Page 52 of The Forever Formula
“Yes, little brother, Rachel’s land. But listen for once, please.”
I dropped my chin in defeat and rolled my eyes, but I let him finish.
“This will be a pure profit deal for Rachel. She doesn’t need all that acreage. She isn’t using it for anything. We would pay her fairly for the use of the land, and could renew the agreement annually.”
“How fair?” I asked him.
“Very. I had an agent do comparables on its value and everything. We’d offer ten percent above average in this area.”
I sat back and grabbed the envelope, turning it around in my hands. Thinking.
It didn’t sound horrible, to be honest. I still wouldn’t push anything on Rachel. But if she wanted to make money, it seemed only fair to offer it to her.
Austen’s face was frozen, his eyebrows halfway up his forehead as he waited. Just to fuck with him, I waited a little longer before giving in.
“All right,” I said.
He sighed obnoxiously and let his shoulders sag in relief. “Finally.”
I held up a hand. “I’ll show this to her. You willnot.”
I said the last part sternly and shot him a warning look.
“But,” I said, and he tensed again, “I will only do so after you’ve apologized for being an asshat.”
He nodded. “Consider it done.”
“So, you’ll head over today?” I asked. “And text me when it’s done?”
“I can’t today, but I’ll do it first thing tomorrow. Got to head all the way over to Temple Creek Brewery to see if I can get a sale locked down.”
I nodded. It was a two-hour drive each way. But it was also three times the size of any other brewery we currently dealt with. If we secured them as a customer, we’d be in a good position for the winter.
“You just keep growing money on trees, and I’ll keep, um, selling that money?” Austen finished, unsure of his metaphor by the end.
I laughed. “Sure thing, brother.”
• • •
Finally, my day was done. I hadn’t heard from Rachel yet, but I wasn’t worried. She was busy crushing it in the home renovation department. If she decided to quit nursing, she might want to try flipping cabins. She definitely had an eye for décor.
I spent a little too much time showering and picking out an outfit. I shouldn’t be so nervous—she’d seen me in pink heart pajama pants last night—but I was.
After speeding the short distance to her place, I pulled in the driveway, my heart soaring in anticipation. That is, until my brain did a double-take at the sight of an unfamiliar SUV. The license plates were from Texas.
Instantly, I got a bad feeling in my gut. Who would have driven here from Texas?
I pulled up near the door where I could see through the window. It was a man, our age. Smiling happily, hell, lovingly, gesturing widely, walking toward Rachel. He wrapped his arms around her.
My heartbeat thumped in my ears and the world went silent around me, all except a high-pitched squealing in my ears.
Was thishim? Her ex? What was his name? Ralph? Roger?
The hug was never-ending. I felt certain in that moment that everything was crashing down around me.
Of course it had been too good to be true with my first love coming back into my life. There was no way. It felt too easy—too right, of course it couldn’t have been real.
Austen had been right all along. Rachel hated it here. Always had. Maybe she’d been fixing the place up to sell to the highest bidder all along.
