Being awkward.

We got in the cars again and drove to the next destination 20 minutes away from the last plot of land. As we went farther away from the city, the scenery began to change and not particularly to my liking.

Big warehouses and workshops, places to store construction machinery and such. There was, however, a lot more commercial activity around. Local supermarkets, a big hardware store and other small shops. It meant we wouldn’t have to drive all the way to the city to buy some groceries, so that was a plus.

When we got there, we checked out the plot with everyone. Call it clean or barren, your choice. It was nothing but the hard, brown ground, properly cleaned of any weeds growing. Spacious, but not overly so. Luke said we could fit the house and a pool with a nice backyard with no problem.

However…

“I’m worried about all the workshops close by,” Grace said. “The big machinery they keep is going to make a lot of noise, and I think the last one we drove by is a welding workshop. I see houses in the area, but I bet they belong to nearby workers or the owners themselves.”

“Good eye, Ms. Grace,” Luke said. “I was thinking the same. This is more of a working area. The land is fine and I read that the plumbing system here is sturdy. The noise is the biggest issue you’ll find here.”

“Which reminds me,” Grace said. “Can I ask you something, Mr. Allen?”

“But of course.”

“You told Oliver that you knew people who could build the house in about two months. I’m not an expert, but I know enough about construction to believe that’s not exactly feasible.”

“Under standard circumstances, it wouldn’t. You’re correct. But what if the team did full day and night shifts with overtime? We’re talking 24 hours of work a day.”

“W-Wait, you don’t mean… You mean by different people, right?”

“Oh, of course!” Luke assured. “They split their team in two and work 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week. Of course, they charge appropriately. Top notch speed and quality for a high price. On top of that, they have capable people handling administration and logistics, meaning they aren’t slowed down by paperwork. And, well, yes, they have a couple of magic users here and there. Things that make carrying equipment faster and safer and other things even I’m not privy to. They’re the ones that built Hotel Pleasure Lake in five months.”

“F-Five months?” Grace asked, taken aback. “That’s insane!”

“Sounds like it, right? But you’d be surprised. A lot of time is wasted in mistakes, bad logistics, bad organization and paperwork. They have their trade secrets, too, which I respect. Still, I’d really like it if they let me buy their company but part of why it works is because it started as a family business. The workers are very loyal to their president, so while I wouldn’t even dream of taking the man out of his position, there’s a chance buying them would be akin to killing the goose of the golden eggs. I’d rather just keep them as close partners than letting that happen.”

“W-Wait, um… Luke?” I began. “That’s all really impressive, and I believe you, but… Can I really pay for that? I mean, I know you’re paying me a lot, but I’d only have a month’s worth of pay. And they do sound expensive.”

“Oh, yes, they are. And no, you wouldn’t be able to pay for everything with only a month’s pay. I was going to offer this later today, but how about I pay for everything upfront? The end cost would be about five month’s worth of your salary, but I can give them to you in advance by paying for the land and your house. Progress on the potion is going well, so I have no doubt that ours will be a long and fruitful partnership. But you’d like to have your house as soon as possible, right?”

“Um…”

Beside me, Diana let out a heavy mix between a sigh and a groan. “Luke, do you not hear yourself? You’re offering to lend Oliver money he can’t pay back unless he works for you. You’re chaining him down.”

Luke’s easy smile fell, his expression now horrified. “O-Oh… Y-You’re right.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “Right, this is what they mean…” he muttered, then raised his head to address me. “I’m so sorry, Oliver. I didn’t mean it that way.”

I chuckled. I guess there are more ways of being awkward than not talking. Luke’s offer, though genuine and out of nothing but a desire to help, came off as dangerous due to the difference in station and wealth.

“I’d like to accept that offer, if you don’t mind. I was already planning to continue working with you, anyway.”

Luke smiled in relief. “Thank you, Oliver. I promise, should something happen to our business venture, I will not consider this a debt. Please, leave it to me.”

In some ways, Luke was almost like a child at times. I wondered… Did he have many actual friends other than his girls? The answer was no. Luke had many good business relationships, people he got along with, but very, very few people he could call friends.

It’s something I understood later, but he felt that the fact that we were both hosts to powerful magical spirits, that we were both people who held a lot of power outside the normal rules of this world, made us equals.

Even being much older than me, Luke really just wanted to be my friend. That’s why that was the last time I let him help me with money. You can’t buy friendship, after all.

After that, we headed to the last site, an hour away from the second plot of land. Away from the city, from the noise, from much of anything. No nearby shops, no neighbors, not many signs of civilization beyond the paved roads and the lights along them that we still had to leave behind as we turned into a dirt road further away from the main path.

Green foliage and small, slender trees all around. Green grass and weeds growing on the large property, a little larger than the one we had just seen before. The mountain was there in the distance, and more importantly, we had a large pond right in front of us, maybe 20 meters away from where the property ended.

The sun was beginning to set, but it still managed to shine over the water. There was a cool breeze that hit my face as I stood there and I had to close my eyes to let it sink in.

What brought me back was Mila holding my right hand. I looked at her and saw her smirking.

“Oliver… Here. This is it, right?” she asked.

Yeah. It was.