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“I’ll pay you double the rush fee and include a generous tip. That should allow you to reach out to a wholesaler if needed.” He pauses, eyeing me skeptically. “If you have one, that is.”
“Um, yeah.” I shift on my feet. “I’ve got a backup in case of emergencies.”
Not technically a lie.
Sam looks at me expectantly, but I hesitate as I tally what it’ll cost me to get a rush order added to the one I’m picking up from Raul on Wednesday.
Could I make this happen? Probably. Will I? Well, that’s another issue entirely.
“Mol,” Piper warns, squeezing me when I don’t respond.
Her message is loud and clear. Don’t be stupid. Take the money.
I think about those last few months Dad and I spent in and out of the hospital with Mom before they put her on hospice care. I remember what it was like to hold her thin, pale hand as she withered away from the sickness that stole her from us.
Sam’s writing something down before I get the chance to speak.
“Here’s what I’m prepared to offer for your services, Miss Hart.” He slides the paper toward me once more, and I nearly faint when I see $15,000.00 written boldly above what I assume to be his phone number. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours to confirm, though I do hope you’ll consider helping. It’d be nice to have a smaller business involved, and who knows, maybe you’ll get this place a bit more exposure.”
Anxiety knots my stomach as I shake the hand he offers. I narrowly resist sticking my tongue out at Wade as they step out onto the sidewalk.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” Piper hisses from beside me. “You should have told him yes on the spot.”
“He cornered me, and he knows it.”
Exasperated, she holds the scrap paper up and points to it. “So? It’s a nice chunk of change, and he’s right. Doing an event like this could really help sales around here. Isn’t that what you want?”
Of course I want this place to be profitable, but the hard truth is, I don’t have the money to keep covering my losses, never mind fulfilling the kind of large orders Lisa’s place gets.
“He’s just like Garrett, arrogant as hell and showy.” I pluck the slip out of her hand and crumple it into a ball before stuffing it under the counter. “I’m not doing it. There’s no way in hell.”
Piper slaps the foreclosure notice I gave her earlier down on the counter, and my throat tightens.
“Your feelings where that tiny-dicked shithead are concerned are valid,” she says, referring to Wade. Then she takes my hands in hers, and her face softens with sympathy. “You know I hate those damn Radleys more than anyone in this town, but there’s more at stake here. You could really use this money, babe.”
I shut my eyes, recalling the burn of embarrassment from the torment Wade has subjected me to for years.
Darkness. Hot tears staining my cheeks. Fists pounding on a door locked from the outside.
To this day, I can’t sleep without the TV on in my room or leave the house without making sure several lights are on. Garrett couldn’t stand it when we lived together, but I didn’t care. It terrifies me, and that terror is all thanks to that man.
“I can’t do it.” I slip the envelope off the counter, staring at it with a relentless sense of foreboding. “I’ll find another way.”
A frown finds her heart-shaped lips, but she hugs me tight, anyway. “I know you will, and you know I’m here for you, too. Just say the word, and I’ll get the camera ready to sell feet pics.”
I laugh as I walk her to the front door. “While I appreciate the offer, I don’t think I’m quite that desperate.”
She shrugs. “We’ve got exceptional feet, Mol. That’s not something to take lightly.”
“Go,” I say, pushing her out of the shop.
“Fine, but promise me you’ll think about it.” She blows me a kiss before crossing the street to finish opening her bakery, and I shake my head.
“Ready, boss?” Nadine asks as I pass the double glass fridge at the front.
It used to be packed with colorful flower arrangements, but it’s pathetically bare now, with only a few measly mixes of odds and ends from my last order to Raul.
“Yup. Let’s do this.”
