Page 36 of Meant to Be

Something in me just wanted to make sure she was still there. Still around. That she hadn’t run yet. I’d never taken Kay for the skittish type, but I’d obviously been off on that assessment. Now that she was back, something was driving me to see to it that she stayed close.

Shaking off those thoughts, I pressed the answer button on my phone.

“Yeah, Aaron. I’m on my way.” I didn’t even give him time to ask.

“I’m at the office.”

“See you in ten. I’ll make it short and sweet.” I damn sure wasn’t going to keep it short on his behalf. I had shit of my own I needed to sort out. I hung up and directed the driver to take me to Townsend Industries. Aaron wasn’t going to like what I had to tell him but I wasn’t about to sugarcoat anything.

“What the hell is this?”

I peered across the table, staring my brother directly in the eye. Aaron and I weren’t biological brothers, but out of the four of us, he and I looked the most alike. Aaron was actually my cousin but had been adopted by my parents after his died in a car accident. He and I both had dark hair and the signature Townsend freckles, but he had about an inch on my six foot one frame, and whereas his eyes were hazel, mine were green. And at that moment, his hazel irises were burning a death glare into mine. I felt his same anger at the file I’d just pushed across the table for him to look at.

“Exactly what it says. It’s the security report from the incident a few weeks back.”

“And you’re saying your early departure to Washington was the result of even more sabotage?”

I nodded, blowing out a breath. Sitting back in the leather chair at the wooden conference table, I folded one leg over the other, masking my growing agitation at the situation. “Appears so. Initially, I believed the sellers were backing out because the deal wasn’t to their liking.”

“But?”

“But, it became clear in talking to them they’d gotten some false information.”

“What type of information?”

“The kind that made them believe Townsend Real Estate uses subpar equipment and materials to construct our homes.”

Aaron’s frown deepened as he sat forward. I could see the next question forming already so I decided to answer before it was even asked.

“And why would they even care about something like that?” I asked for him. “Because, they were also given the impression that having been the company that sold us the land, if any injuries were to occur, they could also be held liable.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Not really.” I shook my head. “There’s a precedence for this type of thing. A case in which a former landowner was also held responsible for injuries sustained after they sold a property. I don’t know all of the details but it showed that they could’ve been held responsible.”

“How the fuck is that even legally acceptable?”

I shrugged. “Lawyers.”

“You should’ve went to law school to understand all of this shit.”

“No thanks. I was too busy learning the ins and outs of real estate. Ty, he’s the one you need to blame for not going into law.”

Aaron grunted.

“Anyway, the real problem is someone is going around spreading the bullshit about Townsend using subpar materials for our constructions. That’s the shit that if it gets out to the public could be a disaster.”

“It’s not true, right?”

I angled my head, glaring at my brother. Now, he was just pissing me off. “Who the fuck do you think I am?”

“Just wanted to see your reaction.”

I narrowed my gaze.

“I know you wouldn’t jeopardize the Townsend name like that.”

“You better know it. Anyway, I was able to straighten the confusion out and prove to Jensen Industries that all of our shit was on the up and up. They finally signed the papers. The property is ours. And the permits are back in the application stage. It’ll take longer than we’d hoped but we’ll get them.”