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“You think I don’t know that?”
“Then why are you fighting him so hard?” Callie threw her hands up in exasperation. “Why are you being so stubborn? Even if you win the vote, you’ll still have to struggle to keep your business going. It’s not as if winning means Mariposa will suddenly have a bounty of revenue and support.”
“That’s why I need to convince the town council to make renovation a priority.” Aria pushed herself off the stool and faced her sister. “And before you start telling me how amazing the Imperial deal is, I’ve crunched the numbers. If I relocate, I’d have to pay commercial rent, and the Imperial money won’t last long. Plus I’d need to find a place with a very specific configuration so I wouldn’t be violating any health codes. The chances of there beingtherental space available in a high-traffic area right now are pretty slim.”
She spread her arms out. “If I couldn’t find something turnkey, I’d have to use the money to refurbish a space, possibly even involving construction, and I have no idea how long it would take for me to open again. Not to mention, I’d need to rent an apartment, which means another drain on my so-called profit. So don’t tell me that taking his offer will suddenly prevent me fromstrugglingbecause it won’t.”
Callie opened her mouth, but Aria held up a hand to stop her sister’s words. Which she knew Rory and her mother would echo.
“I know you’d help me out.” Her chest constricted. She’d lost track of the number of times her sister had bailed her out of one bad decision or another. “You’ve done it my whole life. I’ve never deserved it, and I’ve always been grateful. And you’ve made it abundantly clear that you think my café was a bad idea from the start, but I’m doing this on my own. If I fail and get forced out of my building, then it’s all on me. You can sayI told you so, but you won’t lose anything.”
Callie stared at her. A shadow darkened her expression.
“Aria, don’t you…” She paused, her throat working with a swallow. “Don’t you know by now that when you lose,Ilose?”
Tension stretched the air. Breaking her gaze, Callie turned and strode into the dining room.
Aria lowered her head. Tears stung her eyes.
Brilliant overachiever Callie always won. Scholarships, awards, tenure-track position at the college.Losingwas Aria’s domain. And if she lost the Mariposa Street battle, she’d not only disappoint herself, she would again be her sister’s only failure.
