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“For one season. Yeah, I’ve been back for about three years.” I took a sip of my beer. “What about you? Where have you been?”
“In Manhattan, mainly. I spent some time abroad after college, but I’ve been back stateside for about four years now.”
“And, so French, is that…?”
“Ex-husband. Our divorce was finalized yesterday.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I didn’t mean it to sound like that. It’s just…” She exhaled slowly again. “We weren’t right for each other. We got together when we were young, had a child, and, you know, grew apart.”
“You have kids?”
“One. A daughter. Kendall. She’s about to be twelve.”
She was the same age as AJ. “Wow, so you were what, eighteen when you had her?”
“Yeah.”
“That is young.”
She nodded, and Mauve came over and took our orders. The rest of the dinner was filled with more catching up. We mostly talked about old schoolmates and teachers. It was nice, but I didn’t get the sense that she was flirting with me. Which was great, but I was left a little confused as to why she’s spent five grand on a dinner with me.
When the bill came, we both reached for it.
“I’ve got it,” I insisted. I felt like it was the least I could do.
“No, it’s on me. It’s a business expense.”
“A business expense?” I repeated.
“Yes.” She reached into her bag and retrieved a large white envelope, then slid it across the table to me.
When I pulled out the documents inside, I saw that the letterhead read ACF Holdings. This was the developer who had been trying to get Grandad to sell his land.
I looked back up at Ariana. “You’re ACF Holdings?”
“Ariana Culpepper French, A-C-F. I’ve been trying to speak to your grandfather for months, but he’s stonewalling me.”
Now everything made sense. The five grand for dinner. The non-flirty vibe. The business expense.
“Since he won’t speak to me, I decided to bring this to you. It’s a good offer, and it’s negotiable.” She placed three hundred dollar bills in the black bill folder and stood. “Look it over and let me know if you have any questions. It was nice seeing you again.”
It was more than a ‘good offer.’ It was at least twenty grand over what the property was worth. And that was a lot to think about.
21
DAPHNE
“You look ravishing!”Davina raved as she wrapped a piece of my hair around her curling wand for a quick hair touchup on my beach waves.
“Thanks to your magic.” I knew that my lack of sleep over the past week was starting to show. My slumber-less nights were not entirely my fault. I found myself tossing and turning every night, listening for pebbles to hit my window. They never did.
“When your canvas is perfection, it’s hard to mess it up.”
