Finn stepped back as if the phone might burn him. “Lucy’s spent the past month looking for a fairy-tale romance. What kind of relationship are you dragging her into?”
“I thought I knew your sister before this. She spends her days making little kids smile. How complicated could she be?” Jared lowered his arm and slipped his cell into his pocket. “I was wrong. Lucy continues to surprise me.”
“How did she find out?” Finn asked.
“I don’t know,” he said grimly. “But I’m going to make it right. Then tomorrow, I’ll put the sugar deal back together.”
“The deal is shot, Jared. We both know Peak jumped in because we’re going after them. The company probably invited them in to drive up the price. Mr. DeVilla plans to sell to us in the end, but the greedy bastard wants more money. We don’t play that game. I don’t work that way. The win is not worth it.”
“The hell it isn’t.” Jared headed for the door. He had an hour to pick up food from Minny and get to the beach. He pushed through the exit and headed for the reception area. “I’ll make it work.”
“How?” Finn demanded. His best friend followed close at his heels, matching him stride for stride.
“Find out what is most important to Jason DeVilla. Is it money? Protecting his employees?” Jared stopped in the center of the lobby and turned to Finn. He dropped his voice knowing that Coulter was trying to listen from his perch behind the reception desk. “I took your advice and found a way to get Lucy’s attention. The same rule applies here. Figure out what they want. I don’t care how you do it.”
“Jason DeVilla wants cash,” Finn said. “What makes you think there is more to it than that?”
“If this is all about the money, we’ll restructure the deal. Add payments based on performance that pay out over time, but won’t cost more up front.” Jared glanced to the glass doors. The elevator banks stood on the other side. He didn’t have time for this argument right now. He needed to get to The Taco Bar, stop by his house, and meet Lucy at the beach. “Talk to his employees, his kids—I don’t care how you find out what they’re after.”
“It’s not that simple,” Finn protested.
“If you can’t fix this, I will.” Jared turned and headed for the exit. “Tomorrow.”
“You’re not superman,” Finn said, still close behind him.
“No, I’m not,” Jared muttered as he reached the elevator bank. “I’m the prince, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my kin
gdom fall apart.”
Finn grabbed his arm before he pressed the down button. “Buying into your own online profile?”
Jared pulled free. “I meant every word. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go convince your sister.”
Chapter 15
Lucy had imagined meeting Philip Ryder for the first time. Even without a face to complete the mental picture of her perfect date, she’d daydreamed about the fading sunlight dancing on the ocean. They couldn’t watch the sun sink below the horizon on the east coast, but the slow shift from daylight to starlit darkness cast a romantic spell on the mostly empty beach.
On her dream date, they would link arms and walk along the sand. The tide was low and the water calm. Fluffy white clouds turned pink overhead. An occasional dog ran by followed by an owner out for an evening stroll. But otherwise the night was quiet and entirely theirs. They would talk for hours as she studied his face.
She had pictured the perfect date with the perfect man. Instead she was confronting Jared Mitchell.
She stepped on the sand, barely avoiding a patch of seaweed. A wave crashed around the sand and another quickly followed.
Even the ocean is pissed off tonight.
She still hadn’t decided if she should hurl the juice boxes cradled under her arm at her date. When she replayed the night before at the charity event, she felt like a fool. He’d been standing right in front of her while reading her messages.
She turned around and headed away from the ocean. If she needed answers, she could send another message. She didn’t need to face him.
She stopped at the base of the stairs leading up to the boardwalk and her car.
Give him a chance, the little voice in her head whispered.
She turned back to the rough sea. A raindrop fell, and she knew a storm hovered near the coast. Thunder and lightning would follow.
She picked her way down the beach as rain marked the dry patches of sand. Angry clouds hovered over the ocean. Waves crashed down. Each one rose higher than the last. She could picture the riptide drawing everything in its path out into the open water, though she had no intention of stepping into the wild surf and experiencing it for herself.
The lifeguards on this stretch of public beach had long since gone home. Even if someone sat at the station, watching over the water, she had left her suit at home. She’d selected a pale blue sundress that hugged her curves and showed off her long legs for tonight’s confrontation—and boring, white underwear because this was a meeting.