Something About You

by Bridget Anderson

  “Let me ask you something.” Now things were starting to click for her.

  He lowered his arms. “Sure. Anything.”

  “Did you know when we were in Chicago?”

  He shook his head. “No, of course not. That would have been the perfect time to discuss it. Believe me, I had no malicious intentions. The minute I found out, I sat down with my team and we drafted the best offer my company could make. Trust me, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or your family.”

  “But you sent someone to talk to my family without saying a word to me.”

  He sighed. “My business is with the property owners. We had to approach them first.”

  She placed both hands on her hips. “Yeah, how did that go?”

  “According to the Realtor, not so well. But I don’t believe he was given a chance to give his pitch. That’s why, when he called me, I suggested he speak to you. I figured once you saw what a good deal it was, you’d be able to persuade them to sell, and we’d talk then. We’re working against the clock. If they don’t act soon, they’ll lose everything.”

  She couldn’t believe all of this and started to feel a little betrayed by Miles.

  He lowered his voice. “Kyla, you need to sit down and have a talk with your parents. I only know what was in the preforeclosure documents. But if it’s gotten this far, things are bad. And I’m not the enemy.”

  Kyla’s head was spinning. The fact that Miles possibly knew more about her family’s finances than she did hurt and upset her. She hadn’t been home in a month, but the last time she was there, everything appeared to be okay. Gavin hadn’t mentioned anything to her about the family struggling to pay the bills, and neither had Tracee, for that matter. If it was true, she wondered if her siblings knew—or had they been kept in the dark, as well?

  The bell over the door jingled, and it couldn’t have been at a worse time. Kyla glanced that way to see a young woman walk in, taking off her sunglasses. Miles crossed the room and greeted her at the door.

  “I’m sorry, but can we ask you to come back in just a few minutes? We need to close for a second to cash out the register.” With a smile on his face, he held the woman by her elbow as she turned around. She looked slightly confused, but agreed to come back.

  “Thank you so much,” Miles said as he closed the door behind her and flipped over the Open sign to read Closed.

  Kyla couldn’t help but think back to the days of Miles shadowing her. He’d asked a lot of questions. She’d told him she was from Nicholasville, but he never asked her anything about her family. Maybe because he already knew. Maybe she was the real reason he’d checked into the B and B in the first place.

  Had he played her this whole time? Had he had ulterior motives from the moment he met her at the Hunger Day conference? He’d known exactly how to get to her. He’d known how much she wanted to go to the Global Summit, and he’d just happened to have an extra ticket. He hadn’t told her about the fundraiser, so he’d had a reason to take her shopping and buy her a dress. Was it all to entice her into doing whatever he wanted? She’d read that he was smooth, and he’d asked her not to believe everything she read. Well, maybe the papers were right about one thing. Maybe Miles Parker was a master charmer.

  Miles walked back up to the counter. “I’m going up to the house to speak to Rollin for a minute. Do you want to go grab something to eat after you finish here?”

  Her eyes widened at the possibility of him sharing all this information with Rollin.

  Miles shook his head. “I haven’t said anything to anybody.”

  And how long would that last? She needed to talk to her family before the rumor mill started. “No, you go ahead. I have work to do.”

  Miles looked at her, drumming his fingers on the counter. “You know I drove all the way down here to see you?”

  She moved away from the register and crossed her arms. “To talk to me, you mean. To pick up where your Realtor failed. Isn’t that really why you drove all the way down here?” The ride had taken him an hour, if that long.

  “I wanted to explain the situation to you, yes, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I miss you and I wanted to see you again.”

  “Well, you’ve seen me,” she replied with a curt smile.

  “I don’t know what’s rattling around in that pretty little head of yours, but I need you to understand something. When I said you were the one for me, I meant it. I came to spend some time with you. I want us to get to know each other better.”

  “I think I know you about as well as I want to. You’re good. You just charm the pants off any woman you want. Now you seduce people for the betterment of your company. You and Glenda are probably just alike. I bet she’s seducing Quan so he’ll invest in your business in some way. I see how you like to mix business with pleasure.”

  “Stop it, Kyla! Where is all of this coming from? What has gotten into you?”

  “You’re not going to take my family’s land and spread your pesticides all over it, ruining what they’ve spent years working on. That land is how they make their money. If they lose the farm, where will they go? Farming is my family’s life.”

  Miles dropped his shoulders and let out a deep sigh. He looked up at Kyla, slowly shaking his head.

  Tracee had warned her about Miles. She’d said he was far more experienced than Kyla was, but Kyla hadn’t taken into account how slick he could be.

  Miles started talking again, slower this time. “Kyla, the foreclosure is not going away unless your family comes up with some money. They stand to lose everything to the bank. I may be their only solution. My offer to purchase the land gives them enough to pay off the debt and move to another home or a smaller farm. Whatever they chose to do with it is their business, but their credit won’t be ruined.”

  “How can I believe you, Miles?”

  “Don’t believe me. Pick up the phone and call your parents.”

  “My father’s a proud man. He keeps things close to his chest.”

  “Then maybe you need to go see him in person. Talk everything over with them. I have no desire to hurt your family in any way.”

