Page 16 of Raff
“Yes?” I asked.
“Would you happen to be Lula?”
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Drake Holland.”
“That’s a soap opera name,” I teased.
“My mother is an avid watcher. That must explain it.”
“I’m Lula. Can I help you with something?”
“I’m a developer.”
Of course he was.
The town had been crawling with them lately.
I wasn’t sure what it was about Shady Valley that made them decide to descend upon us. Maybe it was the sweet, small-town vibes (as lacking as they were in many essentials). Or it could be the gorgeous Death Valley mountain range that could even look pastel in some places.
Because, normally, a prison in town was enough to discourage development. I guess they were getting desperate for cheap, abundant land to build on.
Shady Valley as a whole was mixed on how they felt about it. On the one hand, we did genuinely need more housing. On the other, people were afraid of losing the small-town feel. The only thing everyonewasin agreement on was that we could use a few more shops and restaurants in town.
“And I’ve been informed that you own twenty acres of some of the best land in Shady Valley.”
“I do. Let me guess. You want to buy it from me.”
“I want to build on it with you.”
“Oh, the old ‘let’s build a development together’ scam,” Raff said, shooting me that smile of his again. “Let me guess. He wined and dined you.”
He had.
He’d invited me out of town to a very fancy restaurant where he ordered amazing wine and incredible steaks. Then he launched into it all: his vision for the land, what kind of houses he would build, how he wanted to make sure each one was unique so it didn’t look like one of those ‘suburban hellscapes.’
I’d been sucked right in. I, too, hated when every single house lined up in a row looking exactly the same. He also had plans to make the neighborhood winding so you could walk your dog or take your kids on bike rides and for there to be a big park at the end with a basketball court, soccer/baseball field, picnic tables, and a big playground.
By the time I sank my spoon into the brownie sundae dessert, I’d been all in.
“And we will start with your own house, of course!”
By the time I climbed into my bed later, I was sure I was about to have the home of my dreams… and millions in the bank.
He made it sound so possible.
Not only possible, but easy.
Maybe that was the first red flag I’d ignored.
But if there’d been any concerns, he’d spent the next few weeks easing my nerves and answering my questions.
He’d had blueprints drawn up.
He compiled vision boards for types of stone, floors, cabinets, fixtures. Which houses had front porches or back ones, who got a two-car garage, what kind of fences or shrubbery couldbe planted to lend some kind of privacy. Everything. He had it all mapped out.
“So he romanced you with the plans, got you all excited about a lucrative business venture. Then?”
