“I know,” I tell him. We were over about thirty minutes into this big inspection of ours.
“We shouldn’t have let them talk us into this.”
No, shit. That’s what I was saying from the beginning.But I bite my tongue, instead saying, “I know.”
“We might be upside down on this.”
“I know.”
I sigh. There is no “might.” Wewillbe upside down on this. There’s no doubt about it. And not just because we’re giving Izzy a killer deal on the venue either.
“But,” Ezra says, “it just means we’re investing in ourselves. In our next venture. This is good. This is really good.”
I’m unsure if he’s trying to convince me or himself of this.
I climb down the ladder, the metal clanging until my feet hit the concrete that still needs to be swept. That’s the least of my problems, though. Right now, my biggest issue is the roof, which will cost us about eight grand to replace, and that’s just material costs. It doesn’t include my time that’ll be spent doing it.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask for probably the hundredth time since we came out here.
He grunts. “Do we have a choice?”
“You’re kidding. We had a choice hours ago when Izzy gave me puppy dog eyes. We could have said no then. Actually, Ididsay no. You’re the one who convinced me to say otherwise.”
“Please.” He rolls his eyes. “We both know putting your foot down with your sister wouldn’t last. It never has before. Why start now? For her wedding?”
“I was going to stand my ground.”
He gives me a disbelieving look, and okay, fine. Hemightbe right. There was a chance I’d cave for sure. But it was minimal, no matter what he says.
“Whatever. I guess we’re in it now.” I nod toward the calculator he’s clutching like a lifeline. “What’s the damage?”
Now it’s his turn to sigh. “Twelve. But I think I can get it down to ten.”
I run my hand through my hair. “That’s a lot of cash for something we aren’t sure will work.”
“Yeah, but think of it this way: We spend the dough now, we get this place looking good, we let Odette make it all fancy and shit and photograph the hell out of it, and boom—we’re raking in fistfuls. Think what we’re putting in times five, possibly more.”
“Five times? Fuck. That’s a lot of money. You really think so?” I ask.
He nods. “I do. I mean, shit, what are the options all those lovesick losers have now? That church, the community center, the courthouse, and the docks? That’s about it unless people want to travel farther out, which they don’t. We could even attract business from neighboring towns and cater to those who don’t want to travel far. Weddings are already expensive, even to attend. We’d be the better option if they could have them here in Port Harbor. So, yeah, I think we have a big opportunity here. Not to mention, the profits I’m projecting could set us up to buy the iceplex.”
Having both played hockey, we know what it costs to get into the game, and it sure as hell isn’t cheap. Ezra knows that better than I do, being raised by a single mom who worked two jobs to make ends meet.Training centers like the one we’re trying to create are what got him to the NHL.
We’ve spent a lot of late nights dreaming up the iceplex and have even found the perfect location—an old rink not too far from Port Harbor that’s in desperate need of some love. We want to buy it, renovate it, and offer free ice time and training to low-income families. Maybe even run a special training camp out of it in the summer. Who knows what we could do with it?
But I do know that the extra money from the weddings would certainly come in handy with the sale. We could buy it now, but it would mean dipping into our personal funds in ways neither of us are prepared to do. The new stream of revenue would fix that issue.
And he’s right about the neighboring towns too. We get a lot of business from them already. I’ve even met people who have driven from other states just to try our cider or get an autograph. We have something here, so I guess investing a bit up front will all be worth it, especially for Izzy.
And Odette too.
Fuck, her face earlier said it all.
She’s desperate for this to work. For this to become what she’s known for, instead of all those disastrous weddings she’s had lately. She was right about her business tanking. I’ve heard the rumors. I know what they’re saying about her wedding-planning abilities, and none of them are good. They claim she’s a disaster. A wreck.Cursed.
That one always makes me laugh, given the Chamberses’ family history with curses. I always thought it was a bunch of baloney that they were plagued with bad love, and I still do. They aren’t cursed. Terrible shit happens to good people sometimes. Odette can get through it, and I’m going to help.
“Are you listening?”
