17.

 

I can’t believe it.

No matter how much I turn it over in my mind, I still can’t believe Ash would be planning to build a luxury resort right next door to Rose Cottage. It doesn’t make any sense. All this time, he’s been right here: helping out with renovations, and Bunny, and the plumbing. Making sure the B&B gets on its feet, the way I dream about.

Hallie must have it all wrong.

“Just ask him,” Lexi urges on the phone. “Go over there, look him in the eye, and ask if he’s been planning on screwing you over from the start.”

“I can’t,” I reply, searching through files in the windowless basement. “Think how that sounds. If he hasn’t done anything wrong, then I’ll be wrecking everything. We just got together, I don’t want to risk that. I need to know more.”

More, like exactly what the new buyer of all that neighboring land has got planned. Which is why I decided to think like a lawyer again, and go do my research before confronting Ash with my worst fears. I figured out that any new development will need planning permits and approval from the county clerk’s office, so instead of soaking in a bubble bath, getting ready for our date tonight, I’m two towns over, digging through file cabinets that clearly haven’t been organized since 1962.

“Any luck yet?” Lexi asks, yawning.

“Nope. But I do know that Missy Jenkins and Kyle Fuller have been fighting over a boundary fence for the last ten years.”

“Thrilling,” Lexi teases. “And to think you left the fast pace of the legal world behind.”

“Wait,” I tell her, finding a file with a recent date buried in a stack of older documents. “I think I have something.”

I scan through the planning submission. Beachfront land… Three acre lot… Building permits… Lodging and food/beverage service…

The words sink in. Undeniable.

“Well?” Lexi asks. “Is it as bad as you thought?”

“No,” I answer grimly, taking in the Callahan Group stamp on every page—and Ash’s signature, scrawled at the bottom. “It’s worse.”

Beneath the permit applications, there’s a glossy prospectus: an artist’s rendition of the finished resort. It’s beautiful: gleaming, modern buildings arranged around a huge pool, with a cute cabana bar, a swanky restaurant overlooking the water, even tennis courts and a small gym set off to one side. The complex is huge, dominating the whole stretch of beachfront land.

I lay out the pictures, looking for where Rose Cottage would be next to all this luxury vacationing. But it’s not there.

Ash has wiped it off the map completely.

My shock turns to anger. He didn’t even plan around me. He just assumed, what—that I’d roll over and sell him the land? That he could literally bulldoze Nana’s cottage, and all my dreams?

Not if I have anything to say about it.

“Lexi?” I snap back into action, going to make copies of all the paperwork. “You still there?”

“Wha?” She sounds sleepy. “Oh, yeah, I’m here. And if Harper has anything to say about it, I’m going to be here at my desk until the day I die.”

“Good, then maybe you can do me a favor. I need research on the Callahan Group and their properties. Any issues with planning or permits.”

“Ooh, you sound pissed.”

“I am,” I glare at the map, determined. “And could you please pull any recent applications in Beachwood Bay too? I need all the information I can get.”

“You’ve got it, babe.” Lexi sounds cheerful. “That bastard is going down.”

“Not so fast,” I stop her. Despite everything, I still feel a pang of hope in my chest. These plans were filed before we got to know each other. Maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe there’s still a good explanation. “I just want to be prepared.”

“Whatever you need,” Lexi promises. “Good luck!”

 

I drive back towards home, trying to think of what I’m going to say to Ash when he comes to pick me up for dinner, but I’m too riled up now to even wait another minute. As I pass the turn to his brother’s place, I find myself yanking the wheel, pulling a U-turn on the sandy coastal road and speeding down the street.

I pull up outside Dex’s home: a big, modern house right on the beach. It’s all glass and white concrete, designed with stunning architecture, but right now, all I can imagine is this place times a hundred, dominating the entire shore.

No more overgrown back yards and windswept dunes, no more quiet, winding lanes. Everything about Beachwood Bay I’ve always loved, razed to the ground.

My anger grows.

I get out of the car and stalk to the front door. I ring the bell, my heart pounding. I’ve performed a hundred mock-trials, and even taken basic questioning in the courtroom, but I’ve never cared about the answers so much as right now.

