That was a fair point. Under normal circumstances, Jacob would have been very keen to discover when Ant's new installation was leaving the house. It was hard to have neutral feelings about a bouncy house made entirely from blow-up sex dolls, complete with gaping open mouths.
"You should count yourself lucky," Jacob said. "Because it's fucking horrible."
Ant laughed. "I know," he said. "That's what makes it so amazing."
"If you say so," Jacob shrugged. "Did I tell you that Beatrix is creative? She does these amazing embroidery projects with skulls and—"
Another pair of socks sailed alarmingly close to Jacob's ear.
"Okay, fine!" Jacob said, raising his hands. "I'll help you with the washing, and I won't say a word about her."
"You're absolutely gone, dude," Ant shook his head. "You going back over there tonight?"
"I wish," Jacob said. "You're stuck with me tonight. I have to be at Dad's office early tomorrow morning. He's got a client he wants me to meet. It's all very hush-hush. I don't know what the big deal is. But you'll have to cancel any orgies you're hosting here tonight."
"Maybe not," Ant said. "I doubt you'd care, so long as you could tell them all how great Beatrix is."
"You were the one who said I should go for it with her!"
"I know, dude," Ant said. "Relax. Really, I think this is great. But I'm absolutely going to give you shit for it. Especially for telling me that you were "just friends" for all these weeks. What a load of crap!"
"We were!" Jacob protested. "I was working; it wasn't like that. I mean, it was nice getting to see her more. You know, when we'd walk the dogs together, and I'd point out some plant, she'd look at me with this little frown right between her eyes, like she was really listening—"
"Enough!" Ant said, handing Jacob an enormous basket of wet laundry. "Go and hang these on the washing line."
"I thought you were going to help!"
"This is your tax for not being able to shut up about your girlfriend, dude," Ant grinned. "If you do it all by yourself, I'll give you ten minutes to describe her smile, and I won't even roll my eyes."
Jacob laughed, feeling like his heart was so huge and so buoyant that he might just float off into the air if it wasn't for the heavy laundry basket weighing him down.
"You got yourself a deal."
✽✽✽
Spending any time away from Beatrix - especially after spending a month literally bound together - was difficult. But spending a whole night away from her? That was a cruel and unusual punishment, as far as Jacob was concerned. But he knew it was the right thing to do when he had to appear at his father's office at a truly ungodly hour of the morning. Really, who thought a 7 AM meeting was a good idea?
"Jacob!" Chuck said, clapping him on the back. "You look tired. Your brother reckons he knows what's kept you so busy." He laughed uproariously.
"There might be some truth to that," Jacob shrugged, not wanting to get into an argument with his father about Beatrix and why her family didn't own a concrete plant or fleet of trucks.
"I know you're a bit defensive about this girl you're seeing," Chuck went on. "Not the same kind of background as Alyssa. But Jacob, today you've got the opportunity to make a deal that will mean it doesn't matter who you go out with."
"Really?" Jacob said. "Who's this client we're meeting? You wouldn't tell me. Since when are you a stickler for security, anyway?"
"They insisted!" Chuck laughed. "Nothing over the phone or email, can you believe it? Made me sign a non-disclosure, just to have that first chat."
"It's not, like, government intelligence, is it?" Jacob frowned. It didn't make any sense. Who could possibly want a meeting with them who needed this much secrecy?
Chuck laughed out loud. "May as well have been!" he said. "Look, I'll tell you now because they'll be here in a minute. It's Kappa."
"Kappa?" Jacob was dumbstruck. "Why would they want to meet with us?"
"Because someone-" Chuck pointed a finger at Jacob's chest, "-has a piece of land absolutely perfect for a project with them. They'll explain when they get here."
Kappa. Jacob's head was spinning. Kappa was the largest technology corporation in the world; they made everything from search engines to social media to the most sought-after smartphones. They were also widely known for being just a little evil, much as they tried to cover it up. But privacy breeches, human rights violations, interference in the free press? Kappa had done the lot. And now they wanted to discuss a deal with him? That was crazy.
