The Merriest Magnolia (Magnolia Sisters #2) - Michelle Major Page 0,92

his gut. “I needed some advice and he was in the area. Is everything okay?”

“I saw Sam in town just now.”

“Oh, hell. What did he get into now?” Dylan pulled his phone from his back pocket, ready to punch in the boy’s number. “If he’s causing trouble on—”

“Sam isn’t the problem.” Carrie stepped forward, jabbed a finger into Dylan’s chest. “You are.”

“I told you I’d take care of wine for tonight.” Dylan checked the time on his phone. He remembered the holidays being stressful for Kay when she hosted big gatherings. Wiley would joke about needing to stay clear of her path, so Dylan wanted to believe this was part of the territory and it was a coincidence that she’d sought him out at the textile mill. Once everyone showed up and she saw how happy they were, things would get better. “I still have an hour before the liquor store closes. Plenty of time. I won’t let you down.”

“You already have,” she said, her hand dropping to her side. “Why did you have a business meeting at the factory on Christmas Eve, Dylan?”

“I told you he was driving through town. I know I should be with Sam today, but—”

“I know about the partnership deal.”

He closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to process her words. This wasn’t how he’d wanted her to find out. The timing couldn’t have been worse. He shook his head. “Sam wasn’t supposed to say anything yet.”

“Did you expect him to lie for you?” she asked, her tone ice-cold as if they were in the Arctic tundra and not the temperate Carolina coast.

“Don’t make this a bigger deal than it is,” he insisted. “You know my plan.”

“I thought you’d stay true to your word.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The festival was a success. We proved to you that Magnolia can be revitalized without changing the fabric of the town. There are options, Dylan. Companies have taken notice. Young families are excited about living here.”

“I’m not denying things went well. You did a great job, Carrie.”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m not trying to,” he assured her, an uncomfortable sensation he didn’t quite understand fluttering through his belly. This was no different than any other economically stagnated community that Scott Development had redeveloped. He hadn’t helped build his uncle’s company into a multimillion-dollar venture by allowing emotions to rule the day. “But my plan will take this town so much further than you can even imagine. I made a promise to Sam’s father.”

“You made promises to me, too.”

He hated the hitch in her voice, the accusation that told him he’d screwed things up simply by being himself and doing what he needed to. He didn’t want to hurt her. It was why he’d tried to put off signing the contract until after the New Year. Get through the holidays and then he could make her understand.

Now he had less than twenty-four hours until Christmas and the whole thing was blowing up in his face.

“It will be fine,” he said, reaching for her. “Probably better for you in the long run.”

She shrugged away his touch as her green eyes widened, a storm swirling in their depths. “Excuse me?”

The ground shifted underneath him. Not literally of course, but some seismic movement he couldn’t describe. It rocked him to his core. He knew this moment was important, but all he could think to do was bluster through and hope Carrie would prove herself to be the generous soul he knew and let him off the hook. Even if he didn’t deserve it.

“Yes,” he continued, swallowing back the idea that he was feeding her a complete line of bull. “This will benefit you, as well.” He’d learned in negotiations that conviction was half the battle. Maybe more.

If he could convince her, he could win the day. Win everything. He could keep his promise to both his cousin and Carrie without changing the man he’d become. He didn’t even know how to begin the thought of transforming.

“I just spent the better part of the past several months working on a specific vision for this town. You’re going to undo most of that with one signature. How is that good for me?”

“You need customers for your art. People who have money and are willing to spend it. You need to cultivate a devoted following the way your dad did in his heyday. I’m going to be bringing that to Magnolia. Money. Exclusivity.”

“At the expense of the community,” she reminded him.