“I guess sometimes the prayers go unanswered?”
He looked up at me with a frown, then smiled. “Samuel told you about my accident, huh?”
“I wouldn’t really call getting shot an accident.”
“Yeah, I guess not,” he said, his voice drifting off a bit as he sipped on his coffee.
“So, is that why you’re really in Kent?” I asked. “Rehab?”
Alex looked at me, and I mentally slapped myself for prying. It really wasn’t any of my business. One dinner with the Logan family didn’t make it alright for me to ask too many questions.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized, giving him a weak smile.
“It’s alright,” he assured. “Partly, yes. Was forced into a vacation, needed to reevaluate a few things, and decided to do that thinking here where I didn’t have the Miami hustle and bustle to distract me.”
“Well, I’m glad you did,” I said.
He smiled, took a sip from his coffee and just looked at the cup in his hands. The distant look in his eyes made me feel like I had just fucked up.
“So, what do you have planned for the day?” I asked, trying to change subjects and bring the conversation back to more comfortable ground.
“Nothing, really,” he said. “Wanted to look into a few things regarding investors who have been harassing my father about buying old family land. Want to figure out what it will take to get it to their heads that no means no.”
“Alexis?” I asked.
“Excuse me?”
“The company that wants to build a casino, right?”
Alex nodded.
“Alexis Hope,” I replied, shuddering at the disgusting taste the name left in my mouth. “She runs Hope Enterprises, or at least the branch of it that deals with real estate. Her company’s behind the compounds and dorm buildings all over town.”
“Really?” Alex asked. “Hope Enterprises? Sounds familiar, just can’t place it.”
“As much as I know, it’s a pretty low-key company, but definitely Fortune 500. Just doesn’t make a big craze about everything it does.”
Alex frowned and shrugged. “Why would they be interested in Kent?”
“The university,” I replied.
“We don’t have a university,” Alex smiled.
“We will in about a year,” I said. “Big plans, already bought the land and started digging. It’s supposed to bring in up to five thousand students. That’s a lot of business for Kent.”
“Right, and more investors, I get it,” Alex nodded. “Where university students go, the money follows.”
“Pretty much.” I leaned in and scratched the back of my head. “I mean, Kent’s seen major change just because of the college. Imagine what an added university is going to do.”
“Well, at least you’ve given me a place to start,” Alex said, “and why Heath Collins is the middle of this.”
I cringed at the mention of Heath’s name, and decided to avoid talking about Garth’s involvement as well.
“Thanks, Jenni,” Alex said, standing up and pulling out his wallet.
“On the house,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, Samuel’s in here every day, so your breakfast basically been paid for a hundred times over.”
Alex laughed and pocketed his wallet. “Fine, then at least let me get you coffee later.”