She sank down on the couch next to me and stuck her feet under the quilt. “So, are you going to do it? Are you going to let Lee buy into the bar?”?
I hadn’t had much time to process it, but spending three days in close quarters with him, having him care for me—it was a lot for my heart to handle. Especially since I couldn’t even get a text back from my boyfriend.
“Well, it would mean Lee and I would be up each other’s asses more than I’m comfortable with. I really need to think it through some more. And I should probably talk to Dane about it.”?
“I thought you two were just friends. What would it matter?” Sutton reached for the remote and started flipping through the channels. “He does look awfully good, though. Those Wilder boys sure do age well. Are you catching feelings?”
“Wearejust friends. And that’s all we’re going to be from here on out. So no, no feelings have been caught here.”
Catching feelings? Caught them eighteen years ago, and they never went away, apparently. What was the difference??
I let out a sigh that turned into a wheeze. “It was awfully nice of him to take care of me, though. And it’s pretty obvious he’s quite handy with tools and a bucket of paint.” I finally noticed that my ceiling fan was working for the first time since I was in high school and the baseboards had a fresh coat of paint as well.?
Sutton checked her phone and groaned. “Shit, I have to go. I’m sending Charlie over to cover the bar, though. Jordan and Doyle have me catering—solo, I might add—for a huge fundraiser tonight at their shop. Charlie dropped off some pieces to show, and Lee and Ryan are going to play. I wish you could make it.”?
For some reason, that set me off real good.?
“Why is everyone more successful than me? Charlie’s drowning in custom orders. Dane’s buried so deep in that trial in Atlanta, he’s probably forgotten what daylight looks like. Lee and Ryan? Already snagged a damn Grammy. Jordan and Doyle are running the most profitable business in Savannah. And you? You’re over here freelancing appetizers for their fancy fundraising parties. Like, ‘Would you like a canapé with a side of crushing existential dread?’ Ugh.”
I was fully committed to the whining now, and honestly, I didn’t care. I felt like I was getting left behind. Again. And on top of it all, I wasn’t feeling great. Everyone’s allowed a temper tantrum when they were under the weather, right?
Sutton looked at me with soft, sad eyes. “We are not more successful than you, Magnolia. We’re just all moving forward instead of hanging on to the past. Every single one of us has faced some sort of hurdle, and we’ve overcome it. Maybe you should try it?”?
“Ouch.”
“I know, that was mean. I’m sorry. I love you, but someone had to say it. Let Lee invest in the bar and let go of whatever weird thing you’re holding on to. He wants to do it—for reasons that are probably beyond human comprehension—and you need him to do it for reasons that everyone understands, and those reasons are called ‘foreclosure’ and ‘bankruptcy.’ So either figure it out on your own, or cut the string that’s been tying you two together since the dawn of time and see if you can survive as business partners.”
“And what if it doesn’t work?”?
She kissed the top of my head and shot me a wide-eyed smile.?“Then, we’ll find you a new dream.”
Chapter sixteen
LEE
Iwas sitting across from Momma and Daddy at their ridiculously long dining room table, feeling less than thrilled about the whole situation. They’d summoned me for an official “discussion” about my interest in buying into O’Malley’s, but I knew it was more like an interrogation. They were trying to figure out what I was really up to.
Daddy had propped up his laptop in front of Dane’s empty chair, where Dane was joining us via video call, scarfing down his room service like he wasn’t casually trying to multitask a major family decision that could alter the fate of Magnolia’s entire life between bites of filet mignon.
We were all munching, working our way through the mountain of Trust paperwork, and it was clear from the way Momma kept topping off her wine withverygenerous pours that she was about done with our shit.
“I’m just saying, Leland, if you’re serious about running the bar, there may not be room to indulge in your little extracurricular singing activities.” Daddy was teetering on the edge of belligerent, his tone somewhere between “concerned father” and “unnecessary life coach.”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open, the words stuck somewhere between my teeth and my throat. Instead of saying something I’d regret—like I usually did—I shoved a huge bite of pasta into my mouth. I chewed, focusing on the texture, the flavors of the meal, anything to keep me from opening my damn mouth.
Dane laughed from the monitor, his head propped against the headboard of his hotel bed like he was settling in for a good show. He briefly glanced at something—or someone?—next to him, the corners of his mouth twitching in a way that made me wonder just how much of this conversation he was actuallypaying attention to.
“Shut up, Dane,” I said childishly. “Laughing away while you haven’t even called your girlfriend, who’s been sick for days.”?
“Probably another one of her wicked hangovers, if I had to guess. And where’syourgirlfriend while you’re busy shacking up with mine?” He glared at me through the computer camera. If he had been in the room, in real life, I would have punched him in the jaw.?
“What are you talking about?” I spat. “You were sick yourself when you left. Wasthata hangover? You know what? I’ve heard you can be awfully critical—”
“Now, now, boys. Please behave so we can get through this. Leland, you didn’t tell me you were seeing someone?” Momma took a gulp of her wine, and I noticed she had barely touched her meal.?
“Sorry, Momma,” I offered.?
“She’s one of those social media influencers. The label set them up,” Dane piped in, rocking a shit-eating grin. I wanted to jump through the computer. “He still can’t get a real date,” he added smugly.?
