Playing with Words, page 23
“I do care, but I also care about my family’s future. I’m sorry, but I need to think of them above your feelings.”
It felt like I’d been slapped in the face. I took an abrupt step back, glaring at him. “My feelings? My feelings! This isn’t about my feelings, Tom. This is about an agreement we had. A promise that you made me five years ago. I’m not asking you to give it to me, for Christ’s sake. I’m willing to buy it fair and square, and now you’re going to pull it out from under me? And you think it’s about my feelings?” I frantically shook my head. “No, this is about your greed.”
“That’s not fair.”
“For whom? Because from the way I see it, I’m the one being played.”
He looked away. “I came here to tell you myself so you wouldn’t hear it from someone else.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Well, you’re too late for that.”
His eyes met mine, and for once I saw a bit of regret. “I can give you until Friday. If you think you can match his offer, I’ll have it put in writing that the building is yours. But the sale has to go through within the next thirty days—that’s when the buyer is offering to close.”
This time my legs did go out, and I fell back in my seat. “You’re giving me a month?”
He nodded. “I’m afraid that’s all I can give you.”
And without another word, he opened my office door and walked out.
Once the door clicked shut, I finally let the tears fall. How could a person go from blissful happiness to utter devastation in mere minutes?
I dropped my head to my desk and started to cry. It wasn’t long before I heard Candace come in.
“Greer? My God, what’s wrong? What happened?”
When she forced me to look up at her, I could barely manage to speak. “I’ve lost it. I’ve lost it all.”
I sat on my sofa and stared out the large picture window that looked out onto Main Street. Every so often, Mother Nature allowed a leaf to float down on its journey to the ground, and I would watch until it was out of sight.
I pulled my gaze from the window at the sound of Candace making her way over to me. She sat down on the coffee table and handed me a mug.
“I made you some tea.”
Taking it, I replied, “Thank you. You really don’t have to stay with me; I’m sure you want to get home or get to Will.”
“Nonsense. This is where I want to be. How are you feeling? You’ve been walking around all day like a damn zombie, Greer.”
I sighed. “I feel like one.”
“Hudson called again. And he texted. Don’t you think you should reply to him?”
My entire body felt so numb. It was almost as if I couldn’t process a single thing. Candace was right—I had walked around all day in a trance. I had spent most of the morning and afternoon in my office, trying to see if there was any way I could come up with the money needed to buy this building. I couldn’t. I was going to lose it.
“We’ll find another place,” Candace said. “You’re not going to lose Turning Pages—I swear to you, I won’t let it happen.”
Tears burned at the back of my eyes as I looked up from the tea and met her soft brown gaze. All I could do was nod.
She leaned closer. “Tomorrow, we can call Boggy Creek Real Estate and see if they have any leads. Maybe give Aiden a call as well. With all the construction that’s going on, he might know of a good place.”
I nodded again, even though I knew I would never be able to find a location as perfect as the one I was currently at.
Candace smiled. “It’ll be okay.”
Before I had a chance to reply, my doorbell rang. “Whoever it is, I don’t want to talk to them.”
Candace stood and made her way over to the intercom. I heard Hudson’s voice and then the buzz of the door downstairs unlocking. He must have taken the steps two at a time, because within seconds I heard him asking Candace what was going on.
Hudson came over and sat down on the coffee table, exactly where Candace had been only moments ago. I could feel his gaze on me as I stared out the window again. The sun was just about to dip below the horizon, making the buildings across the street almost look like they were on fire.
“Greer?”
At the sound of Hudson’s soft voice, I looked up at him.
“I got worried when you weren’t answering my calls or texts,” he said, “so I decided to head this way and check on you.”
When my eyes met his, the internal dam I had been able to maintain all day broke. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I buried my face in my hands.
Hudson immediately moved to the sofa and pulled me into his arms. “Candace, what’s wrong?” he asked as he held me.
The worry in his voice made me want to cry even more. I hated being weak. This wasn’t who I was. I was a fighter. But at that moment, I was so tired. Unable to even lift my head and explain what was going on. Thank God Candace did it for me.
“Tom Brooks stopped by Turning Pages today,” she said. “He told Greer someone offered him a deal to purchase the building, and it was too good to pass up. He’s giving her until the end of the week to meet the offer and only a month to pay it in full.”
Hudson frowned. “But you had an agreement to purchase this place.”
Just when I thought I’d pulled myself together, I lost it again, falling into another round of insane crying. I was angry, hurt, shocked, sad. My emotions felt like a rope that kept wrapping tighter and tighter around my body. I tried to take in deep breaths, but I couldn’t seem to stop crying.
“She only had a verbal agreement with Tom,” Candace said.
Hudson already knew that, of course.
I wiped at my eyes and pulled in a few deep, shaky breaths. “He isn’t honoring the verbal agreement any longer. He chose money over loyalty.”
The shock and anger on Hudson’s face was another reminder of how naïve and stupid I’d been. He waited patiently while I got myself under control and was able to speak without my voice cracking.
