Chapter 4 THE DEAL

NICHOLAS' POV

I gave myself a mental shake. What was going on? I have been thinking about her a lot lately.

My phone rang, and I took it from my pocket. William was calling again. I answered. "What happened to the twenty minutes?"

"Stop giving me that tone and listen. Things are unraveling Mark Everertt willed Echo Pines to his niece, Anny Everett and now she's hesitating on following through with the agreement that we made with him before he died."

"And?"

"And we're not going to miss out on buying this property. Jade Valley, that new mountain resort I told you about, the one that's near the southern border of Tennessee? The place is making a killing, but they're also turning down reservations because they keep getting booked up, and a good portion of their guests are coming from Georgia. Echo Pines is in a perfect position to pick up the slack. It doesn't matter whether we renovate Echo for ourselves or sell it, we'll make money. It's too good of a deal to pass up."

"It's not the right investment for William man Partners," I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Don't give me that. The only reason you're against this investment idea is because it reminds you of Sagamore Resort,"

Mild annoyance sparked in me, "My objection has nothing to do with my past but everything to do with the present. First, a mountain lodge doesn't fit in with our current investments. Second, you were on your way to look at another mountain lodge when your plane crashed. Now, just before signing the contract to sell Echo Pines to us, Mark Everett dies of a heart attack. The idea has had bad mojo attached to it from day one. How much more needs to happen before you realize we should walk away?" I argued.

"The crash was an accident, and Everett dying was unfortunate, but neither one of those facts negates the opportunity. Echo Pines is a low-cost acquisition and should be an easy close. Based on what we know about Anny's financial situation, she needs the money."

"Fine. If it's just a matter of her getting paid, have our people deliver the contract on Monday. It won't take much to get a signature once she sees the revised documents with her name and a dollar amount on them."

"Or she's having doubts and thinking about consulting a lawyer. If she does, everything becomes more complicated. I have a bad feeling about this. We are not waiting until Monday. We need a skilled negotiator to lock her down this weekend."

"We are not spearheading this one. You are." I dropped down on the couch. "Fly out there and get it done."

"I can't." William's long exhale filled the pause. "I need to spend time with Emily like I promised her I would. I'm still committed to NW International but she's important to me too. I want to make her happy. I know this is a switch for me, but I just don't want to mess things up between us. I'm planning to propose in a couple of weeks. Mom's giving me our grandmother's ring . . ."William really was serious.

Our mom wouldn't have agreed to hand over the five-carat family heirloom if she didn't believe his head and heart were in the right place with Emily.

I let my head fall onto the back of the couch. Wow... Before Emily, William chased women like a thirsty man hunting for water in the desert. Now he was ready for marriage and all the other things that came with it. That was a huge switch for him. Especially since, Eight years ago, William had struggled to grasp the situation with Amelia.

Back then, William had told him losing her was the cost of doing business and advised him to let it go. I had resented William not being on his side, but at that point in his life, William hadn't been a fan of commitment, so I had forgiven him.

Remembered disillusionment surfaced in me. That day at the resort also squashed my trust in our father. A couple of years after I had lost Amelia, whatever remaining faith I had in him was obliterated when one of Sebestian's jilted lovers resorted to blackmail over their workplace affair.

That led I and William to leave our father and chestfield industries behind to form NW International. That had happened five years ago, and a rift had existed between us ever since. I breathed the memories away. I had to let the past go and live in the present.

On seeing that I wasn't saying anything, William continued mounting his defense, "Emily wants to throw a party for my thirty-fourth birthday. That's when I'm going to ask her. I need to have Echo Pines off my plate before then."

That was only three weeks away...I sighed. William and I 's business prowess had removed them from our father's influence professionally, making us successful in our own right.

Maybe William and Emily's marriage would be a positive step toward the same in their personal lives, ending the Chesterfield men's legacy of broken promises and failed relationships...I thought as I stood up from the couch.

More importantly, William and Emily deserved a shot at happiness and I would do all I could to support them, "How soon do you want me to leave?"