Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

Skylar

A few days later, Dad stuck his head through my office door while I was on the phone. I'd spent most of the past three days in this room combing through project proposals—both mine and the Wexlers'—and playing phone tag with banks, financial investors, and various city and county authorities.

Now, that work was about to pay off.

I held up a finger for Dad to wait a moment.

"You're certain?" I asked the Massey Retail Group representative on the phone with me. "The plan calls for—"

"I'm sure. We're focused on our Branson expansion. We don't have the resources for anything else right now."

"All right. Thanks so much for your time. This was very helpful."

I disconnected, heart racing at the implications of what I'd just learned.

"Are you all right, Skylar?" Dad asked. "If you're still having trouble, I can reach out to my contacts."

"Dad, no. We talked about this."

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it," Dad said. "Do you think I solve every problem without help from someone?"

"No, just most of them," I said with a smile. "I appreciate the offer, but actually, I have a meeting set up with Logan that I've got to get to. He's helping me talk face-to-face with a few subcontractors who might be a good fit for the resort project."

"So you'll take his help," Dad grumbled.

I checked the time on my phone and stood. "Well, I'm not trying to prove something to him."

"You don't need to prove anything to me either, Sky."

"No, but I need to prove something to me."

Dad sighed. "All right. I can tell when you're determined. I just hate to see you cooped up in this office every day, overworked and stressed."

"Kind of like you when you dig into a project?"

Dad pulled a face. "I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree, huh?"

"Nope." I packed my laptop, the presentation I'd made for the meeting, and the few notes I'd scratched out while on my most recent phone call. "I really am okay, though. I just found out something on this phone call that's going to give me an advantage."

"What's that?"

"I'm already running late. Tell you everything later?"

"You better. I'm going stir-crazy around here."

I paused on my way past him. "I really am okay. You can go back to your work. I'm sure you're needed there."

"Soon," he said. "First, I want to see how all this turns out." I opened my mouth, and he said quickly, "And not because I don't trust you. But because I'm proud of you, and I want to watch you kick some ass."

"I will kick ass," I said. "But don't worry, I'll take names so you can hear all about it afterward."

I could tell it damn near killed Dad not to insist he come along with me, but this was something I had to do on my own. I'd never prove myself to these guys if I showed up with my daddy as backup.

I caught a water taxi over to Shallow Beach since Hudson was running a boat tour and Fisher was busy with a college test.

It was only a few minutes' walk from the dock to the coffee shop where Logan and I had agreed to meet. The colorful striped awning made it easy to spot. It was bright and cheery inside, with the delicious scent of caffeine hanging in the air, but the barista was an older woman who looked like she'd rather correct my grammar than flirt with me.

In other words, she was no Danny Wray, and the coffee menu—offering basic coffee options with no inappropriate puns—was no Just The Sip .

Swallow Beach might be larger and attract more tourists, but Swallow Cove had all the quirky charm.

Logan met me near the door. "Skylar." He gave my hand a brief, firm shake. "Glad you could make it. Go ahead and put in your coffee order. We're waiting on one more guy, though between us, you're not missing much if he doesn't show."

"I had an interesting phone call right before I got here," I told Logan. "Hang around after the meeting and I'll fill you in."

"Will do." He clapped my shoulder and excused himself to rejoin the table with three other men. They were all blue-collar types, which was a little intimidating. My pretty boy ways didn't always mesh well with guys like this.

I ordered my usual Caramel Macchiato—just barely avoiding saying cockiato on reflex because I was so used to ordering at Just The Sip.

That would have been awkward.

It was probably best this coffee shop didn't make us drink cockiatos or mocha us moan for our daddies, though. It would make it tough to look these guys in the eye, and that's exactly what I had to do now.

Show them I was competent leadership material.

I carried my coffee over to the table and engaged in a round of hand-shaking and introductions. Like Logan, Eric Strauss was a contractor who could oversee multiple crews doing everything from construction to plumbing. Dave Pitts was a landscape architect who did a lot of the big commercial jobs in the Ozarks. Tim Gills ran a smaller, more custom construction business that specialized in cabinetry, bars, flooring, and other interior remodeling that could come in handy.

