Page 77 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

Lisa smiled like a cat hearing a mouse rustle.“There it is,” she said softly.“Now we’re finally getting closer to the truth.”She tilted her head, studying him the way a hawk studies movement in a field.“What exactly are you offering Gia for this land?”

He named a number.

I laughed from sheer disbelief.It was a hundred thousand less than what I still owed on the loan.

Lisa did laugh.Not loudly.Not kindly.She released one short breath of amusement that made color crawl up Justin’s neck.

She reached into that cavernous purse again and withdrew a second sheet of paper, crisp and neatly highlighted.“That’s not an offer.That’s an insult dressed in slacks.”

She laid the page flat between them and tapped one manicured nail against the numbers.“Comparable sales place that property Gia owns at nearly triple what she paid, and that wasbeforeadjoining acreage started moving and community expansion crept into this direction.”Her finger slid lower on the page.“Which means, if a person were interested in squeezing every last dime from it…”

She turned the paper around.Her smile sharpened.“They’d sell to Vitcon Developers.”

Justin’s whole body went still as if bracing.

Lisa slow blinked at him over the rim of her coffee cup.“I called them this morning,” she said casually, as if discussing the weather.“Lovely people.Ruthless, but lovely.They made an enthusiastic offer.”She folded her hands neatly atop the table.

His jaw flexed.“You’re bluffing.”

Lisa’s smile vanished.“Oh, hon.”Her voice dropped low.“At my age, I don’t bluff.I make phone calls before most people finish breakfast.”

She leaned forward.Her eyes locked on his.“Now I’m curious.”Her tone was conversational, but cunning lived under every syllable.“Why does a soon to be remarried man with a shiny new family suddenly needthisspecific piece of land badly enough to crawl back to the woman he discarded?”

Silence.

Justin looked at me, then away.

Lisa caught it.Of course she caught it.Her mouth curved into a slow, terrible smile.

“Well now,” she murmured.“That look tells me there’s something buried in this dirt besides sentiment.”She tapped the paper once.“Mineral rights?Highway access?Commercial rezoning?Or,” her eyes narrowed, “did you already promise something you don’t legally own?”

Color drained from his face.

Lisa sat back, victorious and perfectly composed.“There you are.Found the nerve.”

Then she lifted her cup.“Start talking, hon.If I have to uncover it myself, I promise you won’t enjoy what happens next.”

He addressed me.“Gia, this is about you and me.The divorce agreement says we should sell the land and split the profit.”

I didn’t remember the exact wording of the agreement.I’m sure that showed all over my face.“Now you want to sell it?A minute ago, you offered me a shitty amount and now you want us to sell to these developers andsplit the profit?”

“Hold up, sweetie.Let’s look at what that divorce agreement specifically said.”Lisa pulled out yet another paper.I wondered how she’d gotten all this information in a few hours and how she got a copy of my divorce agreement.Wasn’t that private?

She shuffled the thick document to turn to a tabbed page and tapped a painted nail on a highlighted portion.“The specific wording says Gia will determine whatshewants to do with the property.It wasn’t a quibbling point.Giais the only one named on all the papers.Legally, Gia owns it.Your name isn’t mentioned anywhere in discussion of this property.And that…” She flipped to the last page and rotated the papers.“That’s your signature.”Her lips tilted into a frown.“What use are you in this whole business, then?”

“I’ll sue you for the land.It’s mine, anyways.”Justin’s vicious gaze targeted me.

I didn’t back away from him.“If I recall correctly, you were obsessed with buying this land to build a horse barn on it, but your credit was crap.You had the papers put in my name and then claimed since I made more that it was my responsibility to pay for it.I also clearly remember my lawyer saying once we signed the divorce agreement it was final.He made me read it several times to be sure it was what I wanted.”Even though the lawyer was technically free, he was as thorough as he could be.

“This woman can’t be your mother,” he bit out.“She doesn’t look anything like you.”

“Did I ever say she wasmymother?”I smiled gratefully at Lisa.

Lisa cut in, “My child is the man who almost tore you apart in the parking lot yesterday.Right now, he’s staring at you through a sniper rifle and wondering if he should pull the trigger on the man who disrespected Gia.”

Justin’s face went from red to pale so fast it was almost impressive.His eyes flicked toward the window like he could somehow spot a scope glinting in the distance.

Lisa laughed softly.“Oh, don’t look so alarmed,” she said, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from her blouse.“My son knows better than to make a mess on a weekday.Too much paperwork.Too many witnesses.”Her smile sharpened.“He prefers humiliation.It lasts longer.”