Page 61 of Fight for Me
“You have a call,” Devney says as her head pops in my doorway.
“From?”
“A really sexy sounding British guy.”
Milo.
It’s been a week since my house went up for sale. I got an offer and sent it over to Milo to see if I was crazy. It is over asking, but they are a developer and want to split the farm into forty, ten-acre lots and then build big, million-dollar homes that they claim will fit into the small-town appeal of the area.
I’m not really sure how that works since most of the farmhouses here are original. We aren’t close to a major big city, so moving out here isn’t ideal for commuting. It doesn’t seem like a great idea, but what do I know?
“I’ll pick it up, please close the door.” She nods and then clicks it closed. “Milo?”
“Ahh, I knew I was unforgettable. How are things? Anything naughty or new that you want to share about Declan?” His accent slides over his name.
“No, but if there were, I probably wouldn’t tell you.”
“Smart girl.”
I laugh. “Did you get my email?”
“I did, and I actually have my gorgeous and much-too-good-for-me wife sitting here now. She looked over the offer and had her own ideas as well.”
“Oh!” I say excitedly. “Hello, Danielle.”
“Hello, Sydney. It’s great to sort of meet you. I’m sorry I couldn’t go out to your farm when Milo did, but we were in New York visiting our daughter, and I couldn’t slip away. Anyway, I heard a lot about you, plus, I’ve heard bits and pieces from Declan over the years.”
He’s talked about me to her too?
“Darling, you’ll give the girl the wrong idea,” Milo chides. “I’m sure Sydney knows that our Declan is a tortured soul who is the worst sort of a miserable bastard who only complains about women.” He drops to a low voice and says the rest as though it’s through the side of his mouth. “We must give her the wrong idea so she’ll want him more.”
Danielle huffs. “You’re an idiot. She should know that he has thought about her and has at least mentioned her.”
“Yes, butI’vealready done that.”
I smile as the two of them go back and forth.
“Clearly, not well.”
“I’ll give you not well.” Milo’s voice rises just a touch.
“I’m sorry about this,” Danielle returns her attention to me. “We tend to be a little stubborn and argumentative.”
I laugh softly. “I get it. I hate to push this along, but I have court in about an hour—”
“No, no,” Milo steps in. “I went over it, and I understand your hesitation, but really, it won’t be your problem once you sell. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear, but once you sign, you lose the right to dictate the use of the land.”
I sit back in my seat and let that settle over me. I knew all of this, of course. Still, I just hoped it would be a sweet family from Chicago who was tired of the city life and wanted to raise cows and make no money. It’s a charmed life—sort of.
“Are you saying I should take the offer?” I ask.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Milo and Danielle answer the opposite at the same time.
“Sydney,” Danielle begins before he can, “I’m from the States, so I feel more qualified to talk about this than Milo. If you sell, this legacy that you spoke of will be cut up and sold off. Now, you can take this offer, which is a good one, and make a lot of money—”
