Falling For You (Honey Leaf Lodge #1)

Chapter Sixteen

Owen

I sat in the hotel conference room and stared at the large screen, which was filled with my partners and fellow investors. The men congregated in a sleek conference room in a Manhattan office building.

The city’s skyline stretched out behind them through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and for the first time ever, I didn’t want to be anywhere near the hustle and bustle.

Manhattan was in stark contrast to where I was nestled in the heart of Buttercup Lake. With the double doors open wide to the outside and views of the lake, there was nowhere else I’d rather be.

Right here was what we’d planned to duplicate—a place for leisure or business.

But a sick feeling spread through me.

At what cost?

I needed the fresh air.

The autumn air outside had cooled the room, but inside, the atmosphere was still hot and thick with anticipation.

Three of my key investors, their faces harsh with interest and a certain smugness, watched me over the video feed. Their gleaming eyes took in my hotel room with the prospect of a lucrative deal only days away.

They were the kind of men who saw opportunity in every corner of the country, and Buttercup Lake, with its charming small-town appeal, was their latest target.

Thanks to me.

My stomach churned.

I had known this day was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. My laptop sat open in front of me, numbers and projections glowing on the screen. It was easy to demonstrate to them what would happen if we moved forward with the investment.

We were just waiting for Vern to sign.

The potential profits were undeniable. A new resort complex in Buttercup Lake could be the crown jewel of our portfolio. We’d be able to attract tourists from all over the region and transform the sleepy town into a bustling hub of activity.

They already had a growing tourism trend, and this latest project would only bolster the effect.

But my mind wasn’t on the numbers. It wasn’t on the sleek presentations or the land assessments. My thoughts kept drifting back to her.

Violet.

I could picture her now, probably laughing with her siblings or working on some creative project.

She was completely unaware of the tidal wave of change that headed toward her and the lodge her family had built and maintained for generations.

The thought of seeing her face when she realized what was happening made me feel like I was going to be sick. The lodge, with its cozy, rustic charm, held so much history for her family. It could be exactly the kind of place that would get swallowed up by the resort if the land deal went through. And I couldn't bear the thought of being the one to destroy it.

The thought of seeing her face when she realized what was happening made me feel like I was going to be sick.

“Owen,” Tom, the lead investor, said, snapping me back to reality. “Did you hear me?”

Tom was in his mid-50s, sharp-eyed, and habitually sniffing out profitable opportunities with unnerving accuracy. “You’ve been quiet. Everything still on track?”

I swallowed hard, trying to clear the fog in my mind. “Yeah. Everything’s on track.”

The other two investors, Martin and Frank, exchanged looks, clearly expecting more enthusiasm from me. Usually, I’d push hard, closing deals left and right with the confidence that had always set me apart. But today, everything felt wrong.

Tom leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “I gotta admit, Owen, I expected you to be more excited. Buttercup Lake’s looking like a solid investment. The location’s prime. Not to mention, the local businesses haven’t exactly been keeping up with the times. There’s real potential for growth there.”

I nodded slowly without meeting their eyes.

The numbers were there. The facts about Buttercup Lake’s ripeness for redevelopment and the tourism boost that would pump new life into the local economy were as clear as the Wisconsin sky.

But the words lodged in my throat.

Violet’s face kept flashing through my mind. I thought about her smile.

The way she’d made me feel human again.

How proud she was of the little lodge she and her family ran.

And now here I was, sitting in this conference room, planning to turn that same lodge into nothing more than a footnote in a business deal.

I struggled to speak, my words caught in a web of conflicting emotions. “Maybe Buttercup Lake isn’t the right place for this investment,” I finally managed to say.

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

As soon as they did, I felt the weight of the meeting shift. The investors stopped talking. All eyes turned to me, and I could feel the tension rise, even through the video.

“What do you mean?” Martin asked, his brow furrowing. “We’ve already gone over the projections. The land acquisition is moving forward, and we’re closing in just a few days. This deal is practically done.”

“I know,” I said quickly, struggling to gather my thoughts. “But… I’ve been spending a lot of time here, getting to know the town, and it’s just…” I paused, searching for the right words, something that would make sense to them. “It’s different than we expected. The town has a lot of history. Many of the small businesses depend on tourism, but they also depend on the locals. If we bring in a massive resort, it will change everything.”

