Chapter 16
Joshua
I hadn't met Lily Patrick before, but I'd never had trouble with business transactions on the fly, and I had called her up prior to firing up my truck and heading out. I'd dropped off Eve at her place earlier this morning, mainly because she'd asked - Cassidy was on the way to have girl talk about the restaurant and Faith.
Faith. The root of all my current problems. When we'd broken up, I hadn't exactly suffered from severe heartbreak. It'd been a bump in the road. Sure, my mom and dad had wanted us to end up together, but that was one of the many occasions I hadn't buckled to their will.
Faith had broken it off with me. She'd determined that I wasn't rich enough for her tastes, that I didn't have a future that would benefit her grandiose dreams of becoming Hope Creek's star kept woman.
And now, she was convinced she'd made a mistake. I still couldn't shake the memory of her begging me to take her back, years later. This year, to be exact.
I snorted and rumbled down the dirt road toward Heather's Forge, determination sitting behind my solar plexus. I couldn't let her get away with this.
Faith's desire to become a restaurateur was absolute bullshit, and the stench disgusted me. This wasn't about owning a business on daddy's dime. This was another attempt to get me back.
I ramped over the lip of tarmac that smoothed onto the main street in Heather's Forge. I cruised past the pet store, the mini-mall, and around the corner to the half-empty building where Lily had suggested we meet.
She stood out front, chewing on gum, with a flower tucked behind her ear and a peak cap squashed down on unruly black curls. She waved me into an empty parking spot.
I cut the engine and hopped out of the truck, squinting up at the sign on the front of the building. "Lily's," I said, out loud, and my heart sank. Perhaps, this wouldn't go as easy as I'd thought.
"You got that right," she said. "You must be the rich guy I've heard so much about." She stuck out a hand, and I shook it.
"Joshua Jackson."
"Lily," she said, then jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Let's go in and talk." She spun on her heel and entered the building. I followed her in and didn't comment on the building materials in one corner, half-covered by a tarp.
The interior smelled of wet plaster and a fine dust from freshly dried grouting coated the floor tiles.
"Still gotta clean the place up," she said, then sighed. "And bring in an interior decorator."
"You sure you want to do all that work?" I asked.
"Oh yeah. I’ve had my eye on this place for months, but I never had the balls to put in an offer until Faith gave me one of her own.” Lily beamed pride at the walls. “It’ll be a while before I get it up, you know? Months yet, but I’m still happy. Damn lucky no one snatched it up before I did. Why do you ask?"
That didn’t bode well for me. She’d had her heart set on moving to Heather’s Forge for a while, apparently.
I took a breath. Steeled myself. "I know you sold Cowboys n’ Cuts. I hear you got a good deal on the place, too," I said. "I'm here to offer you an even better one."
"Oh? And what's that?" She raised an eyebrow, tucked chubby fingers into the pockets of her jeans and cocked her head to the side.
Confidence suffused me. This was what I did - I'd dealt with tougher customers and clients than this back in New York. Shit, I'd sold ideas to people who would eat Lily's dreams for breakfast.
"I want you to buy back Cowboys n’ Cuts," I said.
"Good lord. Why the hell would I do that?" Lily asked.
"Because you were passionate about the place, or so I heard, and because I'll pay you to do it." I couldn't buy the place from Faith outright. She wouldn't sell it to me if she knew that I wanted it to keep Eve here.
"You'll pay me to do it." Lily's eyes widened. "Man, what's this about? I heard rumors about you being some bigshot businessman. I know most of the folks around here worship the very ground you walk upon. This doesn't sound like a smart business deal for you."
"My gain in this isn't financial."
Lily studied me up and down, head to toe. "Not financial. Then what is your gain, Mr. Jackson?"
"I - I have a friend who works there. A young woman. Her name is Eve."
"Ah, I see. I really liked Eve. She's a fantastic chef and a wonderful person. But why is my selling the place a problem for her?"
"It's complicated." I was loathe to go into details about my relationship with Eve or the lack of one with Faith. "Let's just say that her job is in jeopardy thanks to the new management, and it would be great if we could return things to the way they were before you sold the place."
"I'm sad that Eve is having trouble, but I've got to be honest here, Mr. Jackson, I have no interest in purchasing Cowboys n’ Cuts. I've done my time in Hope Creek. It's a small town and there's limited potential for growth unless you're a farmer or ranch owner." Lily shook her head. "No, I wouldn't go back even if you bought the place for me."
"I'll pay for it and pay for any losses you might incur here. And I'll throw on a little interest for your trouble," I said, smoothly.
"You must really love her," Lily replied and smiled. "That makes me happy for Eve. But no, once again, Mr. Jackson, I have to say no. I've been pretty set on moving out of Hope Creek for quite some time. I need to move on with my life."
