It was ridiculous how nervous Kade was.
Ginny was right. He’d done this before multiple times. The last time, they’d told him to come back when the project was fully funded, and now it was. He shouldn’t have anything to be nervous about.
But as he stepped into the meeting room in the musty old town office building, sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
He and Ginny scooted into chairs near the front of the room. He sat on the end of the row, the poster-sized picture of the development propped against the side of his chair.
The council members were seated at long tables facing the audience. Bruce sat in the center. If Kade wasn’t mistaken, his chair was higher than the rest of the others. He wouldn’t put it past the man to find a way to make himself look bigger than he was.
His term didn’t end for another year, and it couldn’t come soon enough. He’d been town manager for a long time, and throughout the years, his plan had been to keep Nutfield from entering the twenty-first century. Even this meeting attested to that. In most growing communities, the planning committee met twice a month. But Bruce refused to budge on the once-per-quarter schedule that had been enacted by their forefathers, probably right after they’d signed the Declaration of Independence. Never mind that the meetings had gotten so long that they’d had to move them back from seven p.m. to two in order to cover all the business.
As expected, every seat was filled, and people stood in the back and out the door.
Ginny looked around at the crowd. “Wow. I didn’t know these were such events.”
“Nobody wants to be here.” He cut his gaze to Bruce, puffed up like a sovereign over his kingdom. “Except him. He loves this.”
She looked. “That’s Bruce Collier?”
“Enemy of progress.”
“Maybe he just fears change.”
“If that’s the case, then he has no business being the town manager.”
She perused the crowd. “So are all these people going to bring new business?”
“I should have warned you. It’ll be a very long meeting. I hope you can get some work done.”
She pulled her phone from her purse and waggled it in front of him. “I’ll keep busy.”
He sat back and settled in for a long wait.
More than three hours later, most of the folks who’d brought business to the meeting had spoken, had their projects voted on, and left. The room was nearly empty by the time Kade’s name was called.
He and Ginny stood and stepped up to a small table in front of the council members. There were two chairs there. He pulled out one for Ginny, and she sat and opened the binder.
He lifted his notes and the proposals from the bag and set them on the small table. Then he positioned the poster board on the easel.
He handed the proposals out, greeting every member by name. That wasn’t hard. He knew them all, and he liked most of them.
When he reached Bruce, he said, “Afternoon, sir.”
Bruce scowled at him.
Kade moved on, finally reaching the person seated in the last chair. “Afternoon, Mrs. Boucher.”
The older gray-haired woman smiled at him. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Kade, you’re a grown man. Call me Constance.”
He winked. “Yes, ma’am.” He and Mrs. Boucher’s son had been friends in school. No matter how many times she told him to call her by her first name, he just couldn’t do it.
Finally, he stood by the table, snatched his notes, and addressed the council.
“First, let me introduce you to Ginny Lamont. Ginny is a real estate agent here in town. She has experience with large-scale real estate developments, and she offered to assist me on this project.”
Most of the council members nodded at her. Bruce, of course, scowled. Ginny was a newcomer, and thus, not to be trusted.
Ginny seemed confident and cheerful, as always. She nodded to him, and he turned to the council and continued.
“I came before this body in January with the same proposal I bring to you today.” He walked to the easel to stand beside the picture. “As you know, I own the parcel of land on the south side of the lake. If you’ll open to page two, you’ll see the boundaries of my land.”
Except for Bruce, all the members flipped to the proper page.
Bruce said, “A gift from your father, if I’m not mistaken.”
Kade nodded twice. “A very generous gift, yes.”
“And what does he think about your little”—he waved toward the easel—“hobby.”
Kade hoped the anger that boiled in his middle wasn’t showing on his face. “My father fully supports my career.”
“I guess he doesn’t care, now that he lives in Florida.”
“Bruce.” Mrs. Boucher turned to face the town manager. “Let the man talk.”
Bruce harrumphed.
Kade continued. “I intend to develop the property into a country club complete with a golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts, and upscale meeting rooms. Though it will be a private club, the membership dues will be reasonable, affording Nutfield residents and those in the surrounding towns the ability to join if they choose to. Everyone will be welcome on the golf course. There will be homes on the property, some abutting the lake, others overlooking the fairways and greens. If you’ll take a look at page three, you’ll see the number and variety of houses—”
“Expensive houses,” Bruce said. “They’ll just draw a bunch more people from Massachusetts with more dollars than sense. Why would we want those kinds of people here?”
Kade smiled. “I’m glad you asked. If you’ll turn to page four…” He flipped through his notes. Where was that list?
Ginny cleared her throat. When he looked, she was holding out what he needed. She winked as he took it.
