Page 36 of Claimed By my Frenemy

I take a deep breath and look at Steve, who nods slightly, urging me to take over here. “How about this,” I begin, turning back to Mia. “Let’s call a temporary truce. We’ll have a business dinner to discuss a compromise. We need to find a solution that works for both of us.”

Mia’s eyes narrow as she considers my proposal. “A business dinner?” she repeats, skepticism clear in her voice.

“Yes, we can sit down, talk through our issues, and hopefully come to an agreement. It’s clear we’re going to be neighbors for a while, so we might as well try to get along.”

She hesitates for a moment and then lets out a sigh. “Fine. A business dinner. But don’t think this means I’m letting you off the hook. I want those bricks moved.”

“Of course not. We’ll deal with it then. When my contractors’ mistake caused your property to flood, I dealt with it, right?”

Mia reluctantly nods.

“And I’ll deal with this, too. It may not be ideal, but I’ll take care of it.”

Steve smiles, clearly pleased that we’re making progress. “Great. Theo, why don’t you meet with her tomorrow night? That should give you enough time to prepare.” Steve’s message is clear. She’s my issue. Steve can deal with marketing and idea generation, but I have to deal with the day-to-day issues, and today, Mia is one of those issues.

Mia nods reluctantly. “Tomorrow night it is. But if this dinner turns into another argument, I’m done trying to work with you. Putting your supplies on my property actually makes them mine, and I won’t hesitate to use them if they stay there.”

“Understood. Truce?” I extend my hand across the space between us.

She eyes my hand warily before finally shaking it. “Truce.”

As her hand grips mine, there’s a flicker of something in her eyes—maybe a hint of hope that we can find a way through this mess. I hold onto that flicker as she releases my hand and turns to leave.

I wish Steve wasn’t here. If he wasn’t, then maybe she and I could have a real discussion, the kind of meeting that we had in her house when our clothes started coming off. Why is Mia so difficult to work with?

“We’ll meet at the Blue Lagoon Restaurant at 7:00 p.m.!” I call after her.

“Fine. I’ll see you there.” I watch her ass as she walks out, the way it sways back and forth. And it’s hard to remember how frustrated I am with her for constantly finding issues with what I’m doing on my property.

I want to run after her, grab her, and pull her close to me. I want to whisper to her that I’ll find a way to fix everything butfirstI should help her de-stress. And I know just the way to do that.

I suddenly remember Steve is still in the room, and I’m not the best at hiding my thoughts from crossing my face.

“Well, that ended on a positive note,” he says.

I chuckle. “Better than you thought it would, anyway.” If I stay positive, then maybe tomorrow’s meeting won’t be as bad as I think it might.

Steve’s smile fades slightly. “Theo, you’ve got to tread carefully here. We need to keep popular opinion positive, and if she starts spreading rumors or lies about what we’re doing here, it could ruin our image before we even have the chance to fully form one.”

I run a hand through my hair, and my stress crashes back on my shoulders. “I know. I’m not trying to bulldoze her. I just want to find a way to make this work for everyone.”

Steve claps me on the shoulder. “Good. Because if we can’t find common ground, this project is going to be a lot harder than we anticipated. And we don’t need anything to be more difficult than it has been. The fact that you haven't convinced her to sell yet is disappointment enough.”

I don’t want to hear another one of Steve’s tirades about how I haven’t been able to convince Mia to sell the house yet. He has already told me that if he had been running point on that interaction, she would have sold during our first meeting. But I already know Mia won’t sell.

I’ve pretty much given up the idea, and I’m trying to accept that this resort is going to be smaller than we first imagined. It doesn’t bother me much, but I think Steve hasn’t quite given up the vision.

19

MIA

I arriveat the Blue Lagoon Restaurant, my mind still buzzing with irritation from the latest incident with Theo’s contractors. The place is cozy and the windows all along the left side of the restaurant offer a beach view. I spot Theo already seated at a table near the window, and I work to control the anxiety that fills me as I approach his table. The last thing I want is to mess up this meeting.

…or make a scene. Yeah, I definitely don’t want that.

Theo stands up as I approach, pulling out my chair for me. “Glad you could make it.” He sounds sincere, but I wonder. With his dark hair and eyes, it’s so hard to read what he’s actually thinking. He’s like the definition oftall, dark, and handsome.

I roll my eyes at myself for even allowing that thought to cross my mind. This is a “business” dinner. I need to keep myself focused on that.

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