“And you’re set up to be away that long?” Montana asks, his gaze sliding to Archer. It’s not the weirdest thing these two have done but it’s up there.
“Uh, yeah. My parents are taking Scout for the time being,” I say, purposely misinterpreting the question.
“But are you all right?” Archer asks pointedly, and it’s my turn for my gaze to bounce between them like a ping-pong ball.
“I mean, I have time saved up from the department and family leave and I can always tap into my savings but—why are you asking?” Money wasn’t something we often talked about, but we didn’tnottalk about it either.
Archer sits back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, and gives Montana a nod. Montana grins like a fool before taking out a business card and sliding it across the table to me. It’s for Sundown Realty, the company that owns half the rentals in Blackstone Falls. They renovated a couple of cabins along Cedar Lake, and I heard they expanded out toward Nashville but I’d yet to confirm that.
There wasn’t a lot known about the owners, only that they’d hired local help and otherwise used a lawyer to handle all transactions. A lot of people did it around the country, picking up investment properties, but something always seemed off to me about Sundown Realty.
I stare at the card a beat longer and then look up at the way Archer’s lips twitch and the smile Montana still isn’t bothering to hide.
No fucking way.
“You’ve got to be kiddin’ me,” I say as I sit back in my own chair and take in the two most unassuming guys I know.
“We wanted to be able to supplement the income from our farms,” Archer says seriously. “We’ve had some hard years, and nothing is guaranteed.”
“I’d rather die than lose my family’s land,” Montana says earnestly.
“I think Ellison would have somethin’ to say about that,” I muse, and he snorts because he knows I’m right. That woman is hell on wheels, and I love knowing she’s made it her mission to ensure she can make him crazy at the drop of a hat.
“We took a chance,” Archer says, nodding at the card.
“Did better than we could’ve imagined.” Montana’s gaze is laser focused on mine as he says, “And we’d like to offer you a partnership.”
I open my mouth to respond but Archer holds up his hand. “You have a baby and you’re talkin’ about dipping into yoursavings to cover costs. Let us shoulder that with you. Even if you don’t use the money now, Remi will have a college fund and you’ll be able to take Nessa to some tropical island or whatever.”
“This isn’t a handout, Jensen. It’s a partnership, so we’ll give you something to do remotely while you’re away if it makes you feel better. And then when you’re home and settled, we can reassess what your official role will be.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose to ward off the tears that threaten to fall because what can you even say to something like this?
“Fuck, guys,” I manage when I look up.
“Let us help you,” Archer offers.
“There’s only one rule,” Montana says, his face unnaturally serious.
“What’s that?”
“No one knows and it has to stay that way.”
“I’m honestly shocked y’all have been able to keep this under wraps as well as you have.”
Archer shrugs. “No one expects a couple of guys like us to be the mastermind behind a multimillion dollar business.”
My eyes widen as I let that number sink in.
Holy shit.
“And you want me to be a part of it? Just jump into your success?”
“We’re securing our futures, so yeah, we wanna see you and Nessa and Remi taken care of. We want your only concern while you’re traveling to be when you can sneak a quickie with your girl.” Archer snorts but Montana’s eyes never leave mine. “Oh, and you can tell Nessa when you’re ready but same rules apply. She tells no one.”
“It’s the only way we’ll be able to continue running it the way we have. No one suspects us, so we’re able to move freely to domaintenance and check in on everything,” Archer adds, driving home the point.
“I don’t know what to say.”
