Chapter Four
Grace
“As you can see,” Felicia said apologetically after showing us two of the cabins, “we truly need to renovate them.”
I smiled, turning around to face them. Honestly, they’d scared me when they said they weren’t offering camps this summer because the cabins were too run-down.
“Felicia, these aren’t too bad. Nothing a good team can’t fix.”
I was speaking directly to the two of them. I couldn’t even stand looking at Zachary LeBlanc. I couldn’t understand why this man was affecting me so much. True, he’d played dirty by having someone contact Felicia and Gaston. But I’d endured much worse over the years. I stayed a few feet away from him because his nearness unnerved me.
On top of being annoyed with him, he exuded a strange energy— and probably some pheromones too, said a small voice in the back of my mind. It was impossible not to notice how attractive he was. But that didn’t matter. He was still a jackass, no matter how iridescent his blue eyes were or how muscular his arms were. I’d checked him out in more detail than I’d intended to. In my defense, though, the man was wearing a T-shirt.
“Are all the cabins the same size?” I asked. This one had two bedrooms.
“No, we have smaller ones, too, with just one bedroom. Some of our veterans need more privacy than others. The kids mostly just want to bunk up.”
“It’s a good mix.” I smiled, looking around again. I’d had to be careful in my heels, as the floorboards had spaces between them, and I didn’t want to stumble. The walk over was cumbersome too. I had to stay on my tiptoes almost the entire way or I’d sink into the ground.
The cabin was all wood and really hot. They needed a proper AC system. I couldn’t believe they’d been built without one, as the bayou had always been hot and humid in the summer. It had two doors opposite each other so occupants could get a good draft, but it wasn’t enough to cool a cabin down. Plus, in the heat of summer, the bayou could get really buggy too.
“This place has great energy,” I said, and their faces completely opened up.
Oh, thank goodness. They’d looked so stern back in the house. Then again, I’d put my foot in my mouth a few times. I wasn’t really behaving like myself. On the drive here, I’d managed to work myself up into a frenzy thinking about Zachary LeBlanc bad-mouthing me.
“Could we go see the horses?” I inquired.
“Sure.”
“I love animals,” I added with a sheepish smile. They were kind, gave pure, unconditional love, and just wanted to be loved back. No hidden agendas.
Once we stepped out, I looked down at my feet. I should’ve brought sneakers to change into, but it completely slipped my mind. As proficient as I was at wearing heels, I still kept my eyes firmly on the ground so I didn’t trip over something.
The stables were quite some distance away from the cabins. I was hyperaware of every step Zachary took. Even though he was walking behind me, I swear I could tell whenever he was getting nearer. I was certain he wasn’t close enough for me to feel his body warmth, and yet I did.
We went into the stables. Only half the horses were inside. The other stalls were empty.
“May I pet one?” I asked.
“Sure,” Felicia said. “Do you have any experience with horses?”
“I used to ride as a teenager.”
I went to the nearest horse—he was mostly white, but his mane was gray. I stretched out my palm, right over his shoulder. Peace filled me instantly. I could completely understand why these noble animals were used in therapy.
“Do you have a vet on call?” Zachary asked.
“Yes,” Felicia replied. “He doesn’t live far away.” She went on about the animals and the checkups they got. I could tell they were very well taken care of.
I glanced out of the stall. Zachary was looking straight at Felicia and Gaston, taking in their conversation. He didn’t particularly show an interest in the horses. Strange. Why did he want to invest in this place, anyway? It wasn’t a big moneymaker and wouldn’t make him the profits he was used to. Was he doing it to look good, for charity reasons? That was entirely possible. Most of the people I grew up with came from old money. They spent most of their time doing activities that made them look good, kind, or generous.
A buzzing sound filled the air, and Gaston took out his phone. “Oh, we need to take this. May we leave the two of you alone for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” Zachary said. “We’ll be right here.”
“We’ll go outside the stable to have some privacy,” Felicia added.
As they left, I focused on the horse in front of me. The silence was peaceful at first but soon changed to uncomfortable. I decided to make conversation.
