Ashton Scott

She’s quiet for a moment. “Do you wish things had turned out differently between you and Boston? Have you heard from him recently?”

My heart constricts at the sound of his name. The guy I thought I’d marry… until the day he asked me to marry him and I said no. “I want to say no, and that I’ve made peace with the way things went, but that would be a lie. I don’t know why I said no. I think I panicked. And, no I haven’t heard from him since he left.” Five months of radio silence from the guy I spent over three years of my life with. The guy who waited around for three months hoping to change my mind after I said no to his marriage proposal.

“Do you still love him? Because you know, I have a theory about you and men.”

“What’s your theory?” Sienna is always coming up with theories for everything in life.

“I think you have this overwhelming fear of loss after losing your mum at such a young age. You’re a hopeless romantic, but when men get too close, you push them away before they can leave you.”

She’s right. I’ve put hours into analysing myself and yet I can’t seem to change. I pushed Boston away by fighting with him for three months. “I ruined what Boston and I had, Sienna. We fought so much those last three months and then we had that huge fight that ended it. There’s no coming back from that.”

She gives me a wistful smile. “There’s always coming back from things, babe. If he’s who you want in your life, you just need to tell him. Boston Haynes adores you. He only left town because he was hurting too much.”

“Well, he did have a job come up overseas he could hardly turn down. Let’s be honest, Boston’s career is in America. He doesn’t have half the opportunities in Australia that he’ll have over there.”

She lifts a brow. “And you don’t think that man would give all that up in a heartbeat for you?”

“I wouldn’t want him to.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Do you still love him?”

I’ve thought about this a lot over the last five months. The heartache I felt when he left was extreme enough for me to know I did truly love him, but the thought I’ve been left with is—if I love him, why don’t I still think about him every day? “I will always love Boston. He was my first real experience of love. But I don’t know if I am still in love with him.”

Just as she opens her mouth to speak, we’re interrupted by the sound of a deep voice at the door. “Lorelei Winters?”

Turning, I find myself looking at a man who reminds me so much of Ashton Scott that it can’t be a coincidence. Even his voice has that same kind of deep, husky sexiness to it that Ashton’s has.

I stand. “I’m Lorelei. I presume you’re Mr Scott.”

His eyes glitter with subtle amusement as if he’s humoured by me in a condescending way. That does not start us off on the right foot, because as good-looking as he is with his silver-fox sexiness—that goatee he’s sporting is hot—I refuse to be swayed by anything other than his personality. He walks to where I’m standing and extends his hand. “Gregory Scott.”

Sienna excuses herself, leaving me alone with Ashton’s father. Damn her. I would prefer not to deal with this man alone.

I hold my hand out towards the table. “Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a drink at all?” God, my need to use manners irritates me sometimes. I do not want to give this man any reason to stay longer than necessary.

With a shake of his head, he says, “No. I’ll just get straight to the point, Miss Winters. I’ve come to make you an offer on your property at Willow Street.”

What is with these men trying to buy that property?

“I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time then because that property is not for sale.”

“Oh, I think we both know that everything is for sale, Lorelei, if the price is right.” So damn arrogant. I see where his son gets it.

“That may be the case in your world, Mr Scott, but it’s not in mine.”

“You haven’t even heard my offer yet.”

“I don’t need to hear it because I’m not selling. I’m sorry, but no price can convince me.”

“Three million,” he says, his gaze steady on mine.

I don’t blink. I don’t show my surprise in any way, shape or form. But holy hell, that figure is about one million more than the property is worth.

He desperately wants this.

But why?

I stand a little straighter. “No.”