Page 4 of Cakewalk
“Oh, really?”
I nodded, giddy to be the bearer of gossip for once. “Yeah, but get this—the land’s polluted to high heaven.”
“Is it?”
Having finished with his injury, I pulled out the chair next to him and sat. “Yeah, it’s downstream from the old paper mill. That’s why it smells funny here on some mornings, even though the mill shut down two decades ago.”
“Well, I sure hope he knows that. Otherwise, it sounds like he’s been completely ripped off.”
I shrugged. “He’s gonna find out sooner or later.” I then froze as the blood in my veins went ice cold. “Oh. Oh shit. You’re… You’re the big city rich fat cat.”
Griffin nodded slowly, the smile on his face widening.
If anybody had a terminal case of foot-in-mouth disease, it was me. I groaned and covered my face with my hands, wishing I could splatter into a thousand pieces just like my sister’s cake. “Well,” I said, throwing a hand up in defeat. “I guess I just gave you a candid sample of what everybody else in town really thinks about you. You’re welcome. Hope you’re enjoying your stay so far.”
Somehow, the amused twinkle in his eyes hadn’t faded. At least he had a sense of humor about it. “I appreciate your honesty. I usually only get that sort of derision from anonymous people on the internet.”
I groaned. “I always tell myself to just shut up, ‘cause every time I open my mouth, I make an ass out of myself. Yet here I am, rambling onagain.”
“I mean, you could just stop.”
“But at this point, the damage is done. Might as well keep talking.”
He leaned forward. “Well, is there anything else you think I should know? Is the land also an ancient burial ground? Or was it cursed by witches?”
“No, I think that’s about it. Besides it being infested with opossums.”
“Good. That’s not bad then, because I was already aware of the pollution.”
“And yet you’re still going to build there?”
“After it’s cleaned up, sure.”
I relaxed a little. “Oh. Good. But you should probably know that the entire town is against you. They worry their rent will go up, not to mention word is you’re getting a sweetheart deal from the council to build this place.”
“The council?”
“Yeah. They’re the ones who own half this town. They own all the property on Main Street, and everybody has to lease from them and adhere to their strict rules regarding our storefronts and hours. But it sounds like your little development will be a free-for-all.”
Griffin frowned, and for the first time, it seemed like I was telling him something he didn’t know. But he had no rebuttal for that, instead saying, “I bought the property from a private seller, not the council, so I have nothing to do with them. But a development like mine will bring in a lot of traffic, which would be good for all the small businesses on Main Street.”
I wasn’t buying it. I’d heard enough rants from Courtney on the subject to know that any benefit to the small businesses here probably wouldn’t be seen until long after the raised rents suffocated us.
The cuckoo clock went off behind me. 6 o’clock. My sister would be arriving any moment now.
I jumped up so suddenly it made Griffin jerk back. “Don’t tell my sister who you are if she sees you, okay? You’re just a… You’re just a random businessman!”
Finally, it seemed I had reached a level of kooky that Griffin would react to, as he arched a curious brow at me. “A random businessman? Just here to do some generic business stuff?”
“Yes, exactly! If she finds out who you are, she’ll blow a fuse. She’s like twenty months pregnant and she isnothaving it.”
“Then she’s going to be really upset about the cake.”
My hands flew up to my face. “Oh, God. I forgot all about that. Madison is going to throw a fit, probably trash the shop all over social media.”
“Madison?”
“The person who ordered the cake I splattered all over you, Griffin! Keep up!”
