Page 78 of Outside Looking In

The contract had been sitting on Liam’s desk ever since they came over, staring at him in the morning and whenever he worked on freelance graphic design projects after an exhausting day in the field, his fingers barely able to type.

“We need a decision immediately,” Callum said. “Grates is breathing down my neck, and his investors are breathing down his neck.”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“You’ve thought about it enough, Piglet. Are you in or out?” Oliver asked, only wanting one answer.

“I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Unfortunately, tomorrow isn’t good enough,” Callum said. “He needs an answer tonight.”

“It’s quite a big decision.”

“You’ve had more than enough time.” Callum moved to a cocktail table and motioned for his brothers to follow him. He pulled out a copy of the contract with a pen and slid it across the table to Liam.

“You brought this with you?” Liam asked.

“We knew you’d be here,” Callum said.

“Is that the only reason you decided to support your niece?”

His brothers remained coy. Liam fumed silently, furious on Mark’s behalf, and his own.

“You don’t need to read it over. You’ve already read it,” Oliver said.

“I’m not going to sign something without reading it.” Liam scanned through the contract, but the dry legalese wore him down, as did his brothers staring at him. He needed Nathan here. He would have a sharp remark to hurl back at him.

But Nathan wasn’t around.

“Who’re you looking for?” Callum asked. “Once you sign, I’ll talk to Mark after the show. He said he’ll do it if you do it. He’s a good big brother.”

Liam tried reading the terms, but he kept thinking about the good memories he had of working the farm, and how those memories now included Nathan.

“Look, bro, I didn’t want to do it this way, but time is of the essence,” Callum said. “Do you really want to be working the farm until it kills you, like it did Mum and Dad?”

More people crowded into the lobby, filling the tables around them. Their chatter bounced off the walls. His brothers kept staring at him. He craned his neck around for a sign of Nathan.

“Hold on one second,” Liam said.

“What? No! You have to sign,” James said.

“You’re ambushing me.”

“We’re not putting a gun to your head, Piglet,” Oliver said.

“Stop calling me Piglet!” Liam immediately lowered his voice so as not to attract attention. He did his best to tune out the noise and pressure and tried reading the contract. Maybe this was the right move.

He kept hearing Nathan’s words from their stroll in Wellington. He chose this life for a reason. Before he could ruminate further, something caught his eye in the contract.

Musket Development Group.

Nathan had pointed it out to him.Make sure you know what you’re signing.

“Who is this Musket Development Group? I thought the deal was with Grates Realty.”

“It is. Musket is a division of the company.”

“But wouldn’t that be made clear in the contract?”