Found

FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

After giving Preston instructions on how to find her, Poppy sent him to retrieve his friend, and went to the sunny spot overlooking the beach that she loved. It was just near the shade of the tree line, but the view always excited her.

She laid out the red and white gingham blanket and all the treats prepared by the kitchen for their meal. As she was folding the napkins on the plates, she heard their voices in the trees.

“You walk someone away to give them bad news,” Turner was saying. “What did Ritchie do?”

“Aren’t you always saying people are what matters? They’re what can’t be replaced? Everyone you care about is here, except Naught, but you know, everything’s a tradeoff.”

“So if we’ve gotta lose someone?” Turner asked, humor in his voice.

Preston laughed. “Exactly.”

“If Ritchie screwed with the Venture, you’re telling Pop. Venture’s all I’m bringing to this relationship. I’ve disappointed her enough. It’s already worth squat compared to what she has here. So if Ritch has screwed us, you’re telling my lady.”

From their footsteps, Poppy could tell when they broke through the trees, but she didn’t turn around. A lady never appeared too eager. Really she was just teasing. Though playing it coy with him had never worked out the way it was supposed to in the past.

The footsteps stopped, suggesting Turner had noticed her. “Setting me up with my own girl?”

“Got a problem with that?” Preston asked.

They started walking again, though they couldn’t be more than ten feet away.

“No problem.”

As he approached her side, Poppy tipped her head back to watch him arrive and sit down. “First,” she murmured, leaning against him as he gifted her his kiss.

The short peck wasn’t what she was looking for though. As his mouth retreated, she hooked a finger into the neck of his shirt and pulled him down on her as she lay back on the grass. Their next kiss was much longer, much wetter, and much closer to the gift she’d been daydreaming about.

The heavy hand he had on her waist squeezed to pull her closer. “Corner shouldn’t come with a chaperone, baby.”

Grinning, she laughed and held his face to pull him down for another kiss. “There’s no guarantee the press won’t snap us out here. We really should behave.”

The beach, sea, and sky were deceptive, as Holden’s sky banner had shown. If a helicopter or plane went by, there was a good chance they would be packing cameras of some kind.

“Good way to give Abernathy the message,” Turner said, scooping her beneath him and sliding a hand up her thigh under her skirt to direct it around his hip. “Who’s your guy?”

“My only guy,” she said, coiling both arms around his neck. “And you bring more to this relationship than the Venture.”

“Heard that, huh?”

“People are what matters,” she said.

“Damn straight,” he said, brushing his nose across hers. “You pulled that out of your hat at breakfast. You couldn’t have said it in bed?”

“We were interrupted in bed.”

“Already ordered a lock, I’ll install it the minute it arrives.”

“Handy and a forward planner, my guy.”

“Gotta live up to the privilege.”

His hand slid higher as she drew her leg up. Kissing Turner was always a thrill. A deep-seated, stir her all up, blank out the rest of the world kind of thrill.

Which may be why Preston had to strain himself in such a dramatic way to get their attention. After they ignored him clearing his throat, he faked a coughing fit that kept on getting louder until ignoring him wasn’t an option.

Turner grunted his annoyance when he pulled away to glare at his friend. “Take a walk.”

Preston laughed. “We’ve got business. You know, it’s not my idea of a good time watching you two roll around on the grass.”

“What business?”

Patting Turner’s chest, Poppy eased him away to sit up, fixing her skirt as she did.

“If we’re inviting Abernathy to a showdown, we need a plan,” Preston said.

As was a hostess’s duty, Poppy began to fill two plates with tasty treats for her guests. “I don’t think we should call it a showdown.”

“I think that’s exactly the mindset we should go in with,” Preston said, suddenly serious. “I don’t know Abernathy personally, but I’ve done my research. He can be a ruthless S-O-B.”

“He needs to get the damn message,” Turner said.

“Yeah, he does, but if this becomes a war, he has to know we’re going to take it all the way.”

