She hears him laugh, a jagged breath through his nose. ‘Not that kind of proposal.’
‘That’s a relief.’ She hears herself and quickly corrects her faux pas. ‘Just that it’s a little soon in our relationship, given that last night you said you never wanted to see me again. And also given that the phone is not exactly...’ Lexi is babbling. She hears herself doing it. She decided there’s no digging herself out of this hole and so she shuts up, to let Sam do the talking.
‘My dad just called me,’ he says. ‘He was looking for properties to invest in.’
Lexi struggles to process what this has to do with her. ‘And...?’
‘I told him about your rental plight. He’s on board.’
‘On board for...?’
Lexi can almost feel Sam rolling his eyes at how slowly she is processing this.
‘To buy the property the bookshop’s in. That entire little row of shops.’
There’s buzzing in Lexi’s ears This is probably bad news. All she knows of Sam’s dad is of a shadowy figure lurking threateningly in the background.
‘He wants to clear his image as this big bad businessman. Do something for a local community. He wants to buy all the properties and rent them out at the current rates for the next five years. Thought I’d sound you out on it, see what you think.’
The buzzing in Lexi’s ears intensifies. She doesn’t know what she thinks.
How can she possibly know what she thinks?
‘That sounds... I mean. Potentially great?’
Sam laughs. ‘I love the enthusiasm.’
‘I’m just a little shell-shocked, that’s all.’ A British understatement if ever there was one.
‘That’s fair.’
‘And the GoFundMe? What happens with that money?’
‘You can still use that for rent. Then you’d have extra funds for marketing. Or, you know, whatever you want to do. Whatever the bookshop needs.’
Lexi doesn’t have to think to know the answer to this. ‘Hire a manager.’
‘Yes.’
‘I could go on holiday. I could have time to see my friends. I could go on more dates with terrible DC men!’ Lexi is suddenly, inexplicably, thrilled by this prospect.
‘You could do that,’ Sam says uncertainly. Lexi braces herself, because she somehow knows what’s coming. ‘Or you could date me.’
‘The quintessential terrible DC man.’
‘Hey.’
‘Sorry. I guess technically you’re a terrible New York man.’
It’s a good sign that she is able to banter with him. It feels like she’s the old Lexi again, for just a second. That she’s climbed out of the pit of despair. But also: she’s not sure about all this. Tying up her business interests with Sam’s family feels a little risky. For her bookshop, but also for her heart. Things could get awkward, but, on the other hand, they already are.
‘I mean,’ Sam says. ‘I’m not really calling for your permission, as such. If my dad’s decided to do something, he’s going to do it. I couldn’t stop him even if I wanted to. But what I’m saying is, the option to stay in DC is there if you want it. Dating me is optional.’
‘Good to know.’ And it is. Not just the option to date Sam, but the option to stay here, to keep the shop, to hold on to her life.
She snaps out of banter mode and infuses all the gratitude she feels into her voice. This offer from Sam’s dad surely didn’t come out of nowhere. He talked him into it, despite her repeated trampling on his heart. She’s floored and flabbergasted but also a little uneasy, even if she can’t figure out exactly why. ‘I’m so thankful,’ she says. ‘You can’t even imagine. I wish I could hug you.’
‘Well, that didn’t work out so well last time.’ He seems to be trying to keep his voice light, but Lexi can hear the regret behind it.