"They're here!" Chuck looked nervous. Jacob had never seen his father look nervous, not for a client meeting. His Dad was always annoyingly overconfident and more than a little over-familiar. Jacob had had to quietly apologise for one of his Dad's "jokes" that offended at least three separate groups of people more times than he could count.
Jacob watched as Chuck welcomed in two men in unassuming short-sleeved business shirts and slacks. They certainly didn't look like agents of the world's biggest tech corporation.
"And this is my son, Jacob," Chuck said. "He's the landholder at Shepherd's Crossing. Jacob, this is Martin and Phillip."
"Phillippe," the man with glasses corrected. "It's French."
"I'm so sorry," Chuck said, bowing his head. Jacob suppressed a smirk. His Dad apologising instead of making a joke about cheese-eating surrender monkeys? He was really in awe of these Kappa guys.
"It's nice to meet you," Jacob said, offering his hand. "I'd be pleased to discuss my plans for Shepherd's Crossing with you, and I'd be glad to hear what interests you about the site."
"We'll get straight to the point," Phillippe said. "We're considering making an offer on the site. For a data centre, you see. Contingent on inspection and approval from corporate."
A data centre. Of course. That made perfect sense. Shepherd's Crossing was isolated, but with the new road and the three zone power substations, it would be ideal for an electricity hungry data centre.
"I see," Jacob said. "Well, that would make a lot of sense. The substations, protection against redundancy, and—
"Precisely," Martin said. "It would suit our purposes. Of course, we'll need to inspect it. Bring in our own people, look at all possible security risks. I understand that there's bushland on the site at the moment? That will have to go. Fire hazard."
"Oh, I was actually looking at retaining some of the bushland," Jacob said. "You see, there's a real value in environmental tax credits over a ten to fifteen-year period, and—"
"That won't be a concern for us," Phillippe said, his mouth a thin line. "We're not too concerned about penny-pinching."
Martin let out a short, harsh laugh. Chuck joined in, but Jacob didn't.
"So, you'd be interested in a longer-term lease, I would assume, because of the infrastructure build—" Jacob began.
"No lease," Martin said. "We're only interested in an outright purchase of the site. This is the offer we'd be willing to discuss."
He took a single piece of paper from his satchel and slid it across the table towards Jacob ad his father.
Jacob was able to ensure that his face didn't betray his surprise at the size of the offer, but he saw his father's moustache twitch and eyebrows raise.
"That's certainly very..." Chuck's eyes were wide. "We'd be more than happy to arrange a site tour at your convenience."
Jacob bristled slightly. It was supposed to be his site now, wasn't it? But it wouldn't do to appear divided in front of the Kappa people, and so he forced his face into a smile.
"Yes, I'd be pleased to conduct the tour myself," Jacob said quickly. "And to share with you the plans that my surveyor made, they're considerably updated from the public plans available from—"
"We've got them," Phillipe said dismissively.
"Oh, right," Jacob said, a little dumbfounded. He wasn't sure that was entirely legal, and it sure as hell wasn't ethical, but after all, this was Kappa they were talking about.
"Perhaps a site tour later this wee
k could be arranged," Martin said, stroking his neat little goatee. "I'll be in touch."
"Oh, I'll give you my mobile number—" Jacob began.
"No need," Phillipe said. "We've got it."
And Jacob knew that was probably because his dad had given it to them, but with Kappa, you could never be sure. There was something about the two of these guys that gave him the creeps. Like he was talking to highly advanced and more than slightly sinister androids.
"Er, right," Jacob said. "Well, then—"
"We'll be in touch," Martin said, standing up.
There were handshakes all around before Martin and Phillipe disappeared to plug themselves into the mainframe or whatever it was Kappa employees did.
"Bloody hell," Jacob said, looking at his Dad.
"I know," Chuck said, looking shell-shocked. "I told you it was a big deal, didn't I? And that offer! Strange blokes, though."
"Very," Jacob agreed. "I didn't like them."
