Page 31 of The Hot New Bachelor in Town

“Thank you, sir.”

“Come on in.”

He leads me into his office and gestures for me to take a seat in front of his desk.

“Great view,” I note as I sit down, my eyes scanning the Big City skyline.

“That was completely flat before my great-grandfather showed up,” he gloats. “The Stacks built this city with their bare hands!”

I nod, doubting the veracity of that claim, but not caring enough to fact check it.

He goes on for a few minutes, giving his secretary enough time to wander in with bottles of water. As she leaves, she gives me a few winks, and I smile politely until she’s gone.

“Now,” Mr. Stacks says, clapping once. “Let’s get down to business, Mr. Cartwright. It is my understanding that you’re the guy to call when people want to... expand their enterprises.”

“I’ve done some work in that area, yes.”

“Some work.” He chuckles. “I heard you did some work in securing that land for the expansion of Cal Price’s resort. Ain’t that right?”

“Sorry, sir,” I say. “But I can’t divulge the details of my work with other clients.”

“Right. You don’t, but he did last week over a golf game, which is why you’re sitting here now.”

I bow my head, keeping quiet.

He laughs again and tilts back in his leather chair. “My family owns Big City. That was good enough for my father and his father, but I want more. I want the whole damn county.”

“A lofty goal, sir.”

“Are you from around here, kid?”

“No, sir.”

“Kiss County is... for lack of a better term, a tourist trap. People bound here from all over for the chance to get shot in the ass by Cupid’s arrow. Bit whimsical for my tastes, but who am I to judge?”

I don’t reply, curious where he’s going.

“Tourists need beds, and by the end of the decade, I want to own every single bed in Kiss County. The ones not owned by a resident, obviously.”

“Obviously,” I say, nodding along.

Mr. Stacks jerks open his desk drawer and withdraws a folder. “Starting with these,” he says as he pushes it toward me across the glass desktop.

I take one look at the photo and my heart nearly stops beating. Periwinkle blue exterior. Sunflowers and yellow daisies.

“Two Hearts Inn,” I say.

“You’ve been there?” Mr. Stacks asks.

I nod. “Yeah, I... I just checked out this morning, actually.”

“Beautiful property.”

“It is, yes.”

“I want it.”

My blood runs cold. “You want it?”

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