Chapter 4
Stone
Six weeks ago
The images in my email are calling to me. “Lucy. Number three.”
“That one is just getting clearance for build but it’s doable.” Lucy, my realtor, says.
“What about four?”
“I can show you it, but I don’t think the zoning will be granted for a hotel on that plot. We can try though.”
"Come on. Throw me a bone." I whine, spinning around on the chair inside her office.
"I will throw you one once this other building is demolished. It's scheduled in two weeks, and I think it would be perfect for your new hotel."
Lucy is in North Carolina, and most of our business has been done remotely, but this new venture is going to take some doing, so I went to her.
I'm staying in a hotel, even though most of my cousins and one of my brothers lives in North Carolina, just because that's what I do.
I don't like to jinx anything by talking about it unless it's a done deal, and this is not.
I keep a low profile with the family and only speak with Lucy and sometimes with my cousin Rush, but that's only if I'm not one hundred percent sure, which, this time, I am.
And once I buy this land, Rush will be the first person that knows about it.
We hear a tap on the glass door. I don't turn around, since I'm still drooling over the details on this page Lucy sent me.
"Come in, Lark." Lucy says.
Lark? What the fuck kind of a name is Lark? I turn around and see this chick walk in. She's all business in a tidy bun, a tailored pants suit and smart shoes. But it's her ass. Man, when she turns around to close the door, my eyes go straight there.
"Lark, this is Stone Lawson. Stone, this is Lark Daniels, she's my colleague."
"Nice to meet you." She says, giving me a healthy and professional handshake.
"Likewise. How come I've never seen you around this office before?" I ask conversationally.
"Probably because you two have never crossed paths." Lucy adds, unimpressed. "What can I do for you, Lark?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but there's a guy here that's adamant to see you, and I told him that you were with a client, but he's not budging. Some Clark Langdon?"
Lucy's face immediately changes. Recognition comes first, slowly, and then she breaks into a smile. "Jesus, Clark Langdon?"
"An old lover, Luce?" I tease.
This is the first time I've seen her cheeks turn pink. "No." She lies. "He moved away to Mexico years ago. I lost touch."
"Well, it looks like he found you." Lark chuckles. "Do you want to say hello, or should I tell him to hit the bricks?"
"No. No, um, Stone, do you mind giving me five minutes?"
"Not at all. Take as long as you want."
Lucy pinches her cheeks. "Lark, show Stone the property over on Diesel St., will you? I won't be a minute." She rises, as if in a trance, and leaves.
Lark walks over to the laptop on the desk and types in her login information. "So, what's the property for?"
"A hotel."
She raises her brows. "Well, I don't have the expertise in commercial properties that Lucy has, but I can at least show you the details."
"You're just into residential then?"
She nods. "Um hm. Is this your first hotel?"
"No." I try not to sound too pompous. "I own a chain of them in South Carolina."
"And you're expanding? Leaving the state?" She asks in a motherly fashion, not being judgmental.
"Yes. It's been on the back burner for a few years, but it's time. I've got enough investment capital now."
"You have investors?"
"Yes." I answer tactfully. "Hungry investors. One that wants to put a casino in one of the hotels, in fact." I add.
"Yeah? And you're interested in that?"
"Not myself, no. I don't gamble, but I need to do more research on that score. I'm not sure how sketchy that sort of an establishment would be. My hotels are safe, tasteful, and serve the elite. The last thing I want is for card sharks and the like inhabiting my business."
She seems to be only half listening, as she does a search on the database. "The land on Diesel Street isn't posted to the public yet, but I'm guessing that Lucy's been in the business long enough to get a leg up on things ahead of time. It's in her secret file here."
"Lucy's got a secret file?" I ask, impressed. "Well, what else is in there." My tone is playful and conversational.
Lark grins slightly. "There's a lot you don't know about Lucy. She may give off innocent vibes, but she's a force to be reckoned with."
"Yeah? Is she your boss?"
Her eyes are so green it's mesmerizing. "Not exactly. But she is a senior agent here, so I know not to mess with her."
"How long have you been here?"
"Almost six months."
"Where did you come from?"
She chuckles. "Are you interested in Diesel Street or my resume?"
"Sorry." I shake my head. "I don't mean to be nosy. I was just trying to make conversation. It's sort of in my blood."
"It's in mine, too, but I know the difference between asking the right questions and not." She scrolls through, sloughing off my blunder. "I took a course once. It was really enlightening. It's helped me to gauge a person's limits on what they'll reveal in conversation and what they won't."
