When no one spoke up with any inquiries, Dan gave a satisfied nod and began soliciting bids for the property. “Who would like to offer the minimum opening bid of one hundred thousand dollars?” he asked, his gaze on Ella as she immediately raised her hand.
“I will,” she said, her energy and enthusiasm nearly tangible as she bounced on the toes of her tennis shoes.
Kyle almost smiled at how adorable she looked, and for a moment even enjoyed the tantalizing jiggle of her breasts as she fidgeted, then quickly remembered that he was about to burst her bubble of excitement and compete with her for the building . . . until he won.
“Is anyone willing to top that bid with an offer of one hundred and twenty-five thousand?” the auctioneer asked, his gaze casually scanning the faces in front of him, as if out of obligation.
Everyone remained quiet, and just as Dan opened his mouth to award Ella the sale, Kyle cut him off. “I’ll take that bid,” he said, his tone deep, firm, and assertive.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and Ella frowned in confusion as her head jerked in his direction, her eyes searching for the source of the voice that had just thrown her for a loop she hadn’t seen coming. A heartbeat later, her lustrous green gaze landed on him, and he watched as her entire body stiffened, her lips parted in shock, and her initial bewilderment transitioned into stunned disbelief.
He inclined his head to acknowledge her, keeping his expression neutral, knowing she was trying to figure out what he was doing there after all this time and why he was competing for the building she wanted. Anger flickered in her eyes, and Kyle was pretty sure if they didn’t have an audience, she would have confronted him. Instead, she turned back to Dan and lifted her chin with a conviction he found incredibly sexy.
“One hundred and fifty thousand,” she said, upping her bid without the auctioneer even asking.
Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the whispers going on around him. “One hundred and seventy-five thousand.”
Again, Ella glanced at him, this time incredulously, and he kept his poker face in place. This was where it would get interesting. He had no idea how much cash Ella had secured for the auction, but he doubted that it was anywhere near what he had available within twenty-four hours. How high could she go before she conceded defeat?
She glared at him, her complexion turning pink with frustration. “Two hundred thousand dollars,” she announced in a tight voice, glaring at him.
“Two hundred twenty-five thousand,” he responded without hesitating. It was more than the building was worth in its present condition considering the improvements it needed, but this purchase wasn’t about the money for him, and he had to remind himself of that as he watched Ella’s devastated expression declare him as the winner even before the auctioneer did.
God, he felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. By giving one woman her dream, he’d just crushed it for another.
“We have an offer of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars,” Dan said, looking away from Ella as if he already knew her maximum budget had just been exceeded. “Is anyone willing to top that bid?”
After a few seconds of absolute silence, Ella shook her head. Then, as if she couldn’t bear to see the building being awarded to Kyle, she turned around and headed toward the market and disappeared inside. He thought about going after Ella to explain his reasons for wanting the property—not that he’d expect that to soothe her anger and upset—but a couple of the women standing nearby broke away to follow Ella to help ease the blow she’d just been delivered. And Kyle knew he’d be less than welcome anywhere near her.
“Going once . . . going twice . . . sold to the gentleman in the black shirt standing in the back row!” the auctioneer finally said, forcing Kyle to draw his gaze away from the grocery store, where Ella had escaped to.
Fuck, he thought as he scrubbed a hand along the short-cropped beard covering his jaw.
He should have been elated to have what he’d wanted for years, to be able to give his mother something just for herself, but he felt like shit instead.
Well, what had he expected? He’d known going in he was going to crush Ella’s hopes and dreams. And he didn’t feel at all good about himself now that he had.
Chapter Two
Unable to sleep, Ella stared wide-eyed at the ceiling of her bedroom, watching the shadows on the walls shift from the gray of night to the first light of dawn as the morning sun started to rise on a brand-new day. A day she’d imagined would be much different and more exciting than the one she was about to face now that her plans for the adjoining building to her father’s market had come crashing down around her in the form of Kyle Coleman . . . the first guy she’d ever loved and had never truly gotten over, despite the way things had ended between them.
She was still in a state of disbelief at seeing him after so many years, not to mention feeling like a fool for thinking that no one else wanted the old, decrepit building. She’d actually thought her bid was just a technicality to ensure that the property was hers. Absolutely nothing had prepared her for losing the one thing she’d had her sights set on for the past five years so she could finally expand Fisher’s Grocery into something more. And she certainly hadn’t been braced to see the gorgeous man who still had the ability to make her feel breathless and weak-kneed when she should have gotten over him a long time ago.
She released a loud growl of frustration as she punched the pillow next to her, grateful that her father slept on the opposite side of the house so she didn’t wake him up with all her tossing and turning and cursing during the course of the night. She’d already been bombarded with angry questions from her only parent that she hadn’t been able to answer as soon as she’d gotten home last night after closing the market. What did Kyle want with the building? Had he purchased the place out of spite so Ella couldn’t claim it? Why after all these years would he want anything that tied him to Woodmont when he lived his life in Chicago?
Ella honestly didn’t know, but she wondered all those things, too. She’d heard that he’d become one of those guys who bought old houses and buildings and renovated them to resell, but anyone who lived in Woodmont knew there weren’t any big profits to be had in redeveloping commercial property here. Not like there was in the city, where real estate was at a premium. The town was small, the residents set in their ways, and what else did they need that other businesses didn’t already provide?