The idea of going to war depressed her. Poppy gave the men their food, but when she looked at the spread and thought about eating, she couldn’t muster an appetite.

“We can live here on the estate indefinitely,” she said, fixated on her empty plate. “But I don’t want everyone putting their lives on hold forever.”

The situation impacted more than just her and Turner’s relationship. Faye would have to deal with Kev who’d want to see his kids at some point. Maybe he hadn’t noticed they were gone yet, but he would eventually.

Turner took her hand. “We’ll tell him we’re together. The guy has to know he doesn’t have a chance.”

That was wishful thinking if ever she’d heard it. “The guy was at the altar with my sister and he thought he had a chance. I don’t think the fact I have a boyfriend is going to suddenly deter him.”

“You could get married,” Preston said.

Shocked, Poppy couldn’t believe he’d suggest such a thing, but from the look of Turner, he was open to the idea.

“No,” she said, snatching her hand away from her love. “If we get married it’s because we decide to get married, not because Holden Abernathy can’t get a clue. No way.”

“Right. Good point,” Turner said. “No wedding.”

“We haven’t even decided if marriage is something we want,” Poppy said to Preston. “I know I brought you to the estate and told you to do whatever it took to get rid of Holden, but we can’t let our lives be dictated by him… any more than they are already. You said you’d speak to his people about dinner, what was the answer?”

“We’re still waiting to hear back.” Preston shrugged. “I’d say he’s suspicious, not taking anything at face value.”

“We shouldn’t either,” Turner said.

A phone began to ring. Since Poppy hadn’t brought her phone and Turner didn’t move, she assumed it was Preston’s.

It took him just a second to retrieve it. “Whitlock,” he answered. With each second that passed, his expression became more serious until there was a definite frown on his face. “We’re certain?” Another pause. “Okay, thanks… Yeah.”

He hung up and put the phone on the blanket. Poppy didn’t want to pry, but he just sat there looking at the thing without saying anything. Something about his lack of movement tickled her anxiety.

“What?” she asked. “Is everything okay?”

“I… am trying to figure out the best way to proceed.”

“With what?” Turner asked, food in his mouth. Apparently his appetite was just fine. Though he was the only one who’d been doing physical work all morning, so he deserved his sustenance. “Who was it?”

“The office,” he said, looking straight at his friend. “I’ll talk to you about it later.”

“Later?” Turner asked.

“I can leave you alone,” Poppy said, rising onto her knees. “If it’s something private.”

Preston seemed open to that. Turner, on the other hand, grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer again, preventing her from going anywhere. “If it’s something about me, Poppy doesn’t have to go anywhere.”

“It could be personal,” she murmured. “After all he’s done for us, I think it’s only right that you should give your friend—”

“There’s been an offer on the Venture,” Preston said, silencing Poppy and changing the mood around their picnic. “I got a call about it earlier. I wanted more information before bringing it to you, so I had the other side submit the offer in writing.”

“How much?” Turner asked. “Do they want us to finish the work?”

“Wait,” Poppy said. “An offer? You mean an offer to buy the building?” Preston nodded though he didn’t look at her. Poppy’s attention snapped around to Turner. “No. You can’t.”

“I told you that we were getting it valued. If we decide to sell—”

“I don’t want to sell,” Poppy said. “No.” Shifting to her knees again, she faced him. “Baby, you don’t have to do this. Not for me or our future. Please don’t do this.”

“I think maybe you’ll want to see the offer before dismissing it out of hand,” Preston said.

Poppy didn’t want to. Slumping down, she used Turner to keep herself upright. “Why does that make a difference? Either he wants to sell or he doesn’t.”

Scrolling through his phone, Preston brought something up on the screen and then reached across the blanket to show it to his friend. Poppy deliberately turned her head away, not to give them privacy but because she wouldn’t entertain it.

