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“Yes.”
“You have a felony on your record, do you not?”
I froze, and suddenly that word had a whole new meaning. “Shit.”
She nodded. “Yes, as someone who has a felony record, you cannot hold a liquor license, but the good news is that both Candy and I can.” She leaned forward. “How would you like to get that felony removed from your record?”
“What?”
“What if I could help you get it expunged? Clear your arrest record.”
“You can do that?”
“I can helpyoudo that.”
I stared at her and wondered if I was dreaming. I had to be. There was no way to get my record clean, was there? I sat forward, almost excitedly. “Yes. Yes, I want your help to do that. I will do anything that you ask.”
“Okay, then convince me that you’re worth the effort.”
“Convince you?”
She nodded and sat back. “Yes, tell me briefly why you think I should give you the time and energy, plus the money.”
I studied her for a moment, then my eyes shifted to Candy and her brother, and finally returned to Laney. “I am worth it. My mother always told me I would never amount to anything, and it is time to prove her wrong. I want to be a better man for myself, the employees, Candy, or someone like Candy.” I paused. “For the last few years, I had felt lost, wishing I had made different decisions when I was younger. I can’t go back, but I can move forward and build a better life. I want to do that more than I have ever wanted anything before.”
Laney remained quiet for a few seconds, and then she spoke words that almost made me feel like crying. “I believe you.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CANDY
“Do I need to remind you of something?” my brother hissed toward me as he rudely dragged me away.
“No, you don’t,” I growled back at him. He pulled me through the door and then closed it, glaring out the glass toward Mike. He watched us, his hands fisted at his sides, and his brow furrowed as if he wasn’t sure what to do. “Look, just because I am thinking of investing in the tavern does not mean I will tell him about Cara and Bryan.”
“Candy! You can’t take that kind of chance. What if he hears you say something about him? Or you talk about the baby?”
“Look, Evan, he’s not even with the club anymore. Even if he found out, he’s not going to run back to them and tell him that he is alive.”
“You don’t know that!” he practically shouted at me.
“I do know that. You might not trust Michael, but I do. I know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt our family or me.”
He stared at me, his mouth falling open. “You are sleeping with the man, and that’s not the worst part. You have feelings for that loser!” He pointed out the window.
I pointed in the same direction. “What I feel or don’t feel for him is none of your damn business. If I want to have sex with him, I’m going to have sex with him, and there is not one thing you can do about it.”
“Candy, Ethan will lose his shit when he hears about this!”
“Then don’t tell him!”
“Are you seriously going to try to hide the fact that you are going to be a partner with Bollard from Ethan? You have lost your mind.”
“I have not, Evan.” I took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. “Look, I understand your fear, but what Mike and I have right now is just a good time. I don’t plan on marrying the guy, and even if I did, I would have to trust him enough to protect our family and me with the truth.”
He took me by the shoulders. “Candy, you can not tell him about Cara and Bryan. You can’t.”
“I won’t, and I promise I will be careful not to mention them. I want this, Evan. More than I have ever wanted anything. I’m not talking about Mike here; I’m talking about the tavern. How awesome would it be for our family to have a forty percent stake in it?”
