Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“He’s very popular,” Reggie assured me.
It was like they were both his hype men.
“Excuse me,” Justin said quickly, “I ordered a latte and need to go grab it.”
Once he was gone, I realized that both Reggie and Fletcher were staring at me. “I missed something,” I rushed out.
“I said that Justin was very popular,” Reggie repeated.
“Oh, yes, so you said.”
“You don’t think he would be?”
“I’m certain I have no idea.”
They were staring at me again, looking at me oddly.
“Gentlemen?”
“You’re not drawn to him?” Fletcher asked carefully, studying me, which was odd.
“Is this a wolf thing?” I asked, crossing my arms, squinting at them.
“You don’t feel anything being in his presence?” Reggie asked.
“No.”
Fletcher glanced at Reggie. “He must have decided against it.”
I wasn’t following the conversation at all, but that was fine.
Justin returned, complimented my barista, and only then noticed that none of us were speaking. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” Fletcher answered quickly.
“Might we have a word with you outside?” Justin asked after taking a large gulp of his latte. “We would appreciate it.”
“Course,” I agreed, and the three of them walked out ahead of me, passing under the thick arch to first the parking lot, and then to the sidewalk I’d put in myself, paved in granite setts, then to an area with a small wrought-iron bench in front of an ammonite wall that rose fifty feet up. As The Bower was three stories high, it spanned from the ground to the roof. Many people had taken pictures of it over the years, as the ammonites were set in opal and sparkled in the sun.
“Quickly, if I may,” Justin said, gesturing at the wall, “this is stunning.”
“Thank you.”
“How did you pay for this? It must have cost a fortune, and from everything we’ve seen, you, sir, are not a millionaire.”
“My family did it a long time ago,” I informed him.
“Your family?”
I nodded.
“When?”
“Over several generations,” I lied smoothly.
Justin narrowed his eyes as he regarded me. “You know, we looked at your deed with the county, to your own land as well as the one for the land here at The Bower, and everything has simply run through your line. In fact, both land parcels belonged to your family before the town was established.”
“That’s right.”
“Justin, why do we care about—”
“Just wait,” he ordered Fletcher, and his eyes flashed gold for a moment, which made both men instantly quiet. “This building is old, but it’s made of limestone. Not sandstone, not shale, but limestone, which is much harder to come by.”
“Yes.” I agreed, because there was no argument to be made.
“You have bur oaks on three sides, and at the front are two Rocky Mountain junipers that are somehow growing together over the entrance.”
“Yes. Is there a question in there?”
“All those trees, as a rule, don’t even grow in this region,” he said, casting me a suspicious look.
“That’s true. Several of my ancestors brought them back as saplings from their travels. Do you have an interest in dendrology?”
“Not really, I’m just a fan of how the trees have been specifically planted. I mean, I can’t imagine that even in the winter months, with large accumulations of snow, there’s much out here or in the courtyard.”
He would be correct. “We still get a skip now and then.”
“Skip?”
“A dusting, you know.”
“I have to tell you,” Fletcher said, “I can’t wait to bring my mother and my aunts. It’s like an oasis. The windows looking into the courtyard from three sides are really beautiful.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind.”
“It is, yes,” Justin said. “But how is that collection of trees, and all these different—you have slate on the sides toward that stream in the back, and I know basalt when I see it, and—”
“Are you a geologist?” I grinned.
His breath caught, and then he exhaled slowly. “Those are more hobbies. I’m a lawyer and oversee the legal aspects of the pack’s business dealings. The Swann Group buys and sells property all over the country. I’m excellent at getting what I want in negotiations.”
“I’m sure you are.” What else was I supposed to say to that? And now he was looking at me like it was my turn to say something. “Your father named his business after himself?”
“It was actually my great-grandfather.” He chuckled, taking a step closer to me. “He was the one with the inflated ego.”
I nodded. “So your father…?”
“Abel Swann.”
“He’s not a third?”
“No. That was my uncle, Anson Swann the Third, the firstborn, who passed.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right, it was ages ago. After he died, my father took over the company, and steered the business in a very profitable direction, as well as growing our pack.”
Which was great and everything, but I had more important questions for him. “May I ask what makes any of you want to relocate to the middle of nowhere?”
All three men suddenly went quiet.