Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“You should stay the fuck out of my way.”
“No problem.” He shrugged. “We’re not moving in the same direction anyway. You’re going down, and I’m going up.”
I wasn’t the type for a fistfight and hadn’t thrown a punch in years—not even after Bob had slept with my girlfriend—but that self-satisfied smirk set my temper ablaze, and I took extreme pleasure in cocking my fist back and then smashing it into his face.
The blow surprised him, knocking him backward onto his ass. He touched his bloody lip and glared up at me. “You’re gonna be fired for that, asshole.”
“You had that coming,” I seethed. “And I already quit.”
Forty-five minutes later, I was escorted from the building.
In three hours, I’d packed a bag and was on my way to the airport.
In five hours, I was on a flight to Michigan.
By nine o’clock that night, I was pulling up at Lexi’s condo in my rental car. All the while, a plan had been taking shape in my head.
It was a good plan. A little extreme, maybe, but it would work. It would give Lexi what she needed (the chance to hold onto her home) and me what I wanted (the chance to fuck over Bob Oliver).
I just had to get her to marry me.
SEVEN
lexi
I was already in my pajamas, curled up on my couch watching The Bear with a pint of Hudsonville Extra Indulgent Cookie Dough ice cream on my lap when I heard the knock on the door.
What the hell? Who was here at nine o’clock on a Monday night?
Annoyed, I paused the episode and set the ice cream carton on the coffee table, spoon inside it. Couldn’t a girl enjoy stressed-out chefs and sugar-laden dairy products in peace? Surely I deserved it after all the disappointment I’d suffered the past week. Dozens of emails and phone calls in the desperate attempt to find a benevolent buyer for Snowberry, all with no luck. Not a single resort company or property developer was interested in restoration. They all said the same thing—if I could even get someone to return my call—the land was worth more without Snowberry on it.
My heart was heavy, but I still wasn’t ready to give up. Gran had given me until the end of the month, and that meant I still had nearly two full weeks. Miracles could happen in two weeks, right?
The knocking sounded again, loud and frantic.
“I’m coming,” I said loudly, hurrying to the door in my bare feet. It was probably Tabitha wanting to borrow something from my closet. She often showed up out of nowhere to paw through my things before she went out for the night, complaining all the while that all my clothes were too big for her.
But when I pulled open the front door, it wasn’t my cousin standing there.
“Devlin?” I stared at him in disbelief. He hardly looked like the same guy. No suit and tie, no dress shoes, no fresh shave and neat coiffure. Instead he wore jeans, sneakers, and a Camp Lemonade T-shirt. His hair was a mess. His stubble was well beyond five o’clock shadow. And above his watch, he wore a colorful beaded bracelet that looked ridiculous on his thick masculine wrist.
But those eyes. Damn it, they could suck the soul from my body.
“Nice shirt,” I said.
“I thought you might like it.”
“What are you doing here?” I would not be swayed by his charm. “I already told you, there’s nothing you can say to change my mind about selling to Black Diamond.”
“I don’t want you to sell to Black Diamond.”
I stared blankly at him. “What?”
“I don’t want you to sell at all.”
A cool autumn night breeze blew in, and my nipples puckered. Realizing I wasn’t wearing a bra, I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you talking about? You know as well as I do that this resort will go under if it doesn’t get an influx of cash.”
“There’s another way,” he said anxiously.
“Another way to what?”
“Another way for you to save your childhood memories. A way for you to inherit Snowberry and turn it around.”
Tilting my head, I squinted at him. “You’re not making sense, Devlin. What way is that?”
“You marry me,” he said confidently. “We do this together.”
My jaw fell open, my arms falling to my sides. “What?!”
“If we get married, you can inherit right now.”
“You’re insane!”
“I’m not. It makes perfect sense.” Another chilly gust ruffled his hair, and he glanced behind me into my living room. “Can I come in so we can talk it over?”
“No!”
“Come on, you’re cold.” His eyes fell to my chest, and I quickly wrapped my arms around myself again. “You’ve got goosebumps, Lexi. Let me in. I just want to talk.”
“Fine.” I backed up and allowed him to enter, closing the door behind him. “But there’s no way in hell I’m agreeing to marry you.”