“Jesus,” Turner said. “That’s not even in the ballpark of what we expected. It’s got to be ten times what it’s worth.”

“Ten times what it’s worth finished,” Preston said, putting his phone aside again. “And they’re willing to take it as is. Even with only half the units complete.”

“This doesn’t make sense,” Turner said. “Why would someone pay over the…” He grew rigid. Poppy wasn’t even looking at him and yet she felt the tension vibrate through his form. “Who made the offer?” The deep menace of his tone was knowing, like he already knew the answer to his own question, which could be why Preston was reluctant to answer. “It’s Abernathy… right?”

She couldn’t believe it. Holden had already screwed with their lives in so many ways, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’d want to mess with Turner’s livelihood.

“Holden?” Poppy asked. “Why would he want to buy the Venture?”

“ ‘Cause he thinks I’m all about the money,” Turner said. “If he can buy me off, maybe I walk away.”

“Wait,” she said, trying to figure it out. “This isn’t an offer for the Venture, he’s paying you to leave me.” Shoving away from Turner, she found herself at the head of the picnic blanket, her ire flashing between both men. “Of all the… Does he really think that I’d… that you’d…” Growling in frustration, she appealed to the sky. “I should’ve done so much more than punch him.”

“Hey,” Turner said, stroking her arm. “We don’t give him power, right?”

“How can you be okay with this?” she asked, misdirecting her anger. “How can you just be fine with someone trying to pay you to leave me? That’s saying you’re a man of no integrity. A man with no morals. A gold-digger. A—” Something occurred to her, which took some of her anger. “How does he even know about us?”

“The Maddox family disappeared from where the media could get to them,” Preston said. “He won’t have missed that. The press know that they’re here. And your guy wasn’t subtle about breaking into the estate. The cops were called. There was a scene… We can’t discount the possibility that he’s paid off someone on the inside either.”

“A spy?” she asked. “On the estate?”

“You have staff,” Preston said on a shrug. “There’s the extra security guys and the construction guys, you can’t know or trust all of them.”

No, she couldn’t. Poppy didn’t even know all of the staff in the house. Some worked behind the scenes, keeping the cogs in the larger machine working. The estate was supposed to be a safe space. The idea that anyone could be keeping tabs on them was unsettling. That anyone might be reporting back to an outsider was plain sickening.

Tired and drained by the drama, she sighed. “I wish we were at the Venture right now,” she whispered.

“I can grant that wish,” Turner said, drawing her focus. “If it’s what you want.”

Crawling over to him, she lay on the grass, resting her head on his lap. “I just want him to leave us alone. I don’t want any of this mess.”

“If he hadn’t hurt your sister and trashed the wedding, you would never have met Charley,” he said, his fingers combing through her hair over and over. “You’d never have come to the Venture and we’d never have met.”

“You’re grateful to the guy,” Preston said like he couldn’t quite believe it. Poppy was glad she wasn’t the only incredulous one. “She’d never have left you either. It was his bounty that brought Poppy back here.”

“I only got my head out my a*s because she left,” Turner said. “No, I’m not grateful to the guy, I want ten minutes alone in a room with him to show him how I really feel, but I don’t like to see Poppy upset.”

No, he didn’t, as he’d proved more than once. Finding his hand, she scooped it up and nestled it against her chest. “No amount of money can replace love,” she said, sure that went without saying. “He doubts how you feel about me. He thinks it’s false. That it’s all about the money.”

Turner looked down at her, his fingers still stroking through her hair. “I don’t care what he thinks. Did you think for a second I’d take the offer? That I’d let money replace you?” She shook her heavy head. “No. That’s all that matters to me, baby. You and me and this.”

It was a wonder that he could be so calm. Poppy knew it couldn’t be easy to let Holden’s insult roll off. Turner was doing it, being calm, for her. Because if he got angry or upset, that would only increase the pressure. Every minute he surprised her; she got luckier and luckier.