Something from a satisfied lover rather than a satisfied catering client.
Ugh…I really miss sex…
Pushing her silly and wayward thoughts aside, she carefully placed the bouquet and the gorgeous crystal vase it came in on the corner of her desk. Then read the card one last time with a soft sigh before placing it gently within the arrangement. Today was a big day for her and she hoped these flowers were some kind of sign that good things were going to go her way.
She’d planned everything out meticulously–had been speaking to both the bank and the realtor once a week for the last three months just to make sure no one else was interested. Of course, they always told her that there were inquiries, but they couldn’t divulge who they were from. But Peyton was confident the property was going to be hers.
“And once it is, I’ll finally be able to prove to everyone that I’m a serious businesswoman,” she murmured.
The first thing she was going to do was go to her parents and show them how she had sealed the deal and how she was finally making her silly dream a reality all by herself.
Ha! I’ll show them…
Yeah, they still didn’t take her career seriously and were constantly encouraging her to settle down and let the café simply be a hobby while her husband took care of her. Ugh…that was so not the life she wanted. Mainly because it was her mother’s life and, from everything Peyton had seen growing up, it didn’t make anyone happy.
And it certainly didn’t make her mother a nicer person.
It always bothered her that no one seemed to have faith in her capabilities–like all she was supposed to aspire to was finding a suitable husband and being a soccer mom. Well…she did want both of those things, but she wanted her career too.
Much to her mother’s chagrin.
She always felt like she’d been stifled growing up. As the middle child to Georgia and Beau Bishop, she’d been the quiet one, the agreeable one. With a charming older brother who succeeded at everything and an uber-outgoing younger sister who made friends everywhere she went, Peyton had a hard time being seen. And when she finally was, it was with disapproval because she’d finally pushed back. If it weren’t for her great-grandfather, God only knows what she’d be doing now.
“Certainly not buying my own little piece of Magnolia Sound,” she said as she picked up her folder with all her paperwork in it before grabbing her phone, purse, and keys. Walking out of the office, she called out some last-minute instructions to her staff and promised to be back before the dinner crowd. She didn’t realize her hands were shaking until she was in her car and she dropped her keys.
Three times.
Taking a moment to calm herself down, Peyton gave herself a mini pep-talk about all the ways she was prepared for this and how good it was going to feel to finally take the plunge and do it. If anything, she had a long line of relatives who were putting their stamp on the town so it was only fitting that it was now her turn. She wanted to be a part of that little club and honor her great-grandfather’s legacy.
And with that thought, she pulled out of the parking lot and made the short drive across town to her realtor’s office. Jenna Walsh was a friend of her brother’s and came highly recommended and Peyton was a little intimidated by her take-charge and firm businesslike attitude. She was a fantastic realtor though, who really knew how to make a deal.
“And she’s going to make one for me today,” she said happily as she drove through town. Every place she passed seemed to be owned by someone she knew and loved and it was such a wonderful feeling to know how the whole town was steeped in history and how so much of it started with her family.
Five minutes later, she was parked and felt like she could take on the world. She walked across the parking lot with more confidence than she ever remembered having. Inside the office, Peyton took off her sunglasses and smiled at the receptionist.
“May I help you?”
“Hi, is Jenna in?”
“Who may I say is asking?”
“Peyton Bishop.”
“One moment please.”
Peyton took a seat, but she spotted Jenna across the room and gave her a small wave.
And was a little perplexed why Jenna didn’t smile back.
It took a solid five minutes for her to walk over, and when she did, she asked if Peyton would follow her to her office. It wasn’t until they were alone with the door was shut and they were both seated that Jenna faced her, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
“I’m guessing you’re here because you heard the news,” Jenna began.
“News?”
Nodding, she explained. “I was planning on calling you and letting you know myself, but things got somewhat hectic and…honestly…” Pausing, she let out a long sigh. “I wasn’t sure what to even say, Peyton. It all happened so fast and I know how much you wanted this…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” she interrupted, holding up her hand to stop her. “What are you talking about?”
“The property,” Jenna said sadly, sympathetically. “It sold this morning.”
“What?!” she cried. “How? How is that possible? Did they just put in an offer? Don’t I get the chance to counter or something?” Her heart was racing like mad, and she seriously felt like she was going to be sick. “I…I don’t understand how this could happen! You and I just talked late last week!”
“I know and I really am sorry, Peyton. Apparently the buyer went directly to the seller. I’ve never had something like this happen before and I just feel terrible!” She reached across her desk as if to give Peyton some kind of comforting gesture, but it sort of fell short. “When I got the call this morning, you were the first person I thought of. Then we had to handle some paperwork since we technically weren’t the ones to sell the property…”
She didn’t want to hear anymore. Tears stung her eyes and all she could think about was going home, letting out a primal scream, and then crying. Her dream was over–gone. It was devastating and completely unfair and she couldn’t understand how it happened.
“But considering he’s building a resort on the north end of town,” Jenna was saying, completely oblivious to Peyton’s turmoil, “I’m guessing he wants to invest in as much of the town as he can.”
“Wait…Ryder Ashford bought my property?” she asked in disbelief.
“I’m not really at liberty to say…”
“Technically, you already did!” she reminded her. Even without naming him directly, she said enough for Peyton to figure it out. “Why would he need the one little piece of property that I’ve been eyeing for well over a year? And why go directly to the seller without coming to you? It doesn’t make sense! It’s dishonest! Unethical! Is there any way to stop the sale?”
“Peyton, I know you’re upset, but…I’m surprised no one bought the land sooner. You know we talked about this a year ago when you first came and talked to me.”
It was true. Jenna had told her not to get her hopes up because it was a very real possibility the property would be sold before she was ready to buy.
She just didn’t think it would happen on the same day she was ready to hand over a check.