AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Um, Raina, I don’t think we should be going through those.”
Raina shook her head wildly, jabbing her finger at the papers. “They’re about the Lions’ Gate Hotel, Jesse.My dad’s hotel. Nicole’s dad is trying to buy it and knock it down. When you left, after the argument with my mom, I locked myself in my dad’s office with him and we talked. He’s losing his job, Jesse. He’s getting laid off becauseMr. Lawrencewants to knock down the hotel he’s spent hisentire lifeworking at. My dad didn’t get to go to some fancy boarding school like I do; he didn’t go to college or earn a degree. He’s been working at that hotel since he was seventeen. He has no other job, no other prospects, Jesse, this is it. And now it’s getting taken away…by Nicole’s dad.” Her voice broke, and Jesse hesitated only a second before wrapping her in a hug.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“It’s not!” Raina looked up at him, tears caught in her eyelashes, and Jesse had to force himself to lean back a little. “If my dad loses his job, we can’t feed ourselves. My mom gives piano lessons occasionally, but that’s our only other income. My siblings will have to stop all of their clubs and activities, my mom would have to find another job, and—” she swallowed, Jesse’s heart sinking even before she said her next words, “—I wouldn’t be able to continue attending Trinity. I would need to move home to help my mom with all the day-to-day stuff.”
Jesse fought to get words out, his voice rougher than he’d ever recalled it being. “No—Rai—”
“This isn’t just my family either. The hotel employs most of the people in my neighborhood, so this affects so many more families than just mine. The owner didn’t grow up rich either, so he’s constantly doing all these events for charity. There’s a year-long food drive that helps a lot of people. Lions’ Gate is a genuinely good place, and a ton of people would be hurt if it closes. So many people could lose everything…because some rich guy wants to be richer. It’s not fair.”
Jesse stared at her, suddenly struck by the realization that Raina Cohen might soon no longer be in his life. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Raina crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at her feet. “Unless you know where we can get 25,000 dollars in the next few weeks, then no. The owner’s been wanting to make some big repairs to the hotel, but without money, the next best option is to sell. But my dad says if we had the money, he could make the repairs and the hotel could stay open.”
Jesse’s mind spun. He could offer to pay the 25,000 himself, but he didn’t need to ask Raina to know she would never accept that. She was prideful and determined, just like Nicole. It had taken him time to earn her trust at the beginning of the year, but even when he had been part of the small circle of people she called friends, Raina had been too stubborn to accept anything from him.
“I can work with that,” Jesse said after a minute. “I think we should go to bed, Raina, we have a lot of planning to do in the morning.”
“Jesse, we can’t possibly earn 25,000 dollars in a few weeks. That’s an insane amount of money!”
Jesse smirked. “Haven’t you heard? I’m an Ashcroft. We can do anything.”
* * *
Raina, Jesse, and Nicole returned to Trinity early the next morning, not running into either of Nicole’s parents on their way out. The ride back in a Rolls Royce had been pretty sweet, but all Jesse had been able to concentrate on was Raina, who’d spent the entire ride staring sadly out the window. As soon as they’d returned, Jesse ran to his room to get ready for classes, but once history ended, he’d cornered Raina, Dean, and Gracie in the common room and filled the latter two in on the hotel situation.
The common room was devoid of a single soul but for the four of them—everyone else was doing the smart thing and going to lunch. But despite the growling noises Jesse’s stomach kept making, he wanted to talk about how to help the hotel as soon as possible.
“Okay, ideas to earn 25k, go,” Jesse ordered.
“We can pay it,” Dean said immediately.
Raina shook her head adamantly. “No. It’s too much. I’m not letting you guys do that.”
“Worth a try.” Dean nudged Gracie’s shoulder affectionately. “This girl won’t let me pay for stuff either.”
Gracie smiled at him, taking a sip from her water bottle. “That’s because you shouldn’t be spending ridiculous amounts of money on me. What about a bake sale?”
“We wouldn’t make enough,” Raina argued.
“Start a company?” Jesse suggested.
“What company?” Dean countered.
“Sell Zara.”
“Tempting.” Dean grinned. “We’ll add it to the list.”
“SellTheo.”
“Nah, he’s the smart one. He’d turn it around and we’d end up selling ourselves.”
“Fair point. Auction?”
“Not enough time. Charity party?”
“Also not enough time.”
