Hotel Ladd (8 page)

Annie groaned inwardly. Nothing like
broadcasting their meeting to everyone inside and out! But she slid
onto the bench seat across from Jillian and prepared herself for
the conversation. She’d had no time to think about the offer, no
time to discuss the details of a logging contract with Cal. She’d
been consumed with Casey’s whereabouts. Cal said Delaney was fine
with the logging deal, but other than details, prices, Annie had
nothing solid to compare numbers. Cal mentioned a quarter of a
million dollars. Could it be more? Less?

“
My offer for five hundred
thousand is a very good price for your property,” Jillian began.
“It’s more than generous and you’d be wise to take it.”

“
Yes,” Annie agreed blindly,
sorting through the possibilities as she spoke. It sounded like a
lot of money to her but what did she know? She was no expert in the
field.

“
I can pay you in
cash.”

Cash? Annie pushed back in her seat,
her mind whirring at high speed. What was she going to do with half
a million dollars in cash?

“
I’ll want time to complete
a survey,” Jillian continued, “but I don’t expect that to take more
than a week or two. Upon closing, I’ll wire the money to the bank
of your choice.”

Annie only half-listened as
Jillian Devane reeled off business details of buying the land,
preparing for closing, her mind busily trying to digest the money
aspect. What would Gerald Foster do when she strolled up to a
teller’s window with a check for five hundred thousand dollars?
He’d probably keel over on the spot. Annie Owens was not a woman of
means. Her bank account rarely held five hundred dollars let alone
five hundred
thousand
. Her gaze shot to the front entrance. A group from church
entered the diner, bells sounding as an elderly man held the door a
bit unsteadily, chatting with another man as the women passed
through. Aunt Fran waved to the women, calling them to a large
table in the back.

Things were happening too
fast. There were so many questions she didn’t know where to begin.
Annie’s throat closed. If only she could discuss it with Cal. He
knew real estate. He could help her wade through the details of a
big sale like this. Nick had handled the initial transfer, but
would not help her sell to this woman. In fact, Nick was more
likely to do everything in his power to
stop
her.

Hypnotic golden-brown eyes drew Annie
in, reducing the restaurant to the two of them. “Well?”

Annie wanted to confer with Cal, but
couldn’t mention the first word. He wanted to log the property. He
wanted her to build a home on it. “I have to think about
it.”

Jillian’s lips pulled into a thin line.
“Yes, that’s what you said Friday. But Ms. Owens, there’s something
you have to understand. Real estate is a very fluid market. When my
investors hear the word ‘wait’ they do the exact opposite and move
on to the next deal. As you know...” Long finely manicured nails
painted blood-red tapped on the rim of her glass. “I’m looking at
another property north of yours. Do you want me to buy that one
instead? They’re calling me this afternoon for my
decision.”

Pressure built in Annie’s chest. It was
the property Lacy had originally mentioned. Jillian Devane was here
to ruin Nick. Time ticked away in her skull. Black eyes speared her
to the seatback. Five hundred thousand dollars were slipping
through her fingers. “I don’t know.”

Jillian frowned. “Shall I take that as
a no?”

“
I’m going through some
personal issues at the moment, and they’ve distracted me from the
details of this deal,” Annie replied, intuitively knowing she was
divulging too much but ill-prepared to play hard ball. This woman
didn’t need to know her business. She didn’t need to know what she
was considering, or why. Annie couldn’t help it if this wasn’t her
realm of expertise. Expertise,
hell
. Mega real estate deals were like
talking a foreign language!

Five hundred thousand dollars was a lot
of money. Twice what Cal was talking and Annie didn’t want to walk
away from a potential sale. She wanted to think about it. She
needed to research, consult with an attorney. Time. It was logical.
It was reasonable. No one could fault her for taking the time to
consider her options. But if this woman wanted to buy another
property, there was nothing stopping her. “Is there any way you can
give me a few days?”

A glimmer of victory lit up
her cat eyes. “If you assure me there is a possibility we have a
deal, then yes, I think I can convince my
impatient
investors to wait a few
days,” she said, suddenly inflecting a tone of camaraderie with
Annie.

