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I knew Will didn’t really mean that last statement as a dig, but I felt a pang of regret anyway. Ishoulddo a better job of staying in touch with my friends, of calling them “just because,” rather than just when I needed something.
I winced as I reminded myself that I stilldidneed something from Will this time. Something important. But I needed to make sure my friend knew I was there for him, too.
“Just so you know,” I said, hoping it wasn’t too little, too late, “I’m here for you if you ever need someone to talk to. Day or night. Anytime.”
“I appreciate that, Brady. I really do. But you said whatever you called about couldn’t wait, so… tell me. What’s up?”
I hesitated for a moment. Now that it was time to talk business, I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Maybe it would be best just to lay all my cards out on the table and hope that Will could find a solution.
“I’ll be honest with you, man,” I shoved a hand back through my hair and exhaled a breath I’d been holding in. Asking for help had never been something I was good at, but I’d never been in a situation like this, either. “I know that the last time we talked, I was getting all the paperwork ready to eventually sell the shop.”
“Right. I remember. Did you ever find a buyer?”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem. I’ve got someone who isreallyeager to buy, but… I don’t know if I wanna sell anymore.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Will snorted. “What? Did you decide to settle down and start a family here while I wasn’t looking?”
I winced. Again, Will’s words were closer to the truth than he could possibly have known.
“No, nothing like that. Well…”Yeah, maybesomethinglike that.
But Will didn’t need to know all the details of how I had fallen head over heels and wanted to stay in Castle Falls—especially considering he had just been forced to end his own relationship. “No, not that. The only person I’d really behappyto sell the shop to would be Joanne, and—”
“That’s gonna be a hard no,” Will said, cutting me off. “And you’ll have to forgive me for being unprofessional, Brady, but my nerves are shot. There’s just no way I can make a loan work for Joanne. The numbers just don’t add up.”
From what Joanne had told me about her past credit issues, Will’s statement wasn’t exactly news to me. Still, it effectively crossed one potential option off the very short list of possibilities for fixing my current problem.
“I’d take out a loan myself if I could, if I thought it would help,” I said. Then, just in case, “Wouldthat help?”
“Maybe. Do you have any assets besides the flower shop and the attached apartment?”
“Um… my truck?”
Even as I said the words, I was pretty sure what Will’s response was going to be, and I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach as one more door seemed to be closing in front of me.
“No, that’s not going to work, unfortunately.” Will’s voice sounded almost as grim as I was feeling. Whether it was because of my dwindling options or because of everything else that was going on in his life, I wasn’t sure. But it definitely wasn’t reassuring.
“I don’t think I could offer you a loan of any amount that would actually be useful.”
Fuck.
This wasn’t how I had imagined our conversation going.
I tried to stay calm, though. Maybe there was something else, something I just hadn’t thought of yet. Will was the expert, so if anythingcouldbe done, he would make it happen.
“What do I do?” I asked, not caring at all if I sounded desperate. “The debt my dad left me with—the hospital bills, the credit cards—all of it is crushing me, man. I feel like I’m suffocating here, and I need some help.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Will sounded sincere, even though he wasn’t saying the words I had hoped to hear. “If you had a couple more quarters—six months, or better, a year—of healthy profit, I might have a little more wiggle room. But right now? The numbers just don’t add up, Brady. Do you want my honest opinion?”
“Yes, please,” I answered without hesitating. That wasallI wanted, all I could hope for at this point.
“Take the offer. Get as much money as you can—ideally enough to pay off everything you owe and still have a little left over—and get the hell out of this shitty town. I always envied you for getting out while you were young enough todosomething with your life. Once you sell that shop, you won’t have any ties to Castle Falls anymore. Nothing will be holding you back. You’ll be free.”
If I had heard those words six weeks ago, they would have been music to my ears. Now, though? Hearing that I didn’t have any ties to Castle Falls, hearing that I didn’t have a reason to stay anymore felt like a knife to the heart.
And knowing it was true made it hurt even more.
“You should never be jealous of me,” I said, meaning it. “All those years I spent running, and look where it got me. I’m damn near thirty years old and it’s all I know how to do.” I sucked in a ragged breath. “But thank you for talking to me. I can’t pretend I’m happy with what you’ve said, but I guess I needed to hear it.”
