Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1) (34 page)

“Get your things and get out,” he said menacingly. “Don’t you ever come here again.”

At midnight, Tammy’s doorbell buzzed, and she ran to jerk the door wide. “Where the hell have you been?” she demanded, drawing an ashen-faced, red-eyed Lily inside.

She closed the door and pulled her friend into a hug. Lily flinched at first, then her arms snaked around Tammy and clung tightly as her sobs broke the silence.

“I’ve been worried sick, honey,” Tammy said, fighting off her own tears.

Lily only sobbed and clung to her for several long minutes. Finally, she raised her tear-streaked face. “I drove around for hours and then realized all my clothes were at—”

She paused, and an errant sob erupted.

“All my clothes were over
there
, so I went to the mall. Only I couldn’t go in.” She sniffed and palmed the tears off both cheeks. “So I went to the beach and sat and watched the waves come in, and then I went to the cemetery to talk to Hank.” She swallowed hard. “I-I didn’t c-cry until I got here. I guess I was too angry before.”

“Oh honey.”

Tammy led her to the bathroom and waited while she washed her face, then took her to the kitchen, poured two fingers of whiskey into a juice glass from a bottle stashed in the cupboard and handed the glass to Lily.

“Drink this,” she ordered.

Lily shook her head and put up a hand.

Tammy took the hand and put the juice glass in it. “Drink up. It’ll help you sleep, and you need to sleep if we’re going to win tomorrow.”

Lily stared at her for a minute and then tossed back the whiskey. The coughing hit her immediately, and Tammy gave her a couple firm back slaps.

“Rhett called the nursery twice and here once,” Tammy said softly.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Rob said he came by the nursery after I left to come here. I thought you’d be by hours ago, and so I came straight home.”

“Sorry,” Lily said. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

She didn’t look sorry. She looked dazed.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No!” Lily said sharply. “Not now. Not ever. As far as I’m concerned, I never met Rhett Buchanan.”

“Rob said Rhett looked pretty well panicked and just wanted to know you were safe. Maybe I should call him.”

Lily glared. “I told you, I don’t want to hear about him. No one’s calling him. One more word and I leave.”

“Okay, okay.” Tammy threw up her hands in resignation. “Come on. I have the hide-a-bed made up in the spare bedroom. You’re living with me now. I’ll find you something in my closet to wear tomorrow.” She waggled her eyebrows. “I still keep a
little Tammy
wardrobe for when I lose weight.”

Lily quit scowling, and her lips twitched. Tammy thought perhaps she’d smile. The moment passed. She got Lily settled and went back to lock the front door. Her cell phone buzzed on the coffee table, and she snatched it up to check the readout.

Rob
.

Tammy answered the phone, “Yes, she’s here.”

“Thank God.”

“Robbie, I’ve never ever seen her like this, not even before when Rhett threw her plants in the pool,” Tammy said, keeping her voice low so Lily wouldn’t hear. “What happened? Did you get anything out of Rhett when he came by the nursery?”

Rob said, “No, he’s clammed up tighter than a drum, and I couldn’t get much of anything out of him. When I asked him—none too nicely—what the hell happened, he said it was between him and Lily. But judging by the look on his face, I don’t think we can fix this.”

“Dear Lord have mercy,” Tammy whispered and disconnected.

Chapter 17

Garrett sailed past a startled Marcy James and slipped through Rhett’s closed office door. Rhett reclined in his office chair and faced the glass wall looking out over downtown Palm Beach. Only the top of his head was visible over the back cushion of the chair.

“Rhett, we have a problem,” Garrett announced, stopping in front of Rhett’s desk.

The body in the chair didn’t move.

He waited a full minute. “Did you hear what I just said? We have a
problem
. As in serious situation. As in possible disaster. As in jam, predicament, quagmire. Am I getting through to you?”

Slowly the chair swiveled back from the window, and Garrett fought to hide his shock. Dark circles had formed beneath Rhett’s eyes, and the lines at his eyes and mouth creased deeper than Garrett had ever seen them. Dark stubble covered his chin and jaws, but the despair radiating from his eyes brought the greatest shock.

Rhett’s bloodshot eyes stared back at him.

“When was the last time you slept?” Garrett asked angrily. “You look terrible.”

Rhett shrugged noncommittally.

“I’m assuming your condition has something to do with Lily. I called Tammy this morning, and she gave me the cold brush off, said she was going to a code-enforcement meeting downtown and wouldn’t say why. But I have a good idea as to the why.”

Rhett stared blankly.

“Snap out of it, dammit!” He strode to his chair, grabbed both arms, and shook the chair until he got a glare from Rhett.

“She’s gone,” Rhett growled. “I’ve lost her, permanently this time.”

“We’ll worry about what you did later, but if we don’t get to the Jupiter Town Hall by ten a.m., I can
guarantee
you’ve lost Lily forever.” He let go of the chair arms.

“What are you talking about?” Rhett snarled.

Garrett almost breathed a sigh of relief. He finally had his friend’s attention.

