“I would never do such a thing. I’m a professional,” I argued plainly, maybe not convincingly enough.
“Oh, I’m sure.” She smiled tightly. “Look, I don’t have time to waste. I came to say...I do agree with one thing you said in the diner the other night. And one thing only.”
“I’m sure it pains you to even admit that much,” I blurted, surprising myself. Ms. Meadows did have a way of drawing out a side of me I would normally never show to tenants or anyone I knew in a professional capacity.
“The shop is in desperate need of a makeover, especially now that the population and market is changing...whether I like it or not. So, I have a deal to propose.”
“That’s not how this works,” I scoffed in disbelief. “I bought the building. Signed the papers. I can do whatever the hell I want with it, and the previous owner should have gone up on rent years ago. It’s robbery what you’ve been getting away with paying all this time! It’s not a negotiation. I sent you the new paperwork to sign and you sign it and stay, or don’t and leave. That’s it.”
She darkened her eyes at me, cocked her brows, and added, “Ninety days.”
“For what?”
“Ninety days before I have to sign the paperwork.”
“No way,” I laughed.
“As it stands, I can’t sign the damn papers. I can’t pay what you’re asking. And trust me when I say that if I am forced out of my shop, I’ll recruit the whole town to back me up. We’ll make it our mission to make your endeavors here as difficult as possible.”
I studied her face, seeing that she clearly meant every word of it. I suspected all along that she might do something like this, but I thought she’d just do it. I didn’t expect her to come in with an ultimatum, which I found to be intriguing. Honestly, I found most everything I had seen of Delilah so far to be intriguing.
“Go on.” I waved.
“Ninety days to remodel the shop before the rent goes up. If I can increase the revenue before then, I’ll sign the new lease. If not, I’ll vacate peacefully, and won’t rally the others against you. I might even throw in a good word for you in light of your willingness to work with me.”
I nodded and considered it carefully. “How do I know you’ll keep your word?”
“I have no desire to enter into a lease I can't afford,” she replied. “But I demand a fighting chance to try.”
I thought about her little shop being positioned directly across from the diner that I hoped to one day turn into an elite five-star restaurant. In New York, my favorite spot for dinner had a chocolate and wine shop right across from it. It was the perfect way to seal a deal after taking a woman out. An expensive dinner followed by a suggestion to pick up a bottle of vintage wine and decadent chocolates to go back to my place and enjoy. I could see the same thing working out perfectly in Cherry Falls...if Delilah vacated the space.
That main strip would soon be the hippest hub of the city – once I worked my magic. And ninety days wasn’t nearly enough time for Delilah to conjure up the miracle she’d need for her shop to keep up with the direction the city was going in. She was basically signing the store’s death certificate and giving up any possible leverage for vengeance she might have had in the process. It was a win-win for me, and an easy one at that.
I had made up my mind, but waited a little longer to make her squirm. I stared her down and noted the loose strands of her cinnamon brown hair wisping around the soft features of her face. Her eyes were magnetic and glaring back at me. God, she was captivating in a really disarming kind of way.
Of course, not much of anything I did seemed to make this woman squirm. The longer I looked into her soulful, beautiful eyes, however angry they may have been, I felt like I might be the one to start squirming instead. But it did occur to me that I might be able to milk just a little more out of this agreement.
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll give you your ninety days. But under one condition.”
7
Delilah
“I do believe I’m supposed to be the one naming the conditions here,” I scoffed dismissively.
“This is a negotiation, isn’t it?” He stared back at me with a devilish gleam in his eyes that I found repulsive and curious all at once.
“State your terms,” I groaned in submission.
“Let’s go out tonight. You can show me around town.”
He stated it plainly. Too plainly. And for a brief moment, I forgot who I was looking at. Nick Ransom – my enemy and the man who I hated more than anyone on the planet...the rich, arrogant snob who came breezing into my beloved hometown to destroy everything I loved about it while prying my lifelong dream right out of my hands...he transformed into a stranger. He turned into a man who appeared to be...asking me on a date.
I was ashamed to admit to myself that by looking at him in that light, I became flustered. My heart and stomach fluttered and it was all welling up through my throat, rendering me completely speechless. I had, of course, noted more than once how hot he was. It was impossible not to. But now I could see it all in a different way. I studied him, as I would any man who asked me out, looking past the charming smile and flashy clothes to see if there was something with more promise beneath all of that. Was he nice? Was he fun? Was he a good kisser?
I also couldn’t deny the flush of flattery that I felt. As far as I could see, he was the hottest man in town – though it was hard to tell with so many new people moving here every day. But for the time being, he was the hottest guy I had ever seen in Cherry Falls, and every other woman I knew seemed to agree. And he was asking me out.
It was a lot to think about, but it all washed over me in a matter of seconds before I was quickly coming to my senses and shaking it all off. Of course Nick Ransom was a good kisser because all guys that looked like that were. Even if they weren’t, you’d trick yourself into thinking they were simply because you were blinded by their expensive cologne and good looks. And of course he was asking me out because guys like him were playboys. They’d ask any attractive woman out. Especially ones that they benefited from having on their side.
But was he nice? No nice guy could do any of the things I had seen from him so far. I still became enraged over the whole gift basket and rent-spike notice all being delivered together – as if we were really all that dumb to fall for such a skeezy trick. Even if he was fun, it’d all be a trick, an act he had perfected in all his years of winning over women into his bed and clients into his contracts.
Still, there was the sheer shock that he would even ask! Especially under these circumstances.
“Are you...are you asking me on…”
“No!” he cut me off, a little too vehemently. “No! Of course not! Nothing like that!”
I shrunk a little in my seat, feeling both relieved and a little hurt that it’d be such an impossible notion. Even though just moments ago I myself had been so baffled by it.
“I’m new here,” he explained. “And if I’m going to be the driving force behind this real estate and population boom, I feel I should know more about Cherry Falls through a native’s eyes. You know, just show me around and tell me what it is you love about this city.”