I couldn’t tell from her tone if she thought that was a good or a bad thing, but I decided to change the subject.?
“Do you mind if I take a look at the Trust paperwork?” I asked, nodding to the folder beside me.?
She shook her head, a slight frown playing on her lips. “Before we go over this, I need to tell you that if Leland buys in, the Wilder Family Trust will be the majority member of your business. Even though it’s Leland’s money, when he moved to Nashville, our accountants, and the Trust, have had control over his finances.”?
I opened up the package and glanced over it. “What does that mean?”?
“Being blunt,” she said, waving her hand for the server, “if Dane wants to sell your property, which I now believe he’s wanted to do this entire time, he has the right to do it. Basically, the Trust would have majority control over everything. Leland has a right to vote, of course, but does not have as large a share as Dane or Vance, who could both override any of his decisions.”?
“Why are you telling me this, then? Wouldn’t it ruin whatever plans they have if I don’t agree to these terms?”?
“I’ve been going back and forth about this for days, but if I didn’t tell you, I run the risk of watching someone I love as much as I love my own children lose her career, her passion. I’ll never tell you what to do with your life or your business, Magnolia Louise, but I will tell you, sometimes we make choices for ourselves based on what we think others want for us. Sometimes, we make decisions for the people we love, thinking it will make them love us more. And sometimes, we do things for people because we think it’s the right thing to do.” Her eyes narrowed in on me, and a deep seriousness settled over her features. “I’m here to tell you that the only person you should be doing anything for, whether it comes down to love, finances, the business, anything… is you.”
I gulped down the rest of my wine and burst into tears.?
Chapter eighteen
MAGNOLIA
Iwiped the bar top in slow, deliberate circles, though the surface was already clean. My gaze flicked between Charlie and Sutton, searching for some kind of reassurance in their faces.
“It not a good idea,” I muttered, more to myself than them. My voice wavered, but I kept scrubbing. “Is Dane only dating me so he can sell off this building? I know it takes up a city block, but it’s been in our family since they came to Savannah like a million years ago.”
The rag slipped from my fingers, landing with a dull thud on the counter. I didn’t pick it up. After leaving Eunice, my thoughts had been spinning so fast I barely remembered the walk back to O’Malley’s. Outside Rocks on the River, I had hugged her, murmuring a distracted, “Thank you,” before heading straight to the bar, where Charlie and Sutton were waiting to watch me unravel.
My relationship with Dane felt insincere, and since I had barely heard from him since he left for Atlanta, I was even more confused. Why wasn’t he calling me? Why didn’t he want to talk about anything? Was he only pushing me to move in with him to get me out of this building before he sold it to the highest bidder?? The idea clawed at the edges of my mind, and I couldn’t stop it from digging deeper.
“I just can’t picture Eunice and Cole together. Like, can we focus on that for a second? This is the most mind-blowing revelation of all the revelations,” Sutton said.?
Charlie and I both rolled our eyes in unison.?
“Sutton, my sister has potentially been in a fake relationship with someone who wants to sell her livelihood off. My entire family’s livelihood. Focus,” my brother groaned.
“I’m focused. Believe me. But I still can’t get over it.”?
“Anyway,” I continued, passing them both refills, “I don’t know if I can go through with it.”?
My brother leaned over the bar and grabbed my hand. “You cannot, in any capacity, keep this bar running on your own. You can’t. I hate telling you this, but it’s the truth.”?
“But can she marry someone who wants to get rid of this place? Who’s to say that when she marries Dane, he isn’t just going to use that influence to sell the bar anyway?” Sutton swirled her straw in her drink contemplatively, her voice high pitched and nervous. “These faux marriages go south all the time. Don’t you guys listen to true crime podcasts?”
The door to the bar opened, and we all turned to watch a sullen-looking Lee Wilder rush in. He bypassed Charlie and Sutton, crossed behind the bar, and wrapped me in a hug.?
“We’re not going to let anything happen to this bar. Or to you. I promise you, I won’t ever let it happen.”?
I hadn’t realized how much I missed being held by him until that moment. That just the simple act of him being close to me made every fear and every ounce of anxiety float away. Whether it was the years of friendship or the love we once shared, I needed him now, more than ever.
I needed him back in my life.?
“Let’s talk about it, the four of us. We’ll come up with something,” he said, pulling back and running his thumb gently over my cheek, wiping away the tears.?
“Actually, Charlie and I have to run. Right, Charlie?” Sutton elbowed my brother, who nodded in agreement.?
Charlie came behind the bar to drop off their empty glasses and poured their fresh drinks into to-go cups. He handed one to Sutton over the bar, and she mimed “call me” as they walked out the door.?
Lee leaned on the beer cooler behind me, watching me closely while I busied myself hand washing long-stemmed wine glasses, scrubbing off the tiny, barely noticeable imperfections with such a brute force I almost broke one in half.?
The relentless hum of the air conditioning filled the empty bar, amplifying the tension between us. It felt like the room was conspiring against me, turningour close proximity into a pressure cooker. I wanted to scream.