"What's to like?" Chuck snorted. "But with that offer? They can do what they want." He looked around furtively. "I know it's early, but how about a drink? I think we earned it." Chuck reached into his desk and pulled out the ever-present bottle of expensive Cognac.
"Yeah," Jacob agreed. "Yeah. After meeting those guys, I think I need it."
✽✽✽
When Jacob drove out to Shepherd's Crossing, his mind was heavy.
Kappa's potential offer was huge. Massive. Insane. At least three times what anyone else would possibly offer to purchase the site. Perhaps even more than Jacob estimated the site would be worth in twenty years, if he carefully cultivated it for eventual residential use. It was, Jacob knew, an eye-wateringly massive sum of money.
If he made that deal, he could rest on his laurels for the rest of his career. Hell, he could retire right now. But they weren't interested in a tenancy. They wanted to buy the entire site and do everything that Beatrix had most feared an evil developer might do.
Jacob was under no illusions as to what a data centre would mean. Every tree, every bush, every shrub would be cleared. Enormous backup generators would be installed, humming all day and night.
And the security detail? The site would look like the bastard child of a maximum-security prison and top-clearance military base, maybe the one where the government kept the aliens. They'd make terrible neighbours; he knew that, too. Between the constant security patrols, the hum of the generators, and endless fire drills - complete with armed response and fire engines - Beatrix would absolutely hate having Kappa on her doorstep.
And he didn't know much about magic, but somehow he felt sure that Beatrix's huge garden and greenhouse would be disturbed by the secretive, sinister energy that Kappa's data centre would emanate. It didn't seem possible that Just Like Magic and Kappa could happily co-exist side by side.
But it wasn't like he had said yes to them, had he? He was just entertaining their interest. These deals could fall apart so quickly. Nothing was set in stone. In fact, nothing was even committed to paper. He didn't want to burn any bridges by refusing to show them the site. That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?
He thought of how Beatrix would look - furious, disappointed, and crestfallen all in one - if she found out he was even talking to Kappa about selling the site. The thought made him sick. Made him want to tell Phillipe and Martin to piss off and build their hellhole of a data centre somewhere else. But another face came into his mind, even as he thought of Beatrix. His Dad. His Dad's nervously excited face, how thrilled he had been at the prospect of such an enormous sale. How it would solidify their reputation as real players on an international stage, just like Chuck had always wanted. He'd be the envy of his peers, the toast of many a raised glass of Chateau Mormont.
"All I can do is wait and see what happens," Jacob sighed, looking at Prada in her car seat. "I mean, just giving them a tour isn't committing to anything, right? It would be rude to refuse them."
Prada gave him a hard stare and yipped loudly.
"Okay, I know you don't like the idea," he said, shaking his head. "But you can keep your anarchist principles to yourself. I know that Kappa has been accused of some pretty bad stuff, but bloody hell, this deal would be..." He sighed out loud. "Look, they're a legitimate company, really."
Prada made a snorting sound like she was about to leave a horrible surprise on his clean leather seats, and Jacob swore again.
"I'm just thinking about it, okay?" he said after a moment. "I don't have to make any decisions yet."
But even so, Jacob's stomach got tighter and more uncomfortable as he pulled through the gate and up the narrow dirt road towards Beatrix's house. How was he going to keep this from her?
✽✽✽
"Hey, you!" Beatrix wrapped her arms tight around his neck, pressing her warm body against his. "I missed you." Her lips were on his in an instant, and she tasted like coffee and freshly chopped mint leaves, sweet and fresh.
Jacob let himself fall into her embrace, not thinking about anything at all as he held her close, devouring her mouth with his own.
"Missed you too," he said, tucking one strand of bright red hair behind her ear. "Ant told me off for talking about you too much. But I couldn't stop."
"That might just be the cutest thing I've ever heard," Beatrix whispered, starting to unbutton his shirt. "I'm incredibly flattered, you know that, Jacob Jones? It's pretty cool, being your girl."
"Glad you think so," Jacob grinned, groaning out loud as her warm hands pressed over the firm muscle of his chest like she wanted to be close to him, skin to skin, heart to heart.
