39. James
CHAPTER 39
JAMES
“I don’t give a damn about federal emissions regulations!” Rupert barks into his phone in the passenger seat of Trey’s Lexus. “I’m losing thousands of dollars every day they drag this out!”
My father has half a dozen projects currently in development, several of which are currently being held up for legal reasons, so I’m not sure which property his call is about. It doesn’t really matter to me, though. I’ve been doing my job and keeping my head down, but for the most part I go home every night and I don’t think about anything that happened during the day. As my father continues to tear into whoever else is on the line with him, I stare out the window from the backseat, thinking about the dining room table I had been working on before I shut the doors of my shop. It’s been talking to me for days, and as hard as I try to ignore it, I can’t help seeing the legs clearly in my mind, thinking about the technique I’d use to carve them into smooth, glossy spirals and seamlessly attach them to the tabletop. I initially thought the spirals came to me out of nowhere, but as I’m picturing the table legs again now, I realize that they remind me of the spiraling metal of Fred’s bird cage.
It doesn’t take much to bring my thoughts back to Hallie. It’s been almost a week since I saw her last and she pops into my head many times a day. I’m not sure if I want to hold onto the idea of her or forget about her altogether. It’s too painful to keep her in my heart, but I just don’t think I’m ready to let her go.
The city skyline has long faded into the distance behind us and the highway has cleared out. Trey pushes the Lexus up over eighty, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to whatever song he has in his head. The car is silent except for the periodic snarls from my father’s end of the call. He was already in a bad mood before we left San Francisco, and now it seems like it’s only gotten worse. Neither of us are excited to be headed up to the Evans’ camp property, but for very different reasons.
To my father, it’s a waste of his time. To me, it’s a disappointment. This is not how I ever thought I would be meeting Hallie’s family. When I pictured it, which I did several times during the short period we were together, I had thought it would be as Hallie’s boyfriend…maybe as something more. It didn’t take long for me to be able to picture a future with Hallie; being with her felt so right. I was sure that she was the one who was worth lowering my guard for. I thought I could be myself and care about someone again. But then everything went so wrong and now I’m meeting the Evanses as Rupert Sinclair’s son.
I still don’t know what happened between us, and it’s tearing me apart. If I did something wrong, I want to apologize and explain and try to win her back. If I hurt her somehow, then I want to get down on my knees and tell her I’m sorry. But I don’t have any idea why she changed her mind about me. I thought I had convinced her that I didn’t have anything to do with my father, but she suddenly seemed so certain that I was just pretending to have feelings for her. I wish I could make her see that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The landscape becomes more rural and as we come around a bend in the highway, the enormous lake, set in a valley between two rolling hills, glitters in the distance. I can see why the property is so valuable. It’s not only breathtakingly beautiful, but it’s secluded, too. At least I was able to save this land for Hallie’s family. I know that will make her happy, and when you love someone, isn’t that what’s most important? That they are happy? It feels right, even though I can’t conjure any of that happiness for myself. All I know at this point is that I am completely and utterly miserable.
“Steven, set up a call with Senator McKinley,” Rupert demands, talking to his assistant who must be on the line as well. “I need him on this.”
As my father hangs up his phone, he lets out a growl of dissatisfaction, making me cringe. Going to the camp with my father was never going to be a pleasant experience, but with the mood he’s in, I’m sure it will be even more awkward than I anticipated.
“We’re almost there,” Trey says.
“I still don’t understand why the lawyers aren’t handling this,” Rupert grumbles. “Why do I have to waste my time driving all the way up here? I’m signing over the damn land; that should be enough.”
“It won’t take long,” Trey insists. “Then we can stop for some lunch and head back to San Francisco.”
“I shouldn’t have to do this at all,” Rupert snorts in reply.
The closer we get, the more I worry about my father being a total asshole to Hallie’s father. He’s already pissed off about the call, the drive, and having to come out to the camp to sign the contracts. I’m nervous that he’s going to get into it with Mark and blow the deal we set up. This is all I have left of my time with Hallie, and I don’t want her to hate me even more than she already does. And yet, as we finally pull up to the gates of the camp, my anxiety fades away and I’m mesmerized by the scenery around us. The lake is in full view now and there is a thick forest of trees to the east that further cloak the camp from the outside world. It’s even more beautiful than Hallie described.