“I will,” she said, her energy and enthusiasm nearly tangible as she bounced on the toes of her tennis shoes.
Kyle almost smiled at how adorable she looked, and for a moment even enjoyed the tantalizing jiggle of her breasts as she fidgeted, then quickly remembered that he was about to burst her bubble of excitement and compete with her for the building . . . until he won.
“Is anyone willing to top that bid with an offer of one hundred and twenty-five thousand?” the auctioneer asked, his gaze casually scanning the faces in front of him, as if out of obligation.
Everyone remained quiet, and just as Dan opened his mouth to award Ella the sale, Kyle cut him off. “I’ll take that bid,” he said, his tone deep, firm, and assertive.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and Ella frowned in confusion as her head jerked in his direction, her eyes searching for the source of the voice that had just thrown her for a loop she hadn’t seen coming. A heartbeat later, her lustrous green gaze landed on him, and he watched as her entire body stiffened, her lips parted in shock, and her initial bewilderment transitioned into stunned disbelief.
He inclined his head to acknowledge her, keeping his expression neutral, knowing she was trying to figure out what he was doing there after all this time and why he was competing for the building she wanted. Anger flickered in her eyes, and Kyle was pretty sure if they didn’t have an audience, she would have confronted him. Instead, she turned back to Dan and lifted her chin with a conviction he found incredibly sexy.
“One hundred and fifty thousand,” she said, upping her bid without the auctioneer even asking.
Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the whispers going on around him. “One hundred and seventy-five thousand.”
Again, Ella glanced at him, this time incredulously, and he kept his poker face in place. This was where it would get interesting. He had no idea how much cash Ella had secured for the auction, but he doubted that it was anywhere near what he had available within twenty-four hours. How high could she go before she conceded defeat?
She glared at him, her complexion turning pink with frustration. “Two hundred thousand dollars,” she announced in a tight voice, glaring at him.
“Two hundred twenty-five thousand,” he responded without hesitating. It was more than the building was worth in its present condition considering the improvements it needed, but this purchase wasn’t about the money for him, and he had to remind himself of that as he watched Ella’s devastated expression declare him as the winner even before the auctioneer did.
God, he felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. By giving one woman her dream, he’d just crushed it for another.
“We have an offer of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars,” Dan said, looking away from Ella as if he already knew her maximum budget had just been exceeded. “Is anyone willing to top that bid?”
After a few seconds of absolute silence, Ella shook her head. Then, as if she couldn’t bear to see the building being awarded to Kyle, she turned around and headed toward the market and disappeared inside. He thought about going after Ella to explain his reasons for wanting the property—not that he’d expect that to soothe her anger and upset—but a couple of the women standing nearby broke away to follow Ella to help ease the blow she’d just been delivered. And Kyle knew he’d be less than welcome anywhere near her.
“Going once . . . going twice . . . sold to the gentleman in the black shirt standing in the back row!” the auctioneer finally said, forcing Kyle to draw his gaze away from the grocery store, where Ella had escaped to.
Fuck, he thought as he scrubbed a hand along the short-cropped beard covering his jaw.
He should have been elated to have what he’d wanted for years, to be able to give his mother something just for herself, but he felt like shit instead.
Well, what had he expected? He’d known going in he was going to crush Ella’s hopes and dreams. And he didn’t feel at all good about himself now that he had.
Chapter Two
Unable to sleep, Ella stared wide-eyed at the ceiling of her bedroom, watching the shadows on the walls shift from the gray of night to the first light of dawn as the morning sun started to rise on a brand-new day. A day she’d imagined would be much different and more exciting than the one she was about to face now that her plans for the adjoining building to her father’s market had come crashing down around her in the form of Kyle Coleman . . . the first guy she’d ever loved and had never truly gotten over, despite the way things had ended between them.
She was still in a state of disbelief at seeing him after so many years, not to mention feeling like a fool for thinking that no one else wanted the old, decrepit building. She’d actually thought her bid was just a technicality to ensure that the property was hers. Absolutely nothing had prepared her for losing the one thing she’d had her sights set on for the past five years so she could finally expand Fisher’s Grocery into something more. And she certainly hadn’t been braced to see the gorgeous man who still had the ability to make her feel breathless and weak-kneed when she should have gotten over him a long time ago.
She released a loud growl of frustration as she punched the pillow next to her, grateful that her father slept on the opposite side of the house so she didn’t wake him up with all her tossing and turning and cursing during the course of the night. She’d already been bombarded with angry questions from her only parent that she hadn’t been able to answer as soon as she’d gotten home last night after closing the market. What did Kyle want with the building? Had he purchased the place out of spite so Ella couldn’t claim it? Why after all these years would he want anything that tied him to Woodmont when he lived his life in Chicago?
Ella honestly didn’t know, but she wondered all those things, too. She’d heard that he’d become one of those guys who bought old houses and buildings and renovated them to resell, but anyone who lived in Woodmont knew there weren’t any big profits to be had in redeveloping commercial property here. Not like there was in the city, where real estate was at a premium. The town was small, the residents set in their ways, and what else did they need that other businesses didn’t already provide?
