Neal (Golden Streak Series) (16 page)

“So he’ll get to take care of the plants
he loves so much and work with you as well. Sounds like a win-win for him.” She
shook her head. “What doesn’t he know yet?”

“He has to disperse the money that Jimmy
left behind.” He cocked his brow at her. “Did I tell you how much there was? Just
over five billion dollars. He has to help others with it and keep track of what
he spends it on and how much.”

“He’ll need my help then?” She shrugged.
“Did you think I wouldn’t want to help him? He’s my friend too.”

“I know that, and he loves you dearly,
but…well, he might not ask you at first and I don’t want you to offer either.”
She pulled on a tee-shirt, thinking that they’d just nap here before going
home. “His maker will come to visit us from time to time to make sure that he’s
doing a good job.”

She had told him that there was no doubt
in her mind that Peter would do an amazing job, but he’d laughed at her. She
told Neal.

“He wasn’t laughing at you, love, he was
laughing because you felt you needed to tell him that. I think he knows Peter
just as well as you do.” She nodded at him. “But does he know that you sold him
the plants? Will he be upset with you how you maneuvered around him?”

“It was his idea.” They both laughed and
she went to the little kitchen and brought him back the wine and other treats
she’d put there. “Did you know what else he told me? I get paid for watching
over him. He didn’t say how much, but he said it would come to me monthly by
courier. I thought I’d just give it back to Peter so he could have a paycheck.
He said he doesn’t need money as he has been around for a while.”

Neal took the cracker and cheese she
offered him and took a sip of the wine. “How old is he anyway? Has he ever told
you?”

“He is nearly sixty thousand years old.
He and his maker came here from their own place when this country was still a
babe. Peter told me that once they’d gotten here they explored for a long time
before he settled here and his maker in Europe.” She took a sip from his glass
as she continued. “Peter said that place they come from is beautiful and is run
by Viktor’s father.”

“And where is his home at?” She looked
away and then smiled at him. “I don’t think I like that look. You’re going to tell
me that they’re from another planet, aren’t you?”

“No, not a planet, but another realm. He
and his maker came from a realm that is as far from here as our moon is and…I can’t
remember the rest, but I believe him.”

Neal nodded and laid back. “I gave Peter
my blood when we were going to rescue you. He said that I have a great deal of
you in me.”

She laid over him and yawned. “And what
does that mean? That you’re going to be a faerie like me?”

He didn’t answer her right away, and she
thought he’d fallen asleep. When he finally did speak, she looked up at him and
felt a shiver of fear. What he was telling her couldn’t be true.

“He said that I’m more you than you’re
me. He said that when we have a child, it will be more of both of us than we
are.” He pulled her closer to his chin. “He said that forevermore we would
breed the new race of beings.”

He was telling them they were immortal
or that they’d have a shit ton of kids before they were too old to have any
more. But she didn’t ask him, and he didn’t continue. She lay there for a long
time after he started to snore softly. Getting up, she went to her flowers and
worked with them instead of thinking about what might have been said.

By the time Neal woke and the first
truck was pulling in, she’d planted the entire order for the lobby of the
Golden Towers as well as the plants for the law firm of Gable and Son. Peter
showed up at a little before six and all three of them unloaded the truck in
less than two hours.

“There’s a driver on the phone. Says he
has a backload for you if you want it.” Rayne looked at Neal when he came around
the corner when her mom told her about the trucker. “He said that he can sell
it to you for less than before because it’s a full load.”

“How much less?” Her mom handed Neal the
phone, and he talked for only a few minutes before hanging up. “We have some
merchandise coming.”

She didn’t care for his grin. “How much
merchandise, and where am I supposed to put it? You do know that we only have
this showroom and the parking lot, right?”

“He’s going to take it to the Dabbler Building
for now. We’ll need to invest in a bigger truck to haul it back and forth.” She
nodded and waited for him to tell her how much. “We should really think about
expanding now.”

“How much merchandise?” He laughed. “Neal,
I can and will hurt you. How much are we getting and why?”

“You remember the place that was in competition
with you for our lobby?” She nodded. “They just closed down without notice. Apparently
you were never in competition with them so much as the other way around. You
put them under. We’re getting their inventory and anything else we want from
their defunked store for only ten cents on the dollar. He needs to unload it.”

“I don’t understand. The whole store is
ours?” He nodded. “And it’s for sale, all the merchandise?”

“Yes. What are you thinking?” This time
she smiled at him, and he frowned. “I don’t think I want to know.”

“Call him back and tell him we’ll buy it
all for twenty cents on the dollar and to leave it there. Can I borrow enough
money to buy the shop?” She knew the moment he figured out what she meant.

“Hell yes.” He picked up the phone, and
after fifteen minutes, she had a deal. She nearly fell over when he told her
how much. “You can do this, Rayne. I swear to you. It’s just a little faster
than we had planned, but it’s perfect. The location it…what is it?”

“How am I going to pay you back?
That’s…Christ, did you say seven hundred thousand? As in a seven and five
zeros? I only paid fifty for this place.”

She hyperventilated while he laughed. When
they loaded into their car and drove to the other shop, she was amazed at all
the merchandise that came with it. Walking around, she could already see where
she’d put every
thing, and when Neal told her the trucks
were coming in now she turned to look at him. He had made this possible without
asking for anything in return. She loved this man.

“Will you marry me?”

About the Author

Kathi Barton, author of the bestselling
series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her husband Paul. In
addition to writing full time Kathi likes to spend time with her eight
grandkids, three children and three children-in-laws. She writes to relax and
have fun.

Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart
and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers in a way that has them
coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance
with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi on line and drop her an email
if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans.
[email protected]
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