"So, I hear congratulations are in order," Connor said as he gave Kyle a smartass look. "You're now the proud owner of a run-down, dilapidated building in a Podunk town. I hope the eventual return is worth the investment."
Kyle leaned back in his chair, refusing to let his friend goad him or dampen his good mood. The property in Woodmont wasn't about the monetary return or even a revenue stream for Kyle, because clearly he wasn't going to make bank on his purchase when it had cost him nearly double what the building was worth. It was about giving his hardworking mother the one thing she'd always wistfully talked about but never believed could become a reality. Kyle truly didn't give a shit if he didn't make a penny on the purchase. He just wanted his mom to be happy and to be able to spend the rest of her years doing what she loved.
Buying the building had been a complete surprise for his mother, and when he'd driven to her house after the auction to tell her that the property was now his and what he planned to do with it, he knew he'd made the right decision when he'd seen how unbelievably overjoyed she'd been . . . as long as he didn't think about Ella's devastated expression after he'd been awarded the property.
Kyle returned his attention to Connor and smirked as he rubbed his palm against his bearded jaw. "Just so you know, starting next Saturday, you'll be volunteering your weekends to help me gut the place before the renovations start." They had about a month before all the licenses and permits for the place were approved, but in the meantime, clearing out Piedmont's years of hoarded crap was a priority.
"Yeah, I figured," Connor said with a good-natured shake of his head. "Seriously, though, I'm happy for you, and whatever you need, I'm there for you."
"Thanks, man. I appreciate it." It went without saying that Kyle could always count on Connor, and the other two guys he worked with, for anything.
Connor rubbed his hands together. "So, what do you say we blow this joint and I buy you a beer to celebrate your new venture?"
Kyle laughed. "If you're buying, then hell yeah."
He pushed his chair back and stood up just as the intercom on his desk beeped and the receptionist's voice came through. "Kyle, I have an Ella Fisher here to see you," Daphne informed him. "She said she doesn't have an appointment. Do you have time to meet with her, or should I schedule her for another day since it's after five?"
"I just spent over two hours on the road and I'd really like to see him today, if possible," Kyle heard Ella say to Daphne in the background, her tone almost desperate. And annoyed.
"Holy shit," Kyle muttered beneath his breath. Ella was here? He was so shocked by her impromptu visit that it took a few extra seconds for him to wrap his brain around that fact.
"Kyle?" Daphne asked, clearly waiting for his answer.
"No, it's fine," he replied, his curiosity getting the best of him. That and it would be a total dick move to make Ella schedule an appointment for another day after driving from Woodmont, and being that kind of dick wasn't his style. "I'll see Ms. Fisher. Show her back to my office, please."
The line disconnected. Kyle was dying to know what had prompted Ella to seek him out, though he'd bet money it had something to do with the building he'd bought. As much as he'd like to wish her reasons for this visit were more personal, he knew she wasn't there to make up for lost time between them. No, any chance of a reconciliation had been diminished years ago.
Kyle glanced up at his friend with an apologetic look. "I'm going to have to take a rain check on that beer."
Conner tipped his head speculatively. "Ms. Fisher must be someone pretty important."
"She's the woman I told you about. The one I bought the Piedmont building out from under," Kyle said, rounding his desk before she arrived. "She had no idea anyone else was bidding on the property, so she was a little . . . blindsided."
Connor's eyes widened comically. "Oh, Jesus. So, in other words, you're dealing with a woman scorned. I'm outta here."
Kyle chuckled at Connor's quick decision to avoid getting caught in the middle of any potential conflict between himself and Ella. "Chickenshit," he teased his friend.
Connor took no offense and grinned. "I don't do drama, so whatever it is between you and this girl, you're on your own."
His friend headed for the door just as the receptionist appeared with Ella right behind her, forcing Connor to abruptly stop or run into the two women. Not bothering to wait for introductions, Connor gave Ella a curt nod, then beelined it down the hall.