I need Ash to tell me I’ve got it all wrong.

I need him to show me he’s not this kind of man.

“Hey, Noelle!” Alicia opens the door. She’s dressed casually, in a bikini top and cute blue shorts. “Great timing, I was just going to call you.” She steps aside and ushers me inside.

“You were?” I follow her, still caught up in my anger and all the discoveries I’ve made today.

“About the wedding cake?” Alicia reminds me. “If you still think you’ll have time, I mean. I’d love to sit down this week, maybe talk about flavors and decorations. I have a whole theme book.” She laughs self-consciously. “Listen to me, I never figured I’d care about a big fancy wedding, but it turns out, I actually have opinions about tulle versus taffeta!”

“No, that’s great.” I quickly pull myself together. “I can make some samples to start us off. Maybe Thursday afternoon?”

“Perfect!” Alicia beams. “Ash is in the office,” she adds, pointing down the hall. “You’re here to see him, right?” Her smile turns knowing.

I nod, trying to steel myself to see him again.

“Go right on through!”

I head down the hallway, my anger returning with every step. Be strong, I remind myself, bracing for battle. Don’t let him off the hook just because he looks at you that way again.

I hear Ash’s voice coming from the office. He’s on a call, sounding crisp and business-like.

“Next month is unacceptable. Remind him, we have a signed contract promising delivery, and I’ll be fining him for every day past that date.”

I stand in the doorway. He’s pacing, talking on his cellphone, dressed smartly in a shirt and tie. He sees me and his expression changes for a moment.

Is that guilt in his eyes?

Ash holds up a finger. “One minute,” he whispers to me, but he doesn’t seem surprised to see me here. He steps out onto the balcony to finish the call, and I use the time to try and corral my hurt and betrayal into something more solid. But watching him through the windows, my resolve falters. He looks so good, his broad shoulders and square jaw illuminated in the sun. I remember how it felt to be held by those arms; to kiss along his neck. Flashes of the nights we’ve spent together run through my mind, confusing me with memories of pleasure and our incredible connection.

I’ve got this all wrong. I have to be missing something.

“Sorry about that,” Ash steps back into the room. He crosses to me and lands a brief kiss on my lips. “The project in Chicago is running over, and nobody wants to take the blame.” His forehead knits together in a frown. “Is everything OK? I thought I was picking you up later.”

I swallow. “I need to talk to you,” I start, hating the tremor in my voice. “About the land, down at the beach. I ran into Hallie, the realtor, and she says…”

His face changes. Something like guilt skitters across his handsome expression, and I stop talking. I don’t need to tell him what she said, because it’s clear, he knows exactly why I’m here.

“Is it true?” I ask softly, my eyes locked on his. “Are you really building a hotel right next door to the B&B?”

“Yes.”

My heart twists. His answer is calm and matter-of-fact, but my jaw drops at the news.

“How can you…? I don’t understand… You didn’t…” I struggle to find the words for the betrayal crashing through me. “How long have you been planning this?”

“A few months,” Ash explains, still looking way too calm. “Every time I visited Dex and Tegan here, I always thought it would make a great luxury resort, so I had my team draw up some plans.”

“But…why didn’t you tell me?” I demand. My head is spinning, I can’t believe my ears.

“It was confidential.” Ash looks at me like I should understand. “If word got out about the development too soon, the land-owners would have jacked up their prices and made me pay way over asking. It’s common in my business,” he adds. “We buy the land parcels, and then announce when everything’s locked down.”

“Not everything,” I shoot back, bitter. “I didn’t sell.”

“I know.” He gives a wry grin. “And we’ll be resubmitting new plans to take into account your property and work around the inconvenience.”

Inconvenience…

I stare at him in disbelief. How can he be so cavalier with my future? “What about me?” I ask, my voice rising with anger. “The inconvenience I’m going to face? The traffic, and construction work, and—oh yes, the massive hotel right next door! Nobody will want to stay at the B&B with all that going on. This is going to ruin me!”