I opened my laptop bag and withdrew the presentations I'd assembled for the meeting. "I put together some plans so you can see exactly what we'd like to do in Swallow Cove." I paused to meet each man's eyes. "I know you've heard some concerning things about me. I'm going to be straight with you."

"Bet you don't say that often," Tim said with a smirk.

"Tim," Logan growled. "How about a little respect?"

"It's all right." If I couldn't let my father fight my battles, I couldn't let Logan Moss do it either. "Yes, I'm gay. If that's a problem for you, then you should probably leave now. But if you care about the work, then let me assure you that my word is good. The Addisons don't make false promises."

"Bad joke," Tim said. "Sorry. I don't care about that."

Tim seemed genuine, but Eric was no longer meeting my eyes. Well, damn.

I shifted, the slide of silk under my clothes a reminder that I could be pretty and strong. Maybe it was odd that delicate fabric should help me find my strength, but it did. Because it served as a reminder that I was strong enough to embrace who I wanted to be, regardless of what anyone else told me was right or wrong.

Brooks embraced that strength too, because he was a good man. And any man who couldn't handle it wasn't worth my time.

"So when you say the Addisons don't make false promises," Eric said, "are you saying your father is pulling the strings?"

"No, this is my project. But obviously this is an Addison Holdings development. Do you really think my father would let me use his name if he didn't trust me?"

"I don't know," Eric said obstinately. "Maybe he's just placating you."

Logan sighed and shook his head. "I thought we all agreed to keep an open mind here?"

Eric fell silent, but I'd already lost him—and it had nothing to do with my credibility as a developer. That man was gone as soon as Tim made it obvious I was gay. I was better off without that kind of man on my payroll, so no loss there, though I had been hoping he'd be the lead contractor if Logan couldn't take on the job.

At least the landscaper, Dave, seemed unfazed. He hadn't said much, but he looked attentive.

Time to move on.

I ran through the details on the proposal, clearly outlining the phases of redevelopment. This project was a bit simpler in that we had the core building, but I'd taken a tour of the place, and it needed a full redesign and update. We were essentially developing a resort with little more than a shell exterior. Everything else would be new.

Halfway through my spiel, another guy showed up. Our missing contractor, I presumed. And right behind him were Blaize and the Wexlers.

I tensed. Was this a setup?

I glanced at Logan, but he looked pissed, so at least he wasn't in on it.

"Neal, what the hell is this?" he asked the contractor. "We're trying to have a private meeting here."

"Just thought we ought to get the full story from both sides in one place," Neal said. "If Addison is on the up-and-up, he shouldn't mind."

I pushed my seat back and stood. Fight or flight was kicking in hard, and there was a part of me that'd love to run out of here and never look back. But I'd vowed to stand strong against these guys. If I let them run me off, I'd regret it forever.

"I already tried to play nice with these guys," I said. "They refused."

"We have nothing to gain by playing along," Scott said. "Our project over here is falling perfectly into place because we know what we're doing."

"That's not what I hear."

Blaize scoffed. "How would you hear anything over in Swallow Cove?"

Logan tried to be the voice of reason. "Maybe we shouldn't get into hearsay and rumors."

"You all clearly have an ax to grind," Dave added, "but this is our livelihoods. We can't afford to get caught up in mud-slinging."

Funny how they didn't want to indulge in rumors or mud-slinging now. They'd been all too quick to brush me off when the Wexlers started this dirty game.

But that was all right. I was going to finish it.

"I don't engage in rumors," I said. "I deal in facts."

"And what would those be?" Blaize challenged.

Leon Wexler looked uneasy. "Maybe this isn't the place or time."

You should have thought about that before you ambushed me.

Of course, Leon hadn't known that I'd done my homework. That I had the facts about what was really going on with their project. If he had, he wouldn't have charged in here with those two idiots at his side.

"What?" Blaize said. "This is the perfect time. We came over here to settle this."

Scott had fallen silent, taking a cue from his uncle. But Blaize hadn't put it together. Because he underestimated me.

He'd always underestimated me.

"I couldn't agree more," I said sweetly. "Let's settle this."

I reached into my laptop bag and withdrew my notes. "Logan, I was going to tell you after this meeting concluded that I talked with the Massey Retail Group today."

"So?" Blaize asked. "You trying to steal our retail investor too? It won't work."

