“What’s wrong, Knox?”
“Nothing,” I say, shrugging. But it doesn’t work. Henry’s eyes might as well be Superman’s because I can feel his X-ray vision cutting me in half.
“Just tell me,” he says, kicking the base of my seat. “Idon’t want to play my older brother card, but I will. Or I’ll have Emma bully it out of you. Now that might be entertaining.”
I groan and take in a deep breath. “I’m not buying Sal’s business, okay? Dad won’t co-sign because of my little reputation issue, and the bank won’t give me a loan because I’m young and I don’t have enough credit history. I even created a kickass business plan, and they still want a co-signer. My best bet is to wait for someone else to buy the shop and pray they’ll keep me on.”
Henry nods slowly, taking in my half-sputtered confession. His stare is intensely focused on me, and the tiny indent between his brows is at half-mast.
“I know it’s pathetic,” I sigh, taking a drink of my beer. “I was finally getting somewhere in this dumb town, and now I’m stuck at square one again.”
My brother shakes his head and braces both hands against his thighs. “It’s not pathetic, Knox. What’s pathetic is Dad. I can’t believe he’s still holding that shit over your head.”
“The people of this town already made up their minds about me, and there’s nothing I can do to fix it. I just need to keep my head down for a little while longer, and maybe people will forget. Or another scandal will blow through town.”
The latter was more likely. Maybe I can ask Beau to let Marie yell at him some more in public. That might turn some heads.
Henry lets out an audible scoff. “That’s ridiculous, Knox. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. You’re a hard worker, and Sal’s business wouldn’t be where it is today without you. Sure, a few uptight jerks decided to take their business elsewhere, but screw them. And Dad is an idiot for feeding into the bullshit.”
I raise my beer, clinking it against his bottle. “Amen to that.”
I’ve made my peace with my dad’s decision, and even though it hurts, he doesn’t want to take a chance on me, I get it. This isn’t some measly car loan—this is a much bigger risk. But a risk I’ve been waiting my entire life to take.
“What if I co-signed?” Henry asks, making me choke on my drink.
After a small coughing fit, I turn to him and say, “What?”
He spins on his stool so that his shoulders are square with mine. He leans in with a determined look in his eyes. “I’m serious. Looking at this from an investment standpoint, you’ve worked for Sal for years and know all of the ins and outs of the business. You have the drive to make it into something great, and I know you’ll work your ass off. I’ll need to look at your business plan and some revenue projections, but I’m sure it’s great.”
I blink at him as my skin gets hotter. “No, Henry. You’ve got too much going on. You need to focus on your book tour and your family. I can’t let you get involved in my mess.”
“It’s not a mess,” he snaps. “It’s your dream, and I won’t let you give it up this easily. I’ve seen how much you’ve grown up since I’ve been in Honey Grove. It would be a crime to waste your potential.”
“It’s not that simple, Henry.”
“Listen, Knox,” Henry says, letting out a long and tortured sigh. “I know you have this big macho hero complex and refuse to take help from others, but let me do this for you. I know I haven’t always been the greatest brother, but I?—”
“Don’t even say it. That’s not fair, and you know it.”
Henry wasn’t around a lot when I was growing up. He lived with his biological mom full-time, but spent most summers with us. But then he stopped coming around as much, and at first, I didn’t understand. I always wanted a big brother, and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to have one, even if we didn’t share the same mom. But there were things I didn’t understand at the time, and most of them hadto do with how Henry didn’t have the best relationship with our dad.
“Fine, whatever,” he says, shaking his head. “Regardless, I want to do this for you, Knox. I believe in you. I always have and I always will.”
He doesn’t say much, but at the same time, it feels like everything. My throat tightens, and I finally feel cool and collected feelings sweep over my body. I’ve spent most of my life letting people put me in a box, but I never considered how it would feel to be placed on a pedestal for once.
“If we do this, we’re going to do it right. I’m going to present my business plan to you, and then you can make the final call. I want Emma involved, too. This is a big decision, and I want both of you on board.”
“Of course,” Henry smiles, patting my shoulder. “I’m proud of you,Hermano.”
I smile as I start to see the edge of the finish line again. But then the smile slips away when I see Emery there too.
The entire point of our fake relationship is to help me get this loan, and once I do, we’re over. What the hell does that even mean? Does she still want to go back to being strangers? I sure as hell don’t. I still can’t get the taste of her out of my mind. All I can think about is how good it would be to be inside her again.
A curse burns at the back of my throat. I already know I want her. Not just her body, but everything. Her annoyed glances and the small giggles she lets slip out when she’s feeling relaxed around me.
But I can tell she’s still fighting me every step of the way.
I went into this knowing we had an expiration date, but now I’m not ready to walk away. I don’t want to go back to pretending she’s just a distant memory of a girl I knew a long time ago. I want so much more, but like I told Henry, it’s not that simple.
