I look back at Holly. This isn’t the girl who asked for help as if it were expected. This is someone who’s … figuring it out.
“Are you sure? Have you thought this through?” Sam pushes on.
She nods. “I am. I’m not asking you to be okay with everything,” she says gently, looking at me. “I just want to start fixing what I can.”
I sit back in the chair, the leather creaking under my weight. “You don’t get to just wipe things clean because it’s uncomfortable now,” I say, voice firm.
Holly flinches.
“This isn’t a reset button,” I continue. “It’s a start. That’s it.”
Her smile lights up the room with the idea of a fresh start with us. And against my better judgment, I feel it too.
“Holly, I can’t speak for Sam. The house is in his name, and the deal was structured between you two and your grandparents. I will say that the $31,000 right away is appreciated and will be used to pay off my cabin.”
“Really? Yes!” Holly exclaims, which tears a reluctant smile out of me. “Don’t forget the $352.21.”
“And the $352.21,” I affirm, suppressing a smile. “I would like you to pay back half of the investment cost to me, $37,500.”
Holly chimes in, “Of course. From what Sam told me anyway, all the money would go straight into your account. He sent me the account numbers.”
I falter. What? Was he sending all the money to me? He wasn’t even going to take credit for that. Before I can think much about it, I move on.
“That is not necessary; my investment, legally, would only need to account for half. I also realize you are running a business. And I want you to be successful. With all that you’re planning, I believe you can be. I do not want you to pay me interest. I also want the payment plan to start three months after your salon launches, to give you some breathing room.”
Sam goes very still beside me. I don’t look at him.
“Wha—what?” Holly splutters. “You don’t have to do that.”
Nodding, I reply, “No, I don’t. But I’m confident in your new direction, and I want to show you support.”
Holly comes around the desk, launching herself at me in a hug that nearly knocks me to the ground. “Thank you! I could not have done this without you.”
I hesitate for half a second before letting her continue squeezing me too tightly.
She straightens and looks at me. “Not just with the money, but the guidance. I wish I had opened my eyes sooner, done this differently.”
This is what accountability looks like. And I didn’t realize how badly I needed to see it.
“I won’t speak for Sam on the house; it is his. However, in my opinion, that deal is more than fair.”
Sam reaches forward and picks up the voided agreement. He doesn't say anything, only stares at it. Then he sets it back down and looks at me.
24
SAM
Ilook at Becca. Did I hear her right?
“Our house,” I say quickly. She goes to speak, but I stop her right away.
“I know what the paperwork says, and we will address that later. But this house, this decision, any financial matters in my life going forward, they are our choice. Even if our finances are never intermingled again, I’m still going to give you the ways to see where every damn dollar went.”
Becca stays silent, but her face is communicating all that has gone unsaid, and she nods, agreeing this isn’t the time.
I look over at Holly. “This is a lot of money you’re giving up, much more than the investment.”
She gives me a tight smile. “I know. But you’ve been taking care of me my entire life. You’re the best brother I could have imagined, and I’m realizing now I took advantage of that. I love you, and I want to have a relationship with you, not someone you constantly feel you’re taking care of. Continuing the payments to me would get in the way of that.”