“You asked me to do some background checking on our short list of development parcels, and I did. I’ve always kept a mole on the inside with our legal team. It’s a personal problem I have. You know, trusting lawyers and all.” He shrugged with chagrin.

Rhett’s eyes briefly flared.

“Turns out Carstairs is still working on the Jupiter parcel, only not for us. My mole hacked into his emails, checked on calls from his personal cell phone, the works.” He moved his hands to his hips. “Carstairs pulled a fast one on you, Rhett, and he’s trying to purchase that property himself—on the side—with at least two other partners. My guess is Carstairs would be one of the
silent
partners, and a more visible partner will try to sell the property back to you or someone else at one hell of a profit for their team.”

Rhett’s jaw clenched. “Who are the partners?”

“Only one will be of interest to you. Chester Armstead. My mole hasn’t discovered who the other one is yet.”

Rhett stared intently at him for several long moments, then his expression went blank.

“Stick with me,” Garrett snapped. “I’m not done.”

The green eyes flared again.

“The parcel isn’t vacant like we assumed. There happens to be a business on that property in Jupiter.” He waited.

“What business?”

“A landscape nursery.”

Rhett sat bolt upright. “
What
?”

“Bloom & Grow Nursery to be specific. I also found out your devious attorney is headed for a code-compliance hearing on the parcel in downtown Jupiter at ten this morning. Carstairs is trying to steal Lily’s land.”

Aidan’s secretary poked her head out in the hall where he had his chief financial officer cornered and sweating.

“Mr. Cross, a Carstairs Whittenhurst is on the phone and says he has to speak to you immediately.” She darted a glance at Aidan’s withered finance officer. “Do you want me to take a message?”

Aidan glared at his chief bean counter. “We’re not finished. I’ll get back to you later.” He strode past his secretary, headed for his office. “Patch Carstairs through when I get in here.”

He snatched up the receiver when he reached his desk. “What’ve you got for me, Whittenhurst?”

“I am about to pick up that parcel on the Intracoastal in Jupiter we discussed—big enough for a golf resort—and I intend to flip it. Still interested?”

“Why would BDC let the parcel go?” he questioned.

“It’s not BDC’s parcel.”

Aidan had thought long and hard about the opportunity ever since Whittenhurst had first mentioned the property. “Buchanan has wanted a golf-resort parcel in Jupiter longer than I have. Why isn’t he flipping this one? Or developing it for that matter. What’s wrong with it?”

He could hear Whittenhurst’s annoyed inhale through the phone.

“There’s nothing wrong with the property,” Whittenhurst retorted. “And the parcel will belong to me, not BDC. This is
my
personal deal.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest? You work for BDC and pick up a parcel you know they want, then sell it to their chief competitor?”

“There is no conflict. I only consult for BDC. I am on retainer, not a BDC employee. It’s perfectly legal,” Whittenhurst said icily.

Just not very ethical.

“You said you were picking up the parcel cheap. What’s wrong with it?” Aidan prodded.

“Not a damn thing. Look, Cross, are you interested or not?”

“Hell yeah, I’m interested. Just curious, that’s all. I don’t know of any open parcels left on the Intracoastal in Jupiter.”

“I never said it was open,” Whittenhurst replied, his tone smug enough Aidan considered banging the receiver on his desk to rattle the pompous ass. Did they teach these guys arrogance in law school?

“So what’s on it?”

Whittenhurst sniffed. “A business in trouble.”

“What kind?”

“Does it matter?”

“Hell yes, it matters.” Aidan’s fingers tightened as he reconsidered pounding the receiver on the desk a few times. Damned if he’d let himself get stuck with a property flip needing a couple million dollars’ worth of remediation. “I’m not interested unless you’ve done due diligence. I don’t buy commercial property that hasn’t had a phase one environmental audit. You know better than that, Whittenhurst.”

The arrogant weasel had the nerve to chuckle at him.

“You would if I put a million dollars in a three-month escrow until the audit could be completed post sale.”

Aidan sat back. Whittenhurst had just covered the risk and surprised him in the process. He still smelled a rat in this woodpile.

“What kind of business is there now, and what trouble is it in?”

Whittenhurst let loose a long and clearly exasperated sigh. “Some little landscape nursery that requires more renovations to keep going than it can afford.”

“A landscape nursery,” Aidan repeated softly.

“Yes, in fact I’m headed over to the Town Hall in Jupiter now for a code compliance meeting to find out just how much work is required. I’ve already been in touch with the property owner, and I’m going to make them an offer today. One they can’t refuse.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I need your answer now. I have other interested buyers, and I need to flip this property.”

No doubt for financial reasons, Aidan thought. Flipping saved Whittenhurst having to actually pay for the property. A creative contract got him in and out with very little out-of-pocket money extended.

“Why me?” he had to ask.

“I like doing business with you. Is that so hard to believe?”

You bet your ass it is. More like you want to stick it to Rhett for his high-handed way with attorneys.

Aidan preferred to trick attorneys into doing what he wanted. “Where is this nursery?”

There was silence on the other end, and he checked the readout to be sure he was still connected. He was.

