I grimace and flag someone else down, a young man with a baby in a stroller. “Hello, there.” I smile at the baby. “Aren’t you the cutest thing?”
James shoots me aWhat the hell are you doingkind of look like he thinks this is totally out of character for me. Intruth, I like babies. I think I want one eventually, but I’m not aching for it. But neither do I have that disdain that many of my peers do about the idea of having a family.
I wouldn’t admit to them that having someone to rely on sounds nice. Being with the woman I love on my island paradise. Now that’s a scenario I could get behind.
“Hello, sir,” says the man, his accent thick. “Can we help you?”
“If you could. We’re here to do a quick poll of all the local residents.”
“A poll?”
I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying,What are you, a parrot?“Yes,” I continue. “My name is Jacob, and I’m looking to buy the island.”
The man’s eyes boggle at me. “The whole island? That must cost a fortune.” He chuckles nervously.
“It would, but I’m a very successful businessman. I would be able to afford to not only buy the land but also give everyone here a very generous compensation package.”
“You’re evicting us?” He gasps.
“No, not yet,” I say, suddenly feeling like I’m playing with fire and getting burned. “And not for certain. This is why we’re doing research.”
“There’s going to be some people unhappy about that,” he says, shaking his head, his eyes focusing out into the distance like he’s lost in his own world.
“And yourself?” I ask, wishing this guy would get to the point.
The guy’s face crumples as he considers his options. “You’d help with the relocation?” he asks slowly, uncertainly.
“Of course.” I’m sure he thinks I’m lying, but I’m not. I’m not a complete monster. I’m going to ask all of these people to leave their homes. The least I can do is help set them up somewhere else.
Not only that, but it breeds a good relationship between us if they associate me with being “the guy who helped us find our dream homes in LA” rather than “the guy who spent a hell of a lot of money trying to kick us out.” That’s better for everyone.
“We would consider it,” he says finally. “I would have to talk it through with my wife, of course. But moving somewhere bigger… with better schools… it’s tempting.”
“Well, here’s my card. If you have any questions or ideas, get in touch.” I hand it to him and he takes it, squeezing it tight between his fingers like it’s something precious, or a bomb.
“Okay. Great. Thank you.” He looks down at the business card, then at my face, squinting. I grit my teeth, waiting for theHang on, I know you, don’t I?routine that I usually get.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he thanks me again and moves on with his day.
“See,” I say, turning to James when the guy wanders out of earshot. “I haven’t lost it.”
“One down, a few hundred more to go,” James says with an unconvinced look on his face.
He’s right. This is going to be a long day.
But if one guy can agree to my proposal, then they all can. I feel confident about that now. After all, everyone has a price, whether they want to admit it or not. There’s something that everyone here wants. It won’t be the same thing, but every single one of these people will have a breaking point. My job is to find it.
And I need to find it fast, because every second I spend here on this island, the more I fall in love with it and the more I want it.
Havenridge is beautiful. Everywhere we’ve gone, I’ve heard the ocean rushing onto the shore. And nature. We’re surrounded by birds and mammals like I haven’t heard in years, like I’ve forgotten animals existed. And when I think of having this placeto myself, nobody there to bother me, nobody there to annoy me… it’s perfect.
It’s been perfect this whole time. Nobody’s stopped me. Nobody’s recognized me. It’s a peace like I haven’t known in years. It’s perfect, and I want to keep it forever.
CHAPTER 5
BILLIE
“Billie, I’m supposed to be meeting with the man later this afternoon.”
