Chapter Seven
MADDOX
On Monday afternoon, I headed to Essex. Gabe and Leo were meeting me there. My phone buzzed, and I assumed it was one of my brothers even though we’d already discussed the agenda for the day.
Looking down, I frowned at the screen, and then my blood went cold. Dad was calling. What the hell does he want? The last time I'd spoken to him was when I played mediator between him and the rest of the family when we'd bought his shares in Whitley Industries.
I didn't want to not answer, though. If he wanted to confront me, then so be it. I accepted the call using Bluetooth, gritting my teeth.
"Maddox, this is Dad," he said.
"Hi," I replied.
"Is this a good time?"
"What is it about?" I asked, because it was never a good time. "I'm going to Essex," I decided to inform him.
"Right. I have to say, I didn't realize you boys would be so against me coming back to Boston."
"Really? You thought that after you destroyed everyone's lives, we would want you back here?"
There was a pause, and then he said, "That was a long time ago."
"It took us years to rebuild Whitley Industries, Dad. Years. You left it in shambles."
"But now you're all doing brilliantly, judging by how much my shares were worth. Anyway, I'm calling with good news. At least, I think you'll take it as good news."
"I'm listening."
"I've decided to open a hotel here in Australia. I got your message loud and clear."
I exhaled sharply. Fuck yes.
"That's good. I wish you all the best."
Truly, I did. I hoped he succeeded and built an empire for himself. I just didn't want him anywhere around us.
"The same to you and Gabe," he said.
Nothing more was said, and after he hung up, I focused on the road.
There was no need for him to actually inform me of his plans, so I appreciated that he did.
I hadn't even realized it, but I'd been on edge ever since this whole debacle with Essex, anticipating his next move. In the past, I’d been the one to keep tabs on him, but now Gabe was spearheading the task.
I decided to push it to the back of my mind once I arrived in town.
We'd agreed on building a temporary structure on the premises where we could meet with the architect and the construction group to discuss business. Currently, my brothers and I were still discussing the outdoor area. Since the plans for the actual hotel were already finished, construction would start soon. Work on the distillery would begin later. Luckily, I wasn’t involved in that at all—it was all Gabe’s deal.
We spent about an hour discussing the landscaping on the property we actually owned. Then he pulled up our potential plans for Samuel and Cami’s land.
"Obviously, this involves actually getting the neighboring property," he said. "If not, I'll discard all this and start from scratch."
"We'll get it," I said confidently. "But I have a request." I looked straight at him, fully aware that my brothers wouldn't let me live this down.
"I want to keep the land, especially the trees, as is on the neighboring property. One of the reasons the owners don’t want to sell is that we're cutting down too much of it.”
Aiden, the architect, frowned, glancing down at his laptop. "I need some time to think this over. Generally speaking, everything's possible. It's just a matter of cost."
I looked up at my brothers. Leo frowned, probably confused, but Gabe gave me a shit-eating grin. "I like where you're going with this." Then he glanced at Aiden. "The cost isn't a problem."
"Are you going to fill me in?" Leo asked.
"Samuel will be more inclined to sell if we can preserve the land," I replied.
Leo's expression instantly changed from confused to amused. "Samuel or Cami?"
"Both."
"Let me get this straight," Aiden said. "You want to preserve the adventure park too?"
I shook my head. "No. We'll remove it, but we’d like to be more considerate with the vegetation, the trees and such.” I was certain Cami would be more inclined to consider the offer if we didn’t bulldoze all her white cedar trees.
Despite the way things went down last time I saw her, something in her beckoned to me.
Her protectiveness toward her dad, and even her connection with this place.
She and I were similar in some aspects, just as Gran had pointed out.
I cared about building a legacy; she wanted to preserve that of her family.
I was usually an opportunistic bastard when it came to business, letting numbers decide.
But in this case, I needed to approach things differently.
"Well, well," Leo said. "I’ll mark this day on the calendar."
Gabe whistled. "I agree."
Aiden was looking around the table at us as if we'd all lost our minds. Maybe I had, but I also had a good feeling about this.
"How fast can you draft up a new plan?" I inquired.
He shook his head. "At this point, you're burning money."
I pinned him with a stare, cocking a brow. "We're the clients, and it's our money. If we want to burn through it, that's our problem."
"Fair enough," he said, holding up his hand in self-defense. "I’ll get on it right away."
"Perfect."
