Page 125 of The Last Goodbye

“Glen,” Cutler said, his voice calm and even. “What size hotel are we talking about?”

“Well, that’s waiting on approvals, but the president of the company has already been working on that, and he’s been given the green light to go forward. So we’re planning on going as high as possible. Ten or twelve stories if we can.”

“That’s going to be an eyesore in this town. You know that, right?” I asked. “We don’t have high-rises here. We were told this would be no higher than three stories.”

“Listen, buddy, I don’t make the rules. I’m just the architect. I do the drawings, and that’s what I’ve been asked to do.” He shrugged as he took a step back. “I need to get back to work.”

“Holy shit,” Cutler said as we walked away. “How long do you think this has been in the works?”

I rubbed my jaw as I fought to bite back my anger. “It appears it’s been going on for a while, if they’ve already met about permits and sent the architect out here.”

“Do you think this was always the plan?” he asked, and I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that it bled. The lingering metallic taste filled my mouth.

“Briar would have had to know about it and then blown smoke up my ass to get the deal done,” I said, shaking my head. “That can’t be possible. That would mean everything has been a lie from the beginning.”

“Dude, don’t go down that path. That is not what I meant.” He exhaled, but I could see the panic there. “I just meant that maybe she was in the dark.”

I nodded. I knew Briar, and this didn’t add up.

But Winchester Investments was a family business, and maybe she’d been pressured to keep it quiet.

That little voice in my head was there, the one that had grown up being lied to. The one that had doubted this project from the beginning, knowing it was too good to be true.

I pulled out my phone and texted her.

I’m at the restaurant, and I just met the new architect who’s planning to build a giant monstrosity here. Said that his company has bought the place from your company. Did you know about this?

Three little dots moved across the screen, and I waited.

And then they disappeared.

Fuck me.

Had I been played the whole time?

Maybe none of this was real.

thirty

​. . .​

Briar

I set the phone down and turned my attention back to my father. I couldn’t explain this to Bass right now. I needed to speak to him in person.

I’d barely slept. I’d stayed up late after my flight as Denton filled me in on what was going on.

My father had been given an offer for the premier land that we’d purchased in Blue Sky Bay.

Land that I’d spent months trying to find, and then even more time putting a plan together that would be profitable for the company, and a good idea for the small town we were investing in.

Denton hadn’t been privy to all the details, but he knew enough to know that my father was in discussions with K&R Properties. They’d flown in for a meeting yesterday, and he’d overheard them talking about their plans.

He’d called me immediately, which I appreciated.

So here we were today, confronting our father, who had shown up to the office hours late this morning, knowing we were waiting here to meet with him.

“We had a plan, one that I proposed to the clients we’ve purchased from.” My voice shook as I spoke, while my hands knotted in my lap. “They wouldn’t have sold it to us if they knew that we were going to build a twelve-story high-rise in the middle of their quaint downtown.”