Southern Bombshell (North Carolina Highlands 5)

A fissure of desire uncurls in my center, and I shift in the chair. “Clearly. Anyway, as an engagement present, he gave Reese twenty-one percent of his stake, bringing her total up to thirty percent.”

“That’s cool of him. But I’m not following how this is going to help us get rid of Wilson.”

My pulse picks up as the pieces come together. “When we formed the partnership, we worked with a butt load of lawyers to draw up a shareholder’s agreement. In that agreement, there’s a stipulation that the majority shareholder has the ability to buy out the minority shareholders at any time.”

“Oh,” Milly says, eyes going wide. “Oh. So if you somehow become the majority stakeholder, you can buy out your dad and force him out of the company.”

I point a finger at her. “Bingo.”

“Okay.” She sits up, game face on. “We gotta get you some more shares. And then we gotta get you some cash—another investor—to help buy back your dad’s stake.”

“Yup. Only problem, I don’t have that kind of cash on hand.”

“How much are we talking?”

I look at her for a long beat, my excitement dimming. “Millions. Many of them. And no, I won’t accept a dime from you or your brothers.”

Milly cuts me a look.

“I mean it,” I continue. “You can help, but this isn’t your mess to clean up. Y’all got better things to spend your money on.”

“Then what are you going to do, Nate?”

I blow out my cheeks. “I have no idea. But first things first, we come up with a plan to build that majority stake.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Milly

I’ve met Silas before during his deliveries to the resort, but this is the first time I’m hanging out with him outside of work. Nate informed me he never told Silas about the two of us the first time we hooked up, so Silas was definitely surprised to learn not only that Nate and I are together, but that it’s our second time around.

Taking a page from Mom’s book, I wrap Silas in a tight hug. He smells like Nate: malt, a hint of fiery spice. He’s been at the distillery today.

“It’s wonderful to see you,” he says, giving my middle a squeeze. “Just promise me your brothers aren’t going to show up at the door with machetes.”

Laughing, I flatten my feet and fall back. Silas is as tall as Nate and even broader. “They’d never kill y’all. They like your whiskey too much.”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Nate says, bending down to pick up Lucy and tuck her into the crook of his arm. “Thanks for taking care of this rascal. How’d she do?”

“She did great. Slept well, ate better. Dad—”

“Never showed for dinner, did he?” Nate says, expression darkening.

Silas shakes his head. “Nope. Called just as I was pulling the turkey out of the oven to say he was tied up.”

“If only he meant that literally,” Nate replies with a sigh.

Silas scoffs. “If only. But Lucy here was great company. She loves turkey almost as much as I do. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” He ruffles her ears.

“Funny, but Dad did show up at Blue Mountain last night.”

“He didn’t.” Silas’s brows shoot up.

“He’s—”

“Gambling again.” Silas’s mouth flattens into a hard line. For a second, I stare at him. His expressions—they look so much like Nate’s it’s a little bewildering. “No, I didn’t know, and yes, I’m willing to set his ass straight.”

“He threatened me,” Nate says. He turns to me. “He threatened Milly. That was—”

“The last straw.”

I smile. “Y’all always finish each other’s sentences?”

“Sandwiches too,” Silas says.

“Frozen’s so great,” I reply.

“A classic,” Nate says. “Lucy loves it.”

Silas steps across the kitchen to clap a hand on Nate’s shoulder. His face is lit up. “I’m proud of you, brother. Even if I am a little miffed that I’m the one who’s been telling you all along Dad’s not your problem to fix. But hey, if it took Milly to finally make you see the light, then I’m already a fan.” He smiles at me. “Tell me what I can do.”

“I want him gone. I want—”

“To buy him out,” Silas says, eyes glittering with understanding. “Fuck yeah. You give him a bunch of cash so he can continue to live the fancy life he’s accustomed to. You tell him to leave. Leave the company, leave the state. Hell, leave the country. We just tell him—”

“To leave us alone and never come back,” Nate says. “That’s my one and only condition.”

“He’ll take that deal,” Silas says.

Nate nods. “I know he will. Problem is—”

“Raising that kind of capital.” Silas looks thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve got some. I learned the hard way that saving is better than spending, so—”

“I’m not taking your money,” Nate replies.

I meet Silas’s gaze and roll my eyes. “He told me the same thing,” I say.

“You’re nothing like Daddy,” Silas says to his brother. “Except when it comes to your stubbornness. Let us help you.”