Chapter 16
MADDIE
It’s Sunday afternoon when the phone on my desk trills loudly, breaking through the silence as I’m reviewing the budget proposal for one of our upcoming weddings.
The work around here never stops, especially when I’ve been so distracted lately.
I don’t bother checking to see who it is.
I never do. Very few people have the direct line to my office, which means whoever is calling is most likely in this building or Daddy calling from his house to make sure I’ll be there for dinner tonight.
“Hello,” I answer distractedly, tucking the handset between my shoulder and ear as I make a note on the quote from a new florist.
The line crackles as if whoever is on the other end is moving the handset and wasn’t quite ready for me to answer. “Maddie?”
My brows draw together as I try to place the voice. “Mr. Evergreen?” I question, sitting a little taller in my chair and making it squeak under my weight.
“Hello, Maddie. I’m calling to let you know my decision regarding the land sale.” His tone is so matter-of-fact. It’s more like he’s calling to tell me the stars do in fact live in the sky than that he’s made a decision that could change everything for my family’s business.
I suck in a breath, holding it as I wait for him to continue.
Nerves assail my body before settling in my stomach like a lead weight.
I swear to everything that is holy, if Wyatt has ripped this out from under me, I’m going to kill him.
Literally and figuratively. I don’t even care at this point whether he had a hand in it, the fact he overheard my plan is enough. He’ll wish he was never born.
It feels like an eternity passes before Jim finally speaks. “Yesterday, Wyatt Wilde paid me a visit.” My throat tightens. I already know what he’s going to say. I’m going to kill Wyatt. I knew he’d do this. “He’s made an offer that I’d be a fool to turn down.”
My stomach drops to my feet, and I barely resist the temptation to set the handset back into the cradle.
Anything not to have to listen to him tell me how I’ve lost the land and the chance to bring my mom’s memory back to life.
In the years since she passed, it’s gotten harder and harder to remember the little things about her, but this was a chance to rekindle one of the memories she left us with.
That’s not to say we can’t do it on our land, but this particular lot was special.
“You’re selling it to him?” I croak out, frustrated that my voice cracks and hot tears pool in my eyes, threatening to fall.
“It’s nothing personal, dear,” Jim soothes, a hint of sympathy in his tone that I want to scream at him to shove up his ass.
This is bullshit. If Wyatt went to see Jim, then he went because he doesn’t want a Hart to get the land.
This was as personal as it gets. Wyatt hasn’t forgotten.
He’s still holding on to what happened with Autumn.
With Deacon. But this? This isn’t just about the past. He’s gone out of his way to take this from me.
Swiping at my dry cheeks, I force my shoulders down and back as I inject as much calm into my tone as I can muster. I still have to remain professional; at this point, it’s the only thing I have going for me. “May I ask what his offer was?”
“Five hundred thousand on top of their already generous offer,” Jim replies, unaware of the anger building inside me with every word he utters.
I want to scream and cry, but I know now isn’t the time.
Daddy has taught me many things about business, but the main one was always to show no weakness.
We don’t have an extra two hundred thousand lying around, let alone five on top of what we were already offering.
Wyatt might not have known that, but I suspect he figured it out.
After all, our offer was fair and in line with the market value for the size of the land.
There was no reason for him to do what he did.
Reining in my fury, I force myself to take a couple of calming breaths before saying, “Thank you for calling to let me know, Mr. Evergreen. I trust that you have made the right decision for you and your family.” There’s only one person to be angry at here, and it isn’t the man on the end of the phone.
“Thank you, Maddie.” There’s a sense of relief in his tone before he adds, “Take care and please tell your father I’d like to have dinner soon.”
I mutter some semblance of a response before hanging up and sitting back in my chair.
My eyes sting with unshed tears and I close them, a headache looming as I try to figure out my next move.
There’s only really one I want to do, and that’s giving Wyatt Wilde a piece of my mind.
It almost feels like I won’t be able to move on until I do.
Without giving it too much thought, I sit forward and press the intercom button on my desk phone. “Mona, can you have a car brought out front for me, please?”
She doesn’t knock when she enters; instead, she waltzes into my office like she owns the place. I guess that’s what years of loyal service grants you. “A car?”
“That’s what I said,” I sigh, rubbing at my temples.
“Where are you going?” she asks, seemingly unaware of my state of mind.
I rarely leave the office in the middle of the working day, but I won’t be able to concentrate until this pent-up frustration is gone.
Normally, if I ever get annoyed or need a release, I take my horse, Sage, out and we ride until my mind is clear, but it doesn’t feel like that will be enough this time.
Right now, all I want to do is find Wyatt and unleash on him all the anger I barely have a hold on. It’s the least he deserves.
“I need to deal with something,” I reply, keeping my focus on my laptop screen, afraid that if Mona figures out my plan, she’ll try to stop me. She’s always so levelheaded, and right now, I don’t need that.
When she doesn’t respond or leave, I look up and catch her observing me through narrowed eyes. “Whatever it is, I can do it,” she declares, almost daring me to deny her.
I huff out a breath and snap, “Please, just do as I ask.”
For a second, I see her contemplate pushing back, and I don’t blame her. She knows how busy we are and that if I leave for an undisclosed period of time, I’ll get even more behind, which will ultimately leave me feeling stressed out. God, I hate how well she knows me sometimes.
Backing up, she pulls the door almost closed, simply replying, “I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
“Thank you,” I call as she shuts the door. Guilt flashes through me for a second before it’s engulfed again by my fury.
I turn my attention back to the invoice I was reviewing when Mr. Evergreen called. The numbers bounce around on the screen as if they’re mocking me for ever thinking I stood a chance against Wyatt.
Why would he do this? Why go this far? Does he not have any sense of honor?
Does he think it’s completely normal to undercut someone?
I know—from what Daddy has told me—that how Wyatt is behaving is not what his father would have taught him.
He’s lashing out because of something that happened years ago.
Mona knocks on my door this time before poking her head around it, as if she’s cautious of getting on my wrong side again. I offer her a soft smile as she says, “The car’s ready.”
“Thank you.” I stand, grabbing my phone and sliding it into the back pocket of my jeans before rounding my desk. “If there’s an emergency, call me, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll be too long.”
She nods in confirmation, and I stride past her, heading to the front of the main house. The sparks of my anger flicker to life with every move I make toward him, until it’s all I can hold on to.