Page 23 of Ardently Yours

My lips curve slowly upward.

“The location is connected to the Rosalind Estate. Twice a year, they open the grounds to the public with a spring fling and an apple festival. The theater coordinates with the events, and they usually end up being the two biggest fundraisers of the year. I don’t even know how RealFreedom managed to get their hands on it. It was never on record as being for sale.”

The estate is owned by my aunt, which is the only reason RealFreedom managed to buy the theater. She likes me.

My gaze traces the building as I make calculations in my head. Finally, I turn to Charlotte. “I’ll pitch keeping and renovating the theater as a tax write-off. It's solid marketing to establish goodwill in the community.”

“Just like that? Will they go for it?” she asks doubtfully.

“Absolutely.”

“How can you know that?”

Because I’ll fire them if they don’t.“If the owner of the company can’t establish goodwill now, then future . . .ventures . . . will be more difficult. Maybe even impossible. He’s not interested in being viewed asa soulless, town-devouring monster.”

Her mouth drops. “You already tracked down the owner? No way.”

I deflect with humor. “Yes way.”

She gives me a wrinkle-nosed smile at my unexpected response. “You’re the last person I’d expect to quoteWayne’s World.”

“Lawyers can’t find Mike Myers funny?”

Waving a hand up and down, she tilts her head to the side. “You’re more than a lawyer, Arden. You’re the most interesting person I know.”

It’s a strangely gratifying compliment. Particularly since she hasn’t read any of the tabloid gossip about me. What she knows is who I am beneath the layers of wealth, my history, and my famous family.

I clear my throat. “They’ll probably rename the theater and fill the entire side of the barn with a tacky ‘Sponsored by RealFreedom’ sign. So everyone knows to ‘appreciate their benevolence.’”

She smiles, but her lips roll in for a moment. “Do you think RealFreedom should have a go-between from the community to partner with about the renovations? It’d be awful if they came in and changed everything so much that it lost all its charm or history. It could use some restoration, not a gut job.”

And she says she doesn’t have any dreams.“The building will need to be renovated to code. RealFreedom will have the final word, but it could help to have a liaison.”

Her brows furrow, and she looks almost sick with anticipation.

“It might be nice if that person had an interest in or some experience with architecture?” I lift an eyebrow.

“They’d let me? Have some input with the company on this project?”

“I don’t see why not. The community should have a voice.”

She throws her arms around me and presses her temple to my jaw. Everything in me simultaneously relaxes and ignites as I engulf her in a squeezing hug.

“You do know they’ll need some ego stroking, right?” she asks.

Laughter bursts out of me. After a moment, she steps back and beams.

At the sight of her smile, I forget how to breathe.

“What is it?” she asks.

What I’m about to say will make me sound like a lovestruck teenager. I’m going to say it, anyway. “When you’re happy, it lights you up from the inside out. You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.”

“I . . .” Her focus lingers on my mouth like a physical caress. Slowly, her attention shifts back to my eyes. “Arden.”

I could no sooner ignore the invitation in Charlotte’s eyes than I could stop the earth from turning.

With or Without You

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