"Was your meeting with your dad good?"
Jacob stiffened instantly. He wished she hadn't asked. He had really hoped that she'd forget. If she didn't ask, then he wouldn't have to lie. And he really, really, didn't want to lie to Beatrix.
"It was okay," Jacob said carefully. "Big overseas company. The blokes were weird as hell. One of them had a goatee."
Beatrix laughed, wrinkling her nose. "I always think a goatee makes a man look kind of like a billy goat," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "Wade has hundreds of goats on his property. He loves them, but I've always found them slightly terrifying. I think it's the way that they can climb up vertical surfaces. That's not natural."
"I completely agree," Jacob said, glad to stay on the topic of goats. "Definitely dodgy. Are you sure goats aren't, like, supernatural beings? With powers I would tremble to behold?"
"It's a very distinct possibility," Beatrix said, looking thoughtful. "Though you'd think that if they were so damn powerful, they wouldn't choose to eat garbage and hang around Wade's place all day. They'd have better stuff to do."
"True," Jacob said, shrugging.
"But it was a good meeting?" Beatrix asked again. "Your dad was so damn cagey about it. Was it a client for the site here?"
"No," Jacob said, hating himself for lying, but it had just slipped out. There was no taking it back now. "No, it's one of our other properties. Dad just wanted back up, and he probably thought Tom would be too hungover."
Beatrix frowned slightly at that, maybe because she remembered him saying that Tom was always his father's preferred partner in meetings rather than himself, but she seemed to accept it.
"Well, I'm glad you'll be back here this week," she said. "I'll need a friendly face, with my mother coming."
"Oh yeah," Jacob said, eagerly latching on to the topic. "She gets here tomorrow, right?"
"Yep," Beatrix said. "No idea when. She's not into such petty things as clocks and timetables. I'm surprised she didn't just say she'd be with me by the New Moon."
"Well, I promise I'll be on my best behaviour. If you want me to meet her, that is."
"I do!" Beatrix said, looking up at him. "But she can be a bit..." she sighed. "Look, she's not going to be delighted that you're not a warlock."
"I got that impression," Jacob said. "It's okay. You don't have to feel like you have to apologise for that."
"Still,
it's ridiculous of her," Beatrix sighed. "Most witches and warlocks live like everyone else. Or at least close enough. Like Wade. But she's a traditionalist, and she's all about keeping it in the community."
"Hmmm," Jacob scratched his chin, pretending to think. "Reckon it's too late to teach me how to be a warlock by tomorrow? I can do a few coin tricks, you know. Do you think that will help?"
Beatrix's laughter was the sweetest sound he had ever heard, and he hated himself just a little for knowing he was distracting her from the real subject of his meeting.
"You're amazing," she said, looking up at him with absolute trust in her big blue eyes. "If she had any sense, she'd love you as much as—" she cut herself off, blushing suddenly, and Jacob's heart leapt in his chest. Had she been about to say what he thought she was? Were her feelings as strong as his?
"You must be hungry," Beatrix said suddenly. "I've got a curry in the slow cooker, and there's some naan bread in the freezer. it won't be as good as that restaurant you took me too, but—"
"It will be better," Jacob said, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. "Because you made it. And you're you."
Beatrix smiled, relaxing into his embrace. "How did I get so lucky?" she said happily. "A developer turns up next door, and he ends up being the greatest guy in Sydney. What are the chances?"
Jacob swallowed uncomfortably but he held Beatrix against his chest and didn't say a word.
✽✽✽
It was lonely out at the site office. In the past month, Jacob had become used to having people around him all the time. He had once looked forward to the peace and quiet of an office to himself, but that was when his company was his brother and father, not Beatrix. He had even gotten used to Onyx's morose pronouncements over the coffee machine and Shauna's updates on her sons' antics. It reminded him of his own childhood, all the mischief he and Tom - mostly Tom - had gotten up to.
Witch Way Now: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Raising Hell Downunder Book 4) Page 17