A Laird to Hold by Angeline Fortin (free children's ebooks online .TXT) 📕

the face of an angel. Actually, it was the face of a beautiful young woman with thick, wavy, auburn hair and bright, warm green eyes. Usually she was smiling, which made her eyes even warmer and more compelling. Occasionally, he could recall great sadness in her eyes. It felt like she was about to do something she really didn’t want to do.

Sean usually allowed the images of the beautiful woman to linger in his thoughts. This morning he let the images fade, so he could focus on a critical business meeting, which started in thirty minutes.

He stepped into Jennie’s office to be sure everything was ready for the meeting. He wanted to be sure this all went according to plan. If all went well, they’d be signing a very lucrative real estate purchase contract before the meeting was over.

They’d been in negotiations with this seller for nearly a month, and this morning they were finally ready to close on the deal. If he was able to purchase the land at the price he had in mind, it would be one of the best deals he’d made in years.

The sellers owned a beautiful piece of land near Salem. It would be perfect for a combination project with retail on the ground floor and condos above. He already had the preliminary design finished.

His company would realize a tremendous profit once the work was complete. Of course, he didn’t want the sellers to realize just how profitable it would be. If they understood the potential, he was sure they would ask for much more on the property sale.

This was an area where he and Jennie were occasionally at odds with each other. She was always looking for a good profit, but never to the point where they were taking unfair advantage of someone.

In Sean’s mind, they disagreed on what was taking advantage of someone, and what was just good business. Jennie always wanted to give the seller the fair market value for their property. He didn’t want to steal anyone’s land, but he believed it was the seller’s responsibility to figure out if the land was worth more than he was offering. It was his job to figure out the best way to earn the highest profit.

When he walked into her office, she was sitting behind her desk, gathering files together. He furrowed his brow when he looked closely at Jennie. She had dark circles under her eyes, and it appeared her makeup had been hastily applied.

It was his job to comfort her and help her to feel confident going into the meeting. He needed her focused and sharp. In his mind, he was about to compliment her on her professional appearance and tell her she looked ready to shine in the meeting.

“Wow, you look like you were on the losing end of a fight with the sandman,” is what actually came out of his mouth.

Jennie looked at him with a shocked expression. She was used to him offering charming compliments, even when she didn’t deserve them. She realized that he looked as shocked as she did that he had insulted her.

“Gee, thanks,” she said dryly. “You try staying up most of the night with a two-year-old suffering from stomach flu. I’d like to see how good you’d look.”

“I’m so sorry, Jennie. I don’t know where that came from,” he said honestly. “Who cares if you look like you haven’t slept for days? You’ll do fine in the meeting.”

She could see the look of shock and frustration on his face, as he realized he’d just insulted her again. She rolled her eyes and said, “No more compliments, please.”

He looked like he was going to say something else but decided against it at the last second. She stood up and said, “Maybe I’d better do most of the talking in there, if this is your idea of charming banter.”

Sean was a bit shaken when they entered the luxurious conference room where the property sellers waited. He’d have to make sure that the filter between his thoughts and his words was turned all the way up.

The meeting began very well, with the older couple showing a willingness to follow Sean’s lead on the full value of their undeveloped land. He honestly explained all the risks and costs associated with the project.

Jennie skillfully supported all of his assertions and the couple nodded their agreement when the presentation was complete. It was clear to Jennie and Sean that the deal was going to go through.

The husband and wife stood along with Jennie and Sean. The husband reached out to shake Sean’s hand. Their hands were only inches apart when the seller pulled his hand back and said, “Tell me one more time, Sean. Do you honestly feel that this is the best deal you can offer us on this property? As you know, it’s been in our family for over fifty years. I know it’s time to sell, but I just want to be sure we’re doing right by our kids. When it’s all said and done, this sale is for their future.”

Sean smiled warmly, knowing they would accept his offer as soon as he assured him it was the best he could do. He put his hand on the elderly man’s shoulder and said, “This is the price I’d like to pay for the property, but honestly, I can increase the price by fifty-thousand and still come out just fine.”

The man quickly grabbed Sean’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Sean. We knew we were doing the right thing in bringing this land to you. It’s wonderful to work with a company that is grounded in integrity.”

Sean managed to hold the smile on his face, as he realized what he’d just said. When he glanced at Jennie, her smile was almost as big as the sellers. She actually looked pleased that he’d just given away fifty-thousand dollars.

After the elderly couple left, Jennie turned and gave Sean a quick hug. When she let