Page 346 of The Sinner: James

“I didn’t know if I wanted to move back there, and I made my decision based on what I knew back then. That’s a good business practice too, isn’t it?” I ask, smiling.

“Do you know what else is a good business practice?”

I look at him.

“Thinking ahead,” he says.

“Meaning?”

A smug smile tinges his lips.

I push up on my elbow.

“No. No, you didn’t.”

He tips his chin down.

“Why would you buy my parents’ house?”

“Because it was a good buy. You would’ve known it too had you not been blindsided by your emotions.”

“Oh, please,” I toss at him, grinning. “Are we talking about emotions? You paid two times the value of my company to buy David out.”

He smiles, amused.

“That was different.”

“How?”

“It just was. I got something more valuable than the company,” he says, giving me a soft wink. “And it wasn’t twice as much. Yes, he could’ve asked for more because he knew I’d buy it no matter how ridiculous the price, but he was smart enough not to do it. He wants to do business with me in the future.”

A few moments pass.

“So... About the house. What are you going to do with it?” I ask.

“It’s yours. I didn’t buy it for me, although it was a great deal. I could flip it and resell it for a better price.”

I flick my hand up.

“Whatever…” I say, shifting my eyes away from him, concealing my smile.

He touches my hair, and I shift my focus to him, rest my head on his shoulder and study him.

“What else do you see in the future, Mr. Sexton?”

A warm smile enlivens his eyes.

“You being a very happy woman. Writing books. Messing with other people’s minds.”

I push up on my elbow and shake my head, grinning.

“I’m not messing with people’s minds.”

“Oh, yes, you are.”

“How can you tell? You haven’t even read anything that I have written.”

“Speaking of that… I want to read your new book.”

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