Huh . Interesting. He didn't know. But judging by the color leeching from Scott's face, he had a pretty good idea of where this was going.

"No, I don't need retail for the resort in Swallow Cove," I said. "But unlike you, I don't spread gossip. I trade in facts. So I did my due diligence and got all the facts."

"What facts?" Logan asked. "What did the Massey group say?"

"They said they pulled out as an investor weeks ago. They make up thirty percent of the financing for the Wexlers' project, so that raises a lot of questions about how they're going to pull this off and actually pay their contractors."

The mood at the table instantly shifted. Neal, the guy who'd brought the Wexlers in the first place, turned an angry look their way. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"This is all still hearsay—" Scott started.

Leon put a hand on his arm. "It's all easily verified, Scott." He shook his head. "It was only a matter of time before we addressed it ourselves. We're working to find another retail investor, of course. We don't give up at the first sign of trouble."

"Swallow Cove was a backup plan, though, wasn't it?" I said. "You figured if this fell apart, you could shift the funds to another viable project. Maybe even save face by throwing some other work the contractors' way?"

The muscle in Leon's jaw twitched, but he didn't say anything. That in itself was answer enough.

"Financing is a shifting landscape," Scott bullshitted. "We have everything under control."

Blaize was the one who looked furious. Humiliated. He turned toward Scott and Leon. "How could you not tell me this ? You just let Skylar totally blindside me. What the fuck!"

Blaize was more upset that I'd outdone him than he was that he'd been part of a deceptive business practice. The Wexlers had dragged him through the mud, but judging by his reaction, he was happy to get dirty as long as he looked like a big man doing it.

"If it wasn't already clear from my plans, Addison Holdings will finance the resort project. There's no risk that project won't see the light of day."

"Well, Skylar, you've got my respect." Logan stood and shook my hand. "I'll come by tomorrow to give you a formal bid to work as lead contractor on the resort."

Eric Strauss pushed to his feet. "Me too."

"I appreciate that, but, Eric, I'd much rather work with Logan. I think we both know my sexuality makes you uncomfortable." I leaned in. "But just so you know, Blaize over there is my ex-boyfriend." I shrugged. "There's just gay men all over. What can you do?"

With a huff, he turned and stalked out. The Wexlers quickly followed to do damage control. Blaize lingered, glaring at me, probably dying to let me have it. But Tim stepped in front of him, almost as if he were invisible.

Which he was to these men, I realized. Blaize was nothing but a sidekick to the Wexlers, who'd just been exposed for the frauds they were.

With a growl of frustration, Blaize whirled and headed for the door.

"Are you willing to let me offer a bid?" Tim asked. "I'm really not a homophobe. Sorry for that bad joke that riled up Eric. I didn't know he'd be so…"

I waved away the apology. "I'd rather know upfront what I'm dealing with. I'd be happy to work with you, but you'll have to go through Logan. He's going to be the lead contractor, but I'm sure he'll need reliable crews."

Tim's lips quirked. "Okay, but you haven't even heard his bid."

"I know, but Logan's word is worth more than most people's. He'll give me a fair bid, and he'll do good work for me. Just like he's done for my father many times before."

"Ahhh." Tim winked. "I think I understand now how you knew to go digging. You going to swoop in and snatch this project from the Wexlers' clutches too?"

I shook my head. "The Wexlers may still find other financing. I hope they do, for the sake of everyone over here. I didn't set out to sabotage them. They started this fight."

"You certainly finished it," Dave put in.

I laughed. "I guess I did, but I only took on the Swallow Cove project because it's home."

Home. It was the first time I'd thought of it so definitively. But now, without the Wexlers standing in my way, the resort would move forward. I would oversee the project from start to finish. That was the Addison business model.

And when it finished, I'd find another reason to stay. Because I had a life to build with a man who believed in me instead of cutting me down. A man who gave me his trust, his body, and—I was pretty sure—his heart.

I'd held back from telling him he had mine, afraid of taking that risk. But today I'd slayed a dragon. Three dragons, really, but one really freaking big one that had made me second-guess my judgment too many times to count.

I could always trust Brooks. But now I knew now that I could trust myself, too.

My chest bloomed with warmth, and suddenly I wanted to leave, to go home to Swallow Cove and to the only man I wanted to share this victory with.