I abandon my bags and sit beside my best friend on the oversized chair. Betsy curls into me, and suddenly, all is right. “Or like that one time we both tried intermittent fasting. Remember we weren’t supposed to eat until noon, and we could barely focus on anything other than eating?”
“Ugh,” she groans. “That was torture. Kind of likethis. Now, what happened? You were so close to getting the job done, girl. I’m shocked. Concerned for you, obviously, but shocked.”
I give her the whole spiel on what happened last night. I decided to crash in the staff lounge at the airport after landing to get a few hours of rest before heading into the city to meet with my mom. I knew stopping by the house was a nonnegotiable for Betsy. And to be honest, I could use one of her pep talks right about now.
“I just couldn’t pretend anymore, Bet. Nathaniel was everything I feared him being in my head, but ten times worse. And don’t even get me started on Austin. I think I have a permanent kink in my neck from sleeping on the floor every night. Bastard couldn’t keep his pervy hands to himself.”
“Stetson actually let you sleep on the floor?” Betsy asks in disbelief.
I shrug. “If he had known while it was happening, absolutely not. But he didn’t find out until the party.”
“I still can’t believe your dad and him are best friends.”
“Werebest friends. Thanks to me, I guess.” I shake my head, my mind feeling so fuzzy and equally upset and deliriously happy. “Right now, my main concern is figuring out what to do about the house. Now that the money from Nathaniel is a no-go, my only option is to take out a loan.”
“Cove. No. You are not taking out another loan. God, you’re going to run yourself dry. You have to be able to live.”
I nod. “And living here isn’t cheap.” That’s when a thought occurs to me. “Hey, Betsy?”
“Yes…” she draws out, already dreading what I’m about to say.
“How mad would you be if I told you I wanted to buy myself out of our loan?”
“Out of the penthouse? Our house together? You want to buy yourself out?” She panics, her neck flushing red the way it does when she’s under stress.
“I’m thinking about it. It’s the only reasonable option I have if I don’t want to take out more loans. But I will if I have to. You could refinance and probably get a better rate. I won’t ask for much from my share of the equity, just enough to pay for the renovations, and you can keep the rest.”
We’ve lived in this place for almost five years now, and it’s worth nearly triple what we paid for it. Betsy knows that, too, being a real estate agent herself. If there was any time to refinance and get a better interest rate, it’s now.
The economy is unpredictable enough.
“Cove…that’s a lot, babe. You’re risking everything to save this house. You’re sure your mom wants to keep it?”
I know she does.“She does. She would never ask for my help, though. I’m lucky she let me meet with the contractors and Tom. If she ever found out why I was in Texas…God, Betsy, she’d never forgive me.”
“Camille doesn’t play,” Betsy spits. “But how do you think she’ll react when she finds out you basically gave up half a million dollars in equity, all to pay off her old home?”
“Not well, but I don’t care. She sacrificed everything for me.”
“I just worry about you, Cove. Selfishly, I love you living here, but now that Stetson’s in the picture, I figured you’d finally settle down. Make plans with him.”
“I want to…”
She shoots up from the seat, eyes bugging wide like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. It’s nothing new for her. The wild woman is a loose cannon. “Okay, then ask Daddy Stetson for help.”
“No. No. I can’t believe you’d even say that. Just because he’s got money, that doesn’t make him my personal ATM.”Not that the thought didn’t cross my mind already, but I could never. Would never.
I stand and pace the living room, desperate for my brain to think of something helpful. A sly look crosses Betsy’s face. “Oh, you can’t tell me that man wouldn’t send fat bills flying your way if he got a little kitty action in return.”
The nearest pillow meets her pretty red head faster than she expects. “We’re talking over one hundred grand here, little hussy. Not one dollar bills.”
“It was just a suggestion.” She raises her hands in forfeit. As much as that sounds like a literal fantasy dream, I don’t want my relationship with Stetson to start off with me owing him something.
That gesture, which may be small to him at the time, will turn into resentment, and that’s a reality I couldn’t bear.
“I need to talk to my mom first. I do have some questions I want to ask her, anyway. She thinks we were on a trip together, so she’ll likely have a list of her own. Then, I’ll bring up the house and try to brainstorm some other options together. Who knows, maybe she’s made progress with something else?”
“I’ll be drinking it works out,” Betsy declares, and I stare at her, puzzled.
