Page 14 of Billionaire's Coastal Haven

“I don’t need—”

She stands and presses a business card to my lips. “You do. If you want to get anything done in the next century and not spend your entire fortune to make it happen, you will hire Collin and Archer Reeves to complete your project.”

“Reeves?”

She nods like she understands the unspoken parts of my sentence. “The grandsons. Great men. Perfect for our project.”

“Ourproject? I don’t think so.”

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“It’s only been two days. Of course I remember you.”

“How old are you?”

“What? Why?”

“So I get the timeline right.”

“Thirty-four.”

“I’m twenty-six, so thirty-four minus sixteen. You were eighteen.”

I hold my hands up to stop her. “You lost me.”

“You were eighteen the last time we met. Your dad met with my dad about something, and you tagged along.”

“Salvage contracts. But I don’t remember…wait. No way. The senator?” A little girl with lopsided pigtails stood at the lectern answering questions about environmental policy from her teddy bears. She was entirely too serious. And who dreams of becoming a senator? “That was you?”

“One brief conversation, barely important enough for you to remember, but it changed my life—changed what I believed about myself. It also influenced the way I spoke to you the other day. I won’t give you that power over me anymore. I know what’s best for Rainwater Bay. If you want to truly restore the Reeves estate the way it should be, you need me.”

“Why?” But I don’t know whichwhyI want the answer to.

Why her?

Why is she helping me?

Why does she assume I will hire the Reeves brothers when I’ve never met them and don’t know the caliber of their work?

Why do they want to sign on to the project?

Why does she seem happy about the renovations and rebuild when two days ago she called me an asshole and vowed I’d never get my project off the ground?

She wiggles her nose. “Because without me, the house is just a house. I know its secrets. I’ll only share them with you if you hire the Reeves—and follow my plan.”

“I’m not hiring someone just because you tell me too.”

She presses her hands to her chest. “Bless your heart. You think you have a choice? Sorry, I don’t need your opinions on this one.” She taps the tip of my nose. “They’re meeting us at the estate tomorrow at two p.m. to discuss the scope of the project. They are the best at what they do. I wouldn’t risk the estate with anyone else. See you tomorrow, Mr. Prince.”

“Mayor—” But she shuts the door in my scowling face.

This mayor is going to be the death of me if I don’t get her under control.

Chapter 5

Zoe

I’m riding high from my confrontation with Landon when I waltz through the doors of my gym to meet my besties, Kelsey and Emberly, for our weekly cardio kickboxing class.