“
Thank you.” Annie exhaled
against a knot forming in her chest. Selling hundreds of acres of
wilderness in Tennessee couldn’t be an easy prospect. It wasn’t
like there were people lined up to buy a piece of land that size,
let alone lined up with that kind of money. As it was, most people
around here could hardly afford a fifty thousand dollar mortgage.
Five hundred thousand dollars for nothing but rocks and trees was
for developers or the super-rich.
And the
taxes
? Annie didn’t even want to think
about the tax bill that would arrive in the mail next
month.

Nerves skirted through her pulse as she
glimpsed Malcolm and Lacy strolling past the front window. Annie
leapt up from the table, catching her thigh on a corner. Biting
back a moan, she said, “I’ll call you when I have an answer, but
right now—I have a lunch date.” All she needed was her sister and
husband to walk in and see the two of them together and Annie would
have to explain why she was cavorting with the enemy!

Jillian replied genially in her
extravagant accent, “Of course.”

Good God, the woman
even
sounded
rich,
Annie thought, and hurried to the lunch counter. Five hundred
thousand dollars cash. Annie clutched the worn Formica edge, still
trying to wrap her brain around that angle. What did one do with
five hundred thousand dollars cash? Open a bank account? Investment
account?

Checking for signs of Fran, Annie
wondered if her aunt had witnessed her meeting with Jillian Devane.
Fran kept an eye on everything and everyone. Didn’t seem possible
she could have missed Annie’s meeting with Jillian, but she seemed
consumed with her growing lunch crowd, chattering away with the
large party from church.

Bells jangled again and
Annie turned in time to see Malcolm and Lacy stroll in. They caught
sight of her instantly. Lacy waved. Annie waved back, darting a
glance toward Jillian who was looking at Malcolm and Lacy. Annie
gulped.
Would she say
anything
?

Nearing, Lacy smiled, her lips colored
a bright pink, her dress a thin fuchsia woolen material. She wore
black leather knee-high boots, sleek and expensive. “Hi,
Annie!”

Behind her Malcolm sported black
slacks, gray cardigan and a white turtleneck. Annie was still
getting used to his shock of white hair. Cut in fine layers against
his tanned skin, it gave him a “celebrity” look. Together, the
couple appeared as if they had just strolled off the pages of a
glamour magazine. Two pairs of brilliant blue eyes zeroed in on
her, trapping Annie in place. If Jillian wanted to sashay over here
and tell the two of them what they’d been discussing, Annie had no
power to stop her.

“
Are you here for supper?”
Lacy inquired.

“
No, I er—of course,” Annie
said quickly, realizing her error. “Why else would I be
here?”

“
Oh, good.” Lacy glanced
around them. “Where’s Cal?”

Annie released her breath. “I don’t
know. Haven’t talked to him today.”

Lacy appeared confused. “Well, he’ll be
joining you, right?”

Annie shook her head. It wasn’t a good
time. Too much going on.

“
How’s the logging deal
coming along?” Malcolm asked. “Cal told Delaney you were
considering logging the property as a way to earn some income.”
Hanging a hand from Lacy’s shoulder, he nodded his approval. “I
think it’s a great idea.”

Surprised by his easy acceptance, Annie
hemmed, “Well, I haven’t made any decisions yet.” Walling her
peripheral vision against seeking out Jillian, she said, “I’m not
sure how we can manage to log without a road in, with no way to get
the wood and all.”

“
Cal told me his forester
friend was taking care of it. All you need is a permit and that
shouldn’t take but a few weeks or so.”

Once again, Annie felt things were
moving too quickly. The logging deal would be ready before she
could decide whether or not to sell. She had no idea if Jillian’s
offer was the right amount without checking the market. And she
still had yet to talk with Casey, discuss their options. Logging
would provide them with money and allow them to keep the land, but
with the land came expenses, taxes. Jillian’s offer would allow her
and Casey the freedom to walk away with a lump sum. It was
tempting. “Yes, well, Cal is an optimist.”

