And now she would face a failing business all by herself. How like him to dump the terrible news and leave her to deal with the fallout.
“You actually told him to leave, Shelby. And you were quite direct aboutit.”It was Gram’s voice in her head. But for once she didn’t want her grandma’s input.
The sound of applause broke through her reverie. Logan had just bowled his third strike in a row. She added a belated whoop as their gazes connected, and she hoped he hadn’t noticed her lack of attention.
On his way back to his seat, he stopped to chat with a teammate and she settled back in her chair, sipping her Diet Coke. The smells of pizza and floor wax permeated the building. She’d become familiar with the aroma since she’d begun dating Logan, who was loyal to his Saturday night bowling league.
Moments later he dropped into the seat beside her, beaming. “You must be my good luck charm.”
“You’re having a great night.”
“The whole team is. We’ll definitely make the playoffs this year. I even like our chances for the championship.”
“That would be amazing.” Shelby was new to the bowling scene, but it was something Logan loved so she was trying to be supportive. Though his efforts to teach her to bowl had only proven she had no natural skill at the sport.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she checked the screen. “It’s Caleb. I should get this.” She made her way toward the exit as she picked up the call. “Hey, how’s it going?” she called over the racket.
A beat of silence passed. “Are you at a bowling alley?”
“Logan’s in a league. I’m heading outside. There, that’s better. Everything okay?”
“Depends what you mean by okay. I’ve been going through Gram’s papers and found out she took out a home equity loan five years ago that she hasn’t paid back. You know anything about that?”
“An equity loan? For how much?”
“Forty grand.”
Shelby pressed her hand to her chest.“What?”
“You heard right. I don’t get it. Why would she have done that?”
“I—I don’t know.” Unless the store was even worse off than she thought. Had Gram been dipping into her reserves to keep the store afloat? She should tell Caleb what she’d learned. But he distrusted Gray and would recommend she hire someone else to do an external audit—like she could afford that. The thought of dealing with another conflict made her temples throb.
“I’ve been stewing over this all day—didn’t want to bother you at work. Liddy wondered if maybe she could’ve been scammed.”
“Like, phishing or something?”
“Unless you have some idea where that money could’ve gone, I don’t know what else to think. It’s not like Gram bought a new vehicle or took that trip to Ireland she always talked about.”
Shelby didn’t want to think about what it might mean. She needed to look through the store’s records and see if she could figure this out. She hated to hope Gram had been scammed, but it actually seemed better than the alternative. If Gram had taken money from the house and put it into the store, would Shelby owe her brother forty grand? Her stomach turned to lead at the thought.
“Are you there?” Caleb said.
“Yeah. Let me do a little digging and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Two hours later Shelby sat pretzel style on the office floor knee-deep in records, skimming the building’s lease. Seeing the triple-net lease agreement jogged her memory. The bookstore was responsible for all building maintenance, and five years ago their roof had begun leaking. By the time they noticed it, a lot of damage had already been done. The roof and sheeting had to be replaced.
Had Gram taken out an equity loan to pay for it? The timing would suggest so.
Shelby planted her elbows on her knees and covered her face.Oh, Gram. Why didn’t you tell me things were this bad?She just wanted to cry. But she was too distressed to do so. She had to make a plan, but she didn’t even know where to start.
Her strengths were curating the book selection, selling books, staffing the store, and training booksellers. Why hadn’t she taken the time to learn Gram’s end of the business?
Because she’d been dreading it. And because neither of them ever dreamed she was so short for this earth.
You were supposed to live to a hundred, Gram. I need you here.Now the tears came. Because she missed her grandma’s cackling laughter. Missed her blunt manner and her sweet encouragement. Most of all she missed the way Gram had believed in her.
Because right now Shelby felt completely unequipped for the task at hand.
