Chapter One
“You do realize that you’re about to start a major shit storm today, right?”
Kyle Coleman shifted his attention to Nolan Roberts, the man sitting in the passenger seat of his truck and his best friend since childhood. “Yes, I’m well aware that I’m about to piss off a certain someone who has no idea another person is interested in the run-down building next to her father’s market,” he replied to his friend, his tone droll. “Just like I know you’re dying to witness everyone’s shocked reaction when they realize who purchased the place, so don’t fucking pretend you’re accompanying me because you enjoy my sparkling personality.”
Nolan merely smirked in response, silently admitting culpability.
When Kyle had mentioned attending today’s public auction to Nolan, his friend had insisted on accompanying him. Not for moral support. No, Nolan’s interest was all about witnessing the controversial purchase Kyle intended to make today. No matter the cost. Which meant outbidding Ella Fisher for the commercial piece of property she was also interested in. And because Kyle didn’t want to give his rival any advance notice that she had competition for the building, Ella had no clue she was about to be blindsided.
Admittedly, a part of him felt guilty about the element of surprise he had in his favor, and there was no doubt in his mind Ella was going to be livid when he won the auction. But business was business, and Kyle wasn’t about to treat this deal any differently just because he shared a tempestuous past with the woman who wanted the same piece of real estate that he did.
So, yeah, a major shit storm was about to touch down in his old hometown, as Nolan had so eloquently stated.
After his pronouncement, Nolan left Kyle to his thoughts as he continued to drive. He hit the outskirts of town, well aware that his brand-new, shiny red Ford F-250 was turning curious heads as he slowly drove the speed limit along the main street—appropriately named Main St.—which led through his hometown of Woodmont, Illinois, population 956, according to the welcome sign posted just outside the city limits. Considering the wide-eyed stares as he passed the various stores and the people strolling along the sidewalk, you’d think that he was driving a Bentley instead. But he knew the unique color of his truck, not to mention the rumbling sound of his diesel engine, was enough to alert everyone in town that an outsider was driving through.
He gripped his fingers tighter on the steering wheel as he headed toward his destination. For his entire childhood, he’d felt like an outsider in this small community, so why would this situation be any different? Ten years ago, he’d left Woodmont as a dirt-poor kid determined to be something better than his drunk, verbally abusive father, and today he was a successful multimillionaire and part owner of Premier Realty.
His position within the company wasn’t to sell houses and other real estate assets. He bought them. Old, run-down properties and structures that he and one of his partners, Connor, restored. Once they were finished with the improvements, the realty part of the company resold the place for a hefty profit. In the reality television world, he was labeled a “flipper”—and he fucking hated that term—but his professional business card billed him as a residential and commercial redeveloper.
But what he’d achieved an hour away in Chicago didn’t change the way a lot of the townsfolk still viewed him, thanks to his father’s belligerent personality and his brother’s list of transgressions that had somehow painted him with the same tainted brush and as one of the no-good Coleman brothers.
He’d like to believe that time had changed the town’s perspective of him, and for the most part, they treated him cordially and civilly, but he’d come to accept that there was one family in particular who would never welcome him with open arms. Yeah, his brother had burned that bridge long ago, and Kyle had been stupid enough to add fuel to the fire that had cost him the girl he’d been crazy in love with. A few unfiltered, hurtful comments spoken in frustration and anger had earned him a sharp slap to the face and a get out of my life response that still had the ability to make his stomach clench when he thought about everything he’d lost.
Ella Fisher was, and always would be, the one he’d let slip through his fingers. Obeying those words and walking away from her was his biggest regret, even if he’d told himself, repeatedly, that it was for the best. That a future together would never have worked out for them. Not after what his brother, Todd, had done to Ella’s sister. And not when her father had made it more than clear that Kyle wasn’t good enough for his daughter.
