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Her words aren’t what I was expecting, and it takes me a moment to process them.
“What?” I smile nervously. “No, that can’t be right.” I look at Mina and then out the window to Dean and Dylan, arguing in the yard, and then back at Mina.
“I swear that’s what he said.” Mina sounds so sure, and my heart begins to race. “They’re planning to build condos or something.”
“No,” I repeat. “That doesn’t make any sense.” This can’t be true.
“Doesn’t it, though?” Mina wipes a stray tear from her face with a fist. “Dean was so obsessed with owning a plot on this land, and when Grandpa beat him to the punch, he jumped to the next best thing and got the property next door. Why do you think that is? Because he wanted a foot in the game when it came to buying up everything else.”
“But—”
Mina cuts me off. “And you’ve said it yourself how strange it is that they never seemed to fully move in. They’re obviously only in this for the short-term gain of tearing all of our beautiful homes and farms down to build a bunch of tacky buildings for rich people to live in.”
“Are you sure you didn’t hear him wrong?” But dread is already forming in my gut.
“Pretty sure,” Mina says, sniffling.
I squeeze her shoulder. “I’ll go talk to Dean.” Because this can’t be right, Mina must have misunderstood. What kind of man would sweet talk his way into my—into our lives, only to tear it down around us?
I head outside and see Dean standing in front of the barn. He’s running his hand through his hair, and from the looks of it, it isn’t the first time. Dylan is nowhere to be seen.
“Hey,” I say from behind him, with one arm crossed over my chest and supporting the other as I use my hand to keep the sun out of my eyes.
Dean turns his face towards me.
I haven’t seen him since the whole girlfriend debacle. And he looks good in a white t-shirt that looks painted to his muscular chest, and jeans that highlight his slim waist and thick thighs. I mentally grab myself by the shoulders and shake. Now is not the time to be thinking about how handsome this guy looks.
“We need to talk,” I say.
“I know.” He doesn’t look happy, and the dread inside me grows. “Shall we go over to mine?”
“Fine.” It’s best we don’t do this in front of Grandpa Bob or Mina.
“I’ll be right back,” I holler.
Grandpa holds up a gloved hand and waves, smiling. “Sounds good.”
I follow Dean into his house.
“So, I’m assuming Mina told you what Dylan said,” Dean says, as soon as the door is shut.
“Yes,” I admit, crossing my arms over my chest again. “How did you know?”
“I overheard them,” he says. He’s looking everywhere—at the faded green stove, at the rustic wood table, at the fridge humming away in the corner. Everywhere except at me.
“Okay,” I say, my voice starting to get angry. “Well, is it all true?”
“Part of it,” Dean admits.
“Which. Part?” I ask, the words coming through clenched teeth.
“The one about me buying this place as an investment.”
“Okay…” So maybe Mina did misunderstand. Maybe Dean isn’t out to buy our land.
“We haven’t fully moved in because I don’t know how long we’re going to hold onto it.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
