Page 24 of Butterfly Sisters
His attention remained on the papers in front of him.
“My name is Leigh Henderson. I’m a commercial property management consultant for a large New York company, and I happen to be here on… vacation. I saw your development and thought I might be just the person to help you out.”
“I don’t have a budget for that, so you’re wasting your time.” He shut the binder and spun around in his chair, pulling out a file drawer and thumbing through it.
“I’d do it pro bono,” she said.
He turned back around. “Why? What’s in it for you?”
“Experience,” she replied. “This would be fantastic to add to my résumé.”
He shook his head, returning to his files. “You need experience,” he mumbled. “All flash and no fire.”
She leaned on his desk and addressed the back of his head, the brim of the hat facing her. “There are exactly eight restaurants within a fifteen-mile radius, and of those restaurants there are no—make sure you hear this—nopizza restaurants. The number one food in the country is pizza. After a family day on the lake, what will the kids want before they head home? Pizza. Gourmet pizza is what we need occupying the unit at the end of the strip with the circular deck. The outdoor space would make a fantastic outdoor eating area.”
He faced her again and folded his hands, a skeptical squint in his eyes.
“Last year, Americans spent over two billion dollars on flip-flops,” she continued. “Guess how many summer clothing stores are within a ten-mile drive of Old Hickory Lake.”
His squint had faded to a stare.
“I said guess. Do you know?”
He reluctantly shook his head.
“Zero.” She leaned in closer, her blonde locks dangling above his faded desk calendar with a coffee ring in the center. “Iknowwhat you need.”
The man didn’t flinch. “I wanted to have local businesses and I can’t get a single one to commit.”
“You’re thinking too small with local businesses,” she added without a breath. “Plus, the farmer’s market has that niche covered. You want a wider range.”
“And how are we supposed to get these businesses interested?”
“That’s where I come in.” She looked him straight in the eye. “We haven’t met.” She held out her hand. “As I said, my name is Leigh Henderson. And you are?”
“Jimbo Peterson.” He didn’t shake her hand, the glare returning.
“Jimbo…?” She’d read in one of the articles that the project manager’s name wasJamesPeterson. Judging by the two-day stubble on his face, he was definitely casual in his business approach, so she safely assumed this was the same man.
“Yeah,” he said, his lips now set in a straight line, showing his annoyance at her mere presence. “Look, I don’t know who you are or what you really want, but we’re hanging by a thread here. I don’t have time to mess around. I’m a busy man.”
“I understand,” she said. “So, Jimbo, let me leave you with my card.” She had one ready to go in the pocket of her linen trousers, pulling it out and sliding it across the dirty calendar. “Whenever you’re ready, I’d be more than happy to talk about the client list I’ve already curated for you.”
He stared at her, fiddling with it.
She almost had him. She could see it in his eyes.
“Maybe we could get coffee sometime. Oh wait, we can’t yet. Not until you let me get the coffee roasters into your development… But that’s your call.” With a feeling of satisfaction, she turned on her heel and headed out the door.
NINE
Leigh pulled to a stop outside the cabin, behind Colton’s Ford. She grabbed the champagne bottles she’d bought at the market on the way home from seeing Jimbo—another attempt at smoothing things over with Meredith—and got out. Elvis sauntered up to her. “Hey, boy,” she said, rubbing the top of his head. “Where’s your daddy?”
“Right here,” Colton answered from the house, materializing under the porch in the open front door.
When she reached him, he leaned against the frame with his hand in the pocket of his jeans. He was barefoot, wearing a T-shirt that was tattered in all the right places, giving her stomach a flip. She focused on the open doorway to make the feeling stop.
“Your mama called to see if I could help her get the food ready for tonight. She’s invited half the town.”
