Page 4 of Crazy Thing

My shit list is a mile long, but right now it’s becoming clear that I might haveeven biggerproblems to attend to. Like figuring out why the hell I’ve been called to this impromptu meeting here at the water’s edge.

The local hippie ladies—the ones I’m certain have cursed me—are all side-eyeing me with a heavy dose of mistrust as I approach the crowd.

I eyeball them back. They’ve already cursed me to death. What else could they do to me?

I don’t get the chance to find out, because my brothers all end up in my face. Ronan, Archer, Nolan, and Felix all beat me here to the waterfall after sounding the emergency alarm in our family group chat this morning.

“What’s going on here?” I ask.

Archer strokes his bearded chin. “We haven’t gotten all the details. But it seems that this piece of land is up for sale.Andthe waterfall right along with it.”

“What?!” I stare at my oldest brother in bewilderment.

“Yeah. Like Archer said, we don’t know the details, but the waterfall is definitely for sale,” Ronan mumbles, adjusting the hockey toque on his head.

I shrug, making up my mind on the spot. “Okay. No big deal. I’ll buy it.”

I’m a billionaire, after all. This won’t even make a dent in my cashflow. Besides, this place is practically in my parents’ backyard. It’d be better to have the waterfall in the Brighton family than to have some non-local bozo snatch it up.

Nolan chuckles, folding his arms across his chest. “Not so fast, big shot. Rumor is, the seller has already accepted an offer.”

“What the hell?” I balk. “Who put in an offer already?”

“Edison,” Felix says bitterly.

Anger flashes through me. Edison? Fucking Edison Astor Sinclair? Of all the bozos, whythatone?

I fucking despise that jerk. Eons ago, he was engaged to Daphne Beaumont. But she dumped his cheating ass and quickly fell in love with Felix. Seeking revenge, Edisontriedto throw his trust fund money around to steal Felix’s medical center right out from under him.

‘Tried’ is the keyword. Because I stepped in and put a stop to his shenanigans real quick.

When it was all said and done, Edison ended up looking like a fool for ever trying to steal my brother’s clinic. If I had to guess, his sudden interest in buying the waterfall is some sort of indirect attempt to patch up his bruised ego.

So, the short story? I don’t trust Bozo-in-Chief. Not one bit.

“Rumor is that Edison is buying up the waterfall, just to build some spa or retreat for his mega rich country club buddies,” Nolan says, clearly annoyed.

I shake my head, gazing around. “That’s bullshit. The land will become private then. No one in town will be able to come down here anymore.”

Felix nods, eyeballing me. “Yup. And that’s exactly the problem that brought us out today.”

“This place is central to the whole town,” Archer adds with a deep frown. “Everybody comes out here.”

Ronan nods. “The farmer’s market even sells Starlight Falls postcards with pictures of this waterfall on the front.”

I shut my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose and trying to ignore the burn of my sore throat. “I won’t let this happen. I don’t know who Edison thinks he is. But I won’t let this deal go through,” I say with resolve.

As of right now, I have no idea how I’m going to fix this, but no way in hell am I letting Edison pull off this heist.

While I search my brain for a plan, there’s a sudden commotion in the crowd, pulling my attention away from solving the mess at hand.

I turn my head and movement through the trees catches my eye. I’m instantly captivated by the sight unfolding before me. I see a figure approaching. The closer she moves, the better I’m able to see her.

She’s tall. Taller than most girls. Her hair is a shade of pink that is in no way natural, but on her, it almost could be. And her eyes. I can’t see them from here, but I remember them distinctly. I know that they’re a light blue that rivals the sky that this angel floated down from.

She’s ethereal. She’s majestic.

She’s making funny things happen inside my pants.

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