Page 32 of A Family Affair: The Plan
“What? He owned the Oak Bench?”
Surprise, confusion, disbelief—it was all there, plastered on his handsome face. “How did you not know about Jameson Price?” Unless he’d been so busy trying to maneuver a “relationship” with the bowl maker that he’d missed other opportunities.Thatsounded like her ex.
Kent slapped a hand on his knee, said in a tight voice, “Because nobody told me about him. I ate at his place several times, sat at the bar and talked to the bartender. The guy just introduced himself as Jameson.Thatwas him! He knew I’d been to Chicago, knew I was big into hotel development. Why wouldn’t he say anything?”
The man might be excellent in areas of negotiation, but people were still people and if you didn’t know how to read them or respect them, you weren’t going to earn their trust. No doubt, Jameson Price had a reason for not sharing that information, or the fact that he’d once lived in Chicago. Maybe the man didn’t want to be reminded, or maybe he wanted to concentrate on the life he had in Reunion Gap. Maybe he had a wife and children…but Kent wouldn’t understand any of this. He would just want to latch onto the big name, the big concept, the smell of money. No wonder the man had kept quiet. “Did you ever think he wanted privacy? That maybe Chicago and that restaurant aren’t his life anymore?”
The look on his face said she had no idea what she was talking about and even less how the real world worked. “Come on, are you trying to tell me that a guy who had a restaurant like that, doesn’t want anyone to know? That place is something else. Remember when we tried to get in and there was a three-week wait?”
Yes, she did remember. Kent had raised such a huff about it, insisted on speaking with the manager and offered a huge tip if they could get a dinner table. The man hadn’t budged and Hope had been glad that money hadn’t been able to influencethe decision. She caught Sam watching her. “I do remember. I admired the manager’s stance on reservations.”
“Youadmiredit? He could have made a hundred bucks just to slide us in, even a late-night slot would’ve been fine, but no. The guy wouldn’t do it, would he? I swore I’d never return to that place, but then I had to for business…and well, I can’t resist the filet, and they make one of the best old-fashioneds I’ve ever tasted.”
Sam cleared his throat. “If you’re that intrigued with the place, guess you should have booked ahead of time.”
Kent shot him a look. “Yeah, well some of us are very busy and have deadlines and assistants who still haven’t learned to anticipate what’s necessary when traveling.”
Goodness, the man sounded like a pompous jerk. It was ridiculousandembarrassing. “Kent, please stop.”
He settled his gaze on her, intent, determined, as if he were analyzing a deal. “Okay, fine. I have some paperwork for you to look at and Martin wanted me to discuss a few items with you.” His gaze darted from Mimi to Sam, his lips pulling into a smile that held no sincerity, no warmth. “Do you mind if I have a few minutes with Hope?”
“Sure. I think I’ll head up.” Sam stood, glanced at Hope, and said, “Good night.” And then he was gone as if they hadn’t shared anything more personal than a few conversations and meals…not a bed, not feelings, nothing...
Mimi excused herself a few minutes later, leaving Kent and Hope alone. The sooner she found out what he wanted, the sooner Hope could find Sam and apologize. Kent had been rude and arrogant, and while she couldn’t control what he did or said, the fact that they worked for the same companyandthat she’d been involved with him reflected on her…and not in a good way. Bad judgment. Wrong person. Yes, she would admit to both of those.
Hope turned to Kent and asked, “Why are you here? At this time of night? Could it not have been handled with a phone call?”
“No, not really.” He leaned back, scotch glass resting on his right knee. “Apparently, this place is a gold mine. I didn’t see it at first, but I think I was just too caught up with the opportunity to meet the bowl maker that I overlooked a few things.”
“Such as?”
He sipped his scotch, his expression unreadable. She’d seen him do this in meetings with potential clients, and she didn’t like it, and now he was doing it with her. “According to the information you shared with Martin, Magdalena is a solid community with a feel-good vibe. There’s a lot of talent here, which of course, I didn’t see from the reports. I didn’t actually visit this place because if I had, I would have picked up on it right away.” Pause and a slow smile. “Like you did.”
“What are you saying?” Whatwashe saying?
“The Heart Sent and Mimi Pendergrass are a huge attraction.” He waved a hand in the air, nodded. “Huge.”
“Yes, and I commented on that in my findings to Martin.” Why had Martin shared her work with Kent? “Does Martin really know you’re here?” Nephew or not, she couldn’t believe the man would be okay with Kent barging into Magdalena and attempting to take over.
“Who do you think encouraged me to come?” The smile slid across his face, cool, calculating. “We both think there’s untapped opportunity here.”
“Here?What are you talking about? This is a research community. We’re not building anything here.” The look he gave her said she was naïve and didn’t understand the scope of the plan. Dread smothered her thoughts, forced her to ask, “Are we?”
Kent set his drink on the table, leaned toward her, and lowered his voice. “Martin suggested we offer to buy this place, turn it into our flagship bed-and-breakfast. Everything else will be patterned after it.” He glanced at the floral wallpaper, the albums on the table, the overstuffed pillows. “We’ll need to make a few updates, probably automate a system or two, especially in the kitchen area. But if we could buy this place and one or two shops on the main street? Think what that would look like?”
He was serious!“I can’t think what that would look like because it would be a disaster. You’d destroy this bed-and-breakfast andwhywould you change any of the existing shops?” She tried to remain calm, forced her breathing patterns to stay even. “They’re perfect the way they are. Quaint. Unique.”
“They’re outdated and in need of a facelift. I read through the notes you sent Martin and spotted quite a few areas for improvement.”
“Kent, this was not part of our deal, and I don’t like that Martin shared my plans with you.” Why would Martin do such a thing? “I’m going to call him and find out what’s going on.”
“You’ve gone soft. Think about it, Hope. If we set it up right with marketing and the appropriate automations, this place will explode. We’ll have our pick of any bed-and-breakfast around the country we want.” He rubbed his jaw as if considering all of the possibilities. “But we’re going to have to set it up just right.”
“Don’t you dare say a word toanyonein this town. That’s not why I came here and I’m just beginning to earn their trust. They all thought I had an ulterior motive and I willnotlook like a liar.”
He raised a brow, his smile cold. “How would you look like a liar? Plans change. This plan changed.”
“If it weren’t so late, I’d call Martin right now. I’m going to speak with him in the morning, and you better not mention anything to Mimi or anyone else in this town.”
