“Huh?”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
“Mmm,” I say noncommittally.
“Never mind. Just bring Jonesie around to see Mom and Dad if she has time. They’ll be happy to see her. Can I have a bite?” She points to my sandwich.
“You’re always stealing my food,” I accuse.
“I just want one bite.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her batting her eyelashes at me. “That’s not stealing. And I brought it to you.”
“Why didn’t you bring one for yourself?”
“I didn’t want one, but seeing you eat with so much gusto, I kind of want a bite.”
I groan, concentrating on the road.
“You know I’ll bug you until you give in, right?” Alice continues.
Unfortunately, I do know. “Fine, but just one bite. I mean it.”
She ends up eating half the sandwich, of course.
“It’s so good to have you back home from London, Max. I don’t like it when any of us is away. Can’t wait for Summer to get back.” Our youngest sister, Summer, is a painter, and she’s currently in Italy, working on a special project for a local museum. She’ll be gone for another few months. “At least you’re back. I missed fighting with you over food.”
“You have seven other Bennetts you can pick a fight with.”
She shrugs. “Yeah, but none get as adorably annoyed as you do.”
“Give that back. You’re lucky I love you so much,” I mutter, wolfing down the remaining part.
“Holy fuck,” I exclaim ten minutes later when we arrive at the location.
“I think holy fuckity fuck with a side of shitty shit is more appropriate.” Alice puts her hands on her hips, disbelief etched on her face.
“Are you sure this is the right address?”
“Yeah.” Alice’s enthusiasm is all but gone as she looks at the dump we came to look at. We climb out of the car, and then hover in front of it. Disappointment comes in waves from my sister. Kind of wish I hadn’t eaten the entire sandwich, so she could have it. The women in my family are big on comfort food, and I hate seeing Alice like this.
“Now I know why they didn’t upload any photos of the building itself, just the surrounding view,” she says bitterly.
We are looking at what looks like a run-down barn. The surrounding area is magnificent, if a little remote. It’s on a high hill with a fantastic view of the city.
“It did say it needed heavy renovations,” Alice continues.
“I have a great plan for that. I’ll bring the gasoline.”
“I’ll light up the match,” my sister adds.
“You’re essentially just buying the land.” I do a full turn in slow motion, inspecting the area. There’s a lot of green, and the property is large enough to build a generous parking lot next to the restaurant.
“Looks like it.”
“Which means the asking price is far higher than it should be.” One of the reasons my sister has asked me to join her here today was because I have a knack for negotiations.
“Let’s go inside.”
“No banter once the guy is in sight,” I warn her. Nothing damages credibility more than bantering. Alice merely shakes her head, rolling her eyes.