Ash’s face changes. “Hey, don’t take this the wrong way,” he says, moving closer. “It’s not personal, it’s just business.”

He reaches out to touch my shoulder, but I flinch away.

“Just business?” I echo, furious. “Are you serious right now? You lie to me for weeks, make me believe that you really care, and then turn around and destroy me without a second thought!”

Ash’s face shutters again. “What would you have me do?” he demands. “Call off the whole project because we’ve spent one night together?”

“Two,” I spit back. “But clearly, they didn’t matter to you.”

“You need to calm down,” Ash tells me. “Just think about this for a minute. You can’t expect me to cancel a major development, just because we’re…”

He stops.

“What?” I demand. “What is this to you? Because I thought it meant something—that I meant something. But you’re acting like I’m a total stranger right now!”

“Because that’s the professional thing to do,” Ash replies. He’s getting stressed too now: his shoulders tense, his expression frustrated. “I planned this before we even met. My team has been working for months—”

“But you didn’t think to mention it?” I still can’t wrap my head around the lies. “And don’t give me that bullshit about confidentiality,” I add quickly. “Because you knew this would affect me, and you still let me steam ahead with all my plans for the B&B.” I stare at him, the betrayal getting worse by the second. “Was it a game to you?” I demand. “Watching me run around, pouring everything I had into that place, when you knew that the minute you started construction, all my work would be for nothing?”

Ash at least has the decency to look away, guilty. “I’m sorry,” he mutters. “But I didn’t think I should say anything. Not until we have the permits approved and everything set. It’s company policy.”

“Well, fuck company policy.” Anger pumps through my bloodstream, thick and hot. “You didn’t care how badly you hurt me. You still don’t.”

“Now wait a minute—” Ash tries to protest, but I don’t want to hear it. There’s nothing he could say that can fix what he’s done—what he’s still planning to do, even after everything.

“Are you going ahead with the project?” I demand.

He stares back, stubborn. “Of course.”

“Then I have nothing more to say to you.” Emotion wells up, desperate and hurting. I furiously hold back the tears, not wanting to break down any more. “Clearly, you only care about one thing, and it’s sure as hell not me.”

I whirl on my heel and stalk away.

“Noelle, wait! Please!”

I ignore his call. I can’t believe I could be so wrong about someone—see a good man where clearly there’s nothing but an ice-cold robot in his place.

I trusted him. I opened my heart. And this is what I get in return?

I want to get away before I break down completely, but Ash follows me. He takes my arm, pulling me back to him. “You don’t understand,” he protests. “I can’t just drop everything because we happen to be dating.”

“Happened,” I correct him bitterly. “Past tense.”

“You need to calm down, look at this rationally,” Ash tells me. His expression is beseeching, his dark eyes full of confusion. “You’ll see, you’re overreacting. This isn’t about us!”

“Do you really believe that?” I gape. I can’t believe that he’s acting like I’m some kind of hysterical woman, way off base, when he’s the one who’s been so duplicitous. “If I’m being irrational, then why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I turn it back on him. “Why hide it and tell me all these lies?”

“I never lied to you,” Ash corrects me. “Not straight out.”

“Gee, give the man a gold star,” I mock him. “You really want to use technicalities right now?”

I wish I could stay sarcastic: cold and defensive, but the hurt inside me is too painful, it wells up, robbing me of my bitter edge.

“You knew this was wrong,” I say quietly. “That not saying anything would hurt me in the end. At least be honest now about that.”

Ash’s eyes flick away from me again, that hint of guilt he can’t even hide from himself. And that’s what almost hurts the most: that he knew, deep down, that he’s doing the wrong thing, but that still didn’t make a difference to him.

Not enough.

Well, if I don’t matter to him, then there’s nothing keeping me here. No more kisses or tender moments.

No more trust.

“If you think I’m going to sit back and let you wreck my business, then you’re wrong,” I tell him, with a final flash of resolve. “I’m not going to let you get away with this. I won’t give up the B&B without a fight!”

And with that, I wrench free from his grasp and stalk away—slamming the door behind me.

This time, he doesn’t follow.