Over the past ten years, Kyle had come and gone from Woodmont on a regular basis, at least a few times a month, because his mother still lived here, while his townhouse was in Chicago. After his drunk of a father died and Todd ended up in jail on a manslaughter charge, Kyle made sure that his mother was taken care of and that the house his father had let fall apart was completely restored, since his mother refused to move or leave the small town.
But visiting his mother didn’t require him to interact with the residents since Patricia Coleman lived on the outskirts, which enabled him to avoid the main part of town and the possibility of running into Ella Fisher. Thanks to his mother’s tendency to keep him abreast of everyone’s business in town, the last Kyle heard, Ella had been engaged to a guy they’d gone to high school with after dating him for three years—the news of which had induced a gut-punch sensation in the pit of his belly.
Except Ella had never made it to the altar—the wedding had been called off a few months before the big day nearly a year ago. They were no longer a couple, and Kyle hated that a part of him was relieved, even though he knew there was no chance in hell that he and Ella could ever be what they once were. Unfortunately, no other woman had come close to replacing what he’d once felt for the girl he’d left behind.
Despite his mother’s updates, it had been a few years since he’d seen Ella in person, but as he drove past the five-and-dime, then the Family Diner, where his mother had worked all his life—and still did, despite him providing her with enough money to retire on—Kyle realized that was all about to change.
“I have to admit I’m a little curious to see how everything plays out today,” Nolan said, once again breaking into his thoughts. “Something like this is as exciting as it gets around here, and I’d rather see it happen live and in person than read it on the front page of the weekly gazette tomorrow or hear about it through gossip from one of my clients at the office,” he said of the accounting business Nolan had taken over when his father had retired.
Kyle huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Do you realize how pathetic you sound right now? That something like this is a major enough source of entertainment for you that you actually took the afternoon off from work to watch it all go down?”
“Yeah, I do,” Nolan openly admitted, his grin never wavering. “Welcome back to small-town life, my friend. Trust me, this is going to be big news after today.”
The last thing Kyle wanted was to be the center of attention. But his reasons for winning the building outweighed the speculation that was bound to circulate once he purchased the property, and gossip was a small price to pay for his mother’s happiness. “Yeah, well, maybe you ought to find yourself a girlfriend and settle down so you have something more pleasurable to occupy your free time.”
“I’m working on it.” Nolan shrugged.
“Yeah?” Kyle raised a brow as he slowed for a stop sign, genuinely surprised that his friend had his eye on someone specific. “You mean you haven’t already gone through all the single ladies in town? I didn’t think there were that many left to choose from that you haven’t already dated.”
“Like Ella, who’s been single and available the past year since breaking off her engagement to Tucker Barnes?” his friend quipped, his tone sly.
Kyle jerked his gaze to Nolan, hating the way his entire body tensed at the thought of his best friend dating someone who’d been so completely and utterly his, which was ridiculous, since it had been nearly ten years since their bitter breakup. It’s not as though he had any claim to her now.
“Is that who you’re interested in?” he asked, his voice gruffer than he’d intended. “Ella?”
“Jesus. No.” Nolan shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that to you, though I do find it fascinating that you nearly bit my head off right now just because you thought I might be interested in her.” He smirked. “Still carrying a torch for your high school sweetheart?”
Nolan was clearly ribbing him, and Kyle refused to react in a way that would give his friend any more reason to provoke him. “Not even close. Trust me, that flame was snuffed out a long time ago and we’ve both moved on.”
Kyle had no illusions that, a decade later, they were different people who led completely opposite lives, and he was certain they had nothing left in common with the starry-eyed teenagers they’d once been. Kyle had royally fucked up whatever they’d once shared, and there was no erasing the pain and anger that had driven them apart.
But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t regret the abrupt way things had ended between them. Even now, he wished he hadn’t left Woodmont, and Ella, without at least apologizing for the hurtful things he’d said. But as the years rolled by, and more time lapsed without seeing her, it had become harder to make that first move and easier to just avoid her when he was visiting his mother.
