Before Lexi turned up, everyone assumed Vaughan had no heirs, and the property would go to the state. Joel was thinking of purchasing it from the council so he could expand the retreat.
“How do you know I’m selling?” Lexi asks.
Victor looks at the crumbling house and overgrown fields. “Aren’t you?”
Lexi doesn’t say anything, and a slight smile spreads across Victor’s features. He can smell victory.
“I understand time is of the essence, so we took the liberty of drawing up a contract.”
This must be Karl’s cue, because he lays the briefcase on the hood of the car, pops it open, retrieves a brown envelope, and hands it to Lexi.
“I need to speak to my lawyer. I don’t even have the deeds yet,” she says as she takes it from him.
“I understand you’re meeting this afternoon. You can go through the contract together then.”
This guy seems to know a lot about my girl, and I don’t like it. I memorize the plates on the car and make a mental note to have my buddy, Owen, who’s standing in as sheriff of Hope, run a background check on these guys.
“You’ll find everything is above board and a generous offer, considering the state of the property.”
Karl flicks the briefcase closed, and Victor pulls his business card out of his pocket. This time, he holds it out to Lexi.
“This is my direct number. Call me when you’re ready to sign. My client is looking at other properties in the area, so if you want to move on it, you’ll need to act quickly.”
Lexi reaches for the card, but I snatch it first. Like hell she’s calling this guy’s direct line.
Victor and Karl depart in a cloud of dust that leaves a thin coating on their polished car.
When I turn to Lexi, she’s got the contract out of the envelope and is scanning the first page.
“It might be easier to sell than I thought,” she mutters.
My heart twists at her words. I need more time to convince her to stay.
She slides the contract back into the envelope. “Let’s see what my lawyer has to say.”
10
LEXI
Mark sits on one side of an ornate oak desk, paperwork spread out in front of him, and his glasses pushed to the bridge of his nose. On the other side of the desk, Aiden holds my hand in his as I process the legal documents Mark puts in front of me.
Aiden insisted on coming with me, and I’m glad for his company. There’re a lot of legal terms that are new to me, and while I try to figure out what it all means, it’s nice to have his quiet support.
After signing the paperwork that officially makes the property mine, Mark leans forward in his chair. “I have to inform you that I’ve been approached by an undisclosed party who’s interested in buying the land.”
“I know. They turned up on the property this morning.”
“Really?” Mark steeples his fingers and peers at me over his glasses. “That’s highly irregular. Especially since you only officially owned it five minutes ago when I signed the deeds over to you.”
“They’ve drawn up a contract already.” I hand the envelope over to Mark, and he takes the contract out.
He slips the glasses onto his nose, and I wait as he flips through the pages.
Aiden sits beside me, his hand resting on my knee. It’s a slight touch, but it’s as if his fingers are flame-tipped. Heat emanates from wherever he touches me, and it’s hard to concentrate on what Mark’s saying.
Mark puts the contract down and pushes his glasses onto his head.
“It’s a good offer. More than the place is worth. Are you thinking of selling?”