Chapter 24
They had arrived late in the night, Nic’s father complaining about everything from the traffic to the quality of the motorway services.
In the morning, Nic let Giorgos sleep while he fixed his protein shake and drank it on the balcony.
He looked down the hill for Aria before remembering she was taking part in the swim.
She’d probably be on her way there by now.
As they should be too. His father finally appeared, failed to comment on either the house or the view, and demanded a breakfast that wasn’t pulped.
‘Want a tour of the land before we go?’ Nic asked, as he fished some granary bread out of the freezer.
‘Maybe later. I’ll borrow those wellington boots of yours. You seem to have turned into the shooting-and-fishing type, judging from all the clobber at the front door.’
Nic remembered Aria’s criticism of his ‘office shoes’ and smiled, hoping that, despite her silence, she was considering his offer. He was still sure it was a win for both of them.
***
‘I took a good look at the plans. The marina will bring them in,’ Giorgos announced from the passenger seat as they drove to the event. ‘In my experience, if you hook the yacht owners, the money will follow.’
‘That’s why I’m putting so much emphasis on that phase.
We should know in the next few weeks whether we’ve been successful.
’ Nic hadn’t asked for his father’s opinion, and he was starting to worry bringing him here was a bad idea.
He was a brusque man, likely to say the wrong thing and put their chances with the council in jeopardy.
‘Dad, listen…’ he started to say.
Giorgos looked more serious. ‘While I was going through your plans, I noticed a cabin standing in the way of the marina driveway, blocking the entrance to the car park. I saw it physically this morning, just down from your house.’
Nic took a quick look at his dad through the rear-view mirror before fixing his eyes back on the road. ‘I’m aware of it.’
‘Well, I would hope so. What are your plans for buying the owner out?’
‘I’m handling it,’ he said offhandedly, as they approached the hotel where the Spring into Summer Swim was being hosted.
He quickly changed the subject by pointing out the signs announcing Castle Enterprises as the sponsor.
If he saw Aria today, he would concentrate on persuading her to move in with him so he could accelerate further acquisition before the policy change.
He parked in the overflow car park, and Theo’s number flashed up on his phone. He dropped behind to take the call.
‘There’s an insane offer on the table for that extra land we were after,’ his brother garbled.
‘How much?’
‘They’ve upped the bid by twelve thousand and it’ll go north of there.’
Nic shrugged. ‘We talked about going up to seven figures.’
‘We’re already at seven figures.’
‘Use another fifty at your discretion, then.’
Theo whistled. ‘For some grassy scrub leading down to a glorified pond? Are you sure? It’s a reach. Original projections were—’
‘Woefully wrong. This is make or break, Theo. You and I both know we need to build and sell all of the houses we planned. The marina will take up the east side. We need the extra land for the leisure complex, parking and homes. I’m wondering about a social housing offer too. Do we know who the rival bidder is?’
‘The owner of a caravan site – multiple sites, to be exact. I did some research. The family business has grown quickly, buying up chunks of the South Lakes.’
‘The Hetheringtons.’ It couldn’t be anyone else. They had a grip on the caravan park market. ‘This is the new Wild West, and we need to go in all guns blazing. I have to go. There’s a swim—’
‘Hey, wait! Are you taking part?’
‘No, but I forgot to tell you I bought walking boots a while back.’ Nic chuckled. He’d enjoyed his time with his brother, although he still felt bad about deceiving him. ‘Oh, and I’ve asked the estate agent to hang fire on showing the villa for now.’
‘But that was a magnet for—’
‘Only for a couple of weeks, so I can stay on and get this project nailed. The view from the balcony calms me down every time everything goes tits up.’
‘I thought you were allergic to fresh air?’ Theo laughed before ringing off.
Nic paused, his hand still holding the phone.
He’d been for a walk after breakfast, had started consciously deep-breathing whenever he went outside and was identifying trees using an app.
Was the countryside rubbing off on him? But it wasn’t like he hated nature in London, he just hadn’t made time to notice it.
He shook his head and chuckled. If he carried on like this, he was in danger of heading to an auction house and looking at the backsides of sheep.