He went through the benefits to the town he and Ginny had compiled. Most of the council members were nodding, some even smiling, as he spoke.
“Go ahead and turn to page seven, and let’s talk details.” He took them through his plans, the costs he anticipated, the phases he planned, and the timeline for each.
Bruce’s scowl turned smug as he closed his proposal. “Mr. Powers, this is all interesting, but, if I remember correctly, we told you not to come back until you were fully funded. Are you?”
“I am.”
Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “So your father decided to ‘invest.’”
Again, Kade’s anger simmered at the way he’d said the last word, as if this were anything but an investment. He glanced at Ginny, and she seemed as composed and confident as always.
Her smile boosted his confidence as he turned back to Bruce and stood tall. “As a matter of fact, no. If you’ll turn to page fourteen…” He waited as they did so, then took them through the list of investors.
Bruce studied the page as if there’d be an exam. His finger jabbed at it. “Who is this Sokolov Investments?”
“They’re a group of financiers from Boston.”
“We don’t know these people.” He focused his attention on his fellow council members. “Do we really want to let total strangers come into our town and buy property?”
“To be clear,” Kade said, “the property belongs to me. They’re buying shares, but I will own the majority share and will be making all the decisions.”
Bruce harrumphed again. “I don’t think we should trust people we’ve never met.”
A niggle of anxiety rose in Kade’s stomach. That’s exactly what he was doing, trusting a whole group of people, only one of whom he’d met, and only for an hour.
A man whom Ginny had told him made her nervous.
But Sokolov and his friends wouldn’t have any say in his project. Kade would have all the control.
He opened his mouth to argue, but Mrs. Boucher jumped in. “We’re not being asked to trust strangers, Bruce.” She focused on the other men and women on the board. “We’re being asked to trust Kade Powers. His family has roots in this town that go back as far as any of ours. Every project he’s ever brought to us has succeeded.” She faced Kade again. “I don’t see any problem with it.”
Kade endured a long question-and-answer session and managed to answer every question without needing Ginny’s assistance once—though her presence alone helped him keep his cool as Bruce’s questions kept coming and coming. Finally, the council brought it to a vote.
The project passed eight to one.
Kade gathered his things, eager to get out of the building so he could show his excitement. Before they could leave, though, Bruce called, “Kade, if you’d just wait. I need to speak to you.”
He nodded to the man, feeling like he’d just been called out for being naughty in class. Everything in him wanted to tell Bruce what he really thought of that idea. But he’d been raised to respect his elders whether they deserved it or not. “We’ll be out here, then.”
Kade and Ginny stopped in the musty hallway.
Her smile was bright as the sunshine trying to peek through the clouds outside. “You did it.”
“We did it.”
“I did nothing but hand you a piece of paper.”
He stepped closer, too elated to stop himself, and settled his hands on her hips. He looked down into her beautiful eyes. “That was a pivotal piece of paper.”
Her gaze flicked to his lips, and he couldn’t help himself. He leaned down to claim a kiss.
He loved how warm and willing she was. The confidence she’d shown in him after he’d been so vulnerable, so worried about this meeting, was a strong aphrodisiac.
Noises and murmuring in the room just beyond the door had him remembering where he was. He stepped back. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Her eyebrows lifted, and he laughed.
“Well, maybe I have a suspicion.” He forced down the lingering desire. “You don’t have to wait. I’m sure you have stuff to do.”
She checked her watch. “Actually, I’m showing a house later, so I should go get ready for that.”
As people filed out of the room, he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll call you later.”
She took his hand and lowered her voice. “You’re right, that Bruce is a piece of work, but you kept your cool. I’m proud of you.”
It was an effort to keep his chest from expanding.
“Congratulations.” She squeezed his hand and joined the crowd leaving the meeting.
After everyone else had gone, Bruce stepped out of the room, set his feet, and crossed his arms. “Tell me more about this investment group.”
“You looking to develop some property?”
Bruce smiled just enough to show his yellowing teeth. “I don’t trust people I don’t know.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t be the town manager. Look, just because you don’t know somebody doesn’t mean they’re bad. These guys have invested in properties all over Massachusetts. Great, successful properties.”
“And why did they decide to invest in you?”
In him. Not in the project, but in him.
That was an excellent question, actually. Kade had no idea.
Because even if the project plans were excellent, that didn’t mean Kade was capable of pulling it off. Sokolov and his people must have done their homework on him or they wouldn’t have bothered.
Kade told Bruce what he knew about Sokolov and how they’d met.
“Seems pretty fishy to me,” Bruce said.
“Fortunately, the council didn’t see it that way.” Kade snatched his things from the floor. “If there’s nothing else—”
“Who was that woman?”
“Ginny? She’s a real estate agent. I told you that.”
