One More Taste (One and Only Texas #2)(87)
Healy had a point, but that didn’t give him the right to run roughshod over Knox’s change of heart. “You’re right. The business hasn’t changed, and I didn’t expect any of you to, either. But I have. And I would have thought that I earned more consideration from you for my position after all these years. And my position right now is that I want Briscoe Ranch.”
Healy strolled to the empty chair next to Sandomir and took a seat. “You might not have a choice. Look, Knox. Lux Universal made us a generous offer. And the lawyers are still hashing out the details of your buyout arrangement with Ty. Nothing’s been signed yet. You’re the minority partner in this situation still. I’m speaking on behalf of the majority of our investors when I say that we want out of this money pit. Lux Universal is giving us that chance.”
Frustration and panic churned in Knox’s stomach and tightened his throat. They weren’t hearing him out. They’d already made up their mind, which was frustrating as hell. “You’re not in this particular money pit that deep, Healy. It’s nothing you can’t afford. You probably wipe your ass with more money than you’ve personally sunk into this place.”
“They’re offering seventy-five million dollars for the land and the business,” Sandomir said.
Jesus H. Christ, that was a lot of money. Way over the resort’s true valuation. “You told them about the geological and hydrological issues? The cracked foundation? And they still made us an offer like that?”
“We told them, but they don’t care about any of that. They’ve decided the location is worth more than the business, and they’re right. They’re going to raze the whole place and start over. Part of a new direction for their company. A high-end retirement community, timeshare, and golf course, one of those mega-complexes that they like to build, but this one for seniors. It’s all the rage right now, or so they said.
No doubt, anything Lux Universal built would be modern and grand and packed with luxury. But it wouldn’t be Briscoe Ranch. A place renowned for its romantic magic—a magic Knox had discovered to be true. If he allowed the resort to be sold to a company that would level it to the ground, he’d lose Emily for good. He knew it as sure as he knew his own name. She may have quit her job as the executive catering chef, but this place was still her home. It was his cousins’ home, his grandmother’s. People he’d grown to care about. His and Emily’s family.
He couldn’t sell. There had to be another way. “Give me time to match their offer.”
“You can’t match this offer, Knox. You don’t have enough liquid assets to draw from.”
No, he most certainly did not have ready access to that kind of money. “You’re not my accountant or my stock broker, so don’t pretend to know the intimacies of my finances.”
Sandomir sighed. “Fair enough, but you know as well as we do that when Lux sets their mind on a property, they don’t take no for an answer.”
He did know that. They liked to keep upping the bid until they’d choked out all their competition in a not-so-subtle show of might. But Knox had to take this chance. “You owe me the chance to try before you sell out my family business to a company that wants to destroy it and put hundreds of people out of work.”
Healy arched a brow. “Do we?”
Knox ground his molars together. “Give me one week.”
“Forty-eight hours,” Healy countered. “Good luck, Knox. We’ll show ourselves out.”
Knox was going to need a lot more than luck. Divine intervention was more like it. He raised his eyes heavenward, then caught himself. This was not about this dad. This was no longer about the rift or revenge or trusting in ghosts.
This was about Knox doing what he had to do to preserve what had become hallowed ground for him, and for the extended family he’d never known he needed. To save the home of the woman he loved. And he couldn’t do it alone. It was time to call in every favor and cash in every stock. More than anything, it was time to swallow his pride and get the job done because he refused to be the person to disband the Briscoes’ and Emily’s entire world.
Thus resolved, he grabbed his messenger bag and headed to the door. He had a lot of calls to make and he didn’t care to make them in his office, with its thin walls and eager ears. He threw the door open and stopped short at the sight of Haylie, Wendell, Ty, and Granny June gathered at Haylie’s desk, wide-eyed horror playing on their faces.
Knox looked past them, to the other workers who were starting their day. Some were preoccupied, but enough of them were paying close enough attention to the Briscoes that they posed the risk of starting a company-wide panic, fueled by rumors. “Into my office, all of you.”
Even once Knox closed the door and gestured to the chairs, nobody sat down. Even Granny June rose up off her motorized scooter to pace the room with the aid of her cane.
“Please don’t tell me you were all eavesdropping on that meeting.”
Haylie raised her hand. “I’ll cop to it. There’s no way to not listen in with these walls. It sounded important, so I called my dad over. And then Granny June and Wendell were just passing through. They do that a lot.”
So Knox had noticed.
“You got an offer to sell?” Granny June asked in a tremulous voice.
Ty threw up his arms. “Didn’t you hear what those equity douches said? It’s over. Briscoe Ranch Resort is over. Thanks to Knox, here, it’s going to be leveled and rebuilt as senior living. Senior goddamn living!”