Hotel Ladd Read Online Free Page B

was out of her league,
swimming upstream and losing her kick. “I haven’t decided, yet,”
she said quickly, preserving an image of authority. She might not
know the value of the land at the moment but she certainly wasn’t
going to let this woman make her look like a fool.
    “ I’m willing to offer you
five hundred thousand dollars for the entire tract of
land.”
    Annie gasped.
    Jillian smiled, a gesture that never
reached her eyes. “But of course,” she rolled out, “you need time
to consider your options.”
    Five hundred thousand
dollars? The amount staggered Annie, ringing in her ears like a
church bell on Sunday afternoon. Five
hundred thousand dollars . All hope for
sounding fancy and sophisticated shot clear out the door. “Yes,”
she stammered, her jelly-boned legs threatening to collapse beneath
her. She balanced herself with a hand to her nail chair and said,
“I have other things to think about. Can I call you
tomorrow?”
    “ Yes. As a matter-of-fact
I’m enjoying myself in your country town and will be here for a few
short days. After that, I must close the deal on my other property,” she said
pointedly. “Once I do, I’m afraid there will be no more room for
discussion with you.”
    Annie felt the punch. She’d been put on
notice. Hurry up or Eco-Domani money goes elsewhere. “Yes,” she
said, fumbling for self-control, confidence, anything to shake the
tremor in her voice! “I understand.”
    “ I hope that you do.”
Jillian smiled richly. “I’d hate to see you miss out on the
opportunity of a lifetime.”
    A cell phone rang and after a brief
moment, Annie realized it was hers. Jillian watched with interest
as she answered the call. “Hello?”
    “ Annie, do you know where
Casey is? She hasn’t shown up for work yet, and the dinner crowd is
already shuffling in.”
    “ I’m sorry, Aunt Fran.” Fran
Jones was Annie’s aunt and the owner of Fran’s Diner, a staple in
town. She’d given Casey a job—one the girl obviously didn’t
value—and was now looking for her. Annie eyes dodged those of the
appraising Ms. Devane, embarrassed by her daughter’s lack of
responsibility. “I’m sure she’s on her way. Can you give her a few
more minutes?”
    “ Well, she’d better get here
quick. I’m short a hand tonight, because Jimmy called in
sick.”
    Candi’s nephew. He also worked at
Fran’s Diner and minus the two of them Annie knew the kind of pinch
it would put her aunt in. The commotion of the kitchen in the
background, the usual din of a busy restaurant, sounded as though
the Friday night dinner rush was already in full swing. “I’ll run
by the apartment and see if she’s home. Maybe she forgot her
shift,” Annie defended weakly.
    “ She better start
remembering ‘fore I fire that child!” Fran hollered into the
phone.
    “ I understand,” Annie
replied, feeling a flush at her neck and cheeks. She’d never been
late for a single day of work in her life. Not at Trendz and not at
the salon before it. The fact that Casey was skirting her
responsibilities ground Annie’s last nerve into the pavement.
Ending the call, she said to Ms. Devane, “If you’ll excuse me, I
have to go.”
    The woman’s face lit up with a smile.
“Of course. I understand the stress of raising a child by
yourself,” she said thickly, her accent mumbling through the last
word.
    Annie didn’t think Jillian had
children, let alone the first clue about struggling. By the looks
of the jewelry hanging from her body and the money she was throwing
around, it was clear Ms. Devane had the resources to pay other
people to worry about her troubles. Suddenly irritated, Annie said,
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    “ Yes. Tomorrow.”
     
    Annie raced home as fast as she legally
could, anger building with every mile she drove. If Casey was at
home, the girl was going to wish she was at the diner—Annie was
gonna string her up by her toes! She and Casey had been going
through a rough time, but