“So, who’s the lucky girl you’ve set your sights on?” Kyle asked, shifting the conversation back to Nolan.
“Claire Myers.”
Kyle groaned out loud. “Ella’s best friend?” His tone was incredulous. “Are you serious? You were a bona fide jerk to her in high school and didn’t miss an opportunity to tease and torment her because she was taller than most of the guys in our class. Remember when she wore that green dress to school and you called her the Jolly Green Giant? Not cool, man.”
Nolan winced at the reminder. “God, I was such an immature asshole back then.”
“Yeah, you were,” Kyle agreed with a wholehearted chuckle.
While Kyle had been on the varsity wrestling team, which had earned him a scholarship to University of Chicago, Nolan had been the quintessential cocky quarterback who was a total partier and a player—on the field and off. In contrast, Kyle had been more focused on maintaining his grades for college and had been interested in only one girl—Ella. Back then, Nolan had the pick of any girl he’d wanted, and usually had some cute, petite, perky cheerleader at his beck and call. Claire, on the other hand, had been awkward, skinny, and gangly, and was always stumbling over her own two feet because her legs were so long, which made her a target for ridicule.
“I think you were intimidated by Claire’s height since she was a few inches taller than you. You did have a bit of a Napoleon complex before your growth spurt your senior year,” Kyle said, just to bust his friend’s chops, which earned him the flip of a middle finger. “After all this time, what put Claire on your radar for someone you’d want to date?”
“A week ago she came into the office to ask me about some tax advice regarding her grandmother’s estate, who recently passed,” Nolan told him. “She had on this green miniskirt I swear she’d worn to fucking mock me for what I’d said back in high school. I couldn’t stop staring at her gorgeous long legs and toned thighs that were distracting as hell and had me entertaining some pretty inappropriate thoughts during our meeting.”
The corner of Kyle’s mouth quirked with humor. “Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?”
“No shit.” Nolan rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand. “When Claire stood up to leave, she asked me if I still thought she looked like the Jolly Green Giant or if she’d finally grown into her long legs. She was challenging me, and I have to admit, it was such a goddamn turn-on that I told her I’d have to reserve judgment until after our first date and I had a chance to see if she could walk in heels without tripping over her feet.”
“And she actually fell for that line?” Kyle asked in disbelief.
Nolan shrugged, though there was no denying his overly confident expression. “We’re having dinner Friday night, so I’d say the answer to that is an unequivocal yes.”
Fisher’s Grocery—owned by Ella’s father, who’d passed the store’s responsibilities to his daughter after his stroke—finally came into view. Kyle pulled his truck into the small parking lot. The auction didn’t start for another ten minutes, but there was a group of about a dozen townsfolk already gathered in front of the old building next to the family market. The rumble of his engine drew everyone’s attention as he parked, then killed the engine. When he got out of the vehicle with Nolan and people started recognizing him as he approached, he heard the low chatter of gossip already starting.
He’d been prepared for the shock and speculation. Nobody but Nolan knew he planned to bid on the building. Not even his own mother was aware of his intentions, because Kyle knew she would have tried to talk him out of what he saw as an investment, as well as the ability to give his hardworking mom the dream she’d always talked about that had been beyond her reach.
That was going to change after today.
As Kyle and Nolan stood in the back of the small crowd and off to the side, Kyle said a polite hello to Tom Elliott, who owned the barbershop on the corner, his well-groomed gray brows pulled together in a perplexed frown. The old man returned the greeting with a low, “Good to see you, son,” though it was evident by Tom’s confused expression that he was trying to figure out why Kyle was there when he hadn’t attended a town function in ten years.
Kyle nodded his head cordially at Jeanette Jones, a teller at the savings and loan, and smiled amicably at the others who were casting surreptitious glances his way as they waited for the public sale to begin. The only one he didn’t see in attendance was Ella, but considering Fisher’s Grocery was attached to the property for sale, she still had a few minutes left before she needed to arrive. She probably believed she had no competition for the building, therefore there was no reason to show up early to size up her opposition. As for Kyle, as an experienced contractor and someone who purchased a whole lot of foreclosed properties and businesses, he’d done his due diligence and knew exactly what he was up against. Just one other interested party named Ella Fisher.
