Page 59 of Trouble Me
He did, and her heart raced again. It was enough to pay off the house, the land, and replenish the savings she’d drained to pay off the old debts her parents left behind. She wouldn’t have to sell any more of her art.
But while all of that was the easy way to do it, it wasn’t what she wanted. Emma wanted to keep the house that her parents had left in the trust they’d set up for her years ago. She wanted to resurrect the B&B that had once thrived, and people had enjoyed. The area was becoming more and more of a destination for tourists. It was a great time to get back into the game.
Emma couldn’t go back to the lifestyle she had before. It would kill her. Literally. More to the point, she didn’twantto go back to that life. She loved being back in Madison Ridge and in the home she had memories in. It was something she wanted to share with others. Maybe she could even talk with Shane about discount tours with the winery.
Tim cleared his throat and brought her back to the conversation at hand. “Look, Ms. Reynolds. I can tell you that it is a legitimate offer, if that’s what you’re worried about. I can tell you who the buyer is if you’d like. I also know that there are some issues concerning the mortgage. Correct?”
Anger surged in Emma, but she kept a tight rein on it. “The house is not for sale,” she responded through gritted teeth.
The man sighed. “All I’m saying is that for the area and the property, the offer is above fair market value. Way above. And they aren’t even asking for repairs.”
“What part of ‘no’ did you not understand? The house is not for sale.” She spoke slowly, as if talking to a dim-witted child. “Tell your buyer thanks, but no thanks. Now, lose my number.” Emma stabbed the red button to end the phone call and tossed the phone on her desk, where it clattered loudly.
When there was a knock at the door, she bit back a frustrated scream. She needed a damn minute to think. “Yes?” she said, her tone a shade too sharp. She was going to feel really bad if it was Lindsey on the other side of that door.
Noah leaned his head in. “Hey, you okay?”
“Hey,” she responded. “I thought you’d left.” Emma rubbed at a spot over her breastbone, the burn behind it making her feel like someone had lit a torch inside her.
“I got tied up with the electrician. But I saw you hightail it up here on the phone, and you looked pissed.”
Emma sighed. “I’m not really pissed. Just frustrated and confused.”
Noah walked in and closed the door behind him before leaning against it, his arms folded across his chest. “What’s going on?”
“Someone wants to buy my property.” Emma stood and began pacing the floor behind her desk, hands on her hips, her head bent. As she walked back and forth, she stared down at her open-toed heels without really seeing them. When Noah stayed silent, she rushed on. “They want to buy it, sight unseen. No repairs necessary. And the offer...well the offer is ridiculous. Who buys something for that kind of money, sight unseen?”
“Well, what is it?”
He whistled long and low when she told him. “Holy shit, Emma. That’s...”
“I know.” She stopped pacing and stood behind her desk, facing him. “Noah, that land has been in the Reynolds family for generations. And with all the times that my dad almost gambled it away, but my parents managed to hang on to it, I’m not going to just hand it over. I don’t care how much they give me.”
“On the other hand, if you sell it,” Noah began calmly, “you will get out from under the maintenance it takes to keep the place up and having to pay the back mortgage payments.” He crossed the room and hitched a hip on the edge of her desk. “And it does mean something, Emma. It means your parents were able to save it in the nick of time. But let’s be honest. They didn’t save it as a legacy to the Reynolds family. They saved it to keep it going as a B&B.”
He looked away from her, a shadow of emotion crossing his face before he turned back to her. “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead. Plus, they were your parents. But there were some deep-seated issues between your father and the rest of the Reynolds clan. I don’t pretend to know what happened decades ago. And I’m sure some of the tension died with both of our fathers. It’s probably fair to say Uncle Charles and Aunt Emily aren’t going to talk about it. My mother won’t talk about it either.”
“I’m aware of all that. But I have plans for the place. Plans for my future there. It’s more than just trying to save a past, Noah.” They stared at each other for a moment. She pursed her lips. “You think I should sell, don’t you?”
Noah pushed off the desk and moved his shoulders in a shrug. “If I were in your shoes, hell yes. But I’m not. I can only give you the facts of what I see. The fact is, you’re struggling to maintain that house, and you’ve spent your life’s savings and then some to keep it from being taken over by the bank again. You’ve already sacrificed a helluva lot to keep four walls and some earth.”
She sat down heavily and leaned her head against the chair back. “I’ll be honest with you. The way my life was going before my accident, I was bound to lose my business eventually. As strange as it sounds, falling down the stairs was the best thing that ever happened to me, even though it nearly killed me.” She paused and glanced over at him. “I can’t go back to the life I had before. Madison Ridge is my home. I also know I can’t work for KVN forever.” Especially given the fact that she’d gone and fallen in love with the heir of the company. But she’d keep that little tidbit to herself.
Noah’s brows drew down. “What does keeping the house have to do with that?”
“I’m going to reopen the B&B. Eventually.”
Noah’s eyes widened for a moment. “I didn’t realize that’s what you wanted to do. Well, you’ve got some mountains to climb to get there.” He stood and looked down at her. “But if anyone can do it, it’s you. I’ll help how I can when you’re ready.” His eyes studied her. “What are the odds you’ll get the mortgage payments in on time?”
Emma blew out a breath and glanced down at the red X’s lining the boxes on her calendar. “It’s not a complete long shot. But I’m sweating it.”
“You know I can always—”
Emma wagged a finger at him. “No. Absolutely not. I already told you I’m not taking money from you. Now get out of here. I have work to do.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I gotta go anyway.” He stopped after he pulled open the door. “Just out of curiosity, who’s the broker?”
“Tim Ford. Hattersley Brokers.”