He gathered his files and shook everyone’s hands, promising to get back to us with the new plans sometime soon.
After Aiden left, Gabe headed home to Boston as well.
"Planning on leaving soon?" Leo asked me.
"I want to grab dinner in town first," I said. It was late, and I was hungry.
He nodded. "I'll come with you. I've wanted to get a look around Main Street for a while, and I could go for a good burger."
"Why do you want to see the town?"
"I want to get a feel for it, see if it’s a good fit for clients looking for vacation homes." Despite leading one of the biggest real estate companies in the country, Leo was still very hands-on. But it was probably what led to his phenomenal success.
"Sure. Let's go."
I didn't like that Aiden didn’t give me a timeline for the new plans.
I needed them quickly—at least the basic sketches.
I was going to call him and put more pressure on him later this week.
Time was of the essence, and I knew if I had those plans to show Cami, she'd see that this was an excellent deal.
Leo and I drove our respective cars and parked just off Main Street.
Essex certainly had its charm. Once I got out of the car, I noticed my brother morph into business mode.
He kept cataloging everything up and down the street, looking intently at the mix of Federal- and Colonial-style buildings. His real estate mind was clicking away.
"They've done a great job preserving historical buildings," he commented.
"I agree. Now come on. Let's go inside and grab something to eat.” I pointed at the sign that said Lisa’s Burgers.
“Burgers! Great!”
The restaurant was in one of the Colonial buildings, and there was already a lot of commotion inside. Clearly, we'd hit a popular time for dinner. I looked around for an empty table and noticed a familiar redhead sitting alone by the window.
"Find anything?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, that’s Cami."
He narrowed his eyes, following my gaze.
"Damn, she's hot as hell. I can see why Gran is starting to have ideas.”
I scoffed. "Gran is very off base, but I don't have the heart to tell her. Let’s go over to her and say hi.”
"You think that’s a good idea?” Leo asked.
"Yeah." I’d made up my mind. "The architect said he could draw the plans. I don't have to wait until he's actually done with them to bring this up to Cami."
"Right. And you’re sure you're not just looking for an excuse to talk to her?"
"Don’t be a dick."
Leo wiggled his eyebrows.
I sighed. "Whatever it is, say it. You're bursting with it."
"You've got a reputation of someone who doesn't give an inch in negotiations."
"I change tactics as needed."
"Yeah, but your tactic is usually bulldozing over your negotiation partner. And now you’re having the architect change the plans."
"Are you done?" I asked.
"And you're in a bad mood. Damn, I'm on to something."
We headed straight to her. She glanced up from the menu when we reached her table, her bright green eyes instantly dimming when she saw me.
"Hi. I’m Leo Whitley," my brother said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you, Cami. I've heard a lot about you."
"I'm sorry, I have no idea who you are. I suppose you’re related to Maddox and Gabe?"
"Yes, I’m their brother. I'm the realtor who found the property."
Cami nodded tightly.
"Are these seats taken?" I asked, pointing to the two chairs at the table.
"No," she said. "I came here alone. I was just about to order."
"My brother and I want to have dinner here too. May we join you?"
"Actually," Leo said, "I just got a text from my assistant. I have to head back to Boston.”
Really? This late in the evening?
He winked at me.
Oh, for fuck's sake. Could he be any more obvious?
He turned to Cami. "It was nice meeting you. Now, a word of advice… or warning. Depends how you want to interpret it. My brother is very stubborn and very proud. We all share those unfortunate traits."
"Uh, right. I’m aware," she said, staring at him, dumbfounded.
"He's also extremely hard to please. He’s been riding my ass for, like, a million years to find him a house. He isn't happy with any option I bring him. And trust me, I’m giving it my best. I always go that extra mile for the family."
"Leo," I said in a warning tone.
He raised a brow at me. "What? Maybe an inside perspective from a family member is going to help." He pointed back and forth between us.
Cami glanced at me, but I didn't detect animosity, just pure confusion.
Damn, she’s cute.
"But," Leo continued as if he wasn't being completely intrusive, "he's a great guy. I can vouch for him. I think that was what Gran was trying to do when she joined him on his last visit."
"That's enough," I said.
The corners of Cami's mouth twitched. Then her mouth opened up in the most gorgeous smile. I was so caught in it for a few seconds that I forgot I was in the middle of telling my brother off.
"Thank you for your input, Leo. I'll try to keep that in mind," she said.