It sounded too much like a thought Eve might have about the place. I eased my feet in their ankle boots. "You're sure about this? You're positive you don't want to go back?" A last-ditch attempt to get her to change her mind. God dammit, if I was too open about trying to get Eve to stay where she was, it'd scare her.
She was already on the cusp of running, I could tell. I couldn't accept that. She'd crept into my heart, and I wouldn't let her go.
"I'm sure," Lily said. "This is the first time in my life I've felt I'm in control." She led me out into the sunlight and we stopped in front of my truck. "I hope you manage to sort this out, Mr. Jackson."
"Thanks," I said, but I didn't have much hope for that. Faith certainly wouldn't sell the place to me, and I couldn't buy up another spot and offer Eve a job without totally freaking her out. This was over, for now. I'd find a way. Somehow, I'd find a way.
"Lily," a voice said, "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Lee-Roy." The middle-aged restaurant owner turned and embraced a man with graying hair and a bald spot dominating his crown. He had fleshy jowls and wore a pair of smart jeans and a flannel shirt. Ironed to perfection.
My stomach dropped. Faith's father. What the hell was Lee-Roy Stone doing in Heather's Forge?
Lily pulled out of the embrace and smiled at him. "I could say the same about you. What brings you to Heather's Forge?"
"Just examining a few business opportunities," the old man said, and his gaze chased past Lily and to me. "Well, what do we have here? Another man I hardly expected to see in this town. Joshua. How are you, son?"
Son? That made me cringe internally. "I'm well, thanks, and you, Mr. Stone?" I shook his hand and resisted the urge to wipe my palm on my jeans afterward.
He wasn't a sleaze ball, but he wasn't the nicest guy around either. I'd run into plenty of sharks during my time in New York, but Lee-Roy Stone took the cake. He'd do whatever it took to get a good deal, even if it bordered on unethical.
"Fantastic, as usual," Lee-Roy replied, then ran his hand over his crown. He was self-conscious about the bald spot. "What brings you to Heather's Forge?"
"Mr. Jackson here was trying to convince me to buy back my old property."
"Cowboys n’ Cuts?" Lee-Roy asked.
The cringe deepened. Christ, I didn't want him to know about this. Telling Lee-Roy was akin to whispering the information in Faith's ear. They were thick as thieves.
"That's right," Lily replied. "Apparently, he wants to keep his new woman in town."
Shit! I cleared my throat. "It's nothing like that. I just figured I'd get into the restaurant business."
Lily frowned. "I thought you wanted me to run the place, like I did before? That's what you said at least, unless I missed something. Did you want to be a silent partner?"
"Would that change anything?" I asked.
"No, I'm afraid. As I said, my life is here now."
Lee-Roy's expression had taken on a distinctly sharkish bent. He had me in his sights, and he didn't quit stroking that bald spot. "A lover, eh? That's got to be the talk of the town in Hope Creek."
I didn't have words. Eve wouldn't appreciate me blabbing to her new boss' father and making matters worse for her. "It's nothing serious."
"Nothing serious," Lily snorted. "Please, I saw the way you–”
"I'd better get back to the farm. The cows aren't going to feed themselves. It was good seeing you again, Mr. Stone. Lily." I nodded to each of them, then hurried to the truck, their stares hot on the back of my neck.
This was the last thing I'd planned on happening and possibly the worst that could've happened. If Lee-Roy told Faith about this, and he would, there was no telling what she'd do. I got into the cab of the truck and busied myself with the keys in the ignition. I risked a glimpse of Lily and Stone, but the woman had already gone back inside. And Lee-Roy?
He was on the phone, walking briskly in the other direction.
"Shit." I'd bet my left nut that it was Faith on the other end of the line. "Fuck." I had to get back to Hope Creek and warn Eve about this before she headed into work and walked in on a fucking warzone.
I wouldn't put it past Faith to make her life hell, simply because she'd been with me. Faith's jealousy was catastrophic. Before she'd realized I was a 'nobody' back in college, she'd been over the top - desperate to shield me from other women.
She'd tried to make me stay home any time I'd wanted to hang out with the boys. And she'd eyed every woman in sight when we were out together.
I dug my cellphone out of my pocket and unlocked the screen, then opened up my contacts list and scrolled through to Eve's number. I hit dial, pressed the phone to my ear. The cellphone rang, then clicked to voicemail.
I checked the time and swore under my breath. It was already ten minutes until noon. Eve was likely on her way to work, already. I redialed and listened to the ringing again, then hung up. She'd left her cell at home, no doubt, and I didn't have Cassidy's number to call her and warn her about it.
I put my cell on the passenger seat, then started the engine. No use sitting around here waiting for the hammer to fall. The best I could do was hope Faith didn't go crazy and get back to Hope Creek in time if she did.
I tore out of Heather's Forge, ignoring the shocked looks of the passersby.