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"We do."
"The company I work for was founded by a collective of farmers in the Midwest nearly a century ago. They bandedtogether to form a network to essentially support each other financially when times got tough."
"Okay."
"Today, the company is the largest ethical agricultural financial service provider in the world."
"In English, please?"
I smile. "Agricultural finance is a bit more complicated than, say, a person getting a mortgage on their house."
"Tell me about it."
"There are all sorts of structures in places, different types of lending instruments, property classes, leasing arrangements, it can get messy."
"As I'm realising…"
"Wilby, I'll be honest with you. Your family's situation is the most complicated and messy one I've encountered."
"I know." He winces and drops his head, the muscle in his jaw coming to life. "Katrina mismanaged things after Mum died, didn't she?"
I inhale sharply. I don't want this to devolve into a family blame game. It's not really helpful, and it won't move us forward.
"Let's not focus on how we got here but on what the next steps are, okay?"
He flicks his gaze up, his teeth biting into his bottom lip. "Okay."
I'm trying to keep this professional, but my heart is breaking for the guy. Dealing with everything he's got on his plate is hard enough as it is, but having to contend with the fact that his sister may have played a major role in it, well, that just takes it to a whole other level. He's not the one who did anything wrong, yet he's been left to clean up the mess.
"Do you mind if I hold your hand?" I ask.
"Not at all." A bashful grin. "You really are obsessed with me, aren't you?"
He's got no fucking idea. "Just shut up and give me your hand. I'm trying to create a nice moment here."
His grin grows into a smile, and he slides his hand into mine.
I continue. "There's a meeting scheduled with your main financial lender, you or a representative from your family, and my company, represented by me, to discuss how we progress from here. There are several options."
He nods. "That's kinda why I left Scuttlebutt. I've been on a reconnaissance mission and have come up with a few additional options."
"That's great. I'd love to hear them… Maybe some time when we have clothes on?"
"Sure." He meets my eyes, his smile leaving him. "Tell me honestly, please, are we going to lose everything?"
I let out a sigh. "Honestly?"
He nods.
"I don't see any way of avoiding losing the farm. Unless you've found a way to pay off a significant proportion of the debt, there's no sustainable way to hold on to it."
He pulls his hand out of mine and drags it through his hair. "Fuck."
"But, because that one property somehow has over seventeen ownership titles on it—a combination of trusts I assume your grandfather set up, as well as several titles in your and your sisters' names—which is something I've never seen before, I think there's an opportunity there."
"To subdivide?"
"That's right. How did you know?"
