Page 55 of Fall for You
“Their accusations and attempts to encroach on our land was one thing, but to set a fire that killed poor Rose?—”
“Rose?” Eric straightened in his seat. “So, Rose actually died in that fire?”
His father’s sigh was weary. “Yes, of course she did. You knew that. She was their only daughter…and the only one they couldn’t get out before the flames engulfed the entire place. Her mother never got over it.”
Eric rubbed at his temples. “I just…maybe I didn’t retain all of that when you first told me.”
“Well, I guess that’s fair,” his father huffed. “It was generations ago. I’ve just been with your grandfather, and he was reminding me of the story.”
“And…what happened?” he prompted.
“One of the King boys set the fire, and Rose died in the blaze. It broke her parents’ hearts. They never truly recovered. The place was destroyed as well, and the family had no choice but to leave.”
There was a heavy silence.
Eric’s heart started to race as he tried to put it all together.
But it didn’t fit. Not only did the pieces not line up, but it was like he was staring at puzzle pieces from three different jigsaws.
“Which one?” he finally asked.
“Hmm?”
“Which one of the King boys?” His voice sounded strained, but his father didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh. I’m not sure. Never did learn much about their family. Just how they ruined ours.”
Eric barely paid attention to the rest of the call, but he must have made the appropriate sounds, because a minute later his father was hanging up, promising to check in soon.
After the call ended, Eric paced his office. His feet itched to race up to No Man’s Land, but…
Why would Willow be there now? She was probably working.
He glanced at the clock.Heshould be working. But there was a weird excitement coursing through him. A thrill that came with getting a new lead.
He let out a sharp exhale. Heck, maybe he’d read too many detective stories as a kid, because everything in him now wanted to solve this.
And if the answers prove that the Kings own the land?
He flinched. He’d deal with that if the time came. And it would be better to know for certain one way or the other. Right?
His father’s threats about replacing him lingered in the back of his mind, but surely he was just saying all of that to rile Eric up. He knew how to push his buttons to force action. His father was a master manipulator. He always had been.
He headed out of his office, brushing off Sandra’s questions. “I’ll be back,” he threw over his shoulder.
Where was he going? He wasn’t totally sure himself.
Somewhere he might find more answers, or at least another clue.
He was soon heading toward the basement of the lodge. It was mostly storage down there, so far as he knew. But maybe there were some boxes of old family heirlooms, right?
Wrong.
He searched for a good hour before he came back up, his hands covered in dust, his suit rumpled—and with nothing to show for it.
He hesitated at the elevator that would take him to his office. The thought of heading back there and burying his head in work was too dismal to consider. Besides… He consulted the clock on his phone. The workday was nearly over, and he was dying to get outside while there was still sunlight.
Heading through the lobby, he doled out an appropriate amount of polite smiles to guests, gave a few side-eyes to various staff, and one silent warning to the young woman checking her phone behind the front desk. Her cheeks turned scarlet and she quickly tucked the device away before he went out the front door and took the path to his right.