  She looked away from him and nodded. She knew there was a chip on her shoulder the size of Mount Rushmore, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Now, can we talk about us?” Miles asked.

  Kyla shook her head and walked over to open the gift shop door. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” She thrust up her chin, trying to look brave, but inside, her body was broken and her heart hurt. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been had by a jock, yet again.

  “Well, look who’s back in town!”

  Kyla turned her head as Corra walked in, smiling up at Miles.

  “Hi Corra, it’s good to see you again. I came down to spend some time with Kyla, but—”

  “But I’m kind of busy today, so he was on his way out.” Kyla cut him off before he shared any details of their conversation with Corra. It irritated her that he was still standing there. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest and heat flushed through her body while she forced the corners of her lips up into something that resembled a smile.

  Miles said goodbye and Kyla closed the door behind him.

  Chapter 19

  After Miles left, Corra kept asking if everything was okay. Kyla told her yes, but she knew Corra was no fool, and she’d detected that something had happened between Kyla and Miles.

  “So, are you and Miles getting together tonight?” Corra asked.

  “No. We aren’t. He just stopped by to say hello. I’ve got a ton of work to do today.”

  Corra walked over to the door and flipped the sign to Open. “How did that get turned around?”

  Explaining that would mean she had to explain Miles’s presence, so Kyla shook her head. “I don’t know, maybe I
accidently did it when I opened the door to let you in.”

  “Well, if you don’t have anywhere to run off to, let’s look over the details for the potluck scheduled for the end of the month.” Corra walked behind the counter and pulled out a three-ring binder, then gestured to Kyla. “Come on, pull up a stool and let’s have a look.”

  Kyla took a deep breath before joining her cousin. She wasn’t about to leave the gift shop with Miles still on the property. She didn’t want to bump into him on his way out. What she needed to do was get her parents on the phone, or find Gavin. If anything Miles said was true, Gavin would know.

  As she pulled one of the stools from the end of the counter next to Corra, she asked, “Have you seen Tracee?”

  “Not since this morning. She said something about meeting a friend for lunch. She didn’t say where, but I doubt she’s gone too far.”

  Kyla listened to Corra walk through the details of the community potluck, wanting her opinion before presenting it to the families involved. She tried to focus, but her mind was elsewhere. Periodically, she glanced out the window to see if Miles’s SUV was still parked in the lot—it was.

  “So, you wanna tell me what’s going on?” Corra finally said.

  Kyla averted her cousin’s gaze and shook her head. “Nothing.”

  Corra cleared her throat. “Okay, so you don’t want to talk. I’m not surprised. But Kyla, you flew to Chicago and spent five days with Miles, then returned happy as a schoolgirl after her first kiss. Now he comes to see you and you don’t look happy at all. You practically slammed the door on him when he walked out of here.”

  Kyla bit the inside of her cheek and glanced up at Corra.

  “Yeah, honey, I don’t miss a thing. What did he say to upset you?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it,” Kyla said.

  “Well, you need to talk to somebody. Tayler told me about you moping around here yesterday, and then Miles shows up today. You know we’re here for you, no matter what. If he did something wrong, let us know. The Coleman women will be all over him before he knows what’s going on.” Corra held her fist up.

  Kyla laughed at Corra’s fighting stance, as if she’d be ready to fight Miles if she had to. “I appreciate that cuz, you know I do, but Miles has always been a perfect gentleman.”

  Corra threw her hands up. “Okay, so if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. I just want you to know I’m here for you, and I know how to keep my mouth shut.”

  Kyla thought about it for a minute while Corra flipped the potluck binder closed. Maybe she could use Corra’s help if what Miles said was true. Maybe they’d need a lawyer, and Chris would definitely be able to suggest somebody good.

  She decided to confide in her cousin. “Corra, Miles came by to give me some disturbing news. But promise me you’ll keep this between us right now?”

  Corra’s eyes widened. “I promise.”

  So Kyla told her everything.

  * * *

  As Kyla hurried out of the gift shop and up to the house, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed first her parents, and then Gavin without getting an answer. On the way, she noticed Miles’s SUV was gone. After giving Corra most of the details of her conversation with Miles, Corra suggested Kyla get in touch with her family right away. Corra also assured Kyla that she could count on Corra and Chris to help in any way they were needed.

  Kyla tried Tracee next, and almost jumped for joy when she answered her phone.

  “Hey girl, hold on,” Tracee said.

  Kyla entered the house through the back door and made her way to her room as Tracee returned to the line.

  “Okay, what’s up? I had to put my earbuds in.”

  “What do you know about Momma and Daddy possibly losing the farm?”

  Tracee let out a deep sigh. “Who’ve you been talking to?”

  Kyla didn’t want her to know Miles was that deep into their family business. “I just heard something. Tell me what you know.”

  After a brief hesitation, Tracee said, “We need to talk. I’m not coming back to the B and B today, and I’m finished here so I’m going home. Drop by as soon as you finish work.”

  Kyla paced around her bedroom floor. “Okay. Just tell me, is it bad news or not?”

