AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course I didn’t take it. I keep telling you I’m not going to take Ash’s money.”
“So what’s the problem?”
I throw up my hands. “You went behind my back, that’s the problem.”
Jams stares at me. She remains where she’s sitting, but her fingers are gripping the edge hard enough to make her knuckles turn white. “I didn’t go behind your back,” she says, her voice level and soft. “I told a friend about my problems.”
“Yeah, and you knew that friend would want to stroll in and solve everything.”
“I could’ve asked her to invest, but I didn’t out of respect for you. I didn’t know Ash would go talk to you herself. I didn’t tell her to do that. I was only venting about our problems.”
“Convenient you vented to the one person that can solve all our problems.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she says, frustration cracking through her calm.
“Are you sure about that?” I feel my self-control slipping. I know this is going to get out of hand if I can’t reel myself in, but the stress of the last few days, compounded by this pregnancy, pushes me over the edge. “From my perspective, you did it on purpose.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“You want to take Nolan’s money. You’d happily take Ash’s too. Just admit it.”
“Yeah, I would,” she says, getting heated now. “Damn right I would, because I’m not too proud to admit we need a little help. We’re in over our heads and Nolan’s going to screw us if we don’t do something. Ash is our best chance, but you’re too stubborn to do anything about it. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to lose everything I’ve invested.”
“I knew it,” I say, glaring at her. “You could’ve just respected my wishes and vented to someone else. You chose Ash on purpose.”
“You’re not the only person in this place,” she says, eyes wide. “I know you think you are, but we’re supposed to be equal partners.”
“An equal partner wouldn’t go behind my back.”
“I didn’t do that,” she says through her teeth. “What the hell is with you, Keely? I’m serious, you’ve been so short with me for the last few days. I know this is hard and stressful, but I’m not your enemy.”
I pace back and forth, hands shaking with nervous anger. “I want to do this the right way. Otherwise, what’s the point? Do you have any idea how long I’ve felt like I’m a total loser? I’m in my mid-twenties, no boyfriend, nothing to call my own, still working as a waitress in my friend’s bar. It’s freaking pathetic. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and feel proud for once. But you seem hell-bent on ignoring my wishes, like what I want doesn’t matter. I thought we were on the same page here.”
“We were,” she says coolly. “Until now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stop pacing and face her.
“I love you, Keely,” she says, not smiling as she hops down from the counter. “You’re my best friend. You always will be. But maybe going into business together was a mistake.”
I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I stare at her, my heart thudding so hard I hear it pounding my ears. “Are you being serious right now?”
“I think it’d be better if I walked away. Clean break. Forget about the money I put into this place. It’s a loss and I’ll survive. Whatever.”
“Jamila.”
“No, just, no, forget it. This was always your thing. I was an afterthought from the start. Don’t try to deny it.”
My mouth opens, working, not finding words. She’s abandoning me. Without her help, there’s no way I can make this work.
If she leaves me, the dream is dead.
“You don’t mean that.” My voice comes out choked.
“I’m sorry. I really am, but I can’t do this.” She walks to the door. “Do whatever you want, I give you my blessing, and don’t worry about ever paying me back. What’s money between friends? I can aways go to Ash and ask for a loan, right? Don’t look at me like that, it’s better this way. You wanted to do this all by yourself from the start.”
“That’s not true,” I say as horror sets in.
She’s really walking.
