"I used most of my trust fund opening the store. We had to buy stock, renovate, and build the café. I had to hire help." I tick off the expenses. "And then I bought my house so I wouldn't be paying twice the cost of a mortgage in rent every month. There's not enough left over to put in an offer, and the bank won't give me that kind of loan on a building worth half that amount. I already checked with Tina."
Lincoln was smart, putting in the bid he did. It's high enough to guarantee no one else even tries to make a play for the building, without being so high that he won't recoup the expense once he's finished tearing it down to build whatever he wants to build in its place. Until he found out about my dad, he wasprobably confident that I didn't have a chance of outbidding him.
Part of me is glad he's sweating in his expensive loafers right now. It serves him right for being arrogant.
"So…call Dad and tell him what's going on," Lucy says, like she doesn't understand the problem. "You know he'll help ensure you don't lose the store."
"I can't," I whisper, my eyes fixed on my plate.
"What do you mean, you can't?"
"You're making it just fine without running to him every time you need something. So are Link and Landon. I need to learn to do the same."
"I make it just fine because my husband is a literal millionaire himself, Lilah," she says, like I've lost my mind. "I've never had to touch my trust fund because Oliver refuses to let me pay for anything. And Landon and Link are in the military. They don't have time to spend theirs. Our situations are not even remotely close to the same thing!"
"It just feels wrong to run to him for help," I mutter. "I'm an adult. I should be able to handle this. If I can't even keep my business afloat for longer than three months without needing to be bailed out by Mom and Dad, then maybe I shouldn't be running a business."
That's my biggest problem. Running to them for help feels a lot like failure. I don't want to fail at this. I want to prove to myself and to everyone else that there's still a place in this world for dreams like mine.
So many of the girls Lucy and I grew up with have clothing lines or jewelry lines, hotels, or a dozen other businesses, and none of them are truly successful. They're just their parents' way of keeping them quiet and occupied.
I don't want this business to be yet another that only works because my parents can afford it. I want other women to knowthat they're allowed to dream big, even when the rest of the world doesn't think their dreams deserve respect.
"Use my trust fund then," Lucy says with a shrug. "It's not like I'll ever need it. It's just sitting there, accruing interest. With what's left of yours, it should be enough."
"No way!" I shake my head, adamant. "I'm not taking your money."
"Why not?"
"Because you're leaving it to your kids. I refuse to let you give me money meant for them." No way am I taking the money from my nieces. Hell no. Especially when I may never be able to pay it back. My store does well, but not to the tune of two and a half million dollars.
Lucy rolls her eyes at me. "You're too independent for your own good, you know that? You're willing to lose your store just because you're stubborn. That's crazy talk."
"I need to be able to make it on my own," I argue. Maybe it is crazy, I don't know. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering if I only made it because my family bailed me out or if I made it because I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into making it.
"So, what's the plan? You just let him take the building, and you lose the store?"
"He stopped by last night to offer me a deal," I murmur. "If I agree to let him have the building, he'll move me to any location I choose and cover all the costs."
"That's…generous."
"I told him that hell would freeze over before I gave him my building."
"Of course you did," she says, snorting laughter. "But you're thinking about taking him up on the offer?"
"I don't know. Maybe." I thought about it most of the night. As much as I'd like to make his life difficult for as long as humanlypossible just because he's taking the building I love, maybe I need to swallow my pride and agree to his terms. It'll ensure my shop survives. Right now, that's the important thing, isn't it? My shop needs to survive. Jazz and Sarah depend on it just as much as I do. But the whole thing feels like taking a handout from the enemy. "It feels like he's trying to buy me off."
"He's stealing your store out from underneath you, three months after you opened," my sister points out. "He probably feels guilty. And if he does, good. He's a jerk who should have to pay. Don't you dare say no just because you feel like he's buying you off. If you aren't willing to let Dad buy the building for you, or let me help you, then the least Hanover can do is pay to move you so you don't lose everything. He owes you that much."
"I'll think about it," I murmur.
"There's something you aren't telling me."
"What? No, there isn't."
"Then why are you blushing?" Lucy narrows her eyes at me and then gasps. Dammit. Why is she so perceptive? And why does my face have to show everything? I need to learn to lie better. "Oh my gosh. You like him!"
"What? No, I don't. He's just a hot Satan in a suit."