  “We’ll talk when I see you. I’ll call Gavin, too, because the three of us need to talk before you talk to mama or daddy.”

  Kyla shook her head. Anytime somebody said we need to talk it wasn’t good news. She agreed to meet Tracee later and hung up. She tossed her cell phone across the bed and sat on the end with her forehead in her hands. She had a feeling this was going to be more serious than she’d anticipated.

  A couple of hours later, Tracee opened the front door before Kyla could knock. “I saw you pull up,” she explained, holding the door open.

  Kyla took a deep breath as she walked in. Tracee’s face was all made up, and her hair was done up into a tasteful bun. If it hadn’t been for the maxi dress and sandals, Kyla would say she looked like she was prepared for a job interview.

  “Come on in here. I called Gavin, and he’ll call us back when he’s free.”

  Kyla followed Tracee into her cozy, elegantly decorated kitchen. Two glasses and a bottle of white wine sat on the counter, next to a plate of brownies. “You’re always baking. I’m surprised you don’t weigh a ton,” Kyla said as she reached over to sample a brownie.

  Tracee walked over and pulled the bottle opener from a drawer. “Baking is my job, and I don’t eat everything I bake. That’s why I set these out here for you. Help yourself.”

  Silence filled the room while Kyla ate her brownie. Tracee poured two glasses of wine and joined her at the table. Kyla took a deep breath, ready to hear the worst.

  “So, you heard about the foreclosure?” Tracee asked.

  Kyla’s hand flew to her chest. “Is it a done deal?”

  Tracee took a sip from her glass. “No, not yet.”

  Kyla leaned back in her seat and picked up her wine. She took a couple of sips before putting the glass down. “So, how did this happen, and how come nobody told me about it? I felt like a fool when I found out.”

  Tracee swirled the wine around in her glass. “I found out from Gavin that a couple of months ago Daddy started missing mortgage payments. Things had been slow for quite a while. I had no idea, because every time I went home, things looked fine. Momma and Daddy are good at keeping up appearances.”

  “So things are slow. That shouldn’t be a big enough deal to cause them to lose everything.”

  Tracee shrugged. “There’s more to it. Gavin should—”

  The house phone rang. Tracee jumped up. “That’s probably him now.” She walked over to pick up the cordless from the counter.

  Kyla massaged her forehead, thinking about all the stuff she’d said to Miles. She’d wanted so bad for him to be wrong.

  “Okay, Gavin, tell Kyla what you told me.” Tracee placed the phone on speaker and set it in between them on the table.

  “Hey, Gavin,” Kyla greeted him.

  “Hey, sis. So, who told you?”

  Kyla stared at the phone, still not wanting to give up Miles’s name. She looked up at Tracee, who gave her a questioning look, waiting for her answer also. She leaned forward, placing her forearms on the table. “An investment Realtor for Parker Edmunds came by the farm on Saturday asking me if I’d talk to Daddy. They want to purchase the farm instead of letting it go into foreclosure.”

  “Yeah, that’s who came by here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t here at the time, and the old man is still somewhat in denial about the whole situation.”

  “Gavin, what happened?” Kyla asked.

  “A lot of things. A couple of years ago we expected large growth, so Daddy took out a loan for some new machinery. That growth never happened, but loans came due, and you name it. We had
to do whatever we could to survive.”

  “So, they don’t have any other money in the bank?” Kyla asked, knowing the answer but reaching for anything.

  “Kyla, at times we can’t even pay the guys who help us out. We’ve exhausted every resource there is. And I have my family to think about. I’ve been thinking about getting out of the farming business and doing something else to support my family. Right now, we’re living off of Donna’s income. I couldn’t even afford to send the girls to camp this summer, and forget a vacation.”

  Kyla’s chin dipped to her chest. She was afraid of this. “How’s Mom holding up?”

  “As well as can be expected. You need to come see her. Both of you need to come. She’s been pretending everything is okay for so long. I think she’s just trying to keep Daddy from getting depressed. Not that he isn’t already.”

  Tracee leaned into the phone. “Since the land came from Momma’s side of the family, have you spoken to any of her brothers?”

  Gavin snorted into the phone. “Are you kidding? Only Uncle Calvin has any land left, and he’s been selling off acres a little at a time.”

  “Aren’t there any government subsidies, loans or anything they can get?” Desperation coated Kyla’s words. She reached for her wine glass. “Maybe somebody else in the area would want to buy them out.”

  “Like I told Tracee, we’ve already tried everything, and there’s nothing. We can’t even refinance. Before he purchased the new machinery I’d suggested he consider selling and getting out. But he wanted to give it a little longer. He had faith things would turn around.”

  Kyla and Tracee sat staring at each other, Kyla with tears in her eyes. Memories of the huge backyard where the three of them used to play ran through her mind. Her mother used to hang the laundry on lines out back, and they’d run around the clothes, hitting them with baseball bats until her mother ran them off.

  “Unless the two of you want to move back home and help out? Don’t even answer that, I was being facetious. Even your help couldn’t save us. But you do need to ride up for a visit. We’ll all sit down and talk. That guy left some papers around somewhere.”