My head bobs again and lead settles in my stomach as she gets up and disappears out the door. The sale won’t happen quick enough. We’ll still miss the payment due on the first, but we’ll be able to pay off the loan relatively quickly when the cash lands so it will be worth it. And Tally won’t be here to see it, which will make everything easier.
I’m still trying to work out how I’m going to solve this when the sound of a chair being pulled back startles me. I look up to find Eli and Fletcher sitting down at my table. “Thanks for inviting us for lunch.”
Confused, I stare at them both. I definitely did not invite either of them for lunch.
Fletcher chuckles. “He said you wouldn’t agree on matching suits so we’re here to find out what color you’re wearing so we can coordinate. Also, Stew told me you’re joining our bowling league and I wanted to go over the rules with you.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “When did I tell Stew I was bowling?”
Fletcher’s face crunches in confusion, but Eli laughs good-naturedly. This guy.
Fortunately, the server appears at that moment, cutting the conversation short. “What can I get you?”
For some unknown reason, I order lunch and then proceed to sit there and listen to the rules of bowling. I even agree to bringing the beer. Apparently, the bowling alley is bring your own.
I also learn that they wear matching shirts, which is where I draw the line. Eli told me I looked to be a large, which means I’m sure I’ll have a damn shirt on Friday.
I have this whole conversation on autopilot as I think about how I just agreed to break the heart of the woman I love.
“So when’s the big reveal?” Eli asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
I blink in confusion.
“The bakery,” Fletcher prods, reminding me of how we’ve been spending our spare time lately.
I sigh. Pretty sure that will all be for nothing, too.
“Rayna’s so excited. As is the rest of the town,” Fletcher continues. “I’m just so happy the revitalization fund is being used.”
My head snaps up, and it’s like all the pieces fall into place at once. “What else is the fund being used for?”
Fletcher scratches his cheek. “Just that project and then we’ve kept an eye on all the parcels around the harbor. There are funds set aside to keep the harbor from being overbuilt.”
For the first time since Gail showed me her letter, I smile. “What if I told you I had the perfect spot for the town to invest in?”
Fletcher grins. “Tell me more.”
CHAPTER 48
Tally
“You sure it’s okay if I stay here?” I ask Penny as she makes up the pull-out couch for me. I couldn’t bear to return to the farm after everything we learned today. I don’t know how to face Walker, how to come to terms with the fact that everything he ever told me was a lie.
And I hate myself even more because he warned me he was hiding things. He told me in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t like what my mother had done and that he couldn’t tell me what that was. And still, I went and fell for the man, anyway.
He basically told me the farm was in trouble, and I chose to fall in love rather than dig deeper.
“The better question is, are you sure you want to stay?” My sister slips a pillow into a pillowcase and then fluffs it once, twice, before tossing it at me.
It lands with a thunk against my chest, and I let out a disgruntled laugh. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I want to stay?”
“Because before Walker you hated it here, Tally. You’ve been avoiding Hope Harbor for the last eight years in any way you can. And only eight weeks ago, you came here kicking and screaming, complaining that you weren’t staying a minute past May twentieth.”
I sigh. I can’t fight her right now. Instead, I move the conversation on. “I have some money set aside; maybe I can use it to help with the loan.”
Penny looks around her apartment. “I’ve got nothing. Everything I had I sunk into the store.”
“I’m not asking you to fix this. Walker did this to us, and I should have listened to you when you said he was up to no good.”