“Where’s she from.”
“San Francisco.”
Bruce’s eyebrows rose on his age-spotted forehead. “California?”
“Is there another one?”
“What do you know about her?”
This was getting ridiculous. “I know she’s lovely and kind and knows a lot about real estate. And I know it’s none of your business. If there’s nothing else—”
“You think I’m a washed-up old fart who hates change.”
Bruce nailed it, so Kade said nothing.
“But I care about this community,” Bruce said.
“As do I.” Kade set his things back on the floor. “This is my home. Pretending the rest of the world isn’t out there isn’t going to protect it. The schools need more money, the roads need to be repaved, the police force needs new cars, and there’s not enough money for any of that. What I’m proposing will increase the tax base and, thus, revenue. It’ll also bring new customers to the businesses in town. It’ll be good for everyone.”
“Maybe. If you do what you’re promising to do.”
“When have I ever not finished a project?”
Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “Look, Kade, you’re a decent kid, but this is a big project. And now you’ve gotten in with outsiders. Strangers even you admit you know nothing about—this Ginny person and those new investors. My job is to protect this community, and that means I need to know who’s investing in it. So if you won’t do your homework, then I will.”
Kade lifted his things once again and turned toward the hallway that would lead him out. “Do whatever you need to do.”
Kade seethed all the way outside. Sokolov’s money would spend just like everyone else’s. He and his friends would have zero control over the project.
Except that Sokolov could pull his funding. Which, Kade admitted, gave him plenty of leverage.
But why would Sokolov care? For him and his friends, this was a business investment.
Kade wished he were more like Ginny and could push away that niggling worry. As he reached his car, what Bruce said came back to him. Not just about Sokolov but about Ginny.
Had Kade made a mistake by bringing her with him today?
What kind of information might Bruce discover? If he found out the truth about her parentage, would it hurt Kade’s project?
More importantly, would it hurt her?
Kade drove to Ginny’s house the next morning as nervous as he’d been before the council meeting.
The more Kade thought about Bruce’s words, the more like a threat they sounded. If the guy decided to look into Ginny, what would he find? And what would he do with that information?
The rain and clouds that had moved in over the weekend had blown out to sea, leaving the air crisp and cool. In the giant sugar maple in Ginny’s front yard, birds twittered and squirrels jiggled the bare branches. It wouldn’t be long before buds appeared around town and flowers bloomed on the apple trees in the orchards.
And he broke ground on his real estate project.
Developing the lakeside property had been his dream since he’d graduated from college, since his parents had given it to him. In one way or another, everything he’d done since then had been leading to this moment in his life. All the prior development projects had been practice for this. The money he’d made had gone into the bank to fund this. Other people went to movies and watched sports and dated. Not Kade. He’d spent his free time reading books, meeting people, and studying other developments. Because this was the project that would launch his business.
This was the project that would set him apart from his brothers and sister.
This was the project that would prove he was competent and successful. Prove he’d been worthy of the gift.
But as he parked in Ginny’s driveway and walked to the door, he asked himself—at what cost?
The door swung open, and Ginny greeted him with a smile that had his heart thumping. As usual, she looked gorgeous. She wore black slacks with a blue sweater that made her eyes sparkle. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m almost ready.” She held the door open, and he stepped inside while she headed for the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she said, “I was looking at listings for a new client, and I lost track of time.”
“I’m in no hurry.”
She was often just a little late. A minute, maybe two. In anybody else, that would annoy him, but with Ginny, he found it endearing.
He found everything about her endearing.
She returned with her purse and jacket.
He took the jacket and helped her into it, then pulled her hair out. The feel of the long silky strands in his hands did something wonky to his brain.
She turned to face him, so close he could feel her breath. Her cheeks were flushed as if something wonky had just happened in her brain, too.
They were supposed to go to breakfast, but he’d be happy to stay here and kiss her all morning.
Her eyebrows lifted as if she knew what he was thinking.
“Food.” He practically grunted the word, not because he wanted to eat but because they needed to talk, and he needed to talk to her before he kissed her again.
“If you say so.” She engaged her alarm and then preceded him to the car.
Though McNeal’s served the best breakfasts in Nutfield, he drove to a little diner in the next town over that had been there as long as Kade could remember.
As they walked inside, he said, “Ever been here before?”
She gazed at the sign above the door that read North Star Diner. “Never even heard of it.”
He pulled open the door, and they stepped into the tiny dining room and waited at the hostess stand.
The place hadn’t changed in years. Laminated table tops, peel-and-stick tile on the floor, acoustic ceiling tiles. The scents of bacon and sausage and real New Hampshire maple syrup made his stomach growl. Clanking utensils and pots and pans served as the musical backdrop.
Most of the tables were filled.
