“Maybe a discount?”
“It’ll bite us in the ass.”I stared out at the dark field, letting the silence carry everything else I couldn’t say.If we defaulted on a multimillion-dollar loan, I’d be begging my dad for help.Or worse, dragging my family down with me.I couldn’t do that.Not for a dream this big.
“Drive me back to my truck,” I said.
On the drive, she glanced over.“What do you think?”
I let out a slow breath, trying to make the numbers churning in my head behave.They wouldn’t.Construction costs alone were staggering.Then staff.Payroll.The nonstop chaos of running something that big.“This is a small town,” I said.“How do we bring in enough business to keep a place like that afloat?”
“We bring in interns and residents.Host conferences.Pull the equine crowd from all around and grow our large animal services.You could expand north and south.Maybe we bring in one of those specialized farriers as well.If we build a place vetswantto work, we won’t be doing it alone.”
I shook my head.“And if it doesn’t work?”
“Let’s not start with no,” she said gently.“Let’s start with considering it.At least then we can say we tried.”She caught my hand before I got out.“It’ll work.”
“This is my business—my life,” I said, pulling free.“I’m not borrowing millions just to go bankrupt over a half-baked plan.You should’ve talked to me first.”
“Come on.This could be exciting.”
I couldn’t agree to this right now.I needed space to think.“Just drive me back to my car.”
The rest of the drive was silent.
As she parked at the elementary school she asked, “Is this is no from you to be a part of it?”
“It’s not a no.Or a yes.”I didn’t know what to say, honestly.It terrified me.“It’s crazy town.”
“Help me come up with a plan to present to Jim next Thursday.He’s bringing some of the horse people in the area that are looking for other care.”
“You should’ve asked me about all this first.”I got out and went to the work truck.She didn’t follow me.
ChapterThirty
ERIKA
Wednesday
Josh and I had stomped around each other ever since he exploded two days ago at the PTA meeting.I tried texting him—nothing.He left for farm calls in the morning or scooted out at the end of the day before I could find him.Bottom line: he didn’t want to talk about it.I couldn’t tell if that meant he didn’t want to be a part of the expansion, or if he was still overwhelmed by the thought of it.
Marty thought he was angry over the fines from the inspection.
Well, he couldn’t avoid me when we were trapped in a car riding to his baseball tryout.
Vinny chatted nonstop with Josh about major league baseball stats the entire ride.At least the kid could drag a few laughs out of him.
When we pulled into a parking lot next to a field attached to a community college, I could tell Josh was nervous.His face was tight.“Listen, Erika, I can’t be at war with you here.”
“Are you talking about when I called you a jerkwad for not ordering the specific catheters I wanted yesterday?Or the fact you’re behaving like a child and won’t talk to me about the future ofourpractice?”I got out into the waning light of dusk.The lights were already on to spotlight the field.“Vinny, can you please enlighten him on the Chomping family agreement?”
“Are we including him?”
“For tonight.”I leaned into the car to glare at Josh.“Make sure he understands it’s only for tonight.”I shut the door and headed to the truck bed to get out my chair.I’d learned my lesson about baseball practices from Vinny’s.Always bring your own chair.I pulled two out of the back and a blanket.
Vinny got out, still mid-speech.“Means if anyone asks, from her view you poop golden baseballs and hit rainbow unicorns.Or maybe it’s the other way around.”
I smiled at Josh who was trying not to chuckle as Vinny continued to try to figure out if he should be hitting rainbow baseballs or golden unicorns.
“We gotcha,” I interrupted Vinny.“You get your stuff and let Josh go on to get registered or whatever he needs to do.”