The thought of seeing her again after so long filled him with a sense of anticipation, and he exhaled a deep breath to try and dispel the jittery sensation in his stomach.
Nolan pushed his hands into the front pockets of his pants as he stared up at the fifteen-thousand-square-foot building in front of them. “I can’t believe that this place is finally going to be developed into something other than the eyesore it’s been for as long as I’ve been alive.”
Kyle silently agreed. Piedmont, the former owner, had been a hoarder and a hermit and a miser who’d died leaving his only offspring with the small fortune he’d amassed. Now his son, Louis, was in the process of finally liquidating all his father’s assets, just to rid himself of the possessions he had no interest in keeping. This building in particular was old and run-down and in need of serious repair after decades of neglect, but Kyle could easily see the potential for what the structure could develop into with a full renovation.
Dan Briggs, the auctioneer in charge of today’s sale, arrived and took his place in front of the small crowd. Less than a minute later, Kyle caught sight of Ella walking out of the connecting market, a bright, self-assured smile on her face and a sassy pep to her step, as if this piece of property was already hers and this auction was just a formality. His gut clenched at what he was about to do to her, but he couldn’t let himself be deterred by an emotion such as guilt.
Without looking at who was gathered to watch the sale, she walked up to Dan and spoke to him for a few moments, even laughing at something he said, though Kyle couldn’t hear their conversation. But he did have a clear view of Ella, and he took advantage of the opportunity to really study her without her guard being up, as he knew it would be as soon as he topped her first bid.
It had been years since the last time he’d seen her. In high school, she’d been a pretty girl, with a lithe body that had tempted him to indulge in all sorts of sin. She’d had a sweet innocence about her that had effortlessly drawn him in. She was still slender with graceful long legs, but her curves were more pronounced and womanly. Her fitted jeans emphasized the alluring dip of her waist along with the tight shape of her spectacular ass. She was wearing a light blue T-shirt with Fisher’s Grocery printed across her chest, and it didn’t escape Kyle’s notice that the breasts that had once been small swells of flesh were now firm and full and would overflow in his big hands in the best possible way.
Her delicate features had matured, but she still possessed that natural beauty that didn’t require any cosmetics or enhancements. Judging by the loose braid hanging halfway down her back, she’d let her once-shoulder-length style grow quite a few inches, and he found himself wondering how those chestnut strands would look completely unconfined, and if her hair was still as soft and silky as he remembered.
Something in his belly tightened, and he recognized it as attraction and desire, even after all this time. If Ella were anyone else, or a woman he’d seen at a bar in the city, he would have already been working his way toward her to introduce himself and to see if the chemistry was reciprocated. And from there, he’d buy her a drink, they’d talk a bit, and he’d get a feel for if she was up for a mutual night of pleasure.
Kyle killed that line of thinking. As much as Ella still tempted him, he was pretty certain that she’d knee him in the balls before she’d ever date him again. Especially after she learned he was going to be her new business neighbor.
“It’s time to get things started,” Dan announced.
Ella took a few steps back to give the man some space to deliver the standard spiel that preceded most real estate auctions. She was so confident that she was the only one interested in the building that she didn’t even glance over her shoulder to search the gathering of people behind her.
Dan cleared his throat. “Okay, first let’s get all the nitty-gritty details of the auction out of the way. The owner has requested that this be a cash-only sale, and no loans will be accepted. Twenty percent of the winning bid must be paid immediately upon purchase, and the balance must be satisfied in full within twenty-four hours of the sale, or the property is forfeited and another auction will take place. There are no liens on the property, and the building will be sold in an ‘as is’ condition. Are there any questions before we begin?”
