Page 123 of Only Lovers in the Building

Lily: I’m nice enough. Should I lend out my services? In this economy, it’s all about multiple streams of income.

Ben: I’d love to swim in that stream.

Lily: Put your money where your mouth is, honey.

Ben: That’s essentially what Candace Song says to Jon. They’re in the same boat, rowing upstream, desperate to run family businesses.

Lily: She’s watching, helpless, as Candy’s Sweet Shop, the confectionery business that’s been in her family for decades, is losing ground. They’re no longer competitive. No banks will lend to them. She needs an infusion of cash. Before you say anything, Candy’s Sweet Shop is on the nose. It’s meant to be cute, but it ain’t.

Ben: It’s a form of virtue signaling. Why not say she wants the money? Instead, she needs it to save a candy shop, of all things. If it wasn’t a cute shop, it would be a dog shelter or a charming B and B, anything to tug at our heartstrings.

Lily: I agree. Let’s be the greedy capitalists that we are! Who in their right mind would walk away from a quarter-million dollars? Not me.

Ben: Me, neither.

Lily: That kind of money could change your life. It could put you through school, help you start a business . . . In some cities, it could buy a house.

Ben: Not in this city. Let’s get into the tropes.

Lily: Fake dating, obviously. How did we get this far without running into it? It’s one of the most popular tropes around.

Ben: Maybe because it’s the least realistic. Not having a date for a wedding or whatever is no reason to rope someone else into your misery.

Lily: Ben Romero, I specifically remember you roping me in on more than one occasion. I was your arm candy.

Ben: Those dates were not fake. You know it.

Lily: I’m so glad this is a podcast. No one can see me turn into a ripe tomato.

Ben: More like bright red cherry hard candy, if we’re staying on theme.

Lily: Speaking of themes, this story centers around family, which I like.

Ben: A daddy’s girl through and through.

Lily: Who? Me?

Ben: Yes, you!

Lily: I won’t deny it. I’m working on it.

Ben: Candy’s job was to look pretty, but she successfully brokers a peace treaty between three generations of the Tan dynasty. It’s remarkable.

Lily: She missed her vocation. Candy is a natural-born diplomat. She should close shop and head to Singapore’s version of the State Department.

Ben: I was on the grandfather’s side. His son ran the family business to the ground. It took decades to rebuild. Now his no-good grandson wants to take the helm. I don’t know about that.

Lily: Jon Tan is the consummate party boy. He barely made it through the elite British private school he was sent to. He wrecked the sports car he was gifted at sixteen. He’s been spending the family fortune in London, which is where the couple meets.

Ben: He’s pulled himself together, but it’s a case of too little, too late.

Lily: I resent that it’s a woman’s job to get him over a line.

Ben: She was compensated fairly.

Lily: He offers Candy an insane amount of money to accompany him on an all-expense-paid trip to Singapore. Most people would just take the trip! No further compensation required. This makes me think his grandfather is right. Jon is not a good businessman. Like his father before him, he will ruin the family business.

Ben: What does this business involve?