The CEO, the Puppy and Me

“You’re Mr. Abbott.”

He realized he’d been standing there for long seconds and saying absolutely nothing. He nodded, then moved forward and held out his hand. “Yes, Cole Abbott. It’s good to finally meet.”

More than good. Wow.

She didn’t smile as she shook his hand. As he got closer he noticed that a few freckles dotted her nose, and her eyes were a clear, clear blue. Her hand was warm and strong, and he felt a few rough spots at the base of her fingers. Calluses? Interesting.

She dropped his hand and stepped back. “What can I do for you, Mr. Abbott?”

“Please, call me Cole.” He tried a warm smile, but it didn’t appear to be getting him anywhere. “We’re neighbors, after all.”

She gave a shrug with one shoulder. “Well, I know you’d like to change that, so I’ll be as clear as I can. I’m not interested in selling my house or acreage.”

Cole took a few moments to gather himself before responding. In the end, he tried a small smile. “I got your reply, Ms. Graves. I truly did just come down to say hello. The island will be pretty small if we aren’t on speaking terms.”

“Tell me you don’t want to buy me out and we can be the best of friends.” She put her hands on her hips, and Marvin the dog sat at her feet, the soul of loyalty and obedience.

He couldn’t lie to her. For one, he got the sneaky suspicion she’d see right through it. For another, lying always came back to bite him in the butt.

Instead he put away his “let’s be friends” face, choosing instead a more businesslike manner. “I’ll be honest. I would like to buy your property.” He figured it wouldn’t hurt to sweeten the pot. “What I’m prepared to offer can set you up somewhere very nicely.”

His initial offer had been for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The house would likely need renovations and the dock definitely needed work. It had been...reasonable.

“Would you pay me a million dollars?”

Her gaze was sharp and pinned him in place, but he’d been in business a long time. He knew how to hide his reactions, and right now he wanted to chuckle a little bit. He’d paid seven million for the rest of the land and house and considered it a steal. Her property accounted for maybe, at best, a sixth of the island. A million wasn’t that outrageous, really. Not considering the buildings on the property and the dock access.

“Yes.” Heck, if all it took was a million bucks to get her to sign away the deed, he’d do it happily. Jeremy had been the one to recommend lowballing. Cole didn’t mind upping the ante. “Yes, I’m prepared to offer you a million.”

She started at him a long moment and then turned away. “I don’t think so,” she said and started walking toward the house. “Come, Marvin.”

The dog jumped up and trotted at her heels. Meanwhile, Cole stood flummoxed on her front path, staring at her as she went in through the screen door, took Marvin with her and let the door fall shut with a loud snap behind them.

Huh. So, round one and two to Ms. Graves. But Cole wasn’t done yet. He had a history of getting what he wanted, and this was nothing more than a challenge.