Still, old habits died hard. The patio was in the shade still, which made it a bit too chilly for his comfort, but he caught a glimpse of someone going into the Carriage House and settled in.
But the weather wasn’t a deterrent to everyone. He’d found Sheila, who was chatting up some guy who appeared too old for her a few tables down. Nathan tried to be polite. He wasn’t working. He didn’t need to be hyperaware. But Sheila’s constant giggling made her conversation almost impossible not to eavesdrop on.
“Mr. Miles... I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“Come on. A place like this...with this history...has to have some spooky stories.”
Sheila giggled again, but Nathan didn’t see what was so funny about it. Before he could listen more, the waiter appeared. He hadn’t looked through the menu at all but wanted to eat as quickly as possible, so he just stuck with the two-egg special and water. Once the waiter was gone, he caught the end of Sheila’s conversation. “It’s the only horror story we have.”
“And you weren’t here?” asked the guy.
“No, thank God.” Her voice had lost the joking tone and was now somber and serious. “Housekeeping found him. I was off work that day but the police were all over the inn. The guests were all terrified. They all thought someone else might’ve done it.”
“That’s horrible. Did you know the guy at all? Like, did he seem depressed?”
“This sounds so bad, but I don’t remember. I barely paid any attention to him before, and after...well, it was too late.” Something beeped and Nathan heard the sound of the chair scraping back against the concrete patio. “I have to take care of this. Have a great breakfast, Mr. Miles.”
Once it was finally quiet, Nathan took out his phone and responded to a few of the work emails he’d been neglecting. There were a few meetings he’d had to push aside to make this impromptu trip, but he didn’t work nine-to-five hours like his brothers did.
Nathan was the night owl. He wined and dined whoever needed charming and got deals closed. He’d never been one to feel comfortable in an office, looking at an endless spreadsheet.
Soon enough his breakfast had arrived and the other guy on the patio, Mr. Miles, must’ve been bored without a pretty teenager to keep him company because he left only a few minutes after his own meal had arrived.
Nathan was a good three bites into the meal before he saw Katy walking across the lawn. And that was his cue. He dropped a few bills on the table and ran out of the restaurant before she disappeared out of his sight. He’d gained major ground with her last night and he wasn’t about to let up now.
Katy glanced around the Carriage House and sighed. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot better than she ever thought it would be when she’d first surveyed the damage. They’d kept the premium chairs and tablecloths around the perimeter, but Katy could see the inn-provided chairs and tablecloths sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the room.
She’d spent a good portion of the morning assuring the mother of the bride that none of the changes would be too noticeable, and she really hoped she could deliver on that promise. The chair vendor was working on getting some replacements rushed over, but because it was a two-hour drive, there was no guarantee. The linen vendor hadn’t returned her calls as they didn’t open until ten a.m., so she just had to hope for the best.
The only call she still had to make was to Mr. Burkhart. She had already done the calculations of how much this would cost her. She’d have to get better locks for the Carriage House, replace the ruined door, chairs, and tablecloths, and give the wedding party a discount on their event. Overall, it wasn’t all that bad, but it wasn’t that good either.
Once she did a walk around the room to make sure there was nothing that she’d overlooked in the exhaustion of the morning, she went out the back door of the Carriage House. It led out to the pathway along the edge of the drop-off. The beach was a steep six feet down. There were a few paths that led to the rocky beach, but from here, it was nice to be elevated and take in the view. The wind, as usual, was strong, but she knew she’d be able to hear well enough on the phone.
Even though she knew exactly what she was going to say, she still stared wordlessly at the phone for a few minutes as she worked up the courage to make the call. Just a few minutes of laying out the basic facts. Then she could go back to her job. The wedding would go on just fine, the roof was going to be repaired later that day, and everything would be good. Everything will be back to normal.
She finally hit Send on the call and held her breath as the rings started. After about five, she wondered whether she was going to get voicemail. She should want to get this over with, but she wouldn’t mind leaving a quick message and putting off the inevitable tough conversation.
“Katy,” said Mr. Burkhart as he answered.
So no voicemail reprieve this time. He’d used her first name. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d called her “Katy,” no matter how many times she’d insisted he drop the formality. Was that good? It didn’t feel good. “Hello, Mr. Burkhart. I wanted to give you a call and let you know about some things that have come up.”
“The vandalism in the Carriage House,” he said gravely.
Katy opened her mouth and closed it again. He knew already? Damn it. Who had blabbered to him before she had gotten a chance to? Sometimes she hated living in a small town. “I want to assure you that I’ve mitigated the worst of the damage. We have a wedding today and it is still going to go on as planned. There were a few things we had to change to get the hall ready, so I am prepared to offer some sort of discount on the final bill. There were a few other costs but I think—”
“Katy, we need to—”
“I think that the costs are not nearly as bad as things could’ve been if we had to cancel the wedding. The sheriff is making this his top priority and—”
“Katy, I wanted to—”
“Once we find who did this, I’m sure things will be back to normal. I have been in contact with some of the vendors who—”
“Katy!”