Malcolm returned a thoughtful gaze.
“And you’re not?”

“
Of course she is,” Lacy
quipped. “And Annie knows value when she sees it. She knows it’s a
lot of money.”

“
Value,” Annie repeated.
“Yes.” Value. Money. Cash—and lots of it, possibly more than five
hundred thousand dollars. Resisting the urge to look over her
shoulder at Jillian, Annie spotted Aunt Fran as she emerged from
the kitchen.

“
Hey, sugar!” Fran wiped her
hands on a red waist apron, her standard uniform attire along with
her starched white dress, and made a bee line for the three of
them. “I thought that was ya’ll I saw out here.” She brushed
wayward red curls beneath her hair net, aqua-blue eye shadow
jumping out against a line of heavy black lashes.

A rush of nerves unraveled Annie’s
calm. “We’re here for lunch,” she blurted.

Ignoring the obvious, Fran asked, “Did
you find Casey? I’ve been worried sick as a coon huntin’ at
noon.”

Malcolm and Lacy remained mute,
assuming they knew the answer.

“
I did.” Annie cleared her
throat. “She’s in Murfreesboro. With Troy.”

“
Troy Parker?”

Annie nodded. “Seems the two are an
item.” She glanced at Lacy, reminded of another young girl who
thought she wanted to escape on the heels of a boy. “Casey thinks
she wants to be with him for a while.”

As though Fran understood completely,
she ceased further scrutiny. Rolling her lips together, she shared
a glance with Lacy and said, “Give her time. She’ll be
back.”

“
The chicken smells awful
good, Aunt Frannie.”

Fran accepted Lacy’s invitation onto
easier terrain with only a slight pause. “Now you know I don’t make
anything but the best.” Glancing between them she asked, “Three
orders?”

Malcolm looked to Annie for
confirmation. “Actually, I just realized I told Candi I’d be by her
place after church,” she lied. Resisting the urge to look over her
shoulder, she couldn’t very well afford to stick around and have
Jillian make an approach!

“
You want a couple orders to
go?”

“
No, thanks.” At the
disappointment staring back at her, Annie added, “I don’t want you
to go to any trouble.”

“
Now, sugar you know it’s no
trouble at all.”

Annie managed a small smile. “Two
chicken dinners to go would be great, Aunt Fran. Thank
you.”

The light returned to her expression.
“Four fried chicken dinners, double the biscuits!” she called out
gaily and whisked back to the kitchen service window. Calling the
order back, Fran turned on her white-soled heel and retrieved a
host of glasses. Setting them on a tray, she filled them with ice,
grabbed a pitcher of tea and delivered the goods in seconds. “Now
c’mon ya’ll, sit.” She poured four glasses full. “Just holler if
you want more.”

Malcolm grinned. Guiding Lacy to a seat
on a cushioned stool, he said, “You spoil me, Fran.”

She winked. “It’s my
specialty.”

Annie lowered next to her, trailing
Fran’s backside down the counter and around the corner and into the
kitchen. The woman didn’t sit still for half a second. Was it
possible she missed Annie and Jillian altogether?

“
Is there something else
concerning you, Annie?” Malcolm glanced to Lacy. “Other than access
and trees, I mean?”

It wasn’t a judgmental question, rather
easy and considerate. Like Lacy, Malcolm Ward was eager to help.
Not a trait she expected in a man from Los Angeles, a city renowned
for its glitter and fast living, but she appreciated it all the
same. “Oh, I don’t know,” she replied. “Sounds like a lot of red
tape to me.”

Malcolm smiled knowingly. “Shouldn’t be
too bad. Nick and I have found the county to be very accommodating
and have developed a great working relationship with the guys in
the office. If it will help, I’d be happy to submit a permit to the
Department of Transportation on your behalf. It might help smooth
the process for you.”

“
Oh, Malcolm, would you?”
Lacy peered up at him in naked awe. “That would save Annie so much
time, wouldn’t it?”