Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
She’s spent a lot of time trying to pull Ella out of her shell. We both have. I thought my parents' love was rare, but seeing my brother find it too has been hard. I want that for him, but it makes my insides ache knowing I’ll never have it.
“We’ll plan it together,” my mom pushes, sitting in the chair at the kitchen island next to Ella. She already has her tablet in her hand. I’d bet my life she’s made a handful of calls already, wanting to get invites out.
“I’ve never planned a party,” Ella says softly, but I can tell she’s intrigued by the idea. I force a smile. My problems are silly compared to what she’s had to endure. She’s spent years thinking love was something she’d never have.
I have it. It’s just not the kind a girl dreams about late at night when she lies in bed thinking of her future.
“There’s a first time for everything,” I force past my lips to encourage the idea.
The last thing I want is to throw a party. Flynn might not have time for anyone else, but he and my brother have always stayed in contact. If my brother has a party, Flynn will have to show up.
It’s too bad I know he’ll never show up for me again.
Chapter Two
FLYNN
“You’re sure you want to clear out all the trees?” The lead contractor looks up from the plans and to the wooded area behind us. “I think you might be taking away from some of the scenery with this design.”
“For the last time, yes. These plans are clear on what I want. If you can’t follow the instructions or need me to reiterate my choices, I’ll find another contractor who will.”
I stare coolly at him, but his eyes don’t meet mine as he straightens the blueprints and clears his throat. “Of course. It was just a precaution. There are a lot of trees in that section of the woods.”
“There are over two hundred acres behind this house full of trees and wildlife. I want this section cleared.” I point to the acre immediately next to the house. “Follow the plans. Do we understand each other?”
The reason I bought this house to begin with was because of the land and all of the surrounding woods. There was so much to work with, and I knew that she would love the space. It’s also the reason I’m having the trees cut back so that more light can come in for planting vegetables.
“Yes, Mr. Evermore.” He takes off toward the group of guys in the distant clearing and gives them a signal to proceed.
The sigh I let out is heavy, but I guess this is part of the job. Only it’s not exactly a job. I’ve hired a crew to do some extensive landscaping to get ready for the spring, so I should have expected there to be some bumps along the way. Too bad I couldn’t go to school for landscape design like I wanted to and am only able to pursue it now as a passion.
My father was insistent on a business degree and forced my hand. I graduated high school early, but I should have expected that my father would keep the strings on my trust tight until I was twenty-one. So I bided my time, and after I graduated and got my trust, I put both my middle fingers up to him and Evermore Holdings.
When I was growing up, I changed my mind a lot about what I wanted to be in the future but one thing I knew for certain, deep in my bones, is that I never wanted to be like my father. Sure, his company is one of the most successful of its kind and he’s well respected by everyone he works with, but that changes when he’s behind closed doors.
“So this is what you’re wasting your money on?”
This is what happens when I think of him. It’s like I can summon the devil without meaning to.
“Hello, Father,” I say but don’t bother turning around. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he walks onto the terrace and peers down at the men working.
“Leave it to you to piss away millions on a dump in the middle of nowhere. The resale value is plummeting by the second.” He pulls his hand away from the railing and pretends to wipe off some kind of dirt.
The house is an old estate that was abandoned for a few decades, but I managed to get it in a private sale, and I’ve spent every moment since making it perfect. For her.
“Good thing Grandfather left me more money than I could spend in a lifetime.” I know better than to engage in conversation when he’s like this, but he knows exactly how to get under my skin. By insulting me, demeaning the things I love, and worst of all, reminding me that he’s still alive. Why do all the worst people live the longest and the good ones die young? My grandfather was a wonderful man who loved and guided me but died before my fifteenth birthday. How he was able to produce the spawn of Satan, I’ll never know.