by Jean Oram
“Are we keeping the place?” Daphne asked, her forehead furrowing.
Maya shrugged. “We have paint, I have time.”
“Because, um, I have news.”
The sisters turned to her. The last time Daphne had had news and used that hesitant, the-world-might-end tone of voice was over five years ago, when she’d announced she was unexpectedly expecting Tigger.
“I was at the planning office for the protest I’m doing in Bala against the big development there.” She paused, inhaling in a way that made her chest heave.
Maya began planning out the rest of her evening in her mind, as Daphne, no doubt, was about to launch into the tale of another atrocity that needed desperately to be stopped. There was one every month, it seemed. Maybe after her sisters left Maya would check out head hunters to see if they could find her a job. And of course, finish off the last of the hot toddies. And maybe plot the demise of Connor, seeing as she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him.
Daphne mentioned Baby Horseshoe Island and Maya perked up. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”
Her sister’s face pinched with worry as she said, “Rubicore Developments has bought out most of Baby Horseshoe Island and has plans to create a private resort complete with an airstrip, boating and wake boarding school, golf course, staff housing, mini marina, and hotel cabins.”
“What?”
“I know.” Daphne’s voice shook.
“When?”
“The plans are still a proposal. We need to go to the next town meeting. The environmental implications alone are horrific.”
“If we group together on this we can kick them right off that island,” Melanie said, swinging her fist through the air. “I’ll go to that meeting and show them exactly who they are messing with.”
Daphne shot her a grateful smile.
“But if they’ve bought most of Baby Horseshoe they’re not going to just roll over.” Maya shook her head, adding up the pieces. “Aaron referred to the Fredericksons as the holdouts when he stopped by the other day. Are they the last owners?”
Daphne nodded.
“They’ve even bought out JoHoBo—I mean, Missy’s Getaway?” No wonder the renovated cottage had been empty all summer. It was a miracle the place was still standing, seeing as at its core it was a hundred-ten-year-old cottage such as theirs.
Another nod from Daphne.
“And they offered to buy our island?” Hailey asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means they don’t want the hassle of us over here complaining.” Maya crossed her arms. “Daphne’s right. We need to do something. And we need to not lose Trixie Hollow.”
“We’re going to need more people on our side.” Melanie tapped her chin thoughtfully. “We need…a developer on our side. Someone who knows how these guys are going to duck and dive, so we can block them before they try anything sneaky.”
“Do you think they’re going to bribe council?” Maya asked.
“They probably already have,” Daphne said, blinking back what appeared to be several cubic meters of panic.
“We’ll figure something out,” Maya assured them all. “But in the meantime, we need to get our butts in gear and save our cottage, so it doesn’t fall into their hands.” She rolled her shoulders, trying to force herself to chill out. At least Connor hadn’t asked for a refund. That was something helping them in the right direction. Too bad she didn’t have much to live on, much less help pay the back taxes.
She walked her sisters down to the dock, their mood somber. Visibility was diminished due to the light rain and it was a nice break from the heat of last week. Plus, Maya thought ruefully, it matched everyone’s frame of mind.
As Maya watched her sisters’ boat disappear into the mist, another boat pulled up. She couldn’t make out who was under the yellow rain hat. Was it Connor? Did he decide that she was right? Had he realized they were an amazing team, and that he missed her?
She loathed the part of herself that missed him, and the way her hope turned into a disappointment so deep it seared her lungs when she discovered it wasn’t him in the other boat. She fought back the tidal wave of emotion. Maya Summer did not cry. Damn him.
The boat pulled up alongside the dock, the captain tossing her a line as he peeked out from under his yellow slicker.
“Jamie?”
“Girlfriend asked me to drop this off—I heard you were out here.” He passed her an envelope sealed in a blue plastic bag.
“What is it?”
“Some licensing thing she said was important.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
Maya clutched the envelope to her chest. “Did she get it to go through?”
He grinned. “It’s all there in black-and-white.”
As Jamie motored away, Maya stood under the protective eaves of the boathouse, reading the papers. Then she pumped the air with a fist and grinned. Maybe destiny wasn’t such a bitch, after all. Maybe she was just being tested.
* * *
Connor sat at the head table of the wedding party, a warm tropical breeze ruffling his hair, which was in need of a cut. He smiled at his brother’s delirious joy, having to admit the kid looked pretty good in a tuxedo.
“Having fun?” Curtis asked.
Connor nodded. Surprisingly, he was. He gazed out across the sandy Tahitian shores to the rolling ocean. What a view. If he ever got married, something like this would do the trick. Would Maya want a destination wedding? She seemed like a no-fuss, no-muss kind of woman. Despite her desire for everything big and important, she’d probably love a low-key event in a setting similar to this.
He stretched his hands, which had closed into fists. Why was he even thinking of her? She hated him. He’d lost out. He pushed his fingers through his hair, glad for the breeze slapping the large canopy above him. He’d ruined it completely, but he couldn’t let her in. He wasn’t ready, wasn’t there yet. And this was too big. Nobody could know. Not yet.