“This is the same man who taught me everything about my bookstore. Hell, about this whole building! He even gave me old journals he’d found when he bought the building. We went through them together, made notes about when this was the general store so I could file for the historical registry. He knows how much this place means to me. I never dreamed he would pull it out from under me.”
“That’s what money does to people. Makes them do crazy things. Act greedy and selfish,” Candace said, her arms folded across her chest and a look of pure rage on her face.
“And he gave you until Friday to match the offer?” Hudson asked.
I wiped at the wetness on my cheeks. “Yes. He knows I can’t come up with that kind of money; the only reason he offered was probably to make himself feel better about doing this to me. I spent the entire afternoon looking over my finances. Even if I sold everything I could, I still won’t manage it. The bank won’t loan me the money. The investor has offered above market value, and Jeff at the bank said there’s no way they can do a loan for that amount because it’s way over the appraisal value. So, I’m basically fucked.”
“You’re not fucked,” Candace said. “I told her we’ll find another location for the bookstore.”
I shook my head. “Even if we could, it won’t be on Main. I don’t know of anything available right now. “
“What about Aiden?” Hudson asked. “He might know of something.”
Glancing at my empty hands, I wondered when I had put down the tea Candace had given me earlier. “Maybe,” I whispered. “I’m so tired. I can’t think about this anymore.”
Candace took my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m going to head on home. I’ll be here in the morning to open, so don’t worry about being down there first thing.”
Standing, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her. “Thank you, Candace. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
She drew back some and smiled. “I’m sure you’d do just fine.” Turning to Hudson, she said, “Make sure she eats something. I don’t think she’s eaten all day.”
“I will. Thanks, Candace.”
As Hudson walked Candace out, I dropped back down onto the sofa. I could hear him talking to someone on the phone before he joined me.
“I ordered a pizza—I hope that’s okay.”
When he sat down, I snuggled into his side and breathed in his cologne. Just having him nearby made me feel so much better. “That sounds perfect. I’m not really all that hungry, though.”
“Promise me you’ll eat just one piece. I have a feeling that if I don’t feed you, Candace will rip into me tomorrow.”
Pulling away, I looked at him. “Shouldn’t you be writing?”
“I got some words down today. After everyone left, I got a good four thousand in. I couldn’t really concentrate when I couldn’t reach you. I had a feeling something was wrong.”
“I’m so sorry, Hudson. After Tom left, all hell broke loose. Between calling the bank, my parents, and my stockbroker, my head is pounding.”
He drew me back against him and held me. “Shh, don’t even worry about it.”
I wasn’t sure how long we sat there in silence, but the doorbell broke through the peace of the evening when the pizza guy showed up. After we ate and I had two glasses of wine, I found myself back in Hudson’s arms on the sofa with Pride and Prejudice playing on the TV. When I started to drift off, Hudson turned off the TV, carried me into my bedroom, and slowly undressed me. I crawled onto the bed and slipped under the covers.
I turned to see Hudson slipping in behind me, and I sighed. For a moment, I had panicked, thinking he might leave after assuming I’d want to be alone. That was the last thing I wanted.
He drew me close, and the warmth of his body allowed me to totally relax against him.
Hudson buried his face in my hair and kissed me. “Try to get some sleep, Greer. We’ll figure it all out. I promise you.”
As I lay in the darkness, I focused on Hudson’s rhythmic breathing. The feel of his heartbeat against my back relaxed my own. My eyes grew heavy, and I soon found myself drifting off into a dreamless night.
Greer
I stood in the middle of my parents’ kitchen and watched my father pace around the island while my mother sat at the table, her coffee in her hand. I had woken up this morning to Hudson’s soft kisses all over my body, which led to us making love. I practically begged the day to pause in that moment, so I wouldn’t ever have to get out of bed.
But it continued, and we both had to get up and get on with the day. That meant heading to the bookstore while Hudson went back out to the cabin to work. I had gone to my parents’ house for lunch to get their advice on what I should do, even though I knew it was hopeless. I wouldn’t be able to come up with that kind of money in such a short amount of time.
My father cursed, and I snapped out of my thoughts.
“I would love to march up to Tom’s house and ask him what in the hell is the matter with him. When did the folks around here start letting money control their judgment? First Mayor Apthorp sells the gristmill, now Brooks is thinking of selling as well!”
“He’s not thinking, Dad. He is.”
The front door opened and closed. Kyle walked in with Aiden O’Hara.
I didn’t know why Aiden was here, but from the look on his face, it wasn’t to deliver good news.
“Aiden, what are you doing here?” I asked, twisting my hands together as I tried to tamp down the fresh wave of anxiety that hit me.
Kyle cleared his throat. “Aiden stopped by the station to talk to me.”
I looked between the two of them. “What about?”
Turning to his friend, Kyle motioned for him to talk.
“I was in The Coffee Pot having lunch. There were two gentlemen in there talking—and they weren’t happy at all. Apparently, one was the guy who put the offer down on your building. He said Tom called this morning and told him another party offered more, and he was going with that buyer. The building’s no longer available for sale.”