"Sounds interesting. I guess most of the people that I'm around with will talk about anything, as long as it's about themselves. You'd be amazed how self-involved rich people are, actually."
"I deal with a lot of people that earn more than seven figures, too, but it's the same idea. It's more about reading people properly. Here's the parcel on Diesel Street."
I scooch over and take a look as she turns the laptop in my direction. The land specs are there, so I give them a gloss over. "Looks perfect. When will we know when it's up for grabs?"
With an exhale, she replies. "That is for Lucy to know. I'm guessing that if she's got me showing it to you, that it's coming soon. Lucy doesn't waste anyone's time."
I'm curious, as I watch her eyes and lips move. "What property are you dying to sell right now and why?"
From her voice, she seems intrigued that I would ask. "That's an odd question."
"It is. But most of the time when I'm in town and in between meetings, Lucy takes me to see places that are on her chopping block. And since most of the other realtors in this place are assholes, and I'd never dare to ask them, I thought that I would ask you."
She tilts her head. "You know, you're not faring so well here."
"How's that?"
"You're nosy, too talkative, and you just insulted my colleagues."
I smirk. "Tell me you don't agree about these stuffed sweaters that work here. Why do you think I only deal with Lucy, hm? And why do you think that this is the first time I'm meeting you? Because Lucy knows that I don't like anyone else here, and she keeps that to herself."
"My fellow workmates are not assholes, I'll have you know, Mr. Lawson."
"Oh, not on a first name basis yet, huh." I cluck my tongue. "So, I guess that asking you to take me to Diesel Street or to the property you feel you're least likely to sell is out of the question."
"And now you're cocky."
I exhale sharply. "Fine." My neck cranes over so I can see where Lucy is. She's standing in the hub area, fully into a conversation with this dude wearing a Tilley hat. "I guess I'll just cut my losses here, seeing as it appears as though I've lost Lucy. I'm going to lunch."
As I push the seat back to where it belongs, she closes the lid on the laptop. "Alright. Since I want to stay in Lucy's good books, I'll take you to Diesel Street, okay?"
I raise my hands as I rise. "Look, don't do me any favors."
"It's not a favor. Like I said, I don't want to get on Lucy's bad side."
"So, suck up to me? That's rich."
"Hey, it's up to you. You can go to lunch alone, or I can take you to Diesel Street so you can get a leg up, and then, if it all works out, I can take you to this, shall I say, odd place that I'm trying to get off my docket."
I'm intrigued. "Take me to the place first and you've got a deal."
"Why?"
I shrug. "Because now I need to know why it's odd."
She rises and is facetious. "The boy inside the man. How fun."
I ignore her and open the door. "Hey, Luce. Go to lunch. I'll come back to see you in a couple of hours."
Lucy smiles. We've got a history together.
She knows that I'm not going anywhere. She's the best in the business, and I'm a little superstitious, so I can't help but think that part of my success is because of her.
The properties that she's sold me so far have been like gold, and she's also fixing to hook me up with a fantastic second home out here in North Carolina, so there's another reason why she doesn't look rattled that I'm leaving with her colleague.
"I'll see you shortly, Stone. Take good care of him, Lark. "
"I'll try my best." Lark says, widening her eyes, somewhat unimpressed.
"My car or yours?" I ask.
"Mine. That way I can write everything off."
I chuckle. "You don't think I can write anything off?"
"Fine. We'll take your car. Arrogant much?"
I snort a laugh. "Man, am I glad that Lucy's my realtor and not you."
"That makes two of us." She scoffs a self-righteous laugh, as we get inside my truck. "Wow, they say that when a man drives a large truck, that he's compensating for something."
I laugh out loud maniacally, as I buckle up. "You are something else, Lark. Jesus Christ. Did you ever think that maybe I might need a larger vehicle being in the hotel business?"
"I don't imagine you transporting linens and furniture from place to place. I think you probably have hired help for that."
I roll my eyes. "What's the address?"
"Um, Diesel Street?" She says it like I'm a fucking idiot.
"Diesel Street is very long. Unless you want to go joyriding for a half an hour looking for it, you should probably tell me exactly where it is."
"I thought you said that you didn't live in North Carolina." She scoffs like a spoiled brat, finding the address on her phone.
"I don't. But a lot of my family do, and I come out here often enough that it doesn't matter, in case you were wondering."