Page 11 of So Close

“What are you going to do to stop me, exactly?”

For the first time, he saw uncertainty in her gaze. She bit her lip, a pearl of white digging into the soft red flesh. “I told you. I’m going to buy it.”

Oh, sweetheart, you havenoidea who you’re dealing with.

“And why would I sell it to you?”

She cast a look Carl’s way.

“Because I love Beachcrest. I’ve poured myself into it.”

“Shehas,” Carl jumped in.“No one works harder than Auburn for Beachcrest. Not even me. No one knows Beachcrest better. No one understands its magic as well.”

“Magic,” he said, scornfully.

Auburn, who had stood straighter during Carl’s speech, turned hard eyes on him now. “Yes, magic,” she said. “It’s an amazing place. It brings people together. It changes lives.”

He rolled his eyes at that. If Beachcrest was magic, he was fucking Dumbledore.

She’d opened her mouth to say more, but he cut her off.“Do you have the money to buy it?”

“Not yet—but I can get it,” she said eagerly.

He felt the weight of some unexpected emotion, and then he realized: It was disappointment in her. She was just a goofy idealist, and he’d thought she was going to put up a real fight. As much as he didn’t want complications—as much as he couldn’t afford any delays, he’d beenexcitedby the idea of sparring with her.

How long had it been since he’d been excited about anything?

Since long before Karina had walked away.

Longer than that.

“Don’t bother.”

All the eagerness on her face fell away, and for a split second he wanted to reach out, like he could somehow stop it before it faded. Then her glare was back. That was better. He liked her best that way—all her defenses up against him. No chance for anything like a detente. This wasn’t a game, anyway. He had a deal to make, and he wanted to get it done, not joust with a girl who believed inmagic. He’d packed up his wands and spell book by the time he’d made his first sale, which was at the age of five, thank-you-very-much.

“You’re a cold-hearted bastard,” she said.

He didn’t let himself look at his grandfather. He didn’t let himself question why he’d chosen not to explain himself.

“Yes,” he said. “I am. But I believe I gave you my business card? Feel free to call me when you’ve managed to get your hands on a down payment for a multi-million dollar sale. Until then, I have other matters I need to attend to.”

And ignoring her expression of disbelief, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

5

“I’m going to lose Beachcrest.”

Chiara rubbed Auburn’s back in small, comforting circles. “You’renotgoing to lose it.”

Auburn’s face was buried in her hands. After her showdown with Trey Xavier in Carl’s hospital room that afternoon, she and Chiara were sitting on Auburn’s bed, doing justice to a bottle of Oregon Pinot.

“You don’t understand. This guy isn’t going to budge. He doesn’t have a budging bone in his body.”

“I got that feeling, looking at him,” Chiara said dryly.

“Don’t joke. I shouldn’t have pissed him off in the bar.”

“What should you have done? Slept with him so he’d give you Beachcrest? Just think how much more of a mess this would be now if you’d done that.”

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