Page 11 of Take This Heart
“What?” I gasp. “Did I hear that right?”
His grin grows as he pulls out a portfolio and sets it on the table. “You heard right. The details are all right here. If we play our cards right, that land will be ours.”
CHAPTER FOUR
IT’S PERSONAL
MILO
How the fuck is this my luck?
I like Everett Whitman a lot. We’ve become friends in a short amount of time, and I love what a visionary he is. And this stretch of waterfront property is stunning, no question. Sweeping lake views, pine-scented air, and enough light to make any architect go old school and pull out their sketchbook and scaled ruler.
But I had no idea she was his daughter.
Goldie Whitman.
This is going to be a problem.
The woman whose voice has been in my head for days—sharp, clever, and a little reckless. The woman whose mouth I regret chasing away withmystupid mouth because I couldn’t just keep it shut. It was the best kiss of my life. And now she’s across the room in a sweatshirt that falls off one shoulder, looking six ways to Sunday beautiful, while her dadoutlines the plans for a sprawling resort that I’d normally be dying to work on.
I’ve heard Everett talk about Goldie a lot. She’s the shiny apple of her dad’s eye.
“I’ve wanted this land for years,” Everett says, practically glowing. “A thousand acres of pristine lakefront. I want you all to be a part of it as much as you can. We could put a wellness retreat in the existing lodge, update the cabins, build a gorgeous hotel up on the ridge. Can you imagine?”
My chest tightens. Icanimagine.
“You mean the ridge where we used to sled every winter?” Goldie asks. “Where the treehouse collapsed and you swore we wouldn’t go near it again?”
“And you won’t.” He grins. “Because we’re going to bring new life to the place. Aren’t we, Milo?”
Everyone turns toward me.
I nod, but slowly. “If you get the land, there is endless potential.”
“Is someone else bidding on the property?” Noah asks.
Everett’s eyes narrow. “Bruce Granger.”
What?Fuck me. This is the first I’ve heard about Bruce wanting this property. What the hell. It just gets worse.
The name sends a ripple of anger through the family, and I wonder what Bruce did to get on their bad side. They’ve seemed like such a calm bunch until now—well, except for the sassy blonde whose kisses have haunted my dreams every night since we met. Last time I heard from Bruce, he was talking about building a hotel near the Boundary Waters.
Everett is still holding court behind me, talking about the property like it’s folklore. “It borders the ridge line all the way down to Clearwater Point. I’ve wanted that land since I was a teenager. Never thought the opportunity would come, but here we are. And there’s no way in hell I’m letting theGrangers walk away with it. They’ve spent a lifetime trying to ruin me, and I wish they’d give up already.”
“Why does that man always show up at the worst times, trying to ruin everything?” Goldie had looked like she might nap earlier, curled up in that cozy chair, but now restless energy bounces off of her.
She stands off to the side, arms crossed, mouth tight, eyes flicking between me and her dad like we’ve both betrayed her.
She doesn’t know the half of it.
The way they’re talking about Bruce and the Grangers sounds like they’re the only thing standing in the way of Everett getting the land he’s always wanted. Everett is a stand-up guy. What did the Grangers do to get on his bad side?
I’m digging myself into a deeper hole. The more the name Granger is mentioned, the more I’m certain I wouldn’t be allowed in this house if they knew the truth. I should mention it now, but I don’t. I’m still too shaken that Goldie is here, that she’s Everett’s daughter. That, potentially, I might be seeing a helluva lot more of her than I realized.
“Tell us what you’re thinking,” Everett says, turning to me with a hopeful gleam in his eye. “You’ve got some ideas, I know. Don’t be shy.”
I glance at Goldie and then at her brothers around her. Their faces are a lot friendlier.