I frowned. “Wait, what? There’s another buyer? Maybe he had second thoughts and just told the first guy that?” Reaching for my phone, I looked to see if Tom had called. He hadn’t, and I shook my head in confusion.
“Do you think Tom changed his mind?” my mother asked.
Aiden and Kyle looked at each other—though neither would look at me.
I nearly screamed in frustration. “What are you not telling me, Kyle? Aiden!”
Kyle cleared his throat. “Aiden and I went and talked to Tom. He sold the building this morning to someone from New York. They met at the title company, and the buyer wired the entire amount right there on the spot.”
It felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. “What? But he gave me until Friday!”
Aiden sighed. “Greer, there was no way you were going to be able to come up with that kind of extra cash, and Tom knew it. All he told us was that this was going to work out for you. He wouldn’t say anything else.”
“I’m going to go kick that asshole’s ass!” my father ranted as he started toward the door.
“Wait! Hold on a second,” I said. “How can it be that easy? Doesn’t the title company have to do things…can this person really just swoop in and buy the building so quickly? And what does that mean, it’s going to work out for me?”
“If they had that kind of cash simply laying around, it is that easy. All Tom had to do was fill out the paperwork to get the title transferred over. According to LouAnne at the title company, the money’s in an escrow account. Once they have the paperwork finished, both parties will sign and it’s a done deal,” Kyle said.
“Who’s the buyer?” I asked.
Aiden frowned. “I don’t know. LouAnne couldn’t tell us.”
I brought my hand to my stomach, trying to keep from getting sick. “Then, that’s it. I’ve lost the building!”
Aiden shook his head. “I don’t think so, Greer. Even LouAnne mentioned that this new buyer wasn’t looking to change a thing.”
My head spun in confusion. “What does that even mean?”
Suddenly, Kyle’s expression changed, as if he had just thought of something. “Greer…I think I know who the buyer is.”
I jumped when my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a text from Hudson.
Hudson: I need to talk to you right away. I’m at the bookstore, but Candace said you left for your folks’. Are you still there? It’s urgent.
I quickly typed my reply.
Me: Yes, I’m at their place. Where are you?
The phone rang, and I answered it. “Hudson? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s great. I’m right around the corner.”
“Okay, well, just come on in. We’re all in the kitchen.”
“All?” he asked.
“Yeah, Kyle and Aiden are here as well.”
He paused for a moment. “I’m parking out front now. See you in a second.”
Hanging up, I glanced at the others. “That’s Hudson. He said he needs to speak with me right away.”
Before I had a chance to ask Kyle who he thought the buyer might be, there was a knock on the door and then Hudson’s voice.
“In the kitchen!” my mother called out.
Hudson appeared, and my heart did a little skip. It was crazy how even when I felt like utter shit, simply seeing him made me feel so much better.
“Hey,” he said softly. His smile seemed forced…and not relaxed at all.
“Hey,” I repeated.
He glanced around, then looked at me. “Could we maybe talk in private?”
“Of course, let’s head out onto the back porch.”
Once the door shut, his smile grew, though he looked nervous. “I’ve got some news for you.”
I tried to smile back because clearly Hudson was happy about something. A part of me wanted to fall into his arms and sob and tell him the bookstore was done. I was going to have to move it and start over again somewhere else. The other part wanted to just forget my problems and get lost in Hudson.
“Oh yeah?” I said with a forced calm I didn’t feel.
He handed me a folded piece of paper, and I took it.
“Open it.”
This time I did smile, only because I could hear the excitement in his voice.
I started to read it…and realized it was a legal document. I sucked in a breath as it dawned on me what I was looking at.
I snapped my head up to look at him. “What is this?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night, and so I sent an email to my lawyer and financial advisor. I told them both what was going on, that I needed some help with a few things. My lawyer drew up the contracts, my financial advisor moved some money around…and here we are. The building is yours still, Greer. You’re not going to lose it.”
Stunned, I looked back at the document and continued reading.
Tom had sold my building to Hudson. Part of the agreement stipulated that the deed to the building would be put in my name. I looked back up at Hudson in confusion. “You bought the building?”
He nodded. “Yes. For you.”
I slowly shook my head. “W-why?”
His brows pulled down in confusion. “What do you mean, why? Mr. Brooks knew damn well you didn’t have the means to purchase it. So I offered him twenty-five dollars more than the original investor was offering. I told him I intended to let you keep the building for Turning Pages, as it states in the legal documents my lawyer drew up. Once Mr. Brooks understood that I had every intention of letting you buy the building back from me, he agreed. He actually seemed relieved, claimed he never wanted you to lose it, but he had to think of his family first. It’s a win-win, Greer.”
My mouth opened and closed a few times before I was able to find my voice. “So, you went behind my back and bought it?”
His smile faded some. “Well, I had to move quickly. I didn’t want any other players coming into the game.”
