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"I don’t think anybody else is going to see it that way, River. But regardless, you have to tell Pearl about your plan. That's the only way forward from this point."
"Let me worry about Pearl." I point at Cole. "And no telling Savannah any of this."
He snorts. "I'll give you a couple of weeks to figure out how you're going to tell her. After that, all bets are off. I hate lying to my fiancée."
Rex elbows him. "You should give River some pointers on how to be honest with his woman."
"I doubt he'd listen."
Rex squints off into the distance. "You know, something occurred to me just now."
"They're called thoughts. And they’re perfectly natural," I volley back.
He frowns. "Do you wanna hear my idea or not? I'm not the one getting caught with his pants on fire."
"Sorry." I duck my head. "Go on."
"We should approach the owner of the Atlanta Kings about investing in the project. He has a construction company that could replace Coastal Construction. If we took this to him, and made the offer sweet enough, he would probably take it. And you could make it worth Bishop's while to stay quiet." He gives me a sly grin. "Everybody has their price."
I sit up, my eyes widening. "Holy shit. I would love to be in business with Ray Kendrick."
Rex pulls out his phone, nodding. "He's a rain maker, that's for sure. It seems like an easy lay-up to ask him to be involved in the resort."
Cole chips in, "He'd be mad if we didn't at least ask, wouldn't he?"
Rex nods. "I'll make some phone calls."
Cole pins me in place with his gaze. "And you. Talk to Pearl. This offer is a ticking time bomb. It'll have to get resolved one way or another in the next couple of weeks. You don't want her to be surprised."
Twenty-Eight
Pearl
Everything is ready, Savannah texts me. The players are starting to arrive, so it’s about time for the birthday boy to make an appearance.
I smile and put my phone in the pocket of my dress.
Across the diner booth at Gem’s, I slide my gaze to the birthday boy in question. River is buried in his phone, sending a series of furious texts. I place one hand on his, gently pulling him from la-la-land. “Everything okay?”
He looks up, turns his phone over, and gives me a crooked smile.
“Yeah. Sorry. I got kind of distracted, but this birthday brunch has been awesome.”
I refuse to be suspicious today. After all, it is his birthday, even though I only found out about it because Sarah texted me, asking what our plans for today were.
So I just gloss over his weird behavior.
Maybe his birthday makes him angsty and pouty.
I snake his hand from across the table, squeezing it gently.
“This is unrelated to your birthday. But I wanted you to know that I’m officially ovulating again.”
River cocks his head, a little smirk on his mouth. “Oh yeah? Is that supposed to let me know that I am free to hold up my end of the baby bargain whenever I like?”
“In the next thirty-six hours.” I bite my lip playfully. “I am trying to make this sexy as opposed to scheduled sex.”
“It’s sexy. Trust me.”