“That’s the point,” Tom said flatly, his voice edged with irritation. “Change is good. The town’s been stagnant for years. We’re going to breathe life into it.”

My heart pounded. I wanted to argue that this kind of change wasn’t what Buttercup Lake needed. But the truth was that I couldn’t find the right way to explain it without sounding ludicrous and hypocritical. I’d spent my career targeting these types of opportunities, and the last year on this one in particular.

I’d made a fortune on them. I couldn’t tell them that I was hesitating because of a woman I’d met, a woman who had made me question the cost of my professional success.

A woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.

It would sound foolishandunprofessional. And yet, the more I thought about Violet and her family, the more the idea of this resort made me ill.

“I’m just not sure the town can handle it,” I said, my voice quieter now. “The locals are really proud of their businesses. They’re not built to compete with a resort of this size. It could ruin them.”

Tom raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp. “Since when are we in the business of worrying about local competition? The goal here is to build something profitable. If they can’t keep up, that’s on them.”

My stomach twisted. I knew this argument. I’d made it myself in the past. But now, the words felt hollow.

And worse, so did I.

Martin leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. His head filled the entire screen as the camera focused on him. “Are you saying we should back out? After all the work we’ve put in?”

I hesitated, the pressure of the room closing in around me.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn’t check it. I already knew it was Violet. She’d been texting me all yesterday and this morning, asking if I wanted to meet up tonight. The thought of facing her, knowing what I was doing, made me feel like I was suffocating.

“I’m not saying we back out,” I finally said, my voice strained. “I’m just saying… we need to be careful about moving forward. Maybe there’s a way to work with the local businesses instead of pushing them out.”

Tom’s face darkened. “Owen, we’ve had this conversation before. You’re not new to this game. Small towns don’t survive without progress. If the local businesses can’t keep up, that’s not our problem. We’re building something that’s going to bring in millions of dollars. The town will adjust, or it won’t. Either way, we’re moving forward. The village leaders are fully behind us.”

I could barely hear Tom’s words.

My mind was spinning.

Violet’s face kept flashing in front of me. The pride she had in her family’s lodge.

And I couldn’t stop picturing her standing in the middle of their property, realizing that a resort was about to swallow up everything they’d built.

Four days. That was all the time I had before the deal closed. I had no idea how to stop it four days before everything changed.

I clenched my fists under the table, trying to keep my voice steady. “I understand. I just… I don’t want to be the reason the town loses its character.”

Tom let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “Owen, we’re not here to preserve character. We’re here to make money. Buttercup Lake will be fine. If anything, this resort will put it on the map. It’s happening, with or without you.”

The finality of Tom’s words hit me like a punch to the gut. They were closing the deal in four days, and I could do nothing to stop it. I had let this happen. I had brought them here.

“I need some time to think,” I muttered, pushing my chair back and standing up.

Tom raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Time to think? We’re closing in four days, Owen. You’ve had plenty of time to think.”

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t.

My chest tightened.

The room seemed to blur around me.

I needed air.

I needed to get away.

Without another word, I turned and left the room, walking onto the patio overlooking the lake. The moment I stepped outside, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at the messages from Violet.

Hey, are we still on for tonight?

I was thinking maybe we could grab dinner at the lodge. My treat this time? ??

Owen, everything okay?

My stomach lurched. I couldn’t answer her.

Not now. I couldn’t face her knowing what I was about to do to her, to her family. She had no idea what was coming.

I leaned against a cobblestone baluster, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. How was I supposed to tell her? How could I explain that the man she’d been getting close to was the same man who was about to destroy her entire world?

I couldn’t tell her.

But I also couldn’t lie to her anymore.

My fingers hovered over the screen, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to type a response. Every word felt wrong. I couldn’t pretend everything was fine. And I couldn’t tell her the truth.

Instead, I slid my phone back into my pocket and walked toward the lake. My mind spun with guilt and regret.

I’d come to Buttercup Lake for a deal. But now, I would leave behind broken dreams with no way out.