Since all the information for the auction and property had been posted online, Kyle had already done his research on the terms and conditions of the sale and purchase of the property. Here, in a small town where a run-down building wasn’t something that normal investors flocked to, the rules were a bit more lax. Still, he’d arrived with a lot of cash in his pocket for the down payment, a notarized statement from the bank certifying the available funds in his personal savings account, and the ability to wire transfer said funds to the seller within a twenty-four-hour period.
When no one spoke up with any inquiries, Dan gave a satisfied nod and began soliciting bids for the property. “Who would like to offer the minimum opening bid of one hundred thousand dollars?” he asked, his gaze on Ella as she immediately raised her hand.
“I will,” she said, her energy and enthusiasm nearly tangible as she bounced on the toes of her tennis shoes.
Kyle almost smiled at how adorable she looked, and for a moment even enjoyed the tantalizing jiggle of her breasts as she fidgeted, then quickly remembered that he was about to burst her bubble of excitement and compete with her for the building . . . until he won.
“Is anyone willing to top that bid with an offer of one hundred and twenty-five thousand?” the auctioneer asked, his gaze casually scanning the faces in front of him, as if out of obligation.
Everyone remained quiet, and just as Dan opened his mouth to award Ella the sale, Kyle cut him off. “I’ll take that bid,” he said, his tone deep, firm, and assertive.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and Ella frowned in confusion as her head jerked in his direction, her eyes searching for the source of the voice that had just thrown her for a loop she hadn’t seen coming. A heartbeat later, her lustrous green gaze landed on him, and he watched as her entire body stiffened, her lips parted in shock, and her initial bewilderment transitioned into stunned disbelief.
He inclined his head to acknowledge her, keeping his expression neutral, knowing she was trying to figure out what he was doing there after all this time and why he was competing for the building she wanted. Anger flickered in her eyes, and Kyle was pretty sure if they didn’t have an audience, she would have confronted him. Instead, she turned back to Dan and lifted her chin with a conviction he found incredibly sexy.
“One hundred and fifty thousand,” she said, upping her bid without the auctioneer even asking.
Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the whispers going on around him. “One hundred and seventy-five thousand.”
Again, Ella glanced at him, this time incredulously, and he kept his poker face in place. This was where it would get interesting. He had no idea how much cash Ella had secured for the auction, but he doubted that it was anywhere near what he had available within twenty-four hours. How high could she go before she conceded defeat?
She glared at him, her complexion turning pink with frustration. “Two hundred thousand dollars,” she announced in a tight voice, glaring at him.
“Two hundred twenty-five thousand,” he responded without hesitating. It was more than the building was worth in its present condition considering the improvements it needed, but this purchase wasn’t about the money for him, and he had to remind himself of that as he watched Ella’s devastated expression declare him as the winner even before the auctioneer did.
God, he felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. By giving one woman her dream, he’d just crushed it for another.
“We have an offer of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars,” Dan said, looking away from Ella as if he already knew her maximum budget had just been exceeded. “Is anyone willing to top that bid?”
After a few seconds of absolute silence, Ella shook her head. Then, as if she couldn’t bear to see the building being awarded to Kyle, she turned around and headed toward the market and disappeared inside. He thought about going after Ella to explain his reasons for wanting the property—not that he’d expect that to soothe her anger and upset—but a couple of the women standing nearby broke away to follow Ella to help ease the blow she’d just been delivered. And Kyle knew he’d be less than welcome anywhere near her.
“Going once . . . going twice . . . sold to the gentleman in the black shirt standing in the back row!” the auctioneer finally said, forcing Kyle to draw his gaze away from the grocery store, where Ella had escaped to.
Fuck, he thought as he scrubbed a hand along the short-cropped beard covering his jaw.
He should have been elated to have what he’d wanted for years, to be able to give his mother something just for herself, but he felt like shit instead.
Well, what had he expected? He’d known going in he was going to crush Ella’s hopes and dreams. And he didn’t feel at all good about himself now that he had.