“This was a huge mistake,” Rupert groans, shaking his head in the front seat. “I can’t believe I agreed to this. It’s a total waste of good lakefront property! Imagine the money we’d make with a resort. We could clear out these trees and put in a luxury spa, two, maybe three saltwater pools, lakeside cabanas…”
He turns around and looks at me with fury in his eyes.
“This was a huge mistake!”
“A deal is a deal,” I say calmly, meeting his gaze.
“Yes, I know,” he says, turning forward again, only to then glance back at me over his shoulder, his finger pointed at me. “But you need to remember that as well, my boy. Don’t get any ideas once these papers are signed.”
I scoff, shaking my head as I look out the window. I’m a man of my word, but the thought of quitting as soon as we get back to San Francisco did cross my mind. I would never go through with it though. Like I told the old man, a deal is a deal.
The main building of the camp is a log cabin with an A frame roof and a wraparound porch. A man and a younger woman who I assume are Mark and Sadie are standing on the steps waiting for us, but as Trey parks the car, I realize it’s not Sadie, but Hallie standing with her father. My heart comes to a full stop as I stare at her out the window, and it takes a second for me to catch my breath. I had no idea she’d be here, or else I would never have agreed to come. She made it clear that she never wants to see me again and I intended to respect her wishes. She is going to be furious that I came along, but Trey told me that as one of the signatories on the deal, I needed to be here in person as well. I certainly wasn’t trying to infringe on Hallie’s space. I hope she doesn’t think I designed this as a way to see her again.
“Let’s get this over with,” Rupert grunts as he takes off his seatbelt and opens the car door.
Trey and I get out after him, following him to the main building where Mark and Hallie are making their way down the steps to meet us. My father and Mark lock eyes, coming face to face for the first time in decades, but neither of them says a word. I know how stubborn my father can be and there’s no way he’ll make the first move, so I inhale slowly, prepared to initiate the conversation. Before I can introduce myself or Trey, however, Hallie steps in first.
“Thank you all for making the trip out here,” she says.
At first I keep my gaze down, not wanting to do or say anything to offend her, but when I feel her eyes on me, I look up to find her smiling warmly. My heart skips a beat and I’m not sure what to do, whether to smile back or look away. Is she just being professional, keeping our personal relationship out of the deal, or is this indicative of something more?
“Mr. Sinclair, I’m Hallie Evans,” she continues, extending her hand to my father. “Would you care for a tour of the camp?”
“That’s not necessary,” Rupert replies, quickly shaking Hallie’s hand. “I’ve been here before. I’m well aware of what a prize this land is.”
“It has certainly helped hundreds of children,” Hallie replies, her smile widening.
I can feel my father tense up next to me and I’m sure he wants to tell her what a better use of the land would be, but before he can say anything negative, my brother suggests we sign the papers.
“Right this way,” Mark replies, gesturing to the lodge.
We file inside the building, passing briefly through the dining hall before we make our way down the hall to a small office, just big enough for the five of us to sit around a desk. As we get situated, I can’t help glancing over at Hallie, wanting to pull her aside and talk to her. It wasn’t my intention of coming here, but as long as we’re together, I feel like I should take advantage of the situation and find out what went wrong. I couldn’t make things any worse than they already are.
“I assume you arranged for a notary?” Trey asks as he pulls the contracts out of his briefcase.
“I did not,” Mark replies, crossing his arms over his chest.
Trey pauses for a moment, glancing briefly over at Hallie before reaching for his phone in his pocket.
“That’s okay, I’m sure we can find someone,” Trey says, already scrolling.
“There’s no need,” Mark tells him. “I didn’t get a notary because I am not going to sign these papers.”
“Oh, come on,” my father erupts, banging his fist on the desktop. “Enough is enough. I dragged myself all the way up here to get this over with. For God’s sake man, what the hell is wrong with you? What the hell was the point of any of this if you knew you weren’t going to sign the contracts? What’s the problem now? I’m giving you what you wanted—you’re getting my half of the land for no cost. I’m losing millions here; you can at least be quick about it.”
I take a slow breath in, letting my head drop, certain that my father insulting Hallie’s father is not going to help me get her back.
“This isn’t the way I wanted it to happen,” Mark says resolutely. “I’m not signing anything.”
I glance around the room, stunned, anxious, and not knowing what the hell is going on.