Page 18 of So Close

“By the time I can get there, we’re going to have at least one more outbreak,” Deja said. She was the oldest of the women, her bright pink afro poking up above a vivid orange and yellow scarf. She was also the organizer of the retreat that had brought them to Beachcrest for two weeks of writing, eating, shopping, and beach walks. “I think Aria has to go.”

“But you have the fast-treating ability, so you can save more people once you’re there,” Aria protested, tossing her candy-floss blond hair.

“Which won’t help us if we’re dead,” Deja countered.

The front door chime sounded.

“Do you have to get that?”

“I should,” Auburn said. No one new was expected that night, so it was probably just one of the guests coming back. She pushed her chair back, but before she could stand, she heard footsteps coming toward them and saw Trey’s tall, broad form appear in the doorway, blocking light from the lobby.

“Well, hello,” Aria said, delightedly, to the newcomer. “Come in. Make yourself at home. Turn in circles a few times so we can all admire you.”

“Do you verbalize every thought in your head?” demanded Priya, whose black hair was bound up in a big-mouthed hair clip.

“When sex manifests in the flesh, yes,” Aria said unapologetically.

The look on Trey’s face nearly made the last few days worth it. Auburn had never seen him caught off guard, and right then he looked like a hamster tossed into a rattlesnake cage. Then the mask descended again. “Hello, ladies.” No smile, of course, but his voice was as smooth as good gravy. “A word,” he said to Auburn.

“Are you asking to speak with me? You could try, ‘Hey, sorry I’m interrupting, but when you get a minute, could we talk?’”

Trey’s eyes blazed, setting up an answering heat in her low belly. A volley of glances went around the table.

“I said what I meant,” he said, his voice a thousand degrees cooler than his eyes. “But I can translate it if it’ll make you feel better. When you get a minute, I’d like a word.”

He’d twisted her words to take the request out of them, of course.

“Fine.” She didn’t get up, mainly because she knew it would drive him nuts. If she was going to lose Beachcrest, she was going down swinging.

“Alone?”

“Anything you need to say you can say with these ladies present.”

Hesitation flitted across his features, so briefly that she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. And she must have, because Trey Xavier surely didn’t hesitate over, well, anything. “I’m filing a lawsuit to force the sale of Beachcrest.”

A chorus of gasps rose around Auburn. She’d known it was coming, but it made her heart pound. Still, she wasn’t going to let him know she was shaken. “Ladies, allow me to introduce Trey Xavier, the man who wants to replace your writing space with condos. Maybe he’ll be nice enough to let you rent one for your next gathering. I’m sure you’ll find it as inspiring as Beachcrest,” she told her audience. She knew how guys like Trey worked. She’d been with one for years, had listened to more than her share of one-sided phone negotiations. Those with the largest—er, sexual organs—won the day. She turned to face him. “I lawyered up, too, Trey, and a lawsuit is going to be a pain in the ass for you. You know if Carl calls for an accounting, it won’t turn out in your favor.”

He smirked. “Oh, it’ll turn out in my favor. If the sale goes to auction, my buyer will just outbid you, but I think we’d both rather it didn’t come to that. I came here to ask what it’ll take for you to walk away. Tell Carl you don’t want Beachcrest.”

Chiara reached out and grasped Auburn’s hand, warm and strong and a reminder that she wasn’t in this thing alone. She didn’t dare give her sister a grateful look—even that would be weakness—but she squeezed back.

“I’m not walking.”

Several of the writers cheered.

A muscle ticked in Trey’s jaw. “Give it some thought.” He cast Auburn a dark look. “You’re going to lose if this gets hashed out in court. Your best bet is to walk away with something that makes you happy. Tuition for your little sister, maybe. A new wing for Cape House. A downpayment for a house for your brother.”

She couldn’t keep the shock off her face.

He smirked. “I always do my research. You might want to do the same, and then you’d actually know who you’re dealing with.”

He turned and walked out. They heard the front door chime again, and the sound of his car engine starting up.

There was silence in his wake.

“He’sa piece of work,” Priya said.

“I’m putting him in my next book,” Aria said, fanning herself.

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