Page 73 of Your Every Wish
“Uh-huh.” But I’m pretty sure I’m choking to death. “Be right back,” I say but it comes out as a squeak.
I rush off to the bathroom where I hock up bits of pancake and bacon in the toilet, making awful guttural sounds as I Heimlich the rest of it out. Not my finest moment. But at least I’ll live to see another day.
I flush, go out to the sink area, and wash my face, careful that there’s no crusted food sticking to my mouth.
I return to my table to find that Bent has pulled up a chair and is chatting it up with Emma.
“Better?” she asks as I scoot in the booth next to her.
“I must’ve swallowed wrong.”
“I thought we’d have to call the paramedics,” Bent says, his lips slanting up in a wicked grin.
It takes all my willpower not to flip him the bird.
“Emma here says you’ve decided not to sell.”
Not to you, anyway.
Just to stick the knife in I say, “We’re discussing adding on, putting in a stage for live music. The residents also want pickleball. A lot of them like to play at night when it’s cooler outside, so we’re looking into those big court lights. We’re also considering doing weddings and big corporate events. The sky’s the limit, really. Lord knows we have the space.”
“Sounds good. But you better check zoning first. I’d hate for you to spend all that money and get shut down by the county.” His mouth curves up and while it’s not quite that wallop of a smile from the other day, it’s lethal just the same. And a little conniving.
“We’ll keep that in mind, won’t we, Emma?”
“Of course,” she says, and flashes Bent a wan smile. “So we’re told you have a lot of ties to the area, Bent. Does your family still live here?”
“My sister lives in Nevada City and I’ve got a brother in Grass Valley. Both my parents are deceased.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your parents.”
For God’s sake, could Emma be any nicer?
“Thank you. I appreciate that, Emma.”
I appreciate that, Emma.
The first time he met me, he told me to get my fat ass off his rock wall. None of this thank-you crap.
“Kennedy says you raise cattle.” Emma kicks me under the table. Why, I have no idea.
“Not as many as we used to. So which one of you is from San Francisco and which one is from Las Vegas?” He looks to each of us.
He’s obviously done his research and I lay odds that he already knows that I’m the one from Vegas and Emma’s from San Francisco.
Emma tells him anyway and the charade continues. He’s after something, I just don’t know what it is yet. And if he thinks he can cajole Emma with that two-punch smile of his into selling him Cedar Pines for a paltry twenty thousand dollars, he has another thing coming.
I clear my throat. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Some cows to walk or whatever you do with them?”
Emma glares at me like I’m the rudest person in the world.
“Not really,” he says and flags the server over. “Hey, Mimi, can you bring me another cup of coffee?”
“Sure thing, Bent.” She hops away like the Energizer Bunny to do his bidding.
“So when are you planning to make these additions of yours?” He leans back, smugly, calling our bluff.
“We have to find a good architect first, someone with expertise in state-of-the-art sound systems.”
