I thought of Belle.
Flour on her cheek.That stubborn set to her mouth when she was exhausted but refused to stop.
I also thought of my mother, standing in her kitchen with green marshmallow-covered hands, warning me not to get into trouble with Christmas right around the corner.
This didn’t have to be trouble.
It just had to be final.
I stepped out of the truck and crossed the street.The bell over the bar door jingled when I went inside, and a few heads turned automatically.I clocked everything without meaning to: the exits, the men at the bar, and the ones pretending not to watch him.
Bill sat in the corner booth with a drink in front of him, and his jacket draped over the back like he owned the place.
He didn’t look surprised to see me.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I didn’t ask permission.I slid into the booth across from him and rested my forearms on the table.
Bill smirked.“You again.”
“This is the part where you listen, and I talk,” I said calmly.
Bill laughed and took a slow sip of his drink.“You’re persistent.I’ll give you that.But this still isn’t your problem.”
My jaw tightened, just slightly.“It’s not Belle’s either.”
That got Bill’s attention.
“She’s the one whose daddy racked up the debt,” Bill said, his voice sharpening.“She’s the one running the bakery and has money.She’s the one I see.”
I leaned forward just enough to shift the balance of the space.Not threatening.Just present.
“She’s not your leverage,” I said.“She’s not your fallback.And she sure as hell isn’t your solution.”
Bill scoffed.“So what, then?Her old man disappears and I eat it?”
I didn’t answer right away.I let the silence stretch and let Bill feel the absence of easy intimidation.
“You keep coming after her,” I said finally, “and you won’t get anything.Not from her.Not from me.Not from anyone in this town.”
Bill’s smile slipped.“You think you scare me?”
“No,” I replied evenly.“I think you understand math.”
That earned him a sharp look.
Bill leaned back and crossed his arms.“She runs off clean.Debt gone.I get screwed.I don’t like that math.”
I straightened.“You already screwed yourself the minute you walked into her bakery.”
A muscle jumped in Bill’s jaw.“I don’t like losing.”
I nodded once.“Then you should take the deal I’m about to offer you.”
Bill’s eyes narrowed.“I’m listening.”
I reached into my jacket, slowly and deliberately, and set an envelope on the table.Not close enough for Bill to grab yet.
