Page 21 of A Christmas Bargain

“Aww,” Naomi whined, but without sounding whiny or petulant somehow. Simply disappointed.

“You sure?” Derek asked.

I exhaled a long breath, hating that I had to put something else first. That I needed to concentrate on my job, not what I wanted. An afternoon of strolling through this holiday market area would be fun. Warming up with hot cocoa would be a delight.

But not now.

“I just can’t stay for long,” I explained, feeling like I wasn’t letting them down, but myself. “I only stopped by here on a whim.”

That wasn’t a lie, not really. I’d wanted to drive around this holiday market area before I drove out further toward the lands that my dad had shown me on a map last night. Prime real estate lining the river. Hundreds of acres that could be developed for a multitude of purposes. Shops, factories, and other processing facilities could all go into the area, and I bet that’d increase the jobs around here. It’d be a win-win, and the career-minded part of me was excited at the challenge of finagling a deal however I could. It’d be a Christmas miracle to save the company like that.

No thanks to you, Sis.

I shoved aside the thoughts about Grace. Holding a grudge against her wouldn’t help this situation, anyway.

“I need to get back to work,” I added, feeling like I had to clarify that I wasn’t blowing them off for no reason.

“What work?” Naomi asked.

I smiled, unbothered by her blunt question. Curiosity and the willingness to speak up were important traits or skills to have in life. But her wording was cute.What workwas a sillier and more adorable way of askingwhat do you do?

“I’m a realtor,” I replied. “I work in real estate.”

I watched for Derek’s reaction. His brows popped up a bit, and I wondered why that surprised him. What did he think I did? What occupation did it look like I held?

“Realty?” he asked. “Hmm.”

I nodded. “My offices are in Denver, but when I came home yesterday to have Thanksgiving with my dad, he mentioned some business to check out around here.”

Now he arched one brow, invested in the conversation. “In Preston?”

“Yeah. Around here,” I replied, keeping it a little vague. I learned years ago to never be one hundred percent precise when naming the area I wanted to buy, sell, or develop in. One could never be too careful when competitors could pop up or when word could spread. Oftentimes, the timing of interest in properties could make a huge difference on a deal. If no one was interested in a particular property, then the demand was low, and consequently, if a certain parcel of land garnered immense preliminary interest, the demand for it would be high and skew deals and the negotiation process.

“I came into town to drive around and look at some places.” I laughed lightly. “Hopefully, before this snowstorm starts.”

“They always say a snowstorm is coming,” Naomi said. “But they aren’t always accurate.”

I nodded. “You can thank the mountains for that.”

“Any places in particular that you’re interested in?” Derek asked.

Hmm.It seemed that I’d misjudged him. When he asked me—twice—about joining them for hot cocoa, I thought he just wanted to spend a little bit of time together. Out of a simple interest in me.

Naomi was already buddying up with me, so curious and full of questions. And I didn’t mind it at all, even if I wasn’t used to being around kids.

Now, Derek seemed more interested in the fact that I was here to check out the real estate in the area.

“A few,” I admitted. I wasn’t new at this. I’d keep my answers vague.

“Hmm.” He looked down for a moment, pensive.

I wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Was he bothered? Interested? Worried about newcomers moving into his town, whether they were businesses or families?

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter to me. It couldn’t. A deal was a deal. Money was money. Since the responsibility of keeping the offices open was placed on my shoulders, I had to focus on bringing in some sales and revenue before others we worked with could get uneasy and back out of more deals. The layered web of connections and contingencies between deals was a complicated animal to contend with. But I could. I’d succeed. That was my goal in life—to always come out on top.

I knew where my priorities lay, but meeting Derek and Naomi threatened them.

“I’ve noticed some for sale signs out there,” he said.

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