“I structured it as a loan with equity consideration,” he said, clasping his hands in his lap. “You repay as profits allow. Until then, I receive a percentage proportional to what remains outstanding.”
“A percentage,” Jane repeated, softly.
“Yes,” Collin said. “A most reasonable structure. One that benefits all parties.”
My stomach tightened. I looked at my parents.
“You took a loan from him,” I said quietly.
My mother’s smile did not move. “We did what we had to do to purchase the inn.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jane asked. Her voice was gentle, but it carried.
My father’s shoulders lowered a fraction. “We did not want you to worry.”
“We work here. We live here,” I said before I could stop myself. “Lucy is going to throw a fit when she finds out.”
My mother’s eyes flickered to mine. “Lydia.”
“I’m not trying to start a fight,” I said, forcing calm. “I’m trying to understand what this means. If he gets a percentage of profits, that affects everything. Repairs. Staffing. The pace of reopening.”
Collin smiled as if he were enjoying a pleasant lecture. “Quite right. A wise approach. One must protect the investment.”
There was that word again. Investment, not family. Not support, but investment.
“And if something goes wrong,” I asked, “if we can’t make a payment?”
“Oh, I am sure that will not happen,” he said, breezy. “But in the unlikely event of default, ownership would transfer accordingly.”
Jane went very still, clutching the towel in her hands until her knuckles were white.
My mother reached out as if to touch my arm, then stopped herself. “It will be fine. We have a plan.”
“What is the plan?” I asked.
My father’s expression was weary in a way that made my anger wobble. “Reopen, book rooms, build the business, and pay down the loan as quickly as we can.”
It was not a plan so much as a hope.
Collin stood and began wandering the room with his hands clasped behind his back. It was the posture of a man inspecting property. He paused by the paint swatches taped to the wall.
“These colors are cheerful,” he said. “Perhaps too cheerful. Taste can be a liability when one is aiming for refinement.”
Jane smiled. It was a beautiful, polite smile that suggested she had been taught restraint by saints. “We are aiming for warmth.”
“Of course,” Collin said, laughing as if she had made a joke. “Warmth is important. One must simply ensure it is a tasteful warmth.”
I stared at his haircut and felt a brief, inappropriate desire to explain the concept of taste to him.
My father tried to redirect. “We have been addressing structural issues first.”
Collin nodded gravely. “Quite right. One must protect the investment.”
The word investment felt like a knife pressed on my ribs.
Jane stepped closer to me while Collin drifted toward the hall, already asking whether the second floor would be ready before Christmas because he required accommodations that suited him.
“They knew we would object,” Jane murmured, low enough that it would not carry.
