“No, thank you,” Kayla snapped without thinking. It was a reflex to deny that she was going to do anything but soldier on. Although, she should probably start considering it.
Maybe it was time to admit defeat.
“Okay. Well, here’s my card if you change your mind or have any follow up questions later. I hope things work out like you want.” Lance held the paper on his clipboard out to her. It said pretty much exactly what he’d already told her. They were going to write off Bare Natural, the land, and everything that had been inside it and her home. They’d pay out her claim, but there was no way it’d be enough to rebuild there. And even if she did, they wouldn’t cover her at that location ever again. “You can take it to a lawyer to review if you want, but we’ll need it signed before we can write you a check.”
Kayla took the copy he offered her and tucked it into the front pocket of her useless binder. “At a minimum I want to talk it over with my husband and the rest of the people in his crew before making a decision.”
“I understand. It’s a lot to process.” Why the hell did Lance have to be kind? It would have been easier to be pissed at him if he and his band of merry experts had been assholes.
“Thank you. I…have to go.” Numbness tingled along her limbs until she couldn’t feel her fingers or toes or the tip of her tongue. Kayla turned away. Seeing Bare Natural burn had been bad, but this…this was the end. She was done. It was over.
For good.
All she wanted was to go home, crawl in her bed, and bawl. But she’d lost that too. And now she doubted she’d ever come back to this spot again. It hurt too fucking much.
Dave, Devon, James, and Neil were the closest thing she had to a safe haven here. She hoped they were ready to put up with her hysteria because she wasn’t sure how she was even going to hold it together until she pulled into their driveway.
12
Since there hadn’t been anything to keep them at home, Kayla had suggested that they go on one more trip to Middletown while she tried to work up the courage to scribble her name on that piece of paper that felt like a death sentence. No one had argued. At least in Middletown Dave, Devon, Neil, and James could help Mike and Joe instead of sitting around with their thumbs up their asses while absolutely nothing got done at Bare Natural and Kayla sank further into depression and self-doubt.
But once they’d arrived, there was really only one person she felt like talking to: Gavyn.
Since her last visit, and her discussion with Amber and Sevan, he’d been texting her periodically. Reaching out even if she hadn’t reciprocated as much as she should have, caught up in everything going on. It felt nice to know he cared and that he was checking up on her, though she was afraid she hadn’t shown him how much it meant while she was trapped in the slog of trying to make something impossible happen.
Kayla walked from Morgan and Joe’s rental to Hot Rides. It was a bit of a hike, but the trek through the late summer woods, with dappled light spilling through the leaves and the chirping of birds reminding her so much of the place she’d loved more than any other, had done a lot to settle her nerves.
Because she’d been kicking around a few different options for where to go next, and she wondered what Gavyn might think. What if he didn’t believe any of them was a good idea?
She stumbled over a stick in the path, barely catching herself before she face-planted.
Sometimes disasters weren’t so easy to avert, though.
If she committed to a vision for the future, she wasn’t the kind of person to let anything stand in her way. Laws of nature aside. Fuck erosion. So if he wasn’t onboard with a change of direction, one that meant she’d be spending a lot more time in his backyard, it could make things awkward between her and her brother. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t ready to jeopardize her last strong tie to her family.
Kayla turned into the Hot Rides driveway, feeling the burn in her muscles. She kept her pace while climbing the fairly steep slope. Instead of going to the shop, she peeled off early, and headed for Gavyn and Amber’s house.
They weren’t so different, after all, her and her brother. They both had businesses and lived on site. They gave everything they had to the enterprises, making them part of their daily existence. Was that fair to the people they loved most? Their spouses?
Neither Dave nor Amber had ever seemed to mind, supporting their visions in any way possible. Hell, Amber was an amazing project manager, and she for sure had been the one to rein Gavyn in and make his wild imaginings into something that wasn’t only reality, but something profitable too.
The garage was always full. Even now the sound of power tools and laughter spilled from the open garage bays where Trevon, Quinn, Wren, Ollie, Walker, Dane, and Sevan were busy with any number of special projects.
Kayla probably should have gone there first, talked to Gavyn in his office without pulling him away from his work, but she was reaching out for advice as his sister and not as a fellow business owner. She also hoped to signal her desire to have his full attention for once, whether it was selfish to admit that or not.
The question was, would he have time for her at all? She was about to put Amber’s theory to the test.
Kayla raised her hand to knock on the door, but before she could, Amber
