Page 13 of Snake

“We got American or Swiss,” Kalina answered with a hostile sigh.

“Swiss, please,” Autumn said, either unaware of the chill in Kalina’s tone or ignoring it. “And a Coke.”

“Diet Coke?”

“No, regular. Thank you.”

“Uh huh.” Kalina turned to Cox, and her tone shifted to friendliness. “What’re you having tonight?”

Cox found that he’d been so absorbed by Autumn’s order he needed a second to remember what his was. “I’ll do the grilled ham and cheese with fries.”

“You got it. Sweet tea, right?”

“Right.”

“Should be ‘bout ten minutes for your food. Drinks comin’ right up.” Kalina gave him a quick smile and walked off.

A soft, almost secret chuckle slipped from Autumn’s lips, and she swiped her phone open. “I’m always surprised how great the reception is out here.”

Cox leaned back and studied her. “I guess you know why, studyin’ up on us like you did.”

She looked up and set her phone aside. “I do. The Horde paid to put in a tower.”

He nodded.

After another stretch of quiet, she said, “Is it that you don’t like to talk, or you don’t like to talk to me?”

“I say what I need to say. Not everything’s about you.”

Kalina arrived with their drinks. When she was gone again, Autumn said, “You are every bit the jerk you look like.”

Now Cox did grin, briefly. “Yeah, I am. But ain’t you s’posed to be makin’ nice with us hicks out here?” He let his voice settle into his father’s Ozark drawl. “Ain’t that the way with you big city business folks? Stealin’ food out our mouths while you grin at us all pretty?”

For about two seconds after he finished that volley, she looked hurt, and then angry. Her expression didn’t change; it was all in her lively eyes—which were a light, coppery brown that did, in fact, seem gold when the light hit them right. Then her eyes settled, and a predatory smirk shaped her mouth.

“I tried that. I came into this sincerely wanting to work together to make Signal Bend better, and you all shoved that up my ass. Now I don’t have to take your abuse with a smile anymore, because I have what I wanted. That property is mine. Signed, sealed, and paid in full. And now you have to be nice to me to get something for yourselves.”

“I don’t have to be nice to anybody.”

“You know I meant your ‘club.’” She made quotes with her fingers, as well as with her voice.

He didn’t take that bait. “Why d’you think anybody’s gonna be nicer to you now? You took what nobody wanted to give you. That don’t make you a hero.”

“The mayor wanted the deal, and he’s not the only one. This project will help Signal Bend when it’s finished and operating. And it will help whoever gets the construction contract, too.”

“We don’t need your help. Not now, not in the future. We’re fine here without your stupid strip mall.”

Her fists balled up with sudden, palpable frustration, and Cox noted with some surprise that she was about to slam them on the table. But Kalina arrived right then with their plates, and Autumn smoothly returned to nonchalance.

When Kalina was gone again, as Cox reached for the ketchup, Autumn said, “It is infuriating that you dunderheads refuse to see what I have shown you repeatedly: Heartland Homesteads are not strip malls. They are designed to be community centerpieces, not basic services.”

“This community has a centerpiece. It’s called Main Street, and we’re on it.”

“Yes. True. And it’s charming as hell. This is a great little town, with great potential. But you don’t have the infrastructure yet to realize that potential. One ten-room inn inside the town limits. One market. Two bars. A diner, a Sonic, one slightly more upscale restaurant, and a tea room. That is nowhere near enough to keep people in town, enjoying all you offer here, spending money here. I bought a building that has stood empty for more than a decade. I didn’t displace anyone. I didn’t force a business to close. I bought an abandoned building.”

He noticed that she spoke of the deal as hers, not her company’s. Not knowing what to make of that, he filed it away in case it mattered later. “And you’re buying out a whole block of houses, too. Some of those houses are rentals. You think their landlords are gonna help them out?”

“I’m offering move-out packages to tenants, and I’ve offered the Zillow value for everybody who’s sold so far—and Zillow is higher than fair market value calculations, trust me.”

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