I groan. “We had a van and all of our supplies. A pressure washer. A Rug Doctor. Stuff like that. We took the loan out under Tyler’s name, so I—I?—”
“You cosigned,” India says dully.
Juliet reaches for the letter and holds it up, reading silently. “So…what, he’s not paying anymore? He defaulted?”
The internal screaming grows louder, and it seems directly proportional to the level of panic I’m experiencing.
“He wanted to end the business. He wanted to break up and shut things down,” I say. “So he offered to pay it off.”
But the remaining balance is on me now, too. And I don’t have enough to pay it. Even with all of my savings—I could get close, but I wouldn’t be able to pay it off completely.
I’m going to have to set up a payment plan.
My heart sinks miserably, a knot forming in the back of my throat at the thought that all that scrimping and budgeting was for nothing. Nothing but Tyler and a failed business—a business I loved, but one that died nonetheless.
“This is bad, Aurora,” Juliet says, and her voice is unusually grim. “Asset seizure. And your credit will probably tank, too—ow!” Jules glares at India, who has just elbowed her in the ribs. “I’m justsaying.”
“Say it later.”
Jules pushes her lower lip out into a pout but remains silent, for which I’m infinitely grateful. Right now I need to think, andplan, and silently freak out. I can figure something out; I just need to be alone.
“I need some space,” I say faintly to my sisters, who both give reluctant nods. I feel like I’m in a trance as I get up from the kitchen table, picking up the letter and then wandering like a zombie to the water heater closet where we keep the cleaning supplies.
“The glass cleaner is already upstairs,” Juliet says in a small voice, and I nod.
But India clears her throat. “Don’t you have to go to work?”
My steps shuffle to a halt as the words pierce the haze in my mind. “Of course. Work.”
Snap out of it, Aurora,I tell myself.Right now you need to function.
So I take a deep breath, the deepest I can manage, until my lungs protest that they can’t fill anymore. Then I let the air out slowly and head to the bathroom, where I splash cold water on my face. It requires me to dab at my eye makeup a bit, but it’s worth it for the cold shock to my system that reboots me.
“Right,” I say as I look at myself in the mirror. “Be professional. Get through the things you need to do today. Freak out and track down Tyler once you’re off the clock.”
Good. I can do that. I can definitely do that. Even as I leave the bathroom and gather my things, however, my mind won’t stop working; it’s planning and plotting without me, working several steps ahead to figure out the best way forward. I need to get in touch with Tyler, obviously, and figure out what’s going on. I need to get a payment plan set up. And then…
My insides sink and my heart falters, but I keep my head high. I nod at a concerned-looking India and Juliet as I cross the kitchen to the laundry room and the garage entrance.
“Your toast,” Juliet calls, but the unconvincing tone in her voice makes it clear she knows I’m not hungry anymore.
I wave her words away. “I’ll get something later if I need it.”
“Wait!” she replies. “Wait.” She and India both scurry out of their chairs and swarm me, so in time you’d think they planned it, until they’ve wrapped their arms around me.
“We’ll figure something out,” Indy says into my neck, and on the other side of me, Jules nods.
“I have some clothes I could sell,” she says. “And some shoes. They look more expensive than they are, but any little bit helps, right?”
A beat of silence later, India adds, “I could get some decent money for Betsy, too. She’s older, but not too old for a motorcycle.”
It’s this that does it, because India adores her motorcycle; the tears I’ve been keeping sternly at bay burst out of me in one strangled, frustrated sob. I pull them back in with a tired laugh at the sound, squeezing my sisters as tightly as I possibly can.
“You don’t need to sell anything,” I tell them, holding them close. India’s face is squished into my shoulder, and Juliet’s tears are on my neck, but I keep my arms around them anyway. “I have enough to manage a payment plan.”
“Do you?” Juliet says, wriggling out of my grasp. I let my arms drop and nod at her surprised expression.
“I do,” I say. “I have enough.”
