitoes were protected forever from marauding humans. Jacob had done that. He had really done that. For her.
"Fucking hell," Beatrix whispered, still staring at the letter. Gumbo looked up at her expectantly, inclining his head.
"We need to see Jacob, buddy," she whispered. "We need to see him right now."
✽✽✽
As Beatrix stood on the doorstep of the terrace house in Kings Point, she kind of wished she had thought to change out of her sequined sweater, and she really wished she had brushed her hair. But it was too late now. Too late to do anything except knock.
And so she did. She knocked, gritted her teeth, and waited. Waited until the door cracked open, and she could see dark hair and bright eyes.
"Beatrix!" he sounded surprised. "I..." He swallowed. "You got the letter."
"Yeah," Beatrix said quickly. "I, um, maybe I should have called first, but—"
"No, no!" Jacob said. "I'm really happy to see you. I didn't think you'd..." He swallowed again. "I'm not expecting anything. I know I lied to you, and god, I'm so sorry. But I wanted you to know that I didn't do it. I didn't sell the land to Kappa. And that bushland is protected. I wanted you to know that, Beatrix."
Beatrix took a breath. She didn't have the faintest idea what to say to him. "You really did it," she said finally.
"Yeah," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I, uh..." he sighed. "I want you to know how sorry I am about the Kappa thing. I never wanted to sell to them, never wanted the deal. You have to believe me. I just...I didn't know how to tell my dad no. And I thought it would go away if I... But I should have told you." Jacob let out a short laugh. "Anyway, my dad knows now."
"Oh wow," Beatrix said, her breath coming out all at once. "That must have been...difficult."
"Yeah," Jacob agreed with a crooked grin. "But I don't regret it. I wanted to do what was right. Wanted to be the man you thought I was. Even if you still don't want to ever see me again."
Beatrix huffed out a breath. "Yeah, about that," she said, biting her lip. "Can I come in?"
"Yes!" Jacob said, nodding and standing aside. "Of course."
"Just let me get Gumbo out of the car," Beatrix said. "I thought he'd get too excited if he saw you, and I wasn't sure if..." she shrugged. "I thought he'd like to see Prada."
"Gumbo is very welcome," Jacob said, nodding a little too hard. "Prada missed Gumbo. A lot. She hasn't been the same without him."
Beatrix fumbled with the door, and Gumbo bounded out behind her, making a beeline for Jacob, somehow knowing Prada couldn't be far away. His ears perked up for the first time in days as he sniffed around for his tiny friend.
"Come on in, both of you," Jacob said, standing aside, and Gumbo barrelled down the hallway, skidding to a halt in front of Prada. Seeing the two of them reunited was heart-warming, Beatrix had to admit. Gumbo lay on the ground and let Prada kiss his snout, his whole body wagging with joy at the return of his tiny but exceptionally bossy friend.
"Well, at least they're happy," Jacob said, indicating the two dogs with a jerk of his head. "I. Um. Do you want some tea?"
"Not really," Beatrix said. "Had enough tea when Mum was with me." She laughed nervously. Why was this so damn awkward?
"Oh, did your mum go home?" Jacob asked, sounding desperate to latch onto a topic of conversation.
"Yeah," Beatrix said. "We had an argument, actually." She shook her head. "Not like what must have happened with your dad, but she wanted to banish you, and you know I don't do stuff like that with magic. Plus, she wanted me to move back to the commune, and so... Well, she got offended and left."
"Wow," Jacob said, his hands still in his pockets. "Thanks for not letting her banish me, by the way. It would make the community-centric development thing kind of tricky."
Beatrix smiled. "No problem. I did consider it, though," she admitted.
"I deserve that." He leaned on the kitchen counter, looking pensive. "Beatrix, I'm so sorry. Sorry for what I did. For lying to you. I know that I don't have any right to ask you to forgive me, but I just want you to know I wasn't...I didn't want to sell that land
to Kappa. I never did. I just didn't know how to get rid of them. I was a coward, but I thought if I played along, the deal would fall through, and they'd go away. No harm, no foul. I thought I could get away with not telling you, and that was wrong. Really wrong," he let out a breath and fixed those green eyes on her.
Beatrix made a soft sound. "Did you ever really think about selling to them?" she asked because she had to know. "After we...after I found out."
"I thought about it," Jacob said. "I thought it didn't matter anymore, if you wouldn't forgive me anyway. I thought about it," he swallowed hard. "I know that's hard to hear, but I want to be honest. But it was Ant who told me I was being an idiot. He knew I wouldn't do it, before I did."
"He does know you pretty well," Beatrix said.
"He really does," Jacob admitted with a faint smile. "He told me what an idiot I was, how he knew I'd always hated big corporates, and especially companies like Kappa, and who the hell did I think I was fooling, pretending to be some callous businessman who didn't care?"
"I didn't think that was you, but then..."
"But then I totally acted like it?" Jacob supplied. "I know. That's why I wanted you to have that letter. Beatrix, I understand if you don't forgive me. If you don't want to give me a second chance. But I..." he swallowed hard. "I don't want you to think I'm an asshole. I get it if you never want to see me again. But I want you to think well of me. Don't know if I can keep going if you think I'm an asshole."
Beatrix made a soft sound, and tears seemed to rise more quickly than she could possibly deal with.
"I don't think you're an asshole," she said. "I...I think you're a good person who was caught in a bad position. And when it really mattered, you did the right thing. Did something really brave, standing up to your dad. And I..." She shook her head. "Fuck, I don't know what I'm supposed to say. Can't you just kiss me or something? That always happens in the movies."
Jacob let out a breath of surprised laughter, but he moved instantly. "Beatrix," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. That made her really cry because she thought she'd never feel those strong arms around her again, never again inhale that scent of clean laundry and apple shampoo.
Witch Way Now: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Raising Hell Downunder Book 4) Page 26
