Page 7 of Take This Heart (Windy Harbor #1)
CHAPTER SIX
FAMILY TIES
MILO
Fuck. I can’t believe Everett has cancer. Why does it always happen to the good ones?
I’m out on the deck, looking at the lake and trying to give Everett and his family privacy, when my phone buzzes in my hand. It’s my uncle.
Of course it is.
I glance back through the big windows where the Whitmans sit inside. Goldie’s silhouette stands out the most, perched on the arm of the couch, one knee pulled up, a wine glass dangling from her fingers. She’s laughing at something her brother said, her head tipping back, and my gut twists.
I’m glad she’s laughing. It hurt to see the tears falling down her cheeks earlier.
I ignore the call, but it just rings again a few seconds later.
I answer.
“Milo!”
“Hey, Bruce,” I mutter, already regretting answering.
“What, I’m not Uncle Bruce anymore?”
“I think I stopped calling you that the first time I did a job with you.”
He chuckles. “Fair enough. I miss it though. Any updates? You had your meeting yet? What’s the scoop?”
I stare at the stars reflected in the black water below. I rub the back of my neck, feeling like I might be sick.
“You said the land you were interested in was farther north,” I say. “Not Windy Harbor.”
“Same difference,” he says breezily. “Just nudge the guy. Tell him it’ll be too expensive, too much work to restore.”
“You didn’t say it was this land,” I say again, my voice rough.
My heart hammers against my ribs. I hear the echo of Everett’s voice earlier today, talking about how much this place means to him.
How he wants to leave it better than he found it.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was the Whitmans you were bidding against? ”
Bruce’s laugh grates in my ear. “Didn’t know it mattered.”
“I get the impression that there’s a lot of tension between you and Everett and I find it suspicious that you didn’t tell me any of this.”
He barks out a laugh and my skin crawls. “Where have you been, Milo? Can you seriously say you know nothing about the Whitman/Granger divide?”
I frown and start pacing. “What are you talking about?”
He sighs. “Goddamn it, Milo. This goes way back. And if you want to be part of this family, you’ll help me put the Whitmans in their place once and for all.”
“No, I don’t want any part of whatever this is.”
“Too late. You were part of this before you were ever born.”
“This is ridiculous. Everett’s a good man. And business is business. I’m not going to ruin my reputation over some silly family feud.”
“This goes deeper than that.”
He hangs up and I stare at my phone in confusion.
The stars blur, and for a second, the ground feels like it’s tipping. I sit heavily on one of the deck chairs, dropping my head into my hands.
This is a goddamn disaster.
Everett Whitman has cancer.
It’s awful. On the outside, the man seems to be the epitome of good health. And he’s certainly loved. Through the window, his family still looks like they’re on the brink of tears. Goldie’s face went white when she heard, like someone punched her.
No one but Everett knew until today.
I shouldn’t be here. The asshole who’s been working against them without even realizing it. The enemy.
I rake my hands through my hair, tugging hard, like pain might help this make sense.
I was so damn eager for the project. Speaking to Everett yesterday before the family arrived, he’d gotten me fully invested. Now that I’ve seen the property, I feel even more so.
Bruce is my mom’s brother. He’s a complicated man and we rarely see eye to eye, but when he mentioned an exciting opportunity to revitalize underused lakefront land up north, I didn’t see any reason to not pursue it. I had no idea he wanted this land.
And what the fuck is the Whitman/Granger divide?
The door creaks open behind me.
Light footsteps and a soft, familiar scent drifts on the breeze.
Goldie.
“Hey,” she says, voice cautious.
I force myself to turn and meet her gaze. Her eyes search mine.
“You okay?” she asks. “You don’t have to stay out here.”
“I know. I just…didn’t want to intrude. I’m really sorry about your dad.”
Her face softens, her eyes filling with tears. She wraps her arms around herself. “It’s serious, but there’s treatment. Hopefully they caught it in time.”
I stare out at the dark water, guilt tightening around my ribs until it’s hard to breathe.
I hope there’s time for Everett to do all he dreams of doing.
If no one rips it out from under him.
“I’m sorry,” I say again, running a hand through my hair. “I just…need some air.”
“You’re already outside,” she says gently.
But she doesn’t stop me when I go.
I pace down the steps, gravel crunching under my boots, the air slamming into my overheated skin.
I fish out my phone again, thumb hovering over Bruce’s name.
Calling him won’t fix it.
I turn in a slow circle, heading back to the house. I don’t know what to do. I need to find out more about our families and what Bruce plans to do. Maybe I can encourage him to look elsewhere for land. Bruce is an ass, but he’s powerful. He’s got lawyers on standby. I need to think this through.
The door creaks as I step inside. The conversation has quieted, everyone scattered around the room, tired and heavy from the news.
Goldie’s standing at the fireplace, staring at an old photo on the mantel. It’s of her as a little girl, hair in pigtails, sitting on her dad’s shoulders.
God, the way she looks at him. Like he’s her hero.
I swallow hard.
Everett’s sitting in his recliner, a blanket draped over his lap. I don’t know if it’s the heaviness of what he’s shared with his family or if it’s the sickness, but all too quickly, he looks exhausted and pale.
I make my way over, heart hammering.
“Everett?” I say quietly.
He looks up, eyes sharp despite the weariness dragging his face down.
“Count me in. For all of it. Whatever you need. With the property. With your plans. I want to help as much as you want.”
His face breaks out into a huge smile. “Thank you, Milo. It’s great to have you officially onboard.”
I have no idea how I’m going to clear this up with Bruce, but I meet Everett’s gaze and say the one thing I know is true.
“You believe in this place and I believe in you.”
He claps his hand on my shoulder. “All right then. I believe in you too. Have from day one.”
Later, after the house is quiet, I can’t sleep.
I sit on the deck with my laptop open, light from the screen making me squint.
I go back through all the emails from Bruce.
There’s nothing in there about this particular piece of property, so that must be a relatively new development.
I just hope and pray that Everett gets this land, not Bruce.
If Goldie thought I was an opportunist out to squash history with the new and flashy, she’ll really despise my uncle’s vision.
He’ll have gold statues leading to the golden brick path to a massive resort if he gets his hands on it.
A crack of light shines across the deck, and I hear the door shut.
Goldie pads out, barefoot in leggings and a hoodie. Her hair’s loose, haloed by the moonlight. She curls into the chair next to me without speaking.
We sit in silence for a long time, the waves lapping against the rocks.
Finally, she says, “Thank you.”
I look at her, startled. “For what?”
Her smile is small and sad. “For being here. I know my dad must really like you for him to invite you here this weekend while the rest of us are here. It says a lot that he wants you around. He doesn’t allow just anyone in…”
I swallow hard, feeling like there’s a stone in my chest.
“He’s a good man,” I say.
“The best.”
“The best,” I echo.
I ache to reach out and touch her, reassure her, but I fight it. We sit there for a long time, watching the stars burn holes in the sky.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I finally ask.
She startles slightly. “Too much on my mind.”
“You don’t have to carry it all alone, you know,” I say.
She turns to look at me, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “Maybe you’re not so bad. Dare I hope that you’re going to stop this foolishness about Spoonbridge and Cherry?”
“Oh, my plans haven’t changed, but we don’t need to worry about that tonight.”
“What a disappointment.” Her eyes flash and she gets up and walks away.
Dammit, why does this woman get to me?