She forced herself to stop talking. She had wanted to get her spiel out before Mr. Burkhart could start his normal freak-out or delve into the many ways it could be, or could still become, worse. Not because she didn’t want to know about these possibilities. But because he paid her to deal with them so he didn’t have to. “I’m sorry, sir. Go on.”
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve accepted an offer. I’m selling the inn.”
Of all the ways she imagined this going horribly, horribly wrong, this was the last thing she suspected. “You’re what?”
“I’ve received a very generous offer on the inn. I had been putting off the final decision, but I can’t put it off any longer. I’m very sorry. I know you had plans to one day buy it for yourself, but I have to do what’s best for me and my family.”
Had plans? That was the biggest understatement ever. This inn was her life. She’d bought a home here. Made friends. She had seen herself growing old here. Living on this land until retirement. All the late nights and sweat and tears had been under the idea that someday she’d have her finances in order to come to Mr. Burkhart and tell him she was ready to pull the trigger.
Someday. As in ten years from now. Now, all of the sudden, her dream was slipping through her fingers. Katy felt the world start to spin as her knees went weak. As she worked to balance herself, an arm went around her waist and she jumped at the suddenness of the touch, whipping around to see Nathan at her side. Of course he was there. He was always around these days.
“Are you still there?” asked Burkhart.
Katy pulled away from Nathan and tried to keep her voice from wavering as she answered. “I’m here. Do you mind telling me how much you’re selling it for?”
“They offered three million.”
If she felt as if she’d been punched before, that number was a kick in the face. “Three million!” Oh God, she was going to be sick. Who would offer that much? The
last she’d looked, the inn was valued at two and a half at the most. No wonder Burkhart was taking it. He’d be stupid not to. “Are they going to keep the business going?” She had to look at this like a manager. She had employees to consider. She had guests to consider. If there were new owners, that could change everything.
“There are no guarantees. I didn’t ask what they had planned.”
Katy wanted to scream into the phone. Of course you ask! But no, she supposed when there was three million dollars on the line, you didn’t ask.
“What’s wrong?” asked Nathan from behind her.
She held up a finger, quickly silencing him. She didn’t have time for this. She’d told him from the minute he’d shown up that she didn’t have time for him, and that wasn’t looking as if it was changing any time soon. Not that the hardheaded man would listen. “When is the sale going through?” This time, she knew her stress was more than audible over the line, but what did it matter? Burkhart wouldn’t be her boss for much longer.
“I’m going to sign the paperwork tomorrow morning.”
Tomorrow morning. Of course. Who signed paperwork on a Sunday? People majorly overpaying for an inn, apparently.
“Thanks for letting me know,” she said curtly before she hung up the phone. She held the phone at her side, and her grip tightened as she went through her increasingly limited options. Three million dollars...
“So the inn is being sold?” Nathan came up beside her.
“Congratulations,” she snapped. “You’re a wonderful eavesdropper.”
“I am just trying to help.”
It was a stark reminder that he’d been up for all hours of the night with her, helping to get the Carriage House ready. He didn’t deserve this attitude from her... “I don’t think I’m good company right now. We can talk about this later.”
She turned and left him. If she looked straight ahead, the world seemed to spin, so she looked down and put one foot in front of the other. How had things gone downhill so fast? This had all started with that stupid leak, and then it was one blow after another.
But what had really changed? She still wanted to buy the inn. It wasn’t as though she was ever going to save up the millions required to buy it outright. She was going to grow a savings account and use that as a down payment. Now she just had a smaller down payment. The townsfolk knew her. The bankers knew her. They knew her family. They knew how devoted she was to the town and to the inn. It was just after nine, which meant the bank would still be open for a few hours. She needed to be here for the wedding, but she had staff. After the disaster of last night, she even had a few extra hands around to keep an eye on the Carriage House.
Yep. She was going to do this. Katy didn’t trust herself to keep it together, so she sent Sheila a text to let the staff know she’d be gone for a few hours. She didn’t give an explanation. Mainly because she didn’t have a good one and she couldn’t think of a lie. But she was the boss. She didn’t need to explain her unexpected absences to anyone except Burkhart, and she couldn’t give a damn what he thought right now.
She heard footsteps behind her and she pivoted in place to confront Nathan. “I have told you fifty thousand times that I’m too busy. So please for once listen to me and leave me alone.”
“You said that last night but I still helped you, didn’t I?”
“Last night was last night. Today is today.”
“You don’t look fine.”
That was it. “Tell me how I look then. Do I look frail? Like I need rescuing? Like I need a white knight to sweep me off my feet?”
Nathan was quiet, and for a moment, she thought she’d gotten him. That he wouldn’t be able to give her an answer without revealing his own selfish motives. Then he said, “You look like you need a friend.”
