Nick went back behind the desk. “It seems like a big task to open the motel. It’s been closed awhile. Must be a lot of work involved.”
“It is, but my cousins are helping. We were hoping, since Gram didn’t owe money on it, we could use the property for collateral.”
Nick nodded as he typed into the computer. She noticed he had big hands, broad shoulders too. He didn’t look like a guy who would work in a bank, more like a sports player. She found herself wondering what his story was.
“… once we do a credit check.”
“Huh? Oh, credit check. Yes, that will be fine.” Jules gnawed her bottom lip. Her credit wasn’t that good. Hopefully Maddie and Gina were doing better in that department. Gina must be. She was rich.
“I’ll need all three of you to fill it out if you all want to be on the loan.” The printer whirred to life behind him.
“Of course.” Anxiety wormed its way into Jules’s thoughts. What if their bad credit ruined their chances of getting a loan? “So you think it will be a problem? I don’t even know how much we’ll need, really.”
“Problem? No, I don’t think so. Of course we’ll have to send the forms through and see what happens. I’m sure it will be fine.” Nick’s warm brown gaze was reassuring.
Nick swiveled in his chair and pulled the papers off the printer.
Jules sat back and smiled, her stomach in knots. Of course Nick was right. The loan would go through. It had to, because they had no other way to bring the motel up to speed.
* * *
Nick slidthe papers across his desk to Jules. He sensed she was nervous and wanted to put her at ease. She seemed vulnerable somehow, and it spoke to his heart. Not to mention she was one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever seen, with those dark curls cascading past her shoulders like satin ribbons and the depth in her almond-shaped brown eyes that hinted she was more than just a pretty face.
He was embarrassed to admit that he’d quickly glanced at her left hand. No ring. That was good. But he was getting ahead of himself. Business first. The lady wanted a loan, and he was happy to oblige.
“This page just gives us permission to check your credit. I’ll need all three of your signatures here.” Nick leaned across the desk to put his finger on the signature line and caught a whiff of vanilla. He sat down and pushed his chair back a tad. It would be easier to keep his mind on business that way.
“Okay.” She pulled the paper closer to read it.
“Do you have a business entity set up?”
She glanced up. “Good question. We haven’t talked about that. We all just arrived yesterday and haven’t had much of a chance to discuss the project.”
“You’ll probably want to set one up. I can get you started with our premium business account, and when you get the legal paperwork done, we can transfer it.”
“That sounds great.” The grateful look Jules gave him made him glad that he’d suggested it. “I’ll have to talk to my cousins.”
“Of course. So you’ll be staying in town to run the motel?” Nick blurted that last part.
“Yes. I’ve run a motel before. In fact, the three of us have.”
Jules looked uncomfortable about that revelation, so Nick didn’t ask further. Instead he continued to explain each aspect of the loan application, taking a lot longer than he did with any other loan customer.
Not that he’d had many loan customers lately. Over the past few years, fewer and fewer people had been able to qualify for a loan. Nick was afraid the town was slowly going even further downhill, and it killed him to see the townsfolk that he’d known his whole life draining their savings just to keep their businesses open so they could break even.
Could reviving the Beachcomber revive the town? Nick certainly hoped so. He loved his town and would like nothing more than to see it thrive again, to come in and see the lobby full of people cashing checks and depositing money. He bet Gramps would like that too. And, more than anything, Nick wanted to see Gramps happy again.
Nick wasn’t sure when Gramps had turned into a crotchety old man. He’d been a happy man once, before Gram died. Gramps had grieved for a long time, and Nick thought someone else had made him happy for a while, but that wasn’t meant to be, and Gramps had sunk even deeper into sadness.
Maybe if the town was revived, even a little, that would bring the old Gramps back.
Chapter Nine
Maddie was standing outside the Beachcomber, making notes about the exterior maintenance they needed to do, when the welcome-wagon ladies dropped Jules off.
“How did it go at the bank?” Maddie noticed Jules flush slightly at the question. Weird.
“Good. I brought back this loan paperwork to fill out. Didn’t sound like it would be a big problem to get one.” Jules held up a stack of papers, glancing at the clipboard in Maddie’s hands. “What are you doing?”
