He loved the open layout of this remodeled two-story, which he’d had gutted and rebuilt into a sustainable office setting. The newly decorated interior added a splash of color with all the living plants both inside and out. The modern furnishings were a sharp contrast to the older feel of the Victorian’s exterior. Everyone who worked for him had a collaborative working u-shaped pod lining the interior walls. They maximized the limited space while promoting a fresh progressive synergy required of his staff. He hired the best of the best and gave them the tools needed to make his venture capital firm one of the most successful in the country.
Greer powered through the front door, hearing Kailey’s high heels clicking on the polished floor behind him. The fragrant scent of winter honeysuckle wafted through the air, hinting at their landscaper’s latest addition to the flower beds circling the building.
Where his sister shined was in her ability to schmooze his clients. Both men and women alike seemed drawn to Kailey. She regularly served as his dinner companion with little to no complaint, so he relented and slowed his steps, letting her catch up.
“So don’t be mad.”
Greer cocked a brow, refusing to look back. “If it’s about dating, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“No, I saw the plans for the green community in Seattle.”
Stunned, Greer stopped in his tracks. Kailey bumped into him from behind. Those architectural concepts were locked away securely on his private server. Only he and Beau had access. Greer dropped his head between his shoulder blades and closed his eyes. Either Beau had given her his access codes, or more likely, she’d gone snooping and found them on her own.
“Kailey.”
“Kailey,” she mimicked his disgusted tone as she came around to stand in front of him.
“What about it?” The damage was done. Another thing he had to let roll off his shoulders as he mentally set a reminder to change the password to the server. Greer started again toward his car. “It’s not the first time we’ve invested in a living building. It’s been done many times.”
“It’s the first time it’s been done in the United States on that scale,” she countered, smartly.
“Not really…” he said, knowing it was a lie.
The project was important to Greer. He had dreamed of such a community for more years than he could count. The plans included a sustainable community with retail, event centers, schools, and homes. The monumental undertaking had the very real possibility of going grossly over budget and still failing altogether.
“I think you should have another set of eyes look over the latest architectural plans before you sign off on them. I’m not sure it can be done for the money you’ve allocated…”
She voiced his biggest fear. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to punch himself in the face or throat-punch his sister for her interference.
“Kailey, listen to me. I don’t want you in my personal accounts. You’re not to open my email or go through my things. I’ve told you this over and over.” He slapped his hand down on the hood of his sports car. His stare sharpened and stayed on his sister as he fought the frustration. His glare usually intimidated anyone who dared cross him, but not his sister. She ignored him completely.
“You’re missing the point, Greer. We’re too far away to keep a proper eye on the construction. If you’re going to insist on moving forward with this project, either move it here to Dallas or plan to travel there frequently. It’s only going to come together properly if you and your forceful attitude keep everyone accountable, every day.” She used her pointer finger to circle around his face and where he’d slapped the car as her example.
What the hell did Kailey even know about such things? Truly, the amount of time she spent worrying about her fingernails spoke volumes to how little she had ever cared about what happened around her. Greer shook his head, staring at her as if she were mentally deranged. “I’m not a general contractor. I’m the money man. And you need to stop worrying about my money. I know what I’m doing.”
He reached over, yanking the door open on the only frivolous purchase he’d ever made in his life, his BMW i8.
“Stop, Greer. I’ve been watching you since the minute you saved your first sea turtle from the plastic netting when you were eleven years old. If you’ll think about it, you’ll see what I said makes sense.” She placed her hip against the side of his car, crossing her arms as if he wasn’t about to take the wheel and drive away. “You can relocate to Seattle. You’ve done this venture capital thing. You have a ton of money. You move billions of dollars of other people’s money around every year. It’s time to take the next step. Go build those sustainable communities all across the United States. That’s where your heart is. Not here, doing this.”
Greer pointed a finger in Kailey’s face, turning dead serious. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, and I better not catch you ever repeating those words to another living soul. You’ll ruin everything with those loose lips of yours. Now step away from my car. I’ve got to go.”
He dropped down in the driver’s seat and pushed the button to start the engine that delivered a satisfying roar.
“I don’t know why I try to help you. You’re too pigheaded—” Kailey was starting in on her frustrating lecture, so he shut the door in her face and put the vehicle in reverse. He never looked at her as he backed out of his designated parking space. She’d get over the brush off, she always did.
Chapter 3
The sudden hammering of Dallas’s racing heart had him halting in midmotion of hooking his leg over the seat of his stationary bike. What if this was it? What if they had it wrong? The chaos running rampant through his head made him retreat, stepping back a few feet to put some distance between him and the bike. His heart threatened to pound straight out of his chest.
Dallas had to get a hold of himself.
Hell, he had to catch his breath before he passed the fuck out. He had to somehow shake off the fear of everything that could go wrong. If he didn’t, he would most certainly crash and burn tonight. Fail in what might be the most important night of his life. This could change their future. Tonight, could be the start of something big for all of them.
Dallas looked down at his sweaty, shaking palms before he clenched his fists tightly.
He forced a deep cleansing breath to settle his addled nerves.
With a dramatic flair, he gave an exaggerated shoulder shimmy to loosen his tight muscles and to shake off any bad juju before rolling his eyes at his own superstitious actions. Whether it would make a difference in the whole scheme of things wasn’t certain, but the silliness somehow settled him by a fraction of an inch. The magnitude of how badly he wanted BikeBro to succeed took his constant state of low-level anxiety and sent it skyrocketing into the stratosphere.
Dallas knew their reality. The understanding had been dancing around the edges of his thoughts all afternoon. They were at their end. If this didn’t work, they’d have to put their baby on the auction block, selling to the highest bidder. They had no other choice.
The deep sadness at the idea of losing their company came second only to the fear of not finding a buyer willing to pay them enough to cover their enormous debt. He saw nothing more than complete financial ruin in his life.