23. Beckett #3
I understood why she thought that, but I saw shit like this all the time.
Edward Montgomery wasn’t the only person to ever play dirty in the game of real estate.
I’d gone up against comparable giants before.
“It confirms what we already knew and sets the tone for this project. Now, we just have to beat him to the punch.”
Sawyer was silent, save for the muffled sound of her chewing on her nails.
It’d become a habit of hers of late, I’d noticed.
Any time she grew anxious, she needed something to fiddle with.
Most of the time, her nail beds paid the cost. Tatum used to have the same problem until she bought one of those fidget toys.
Maybe I should ask her where I could get one for Sawyer.
The sound of Olivia’s voice pulled my attention. “I’m going to give Lukas a call so we can get another survey on the books. Duke will reach out to the TABC board and confirm we have everything we need for the proposal and the license renewal. Was there anything else you could tell us?”
I remembered Richard’s choppy scrawl. “How did Duke purchase the land? Is there any chance of being met with pushback on that avenue?”
“It was a private sale between Duke and a man named Lincoln Carter. Lincoln used to work at the bar before Frank passed away. In his will, he named Lincoln as the sole inheritor of everything he owned,” Olivia said.
I could hear the flutter of paperwork in the background.
“I’ve got the paperwork right here. Everything was above board.
They’d have a hard time trying to prove otherwise. ”
I nodded, even though they couldn’t see me. “That’s good. Make sure to keep that on hand. I wouldn’t put it past them to try to pull dirty tricks when it comes to ownership.”
“Got it,” she said. “I’ll lock it up in our safe to be sure.” Wood scraped against a concrete floor as Olivia bid her goodbye, leaving Sawyer and me alone.
The need to see and hold Sawyer was overriding every other sense I had. I’d originally planned on heading home to change before sitting at the bar with her, but I was itching to get back to my girl.
“How’re you feeling today, sugar?” I asked.
Since being around her so much the past few days, I’d noticed how quickly her energy seemed to be draining.
She made little groans with each shift of her weight, her hand always rubbing circles on her belly I wished there was something more I could do, but I felt fucking clueless.
Sawyer blew out a breath and chuckled. “Tired. These late nights are kicking my ass. Baby boy just wants to sleep.”
“We can talk to the doctor about it next week,” I said, unable to hide the smile in my voice.
Sawyer was rapidly approaching her third trimester, which was a big deal if the baby books I’d been reading were to be believed.
Hell, we just reached viability. A fact that was both exciting as hell and scared the shit out of me.
Her pregnancy was almost over, yet there still felt like so much to do.
I spent most of my free time reading baby books that were supposed to help prepare me for parenthood, but sometimes I felt worse off.
There were so many things that I had missed out on.
So many milestones I’d never get to experience.
I didn’t blame Sawyer in the slightest. I now understood why she made the decisions she did, but it didn’t lessen the hurt.
The only thing I could do now was make sure I didn’t miss anything else.
“She’s going to tell me it’s normal,” Sawyer said, dismissing my concern. “I’m growing a freaking human, Beckett. It isn’t a trip to the spa.”
“Our human,” I reminded her. “And I can treat you to the spa anytime. Just say the word.”
“Yeah, yeah. So you’ve said a million times.” There was a knock on the door in the background, and a hushed voice came through the line. I couldn’t make it out, but when Sawyer groaned, I knew her break was over. “I’ve got to go. There’s a basketball game tonight, and the bar is packed.”
“Save me a seat?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Sawyer mused. “What do I get if I do?” There was a teasing edge to her voice, and I loved this new ease we’d found ourselves in.
I let my head rest against the seat. “Excellent company. Handsome, too.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmhm. I’ve been told I’m easy on the eyes a time or two,” I said, glancing out my window at the open stretches of land.
There was an almost five-mile radius surrounding Pinecrest that was uninhabited. Almost like a barrier between this sleepy town and the rest of the world. It was easy to tell when I was getting closer because everything got a bit quieter.
This part of the countryside was beautiful.
It was near the cabins I was staying at, butting up to the massive lake just outside of town.
Sometimes I’d take early morning walks along the shoreline, skipping rocks against the smooth water.
It was the clearest my head had ever been.
I wasn’t sure if I could attribute that to the scenery or the woman occupying my every thought.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a shameless flirt?” Sawyer asked. I could almost picture her standing in the threshold of the doorway, biting down on her thumb as she waited for me to respond.
“Only when it comes to you, sugar. And I’m damn proud of it.”