and expensive-looking boots she wore that made him think she was in work clothes. Lana always looked great, but there was a level of perfectionism in her outfit that reminded him of a movie or maybe a photo in a magazine.
And of course, Jake was glued to her side. It was hard not to be a little jealous of the border collie.
Rick had been playing a game, feeling more cheerful than usual that morning. Harold, the Alaskan Food Safety and Sanitation inspector, had yet to be by, and the town’s gossip forum said he was at the resort and would be there for a while. Rick had polished everything in the kitchen until it gleamed, with extra time to spare. He personally detested Harold—the pompous ass had made his ex cry more than once—and he counted it as a personal victory when Harold couldn’t find anything wrong to mark on his inspections.
After setting his cue down across the table, he met Lana halfway in between.
“Hello, Rick,” Lana greeted him warmly, placing her hand on his arm and going up on her toes to kiss his cheek.
Saying something intelligent would probably help, but instead, all he could do was try not to lean into the contact or look like a complete idiot in front of the other—equally well-dressed—men with her.
“Want me to take your coat?”
Sweaty palms, blue cue chalk, and cream coats that probably cost more than his car were a bad match. But still, he had to ask.
“Thank you,” Lana shrugged out of her coat. Dropping her voice, she added softly, “And I’m so sorry.”
“Why?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Raising her voice to normal levels, Lana turned to introduce the men who had followed her inside. “Rick, these are my cousins. You may remember Killian Montgomery, and this is Silas Thomas.”
He had to fight to pull his eyes from Lana toward her companions.
“Silas Ward Thomas the third,” Silas cut in, sticking out his hand for a shake, a perfunctory gesture if Rick had ever seen one.
“The third,” Killian whispered jokingly.
“Gentlemen, this is Rick Harding, one of our tenants and a dear friend.”
Gah. The f-word again.
Rick dutifully shook hands with Killian and Silas, wondering what exactly about them was making his back stiffen. Not them…him. Silas. The third of his particular kind. Having been introduced, Silas turned away immediately, taking in the pool hall as if Rick had ceased to exist. “Lana, this is ridiculous. Why are we investing in small buildings like this?”
Lana frowned at Silas’s back while Killian leaned against the closest pool table.
“Perhaps you can keep your commentary to yourself until after we’ve finished touring all the properties,” she said firmly. “As for the sizes of the properties, I can appreciate a large corporate building as much as the next girl. But you seem to errantly believe quality is directly related to quantity.”
“Size isn’t everything?” Killian joked.
“On the contrary.” Lana gazed around the pool hall as if proud. “If you count all our modest, individual holdings, they’re worth more than your skyscrapers. Size is definitely everything.”
“Meaning hers is bigger than his,” Killian said out of the side of his mouth to Rick.
“Diversified portfolios, Silas. That’s what I’m bringing to the table.”
Silas snorted. “You’re also bringing cheap construction and low-to-no profit margins. The door sticks. He’s also behind on rent.”
This time, Rick’s heart did something much different. It dropped into his stomach, where acid from too many years of stress had gathered, waiting for moments like these. Where it became clear that his dream of his pool hall staying afloat without tourist money was destined to fail. If he opened the doors to strangers, he’d never have a moment of peace. But if Silas had his way, the peace was already gone.
“It’s been taken care of.” Lana’s voice was honey sweet, but her eyes flashed.
The look Silas gave Rick made his jaw tighten reflexively.
“Lana, what’s going on?” he asked, keeping his hands safely at his sides and choosing to not get arrested for the day.
She started to answer, but Silas interrupted as if Rick weren’t even there.
“Lana, what the hell you were thinking? If you’d bought the resort, then yes, maybe I would understand the impulse buy. But this place? All these places?” Silas shook his head in disgust. “If we put them on the market today, we’d barely break even.”
“Silas, again, all things that can and should be discussed in a meeting after this. I’ve reserved a conference room—”
Once more, he cut her off, either unaware of her