A white-haired woman wearing an apron called from the door that led to the kitchen, “Sit wherever you like. I’ll be right with you.”
“Shall we?” With a hand on the small of her back, Kade led her to a table in the far corner and pulled out her chair. “It’s not exactly fine dining.”
She shrugged off her jacket and studied her menu-slash-placemat. “I bet the food’s good.”
“You ever had biscuits and gravy?”
“Honey, my kin are from Louisiana.” Her deadpan expression and exaggerated Southern accent made him smile. “What do you think?”
The white-haired waitress stopped at their table. “Coffee?”
They flipped over their cups, and she filled them. “You kids know what you want?”
That was the second time in two days he’d been called a kid. He was tempted to order chocolate milk and animal crackers but feared the waitress would take him seriously.
After they ordered, Kade sipped his coffee and set it down carefully.
“What is it?” Ginny said.
“What?”
But her smirk told him she wasn’t buying his false nonchalance.
He folded his hands on the table. “I have to tell you something.”
She folded her hands and set them on the table, too. He wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or trying to take him seriously. “Clearly.”
“After you left the meeting yesterday, I had a conversation with Bruce.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m sure you gathered the fact that he doesn’t like strangers.”
“I actually cracked that code.”
“Well, he sees you as a stranger. Which I knew he would, but I wasn’t worried about it. I guess I didn’t understand what…”
Her eyes narrowed. “Just say it.”
“He gave me the impression he intended to look into Sokolov and the other investors.”
“Are you worried about what he’ll learn?”
Kade shook his head, swallowed. “He also said he intends to look into you.”
She tilted her head to the side. “And you’re worried about what he’ll find?”
“Aren’t you?”
She paused, bit her lip, looked past him for a minute. When she met his eyes again, she shrugged. “It’s not as if my parents’ being criminals is public knowledge. They’ve never been arrested, at least not as far as I know. They were upstanding members of the community. Dad sat on a number of boards at non-profits.”
He nodded, and a weight lifted off him. “Right. If he looks for information, he’ll find out they owned restaurants. Nothing wrong with that.”
Now, she sat back a bit, looked away.
The coffee churned in his empty stomach as he watched emotions play across her face. “What?”
She unrolled her napkin, set the utensils carefully on the paper placemat.
Clearly, there was something she hadn’t told him.
He sipped his coffee and waited.
She sipped hers, too, then set it down and met his gaze. “One of the places my parents owned was a…” She swallowed, looked away. Seemed to meet his eyes again with effort. “They owned a strip club.”
He sat back. “Ah.”
“So Bruce might find that.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. If I’d had any idea my parents’ business could come back to hurt you—”
“I’m not concerned about me. I’m concerned about you.”
Her burst of laughter was short and humorless. “Bruce Collier is the least of my worries.”
“He could hurt your business. He could—”
“I have no control over what my parents did or what they owned. Were my parents criminals? Apparently. But me? I’ve never even gotten a traffic ticket. I have nothing to fear from that man.” She leaned toward Kade again, her blue eyes gazing deep into his. “If you think this can hurt you, then maybe we need to stop…” But her words trailed off, and her cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink.
“Stop seeing each other?” he finished for her.
She sat back and swallowed. “Yeah. That.”
“No.” He held his hand out, palm up, on the table, and she took it. Funny how perfectly her hand fit in his.
Her life fit in his.
Okay, it was way too soon to be thinking that way. He knew that. He also knew he’d dated a lot of women, but none of them had affected him like Ginny did. None of them intruded on his thoughts all day and then had starring roles in his dreams at night. None of them understood him the way she did. She believed in him and encouraged him in his hopes for the future. She didn’t think what he wanted was too much, too fast, as others had told him. She didn’t begrudge him the time he spent on his project.
This thing with Ginny was brand new and fresh. But they’d already survived their share of troubles. He’d seen her cry, he’d seen her terrified, he’d seen her strong. In the short time he’d known her, he’d seen a lot of facets of her, and he’d yet to see one he didn’t like. No, not just like. Respect. Admire.
This thing with Ginny was new, yes. But all lasting relationships started somewhere. New didn’t have to mean temporary.
She was looking at their joined hands, watching as his thumb rubbed across her knuckles.
He gave it a little squeeze. “I’m not going to throw you over because that crusty old curmudgeon doesn’t like new people. If you’re not worried, then I’m not worried.”
Her smile was natural and sweet. “Good. Then let’s not worry together.”
He could do that. He wanted nothing more than to do that.
But there was still plenty for them to worry about. Because he may have just decided to pursue this… whatever it was with Ginny. But that didn’t change the situation. There were people threatening her, and somehow, Kade and Ginny had to figure out who they were and how to stop them.