Back To Us (Shore Secrets 3) by Christi Barth Page B

grasp at a legitimate stumbling block. Something to be discussed and analyzed. Something to keep her from jumping headlong into a partnership that would undoubtedly flay open her scarred heart on a daily basis. She needed that right now. Needed to ground herself in details and not in the shiny hope that she might be able to make her promise to Grandpa Will a reality, after all. “I suppose this is the part where we haggle over price. I’ll tell you flat out what I offered to pay all the other farmers I approached. I want to be fair.”
    “I want to be fair too.” Ward dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded scrap of paper. “There’s what I’ll charge you. Two numbers—one if you want to rent the land on a yearly basis, and one if you want to buy it outright.”
    It was already intolerably hard to be around him as much as she was. But to be tied to him with a business venture for a year...or more? Could she handle it? Could she handle the extra contact with Ward without Ella and Casey as buffers? Piper wasn’t certain. She was certain, however, that she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try.
    “I wouldn’t think of buying it. If you ever decide to sell the property, you’ll need as much acreage as possible. I wouldn’t want to decrease your resale potential.”
    “Fine. Lease it is.” He scratched something out, then handed her the paper.
    It was a fair price. One that definitely included a friend discount—about 5 percent less than what she’d offered everyone else—but still reasonable enough that they’d both be satisfied with the transaction.
    “No haggling needed, then.”
    “No haggling allowed.” He snatched the paper back. “Because there’s a condition to go along with it. A make-or-break-the-deal condition.”
    Piper could think of only one possible condition that she’d refuse. “I hope you don’t want me to name the port line after you. Grandpa Will already came up with what I think is the perfect name. I really want to honor his memory and bring his dream to life, in its entirety.”
    “Not a problem.” Ward planted his hands on the desk and leaned over her laptop until their noses were practically touching. “What I want is for you to date me.”
    Piper blinked a few times, clearing her eyes because she couldn’t figure out how to blink clear the words from her ears. Because they made no sense. As nonsensical as painting Easter eggs to look like jack-o’-lanterns. As ridiculous as looking out at the thirty-six-mile expanse of Seneca Lake and saying that you couldn’t see the water.
    “Come again? Because I don’t understand.”
    “Here’s the actual deal. You have to date me for a month. Not a onetime thing. Boyfriend/girlfriend type of time. Multiple shared meals in a week. Hanging out. Phone calls. Date like a real couple for an entire month.”
    Why would he want to do that? Why, after he’d broken her heart, let years go by without talking to her, and only spent time with her since returning when accompanied by Ella and/or Casey,
why
would he make that a condition?
Whywhywhywhywhy?
    Piper wanted to shake him. Instead, she rephrased the question hammering in her head in a nonstop loop. In as calm and businesslike a voice as possible, she asked, “Why would I do that?”
    He eased away, stood up and spread his arms low, palms facing her. “At the end of the month, if you still want the land, I’ll lease it to you. If you want to keep dating me, then you only pay me half the price.”
    That was a very good deal. One she’d be crazy to refuse. But that loop in her head kept playing. So she came at him from a different direction. “How do you know I won’t keep dating you for another few weeks just to save a few dollars?”
    Dipping his chin, Ward gave her a look from beneath hooded eyes that plainly said
who are you kidding?
“I know you, Piper. You’re honest to the core. Principled. You’d never game the system like that.”
    True. She wouldn’t