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Hope led them to the great room, tossing over her shoulder, “Please, call me Hope. This is my husband Alex, and my sister Sara.” Hope and Alex sat together on the loveseat, while Sara took neutral territory in an armchair. Jack took a seat by Dexter on the couch, wanting him to feel as comfortable as possible.
Dexter declined Hope’s offer of a beverage. “Well, I might not be one of those fancy psychics you see on the TV, but I reckon I know what this is about,” Dexter said. “Folks seem real interested in my slip of land lately.”
“You’re right,” Hope said. “We’ve recently learned of someone else interested in that parcel and wanted to talk to you about a competing offer.”
“My son has wanted me to move for years, and I’m not gettin’ any younger. I got an offer from another fellow—pretty eye openin’, it was—but I’m interested in talkin’ to you too.”
“I imagine you can’t divulge the name of the other interested party,” Hope said.
Dexter shook his head. “He said it had to be confidential. Was real hush-hush about it.”
I’ll just bet. Jack and Sara exchanged a look, but remained silent.
“You don’t need to worry about divulging anything,” Hope continued. Jack had thought Alex would take the lead, but he remained quiet, letting Hope do the talking. “All four of us know Wayne Timmons rather well. Too well, unfortunately.”
Dexter’s eyes clouded. “How’s that?”
Hope glanced at Sara before returning her attention to Dexter. “He told my sister about his plans. Did he detail his idea to you?”
The older man shrugged, rubbing one dark, gnarled hand over the other. “He just said he was buildin’ a commercial facility. Goin’ to put it at the tree line so it looked out over the beach.”
Alex snorted at that but kept quiet.
“That’s not exactly true,” Sara said. “He was very forthright with me. He’s planning on building a large spa facility at the edge of the spit, part of it right over the water.”
Dexter frowned, shifting his position. “Not at the edge of the jungle? That can’t be good for the shore there.”
Alex finally spoke up. “It would be an environmental disaster. And Wayne has deep enough pockets to bribe any government officials to look the other way while he destroys everything around the building.”
Hope glanced down before meeting Dexter’s eyes. “It might also destroy us. And not just the competition a big spa like that would bring. We use the coral reef there nearly every day, and we’re working hard to restore it and keep it healthy.”
“I don’t like the idea of him buyin’ my land just to cause problems. That land has been in my family for generations, and the ocean’s a part of me.”
Hope pressed her lips together before speaking, rubbing a hand up her arm. “If you’ll give us an idea of his offer, we can try to match it.”
Dexter slumped. “Well, it was a very nice sum. I’m not tryin’ to make out like a bandit here, but I don’t want to give that land away, either.”
“Of course not.”
“Mr. Timmons said he’d take care of all the paperwork, and all I had to do is sign. He offered me one million dollars.”
Jack's stomach dropped as he whirled toward Dexter. “What?”
“She asked, so I answered. I told you it was a lot of money.”
“Have you discussed this with your son?”
“No! It’s my business, not his.”
Jack was stunned at the low figure. “Dexter, I know almost nothing about real estate, but that figure seems way too low to me.”
Alex and Hope wore matching wide-eyed expressions, then Alex stiffened, his expression growing hard. Hope placed a restraining hand on his arm before turning back to Dexter. “I agree,” Hope said. “We’re prepared to offer you more. Fair market value.”
“You said it yourself, Dexter,” Alex said. “This is your birthright. Make sure you get what it’s worth.”
Dexter’s face creased into a smile. “You people don’t negotiate very well, you know that?”
They all laughed, and Jack rested a hand on his bony shoulder. “We may not be real estate barons, but we all like to sleep at night.”