That was it. The tears welled up, and Katy used the slivers of emotional strength she had left to hold them back. “I don’t need a friend. I don’t need anyone. Have a nice day, Nathan.” She started to turn but then remembered how nice he’d been last night. “I’ll try to catch up with you tomorrow,” she added weakly. But that was all she had in her. Because right now, she needed to embarrass herself in front of whichever banker was unlucky enough to see her.
She managed the drive from the inn to downtown without any major breakdowns. Actually, the farther she got from the inn, the more clear her head became. This would work. She just had to go in there and be confident. She had plenty of things in her favor, and she just had to make sure she made that known.
Once she got into the bank, she requested to speak with a banker and was directed to the waiting area. After about ten minutes, a man in a suit emerged from an office as he walked a young couple to the door. They did a polite good-bye and shook hands before he held the door for them.
Katy smiled as the man made eye contact with her. She knew him. Marcus Jackson. He and his wife had stayed at the inn a few times.
A few of the slower weekends of the year, Katy gave the locals steep discounts. After all, locals were some of the best advertising you could get.
“Hey, Katy,” he said casually as he walked over.
She stood and immediately held a hand out to meet his firm handshake. “Hello, Marcus. I’m glad you’re here but I’m sad you’re working on such a beautiful day.”
“If I can be here for my clients, it’s all worth it. Follow me back to my office and tell me what brought you in.”
Katy smiled before she followed him. It was now or never.
Once they were in the office, he sat behind the desk. “What’s going on, Katy?”
“I would like what I’m about to tell you to remain between us for as long as possible.”
Marcus looked offended. “I pride myself on my discretion.”
“Of course,” she said appeasingly. But according to the rules of a small town, once one person knew a secret, it was only a matter of time before that secret started to spread like a wildfire. But she couldn’t not tell him... “Mr. Burkhart is selling Seal Cove. I would like to make an offer but would need to have some type of financing secured before I can approach him with anything.” Katy wasn’t stupid. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sign any type of paperwork tomorrow. But she had to hope that if she told Burkhart she was serious about purchasing, that he’d delay the sale for a few weeks.
“Oh wow. He’s selling? I didn’t realize it was on the market.”
Neither had Katy but she wasn’t about to let Marcus know that. “This is all rather sudden. My plan was always to make an offer eventually, but it appears the time is right now.”
Marcus nodded. “All right then, let’s get started.” Katy sighed in relief when he didn’t immediately laugh her out of his office. “So how much did you want to finance?”
“The current offer is three million. I don’t think I need to go over that amount. I have some goodwill just through my relationship with him.”
Marcus’s smile slowly faded. “Three? Are you sure?”
Her reaction exactly. “That’s what he said.”
“Katy...I worked on a line of credit for the inn a few years back. It was appraised at much less than that.”
“Well, a property’s value is what someone is willing to pay for it, right? So I know the value is three million.”
Marcus nervously swallowed. “In theory yes, but I can’t give out loans based off theory alone.” His eyes lit up. “What about your sister-in-law? If she could cosign the loan, that could help—”
“I’m not asking Victoria to cosign, Marcus. You know me. You know how well I’ve done with that inn. How successful it’s been since I started. I’m hardly a risky investment.”
“Loaning out more money than a property is worth is always a risky investment, Katy. If you can bring enough cash to the table to mitigate that risk, that would be something, but...”
“If you let me talk to the person who makes the final decision, I can—”
“Katy, I don’t think there’s anything I can do for
you. I’m sorry.”
Katy didn’t remember saying good-bye to Marcus. She didn’t remember leaving the bank or which direction she turned on Main Street. She knew, somewhere deep in her mind, that she shouldn’t feel this way. She was young, had a good degree, and, maybe most importantly, had plenty of industry connections. If the new owners turned out to be unbearable, she would be able to get a new job.
And they could be great people. She didn’t know that. It could be some sweet old couple who would be more than happy to sell her the inn for a reasonable price in ten years.
But all she could feel was that her dream was going up in smoke. Slipping out of her fingers and there was nothing she could do.
A hand on her shoulder stopped the aimless walk, and she wasn’t the least bit surprised when she looked up to see Nathan in front of her.
“I know you don’t want me here, but I was worried—”
She didn’t let him finish before she threw herself into his arms. Her breaths came in shuddering waves, and she knew the tears she’d tried to hold off before wouldn’t be delayed any longer.
Nathan held her tightly and ran a hand up and down her back. There must be people watching and already starting the gossip mill, but Katy didn’t think she could let go of him if her life depended on it. Because right now she did feel frail. Right now she did want a white knight, even if that white knight was the quintessential bad boy.
“Come on,” he said softly as he set a hand around her back. It was a short walk to his car, and he held open the passenger door for her. Katy fell into the soft leather and let her head rest against the back as she closed her eyes. She didn’t know how Nathan found her. She didn’t care. She was just happy she could close her eyes. Maybe if she went to sleep, she could stay blissfully unconscious until Sunday when the wedding and sale were all over. Maybe it would all turn out to be a dream.
Relentless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 5) Page 6
