Excerpt from Then There Was You
Katarina Hopa glanced at the messy surface of her desk and wished she’d thought to tidy up before meeting with her landlady.
She was nervous enough about formally getting together for the first time since she’d rented the property she operated her bed and breakfast from.
She didn’t need the added worry that the stack of papers on her desk, cupboards, and floor might give Maureen Adler the impression she wasn’t the competent businesswoman she pretended to be. She wanted to make a good impression.
Maureen sat opposite her, alternately sipping a latte from Café Oasis and pursing her lips. She looked distressed.
“Is everything okay?” Kat asked tentatively.
Maureen released a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid not, my dear.”
Kat’s stomach clenched with worry and she instinctively looked at the photograph beside her computer for comfort.
Teddy’s handsome face smiled out at her.
She swallowed hard, pretending he was with her in this moment.
He should have been. Running this beachside bed and breakfast had been their shared dream for when she retired from professional rally driving.
But now he was gone, and she was on her own, trying to make sense of a world without him in it.
Maureen followed her gaze, and her face fell. Even though Maureen had barely known Teddy, he and Kat had honeymooned at the B&B when Maureen and her husband Andrew had run it, before Andrew had become too ill to continue managing the business.
“I don’t know how you go on without him,” Maureen said. “I dread the day I lose my Andrew.”
Tears prickled the backs of Kat’s eyes. “I know you do. Hopefully it doesn’t happen anytime soon.”
She wished she could tell Maureen that the loss became easier to deal with over time, but in her experience, it didn’t. She felt the gaping hole that Teddy had left in her life every day. Even three years on, the ragged edges of her pain hadn’t healed.
“About that.” Maureen placed her coffee on the desk and folded her hands on her lap. “Andrew has taken a turn for the worse.”
Kat felt a pang of sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear it.”
Maureen nodded in acknowledgement. “The thing is, I’m having trouble paying for the care that could give him a few more months—or even years, God willing.”
Kat bit her lip. Was Maureen raising rent?
Was that what this was about? Kat knew she paid less than the market value, but they had a deal.
She’d done a lot of work on the property during the years she’d been managing the B&B.
She’d renovated rooms out of her own pocket. Not many other tenants would do that.
“I’ve received a very generous offer on the property from a developer. He wants to build an exclusive resort in the place where Sanctuary currently stands.”
Her words hit Kat with the impact of a sledgehammer. She felt blindsided.
“I didn’t know you were planning to sell.”
Maureen grimaced. “I’ve been holding out for as long as possible. You know I’d prefer to wait until you’re able to afford to buy us out, but he approached me out of the blue and the money he’s offering could make a massive difference in terms of Andrew’s treatment.”
Kat couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat.
She couldn’t ask Maureen not to sell when doing so might give her more time with her husband.
Kat had ended up in her current financial situation—barely more than broke—because she’d poured all the money she had into trying to save her husband after the traffic crash that had eventually killed him and had left her scarred and emotionally broken.
“Have you already signed the papers?” she asked, her stomach knotted.
“No.” Maureen’s lips curved slightly upward, giving Kat the faintest trace of hope.
“I can’t afford to turn him down though.
Not unless I get a counteroffer.” She leaned forward and reached across the desk to clasp Kat’s hand.
“I don’t care if you offer less than the developer.
I’d rather you have the property than him.
I told him I’d have an answer for him in two weeks.
If you can put together an offer in that time, I’ll accept it, as long as it’s reasonable. ”
That trace of hope vanished. She doubted any bank in the country would allow her to take out a mortgage with them based on her current finances and her income history for the years after the accident. But she had to try.
“Thanks, Maureen.” She squeezed the other woman’s hand. “I appreciate you giving me a chance. I’ll make an appointment with the bank to see if they’re willing to work with me.”
Maureen nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. I hope they do.” She released Kat’s hand and sipped her drink again. “I wish I didn’t have to put you in this situation. It’s not fair to you.”
Kat sighed. “It’s not fair to you either, but you have a chance to spend more time with Andrew. If someone had offered me the same when Teddy was dying, I’d have taken them up on it in an instant.”
“I knew you’d understand.” A weight seemed to have lifted from Maureen’s shoulders.
It had settled on Kat’s. “Just so you know, the developer is intending to come for a look around on Monday. Apparently, the main reason he wants this property over any of the others along the coast is the access to the sea caves, beach, and the waterfall, so I imagine he wants to make sure he’d be getting his money’s worth. ”
Kat frowned. She’d rather not have to see the man who was planning to take her home—and the future she was supposed to share with Teddy—away from her.
“Don’t worry. You won’t need to speak with him if you don’t want to,” Maureen said, reading her expression correctly. “I’ve given him a map so he can show himself around.”
“Good.” She might not see him anyway, if she was planning to visit the bank. They didn’t have one in Haven Bay, so she’d have to go to a nearby town. She’d just have to cross her fingers that someone at the bank felt sorry enough for her to pull some strings. Otherwise, she was shit out of luck.
* * *
Sterling Knightley sank onto the lushly upholstered armchair positioned in front of the window of his high-rise apartment and took a moment to appreciate the view. From here, he could see most of Auckland’s central business district, and beyond the buildings stretched the blue-grey of the sea.
He relaxed in the embrace of a chair that cost as much as a month’s rent had where he’d grown up and closed his eyes against the flicker of memory of the dark, dank hole he’d been raised in.
The place that had stolen his mother from him, thanks to an infection caused by the mold the landlord had refused to remove.
“Never again,” he mouthed. The words had become his mantra in the years since. If they could have afforded a place like this—or even basic treatment for the infection—maybe his mum would still be alive today.
His phone rang, and he withdrew it from the pocket of his suit.
“Hello, Eli,” he said, opening his eyes to gaze over the skyline again. Eli was his boss. But more than that, he was a friend who’d changed Sterling’s life by taking a chance on him when no one else would.
“Hey.” Eli’s tone was brisk but warm. “How are things with the Haven Bay project?”
“It’s coming along as planned,” he replied.
“I’ll be leaving to check out the property in a few minutes, but it seems to be well situated and the owner is eager to sell—other than worrying about the tenant.
The owner’s husband is unwell and she’s struggling with his medical bills.
” An unexpected benefit to their proposal.
He hadn’t known the woman was having difficulties when he reached out to her, but considering his own background, he liked the idea of making life easier for the couple and enabling them to get the necessary medical care.
“Sounds like you have everything under control.”
“Of course.” Sterling always had everything under control. It was in his nature. “Thank you for having faith in my idea.”
Perhaps after more than a decade of friendship, he should understand that Eli would always have his back, but he never took his friend for granted.
He knew more than most how vital it could be to have someone in his corner when he needed them, and Eli always was.
Making this project shine would be Sterling’s way of giving back to him and repaying the trust Eli had shown him over the years.
“I’m sure it will be brilliant,” Eli said. “I’ll check in with you later. Drive safe.”
“I will. Bye.” They ended the call and Sterling stood.
With one final glance out the window, he strode through his apartment and collected his trunk from near the door.
He only intended to be gone for the day, but he’d learned that business trips didn’t always go according to plan—especially when negotiations were involved. Better to be prepared.
He left the apartment and locked the door. Next stop: Haven Bay.
Click here to keep reading today!