“I expected you to be on your phone all night.” His brother’s voice lowered with emotion as he clapped Connor on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
“For not being on my phone?”
“For being here. Really being here.”
Connor nodded, unable to speak. He’d become that guy who was never around. If he had a wife, she’d be doing everyone on the side in a quest for love and attention.
“Connor, you look fantastic,” Roberta said, leaning around her new husband. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was done up in curls that kept falling in her face in a way that reminded him of Maya. It seemed he couldn’t get away from thoughts of that woman. “We’re so glad you came.”
Connor nodded, his heart sinking. They had truly believed he wouldn’t take time to come to the wedding. He thought back to who he’d been two and a half weeks ago. Chances were he would have missed the flight, cramming one more thing into his day. Then he would have come on a red-eye and barely made it to everything on time, his mind still stuck behind his desk in Toronto.
“Have you been working out?” Roberta asked.
He nodded. “A bit. I took some time off.”
“Well, it’s good for you. You look less like death warmed up and served on dry toast. I was starting to worry about you.” She gave him an affectionate tap on the arm and turned her attention to one of her bridesmaids, who was whispering something in Roberta’s ear, assessing Connor. They were talking about him.
He fidgeted with the flute of champagne in front of him. Roberta wasn’t the only one who’d been worried about him. He’d met with his doctor yesterday before catching his flight, and while he had permission to go back part-time, Connor knew he wasn’t out of the woods. If he returned to CME he’d get sucked back into it all, and in a matter of weeks he’d be back in that ER. But without CM Enterprises, who was he? What would he do with his days? What could he do so he didn’t keel over?
Curtis swept his new wife onto the dance floor and Connor watched as they smiled
and kissed, wrapped up in each other’s world. That’s what was missing from his life. That was what he needed. Someone like Maya to be his other half and lighten his life. She gave him hell all the time and was pushy, but he liked it. She knew what she wanted, and wasn’t going to turn into some vapid trophy wife just because of who he was. She’d do things that mattered and keep him on his toes, forcing him continually to be a better man.
The bridesmaid moved to sit beside him, her eyelids doing some strange batting thing that he figured was supposed to make him randy. He gave her a tight smile and focused on the dancers.
She walked her fingers up his arm. “Wanna dance?” She gave him an expectant look and he knew he’d be rude not to accept. But if he did it would lead to her being all over him for the rest of the night, and he really wasn’t in the right headspace for that kind of company. Unless it was Maya.
Damn her. How did she get to him so easily?
“I’m sorry, I don’t think my girlfriend would appreciate that.”
The woman glanced over Connor’s shoulder. “She’s not here, though, is she?”
“She is not.”
The bridesmaid pulled on his hand. “Then what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“No, but it might hurt me.” He offered her his untouched glass of champagne, and she accepted it with disappointment. Connor scanned the room and finally pointed to a man near the back who was watching them. “I think there is someone over there hoping you will notice him.”
“Who?” She turned, her eyes round with curiosity.
“He’s been eyeing you.”
She spun abruptly, putting her back to the man. “Really? Do you know his name?”
“Drink up and go find out for yourself.”
She did as he suggested, her dress flouncing in a way that reminded Connor of Maya’s niece. Saving her from the falling tree felt like forever ago. His mind drifted to the cottage bathroom, where he’d helped Maya doctor herself. He’d been such a broken husk. But was he any different now? Had he changed enough that he could finally be the man she deserved?
Sighing, he realized she probably wouldn’t see it that way, and that woman saw everything.
He laughed as his brother swept Roberta into a deep dip, pretending to drop her. Connor missed this―being able to be present at an event without feeling as though he was about to lose his company if he didn’t go check his email or texts. He missed people. Not everything needed to be about work all the time. But he still needed something the business world could give him. Something only James could deliver.
* * *
Connor sat at the large conference table and clasped his hands together. As long as James played his right cards, Connor was going to walk away a free and happy man.
Em, her moves edgy, offered the two men coffee. Connor waved her away, but James, bags under his eyes, accepted.
“Do you want me to stay and take notes?” Em asked Connor.
“No, that’s fine. I just wanted to chat with James and get up to speed.”
James and Em frowned. The conference room was considered neutral turf, and the only time Connor met with an employee for a “chat” in here, it led to either a pink slip or a severe reprimand. The fact that Connor’s second advisor, Bill, was not present made it more clear something was about to go down.
“How’s…” Connor snapped his fingers as though he was still burned out, and unable to pull up his other assistant’s name. “Stella?”
“Fine,” Em replied. “She can come back to work on Wednesday.”
“I had Accounting send her a bonus this morning. Can you be sure she gets it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ll get one, too. I appreciate all you do around here.”
Em blushed as she nodded, whispering a “thanks” as she exited the room.
Connor, making sure his shoulders seemed weighted by fatigue, returned his attention to James, who was sitting at the other end of the table looking unsure, but also expectant.