“You don’t like horses?” I could’ve picked a positive topic, but honestly, I didn’t want to make an effort. There was no reason to pretend that I wanted to be on good terms with Zachary.
“I do. Watching them from a distance is enough, though.”
I scoffed. This man unnerved me to no end. But why?
The horse jutted his head backward. I was getting angsty and he was feeling it, so I stepped away. I didn’t want to upset the animal for no reason.
“What’s your problem?” Zachary abruptly asked.
I turned to him, fighting a scoff. He damn well knew what was bothering me. “I think you know.”
His eyes went wide. “No, I don’t. That’s why I’m asking. You’ve been impolite ever since I introduced myself.” His eyes were steely now yet still so damn gorgeous. Immediately, I looked away from them. “The way you’re acting is bordering on unprofessional, but honestly, that’s your problem. Just know it won’t win you any points with Felicia and Gaston.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
I could feel my blood pressure rising. Breathe in, breathe out. Come on, Grace. You’ve dealt with worse. Why are you letting this guy rile you up like this?
“You took care of that anyway, didn’t you? Tried very hard to bad-mouth me.”
“What are you talking about?” He actually looked like he was confused. Nice act.
I folded my arms over my chest. “They told me that a guy named Marcel called to ask them about me. Very pointed questions and interesting ones.”
Zachary’s eyes bulged, then narrowed. “I asked Marcel to look into you. I thought he was being judgmental, but now I see that he was completely correct.”
“About me?”
“Yes. You are rude, spoiled, and probably doing this as a vanity project.”
My emotions got stuck in my throat. How dare he?
“You know nothing about me!”
Why did my voice sound strangled? Damn it, I wanted to be strong.
You’ve been through worse, Grace. Your ex was much, much meaner than this .
I cleared my throat, trying to get a grip on myself.
Zachary shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Whatever reason you’re pursuing this project isn’t my business, as I intend to win anyway.”
“Really? Why are you even bothering? Clearly this project isn’t a fit for the portfolio of the Orleans Conglomerate.” I flexed and unflexed my hands. God, I hadn’t been so worked up in a very long time.
“I’m glad we’ve settled our opinions of each other,” Zachary said in a cool voice. “Let’s just proceed with the tour.”
I couldn’t do it. I knew myself well enough to realize I wouldn’t regain my composure to finish this and would likely wind up making a fool of myself. Which was why I turned on my heels without another word to Zachary and walked out of the stables.
Felicia and Gaston were talking to each other, clearly having finished the call. They both stopped when they noticed me approaching.
“Hi. I’m truly sorry, but I need to go,” I told them. “I got a call, and I’m urgently needed back in the city.”
Felicia’s face fell. This sounded like the made-up excuse it was, but I was too upset to come up with something better.
“But I’d like to make another appointment so I can look at everything thoroughly,” I went on. “I’m still very interested, and I’d planned to discuss ideas with you today about what type of investment would make sense and how I could help best. But I need to be on my way.”
I wanted them to see how important this would be for me, but right now, I couldn’t even gather my wits. I shouldn’t have scheduled so many meetings before coming here because I was exhausted. Zachary and exhaustion were not a good combination.
“Of course,” Gaston said. “I’ll walk back with you to your car.”
“There’s no need. I’ll find my way.” I felt like a coward, leaving like this, but it was better than the alternative.
I bid both of them goodbye before walking away. The humidity was truly insane out here. I struggled to breathe until I reached my car. Once inside, I immediately turned on the air-conditioning. I could finally take a deep breath.
I simply sat in silence for a few seconds, wondering if I should go back after all. But no, it would make things even weirder.
Oh, Grace, this isn’t like you, running away like this.
Zachary’s insults were still ringing in my ears. The nerve of him. I couldn’t believe he’d dared to say all those things. He knew nothing about me. Absolutely nothing. Not who I was. Not what I’d gone through. He had no right to talk to me like that.
But none of that mattered.
I was going to come back here as soon as possible and show Gaston and Felicia that I was the right person to partner up with—not that infuriating jackass.