“Whittenhurst—”

The shmuck laughed smugly, and Aidan wanted to reach through the phone and squeeze the arrogant jerk’s neck until his eyes bugged out. The weasel had been baiting him.

Every transaction with Whittenhurst, and there hadn’t been many for obvious reasons, had been like this. Aidan could buy and sell the guy twenty times over, but Whittenhurst insisted on his contemptuous antics. The only reason Aidan put up with the jerk was his ability—for lack of a better word—to sniff out prime real estate. Aidan always got the better part of the deal. He made sure of that, and Whittenhurst was none the wiser.

“The property is next door to the Bullock Warehouses on Federal Highway,” the ass said. “Listen, Cross, I’m almost to the Town Hall. I’ll call you in a couple hours, and I’ll expect your final answer. When I have the deed in hand, so to speak.”

“What’s the addr—” Aidan was talking to a dial tone.

He stifled the growl rumbling in his throat, pressed his intercom button, and when his secretary answered, said, “Find out what properties border the Bullock Warehouses on Federal Highway in Jupiter.”

He hung up and dialed Garrett Tucker’s office and was told Garrett was out of the office and had left for a meeting with Rhett Buchanan. Two more calls to both Garrett’s and Rhett’s cell phones got voicemail each time.

His secretary buzzed in. “There’s a strip mall anchored by an Auto Zone store on the north side and a landscape nursery called Bloom & Grow on the south side.”

Aidan stilled.

Lily’s nursery. What the hell was Whittenhurst up to?

“Mr. Cross?”

He shook himself. “Get Jared Dawkins on the phone,” he barked. “Tell him to get one of his choppers here now, or I’ll find a new shuttle service. Tell him I need a ride to the Jupiter Town Hall.”

Lily wheeled her Toyota Tundra off Military Trail and into the parking lot behind the Jupiter Town Hall to find an available space. Tammy pulled her Jeep in right behind her.

“The Special Magistrate is an attorney appointed by the Town Council from a qualified list they draw from,” Tammy said when Lily and Rob had climbed out of the truck and caught up to her. “The Magistrate can subpoena witnesses and evidence as needed for a hearing, so no telling what we can expect today.”

“Are you trying to cheer us up?” Rob asked, as the three headed for the sidewalk to the building entrance. “If so, it’s not working.”

“No, I’m just being realistic,” Tammy grumbled and slung her purse strap over her arm. “And I just thought of something else.” She stopped dead. “What if the Code Enforcement manager doesn’t show?”

Lily stared at her, feeling as though a hundred-pound weight had just descended on her shoulders. “He has to,” she said softly. “He promised. I’m banking everything on it.”

Rob and Tammy exchanged worried glances.

Lily’s gaze shot to Rob. “What if I miscalculated? Hells bells, Rob, what if the manager really doesn’t show?”

Rob put an arm around her and gave a squeeze. “Look, you had every reason to believe the guy. We just have to be realistic and be ready for anything.”

“Realistic is the fact my cottage is already gone, and I may not be allowed to rebuild. I have nowhere to go but up.” Lily pulled on a tough smile for them. “But you two are wonderful to come down here with me. I’m going to give this my best shot, and then we’ll just have to see.”

She turned toward Town Hall and spotted three suits, all elegantly attired and striding toward the government building from the opposite direction, each carrying a briefcase. One suit peeled off from the other two and strode toward Lily, halting a few feet in front of her.

“Ms. Foster?” he said.

“Yes?”

“I’m Carstairs Whittenhurst the Third.”

He didn’t extend a hand. Neither did Lily, but she stiffened in anticipation.

“I’m prepared to make you a more than generous offer prior to this hearing. A figure which exceeds the appraised value of your business and includes the title to an equal number of acres inland in a section of Palm Beach County where you can live on site. We can thus avoid the need for this—” He gave an idle wave at Jupiter Town Hall. “—
hearing
.”

He said the word as though it left a sour taste in his mouth. “Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to proceed as I explained to you previously,” he said, looking down the length of his rather long nose.

“You mean sic your dogs on me, right?”

This time Whittenhurst stiffened. His gaze narrowed on hers. “What is your answer, Ms. Foster?”

Lily said very loudly and very clearly, “As
I
explained to
you
previously, my property is not for sale.”

He sniffed. “We shall see.” He swiftly joined his two companions and entered the building.

“What did he mean by that?” Tammy asked indignantly.

“Lawyers play dirty,” Rob said flatly. “I ought to know.”

“Come on,” Lily said, trying her best to smile. “Let’s go inside. We have a hearing to win.”

Two long tables sat before the large dais at the front of the Jupiter Town Council meeting chamber. “One for code violators and one for code enforcement officials,” an attendant told Lily, when she peered through the double doors into the Council Chamber.

On this morning, only the center chair on the massive dais was occupied, and that by the reigning Code Compliance Special Magistrate, Mr. Lawrence Bealer. The other four chairs sat empty. White-haired with a scholarly look, Mr. Bealer had reading glasses perched on the edge of his nose and perused a number of files spread out in front of him on the enormous semi-circular desk that took up the entire dais.