Page 75 of A Little Too Late
Go me. “Looks like I arranged this perfectly.”
“Well-played,” my father snorts as he turns around.
Ava looks tense.Uh-oh.
“What did the Sharpes have to say for themselves this morning?”
Ava just shakes her head.
My father is the one who answers. “They were exactly as they’ve been before. No more, no less.”
“All right.” I slide a hand into Ava’s. “Dad, can we talk? Maybe in your office?”
“I suppose.” His chilly tone doesn’t help anything, but at least he turns around and heads toward the office suite.
“Should I make myself scarce?” Ava whispers as we follow him.
“No. You’re part of this. I want you there.”
Her glance says she doesn’t quite believe me, but Ava is the whole reason I’m willing to fight for the mountain. Without her, it’s doubtful I’d be willing to spend time steering the resort into its future.
Hell, if I have to, I’ll change my whole life for this place. And for Ava. It’s scary stuff, but I think I’m ready. The last week has taught me a lot about what’s missing from my life.
My father, of all people, should understand.
We crowd into the inner office, and I close the door. My father moves around the big oak desk to take a seat in his chair. The same messy desk was my grandfather’s before it was his. When I was little, I used to play with my action figures on the floor over by the copy machine.
I don’t remember exactly which year my grandfather retired, and the desk became my father’s. I was in grade school. But the transition doesn’t stand out in my memory because my father had worked at the mountain since the day after graduating from Cornell with a hospitality degree.
It occurs to me now to wonder if he always imagined I’d have that desk next—or Weston or Crew. And I wonder exactly when he realized that wasn’t about to happen.
But now maybe it will. I take a deep breath. “First of all, I want you to know that you have options. If you still want to sell, I can help you find another buyer.”
“IfI still want to sell,” my father repeats slowly. “OfcourseI’m selling. I’ve been saying that this whole time. Did you think I was kidding?”
I feel pressure inside my chest. “No,” I say carefully. I have to remember that the Sharpe’s treachery is a disappointment for my father. He thought he had his retirement figured out. He thought it was going to be simple. He still has to get his head around that. “I didn’t think you were kidding. But it makes sense to call Block and ask what he wants. What if there’s a way to expand Madigan Mountain that doesn’t ruin Penny Ridge?”
My father looks down at his hands. “I won’t work with Block. That’s off the table.”
Shit. “Why? What if I could talk him into selling to us?”
His voice turns hard. “Again, you missed the part where I’m retiring. Melody already has an itinerary for us. We’re headed to Hawaii after Christmas. And from there, we’re headed to Japan, Australia, New Zealand…”
“How decadent,” I say, and it’s hard to keep the sneer out of my voice.
He eyes me from behind the desk. “You can think whatever you think, Reed. I can’t do this job forever just because the Sharpes have a plan you don’t like. Your opinion doesn’tmatterhere.”
I take a slow breath. He’s actively trying to push me away.
I deserve that. And I get it. Sort of.
Okay, I don’t really get it. “Why would you say that? Why would you yell at me for never coming home and then cut me down when I’m trying to help?”
“Because timing matters. I’ve finally got my life sorted out, and now you want to throw a grenade into my plans. You don’t get to do that. Besides, Reed,” he continues, “the Sharpes will never get that project built the way they drew it. The town council will shut down the worst of it. We don’t have to be the bad guys here.”
“Right, because we don’t have tobethe bad guys. We don’t want to kill off the Madigan legacy by selling to theworsthumans in property development.”
“I’mretiring,” my father says, low and angry. “Ava, would you give us a few minutes, please?”