“I want to thank you for taking care of the place while I was gone, James. I know it couldn’t have been easy, with me pulling the plug on myself in the middle of a deal.”
James cleared his throat and shook his head with vigor. “It was no problem, really.”
“Well, I want you to know that I appreciate it. And this latest deal with the lumberyard, which you managed to close yesterday, was a good idea. I was looking at the papers and how much it increased the valuation of CM Enterprises.”
James smiled, pleased.
“You’ve done a lot for me over the past year, in particular.” When his advisor nodded, his chest expanding, Connor added, “And so I would like to make you an offer.”
James leaned forward, hungry for details.
“I know you’ve been interested in having a larger stake in the company for some time.”
“Yes, yes I have. I think I would do an amazing job with more control.”
“How much would you like?”
James’s greed practically turned him green. “As much as you are comfortable giving.”
“I was thinking fifty percent.”
He grinned and leaned back like a fat cat. “That would be fantastic.”
“Or maybe you’d prefer to have majority control here?”
“What do you mean?” James’s voice was breathless.
“Buy the company.” Connor leaned back, hands folded behind his head.
“Buy the company?”
“Outright. You’ve done an amazing job, and your projections show that within five years you’ll be rolling in it. It’s a good time to buy.”
“Why are you selling?” James licked his lips twice, a tell that he was nervous.
Connor laughed. “Have you seen me this past month? I can’t even remember my own name. I’m not the king any longer and it’s burning me out trying to be. I’m done, man. I’m tired. You do a much better job of balancing things. That’s why I thought of you first. You are truly the new, uncrowned, king.”
James swallowed hard, sitting a little straighter with the compliment and the hint that Connor might sell to someone else if he didn’t grab the opportunity. “And what is the offer, exactly?”
“Purchase outright at your recent valuation.”
“My recent…” James cleared his throat. He blinked, licked his lips.
“Yes. I trust your valuation. If the past is any indicator, it’s probably conservative. Since it is your valuation, you know exactly what you are getting and, man…” Connor smiled and shook his head. “I can’t believe I am even thinking of selling this place. It’s been my everything for so long.” He spread his palms flat on the table, rounding his shoulders as though in resignation. “But I can see how I’m in your way. You are the new king and it’s time for me to step aside and let you shine.”
James grew in his chair, shoulders straightening. “Yeah. Yeah, maybe.”
“You in full control. Look out, world. Corner office. Fortune magazine calling you. Hell, I must be crazy.” Connor shook his head as though he couldn’t believe it. He gave James a moment to imagine it all, then leaned forward. “So? What do you say? Are you in?”
James nodded hesitantly, his eyes drifting to the large windows along the wall. “I’m not sure about the value…”
“Why? Is something wrong?” Connor made himself tamp his anger under a large weight, knowing one false move and he’d be stuck, not James, the man who needed to pay for his betrayal out of his own wallet.
Connor had checked the paperwork when he got back from Curtis’s wedding, and James had come out ahead on the past three deals, whereas CM Enterprises had not. James was the real reason Connor was so burned out. He’d been paddling a ship his advisor had been poking holes into. Now it was time for James to buy the damaged ship.
Connor grinned internally. Either way, James was caught. He couldn’t turn down the offer without showing how he’d become corrupt, and if he bought it, he was stuck with his own bad
deals. Thank goodness for Maya and her threat to take James to court. No matter which way he moved he was screwed. Connor just hoped the man’s pride made him move in Connor’s favor for once.
“No, nothing is wrong.” His advisor stared at the shiny tabletop.
“Is it a fair price?” Connor asked. “Should we investigate it further? Maybe there’s something that has been overlooked?” He reached for the phone sitting in the middle of the table.
Anger radiated off James. But he stood and clenched Connor’s hand, shaking it as he practically growled, “We have a deal, Connor.”
“Legal has the contract ready for you to sign. Shall we go over there now?”
Connor made James be the one to break eye contact and pull his hand away first, as well as exit the room.
Oh, yes. Connor was still king.
* * *
Maya basked on a rock on the top of the island, the morning sun warming her bones. It had been a cool night in the cottage and now the sun was out to show her it was still summer.
Her phone rang and she answered it. The entrepreneurs.
“Maya, we’ve run into a glitch.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” How many fires did she have to put out with this stupid project?
“The licensing is fine. It’s all set, thank you. But the distributor we wanted to use experienced a major flood, and it’s looking like everything is going to be delayed by months. They said they’d let us out of our contract, but time is so short and—”
“I get the picture. I can tell you’re feeling a bit anxious and stressed, but we’ll figure this out, okay?” Connect, connect, connect.
Son of a…
How the hell were they going to sort this out? She was going to have to call in favors from people she didn’t even know. Again. And lately, it felt as though every time she turned around she was asking someone to cover her butt and make it happen, because she’d messed up somewhere. How did she ever think she could get this device out into the real world?
