The Billionaire's Gamble

She’s always loved this town. I love it too, but not like Kelly. I don’t like the way it’s changed over the years. The fields and farms we grew up with slowly being taken over by strip malls and fast food restaurants. It still has that same sense of community, but the town is different. There’s a part of me that longs for how it used to be when we were little.

The neighborhood seems awfully quiet as we drive through and I glance at the clock. It’s Monday, but it’s late enough in the afternoon that kids should be home from school. It’s a common sight for kids to be playing outside, drawing with chalk. But there aren’t any kids. In fact, there are barely any cars. I suddenly get a chill as if I’m riding through a ghost town.

“Kelly, where are all the kids?”

“Hmm?” she asks, checking for traffic as she turns onto her street.

I glance around again. “There’s no one here, it’s weird. Is there an event going on or something?”

“No, nothing like that.” She waves a hand, brushing me off. But she’s hedging. I can tell.

“What’s going on?”

Kelly gives me a tight smile. “It’s nothing.”

“Kelly—”

“Not a lot of people live here anymore, okay?” she says, the words bursting from her like she’s been trying hard to hold them in. She pulls into the driveway next to my car and slumps back into her seat. “Most everyone has moved away.”

“Why?”

She laughs, and it’s an empty sound. “They were paid to. There’s a company that wants all this property. They want to demolish the houses and turn it into apartments. Build office space. The city center is spreading outward and they think building here is a good time to get in on the action early.”

She gets out of her car, heading for the house like the wants to hide from what she just said, but I follow her. “Are you kidding me?”

“No, I’m not.” We go into the kitchen and Kelly immediately starts to make us tea. It’s a ritual we’ve had for a long time and something she does when she’s anxious or upset.

“What are you going to do? Leave?”

She doesn’t say anything.

“You’ve said all along that this was your place. That you would never leave.” Kelly has loved Angelica far more deeply than I ever did. She never ever wanted to leave.

“I don’t want to. I want to stay, even if it is a lot of money.” She pauses, and it feels like she’s considering how to proceed. “Jacob doesn’t feel that way though.”

I forcefully clamp my jaw shut to keep from spewing the response that automatically comes to mind whenever Jacob is brought into a conversation. Kelly’s husband and I don’t get along. We never have. I think she’s way too good for him, and I think he’s stifling her potential, dissuading her from returning to school for an advanced degree in education. It’s been a point of contention between the two of us and I don’t want to get into a fight about that right now. Not when she’s talking about leaving. “What did he say?”

“He told me he’s thinking about taking the money. Said it might be better to move closer to the city so he has a shorter commute. He’s also been looking at jobs out of state.”

“Out of state,” I repeat, trying to wrap my head around the fact that my sister might actually be okay with this. “Kelly, you can’t. This is home. It’s always been home.”

She leans against the counter, looking defeated. “I know. Nothing’s decided yet. I don’t want to leave—you know I love this house.”

The house was a gift to Kelly and Jacob from my parents. They felt it was the least they could do for a young couple who didn’t have a penny to their names. Not to mention that at that point they had pretty much given up on me getting married. I’m thankful that my mother doesn’t go on the internet down at her retirement home in Florida, but someone will still probably tell her about what happened. I should call her.

But Kelly and I know that this is about more than just the house. Angelica is our home. Without it, we wouldn’t know who we are. The thought of it being suddenly gone, being turned into high-rises, makes me feel ill.

Kelly turns back to the tea, watching it brew. At least I know now why she was so eager for details about my life. She was trying to avoid hers. This sucks. She gives me what I think is supposed to be a smile. “I’ll be okay, Dani. Really.”

“Okay,” I say, not convinced.

“Jacob will be home soon.”

I lift an eyebrow to her. “Do you want me to go?”

“No,” she sighs, “but if he saw anything about you and Nolan today you probably don’t want to hear what he’s going to say about it.”