Page 125 of The Fixer

“I need to get back to work.” She glanced down at her desk, pretending to be absorbed in a report whose title she didn’t even register.

She felt more than saw Sterling huff out of her office. The crushing weight on her chest eased, and at last, she could pull in a huge breath and let it whoosh out of her.

She owed Sterling a lot, and that burden pressed heavily on her shoulders. But she also felt the tug of whatshewanted, and it had nothing to do with work or riches or closings.

How the hell was she going to strike a balance between her desires and the obligations that squeezed the air from her lungs?

Chapter 35

Triumphs

Charlie drummed his fingerson the gargantuan oval conference table. Its top was polished to such a high luster he could see himself in its reflection. He straightened his collar, adjusted his linen sports jacket, and ran his fingers through his hair. Again.

Beside him, Noah sprawled in his chair, cool as a walk-in freezer as he scrolled his phone. Noah’s presence was one of the reasons Charlie had a knot in his gut. He didn’t want this meeting to become the Noah-and-Leo show.

The door opened, and in walked Leo Cantrell, all cool confidence. Three other guys trailed behind him. After a round of handshakes and introductions, they sat. Cantrell took his seat at the head of the table. “Sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting. We had a little emergency crop up.”

Noah gave him a nod. “No problem. When the kitchen’s on fire …”

“You gotta put it out,” Cantrell finished for him. They both laughed as if this was the funniest damn joke either one of them had ever heard.

Charlie bristled.Sure, no problem. I only have thieves to catch, a saboteur to stop, and a dozen more people to hire so I can stay afloat, but you do you,Cantrell.

“Will the delightful Ms. Holiday be joining us?”

Charlie hesitated a beat, expecting Noah to answerthatquestion too. But Noah didn’t make a move, so Charlie answered. “I’m afraid not. She had to get back to her clients in Chicago.”

“Good for her clients, too bad for the rest of us. I was hoping to see her again.”

So was I.

Cantrell raised an eyebrow in Noah’s direction. “So tell us about the depot.”

Noah hooked a thumb in Charlie’s direction. “My brother’s the one with all the details.”

All eyes turned to Charlie, and his stomach executed a few flips. Doubt made him hesitate. He could flame out and make a colossal idiot of himself in front of these big wheels—or worse, his brother.

Rubbing his palms against his thighs, he pulled in a silent cleansing breath. “I don’t have much to tell you because, to my knowledge, nothing’s been done. Which is a shame, frankly, because we’re missing a huge opportunity to build some buzz.”

“How’s that?”

Go big or go home.“We’ve built up a good thing between Fall River and Silver Summit, thanks to Noah and Cantrell’s shared vision. Tourists are pouring in, which gives us momentum and a captive audience. We could be marketing to them, getting them excited about the grand opening with banners and flyers. Retailers thinking about opening businesses might decide to jump early and position themselves close by, which would open up a second area of commerce in town, expanding on the success we’ve seen with Bowen Street’s revival.

“If tourists don’t have plans to return next year, they might change those plans because they want to see the progress for themselves. Meanwhile, they would be telling their relatives, friends, co-workers. Word would spread without us having to spend a whole lot in marketing dollars. If enough buzz builds, then we could grab a feature in one of Denver’s papers and in a publication like5280 Magazine.”

Cantrell flicked his gaze to one of the men seated across the table from Charlie. The man gave him a dip of his head and looked at Charlie. “This is all great for Fall River, but how does it benefit Silver Summit?”

Cantrell leaned forward, placing his weight on his forearms. “After seeing you at dinner the other night, I investigated why progress stalled. When I checked, I found out that we pulled in the reins because this question came up repeatedly.” He glanced over his shoulder at Noah. “I know we agreed to certain performance dates, and I thought we were on track—no pun intended—until Charlie asked for this meeting.” He side-eyed his business partner, but Charlie couldn’t decipher what the look meant. “It’s a valid question.” Cantrell cocked his head at his partner. “Don, care to chime in?”

Don crossed his arms. “We’re not convinced this is where Silver Summit should invest its capital right now.”

Anger kindled in Charlie’s belly. “Silver Summit was sure when you first agreed to the venture. We wouldn’t have signed on the dotted line if we didn’t believe the deadlines were going to be met. You’re flirting with a breach.”

“Deadlines slip all the time. And I might point out that our contract allows for that.” Don gave him an imperious chin lift. “Go read it. We’re not in breach, nor do you have much recourse if an actual breach does occur. Neither side does.”

Charlie bit back his temper and headed in a different direction. “The shuttle buses between Fall River and Silver Summit have been full since Memorial Day. Have you not seen an increase in sales with the added tourist traffic?” If they did, that would incentivize them to get the train going, wouldn’t it?

Cantrell addressed Don. “Does the increased business match our projections?”

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