Hundred Reasons Page 12

  The shop was failing. Everyone knew that. We didn’t have any bikes in the garage. Garret and I were spending our days recleaning already spotless equipment and reorganizing perfectly organized cabinets. When I wasn’t in the garage wasting time, I was pouring over bills in the office.

  My mom called me twice a day to check on me. She didn’t ask about the business, but I knew what she was thinking. What we were all thinking. It’s just a matter of time.

  “Need any help in here?” Garret asked late Wednesday afternoon. He poked his head into the back office and glanced down at my desk. It was littered with paperwork that I’d read over a thousand times and still could barely make sense of.

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m just trying to rework the budget.”

  Garret nodded and leaned against the doorway. His gray eyes were pulled down in thought. Just like my mom, he was worried about me. It seemed that neither of them cared about the shop. They only cared about how I was handling things.

  “Talk to me,” Garret said. “Maybe I can help you figure things out.”

  I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Garret meant well, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Unless he was some kind of math prodigy or magician, he couldn’t pull money out of nowhere.

  “I emptied my savings account,” I said.

  “You did what?” Garret shook his head sadly. “You shouldn’t have done that, Alex.”

  “It doesn’t even matter.” I laughed without humor. “It barely helped. I paid some back bills, but more keep pouring in. And, if I don’t find a way to pay the mortgage by tomorrow, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know what I can do.”

  Garret stepped into the office and pulled up a chair. The room was too small for two people, but he managed to squeeze himself inside. He looked like he was gearing up for battle. My shoulders tensed automatically when he fixed me with a stare that was a little too sympathetic.

  “Don’t say it,” I said quickly. “Not now.”

  “Alex,” he began.

  “I mean it, Garret,” I said. “I can’t take another person telling me to sell the shop.”

  “Who’s telling you to sell?” he asked.

  “My mother,” I said. “The Gamble brothers. You.”

  “I haven’t said anything,” Garret said simply.

  “But you want to.” I sighed. “I can tell.”

  Garret cleared his throat and leaned forward. He shook his head and looked down at his hands before he spoke again.

  “Listen.” He looked back up. “This isn’t any easier for me than it is for you, okay? I love this place too.”

  “But?”

  “But it’s not working anymore,” he said. “And maybe, instead of fighting that, we need to accept it and find a solution.”

  “Like what?” I demanded. “Selling to Gamble Realty. That’s not an option, Garret.”

  “I agree,” he said with a nod. “Of course, I agree.”

  “Then, what do you suggest?” I asked.

  “There’s a repair shop about forty miles outside of town,” Garret said. “They’ve been pretty successful. And they’re looking to expand.”

  I was already shaking my head before Garret finished speaking. There was no way I would agree to something like that.

  “They might keep us both on,” Garret said quickly. “They seem like nice people and—”

  “You’ve already talked to them?”

  White hot rage filled my chest. What was Garret thinking? He didn’t own this business. He had no right to speak to anyone on my behalf. I couldn’t believe he would go behind my back that way. I’d never felt more betrayed in my life.

  “They don’t know where I work,” Garret said defensively. “I met them through a friend, and the conversation just kind of happened.”

  “How does that just happen?” I demanded.

  “Because it did,” Garret said impatiently. “You’re missing the point, kid.”

  “I’m not a kid right now.” I snapped. “I’m your boss.”

  Garret’s mouth fell shut, and he nodded once. He looked like I’d slapped him in the face, but I didn’t care. Of everyone in my life, I counted on Garret to always be on my side.

  “I can’t believe you did that.” I shook my head. “Garret, what the hell?”

  “I didn’t do anything, Alex. I just found out that they’re looking for a new property. It doesn’t mean anything. They don’t know I work here. They probably don’t even know this place exists.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Because with Gamble Realty already sniffing around, I can’t take another person trying to buy this shop out from under me.”

  “I promise,” Garret said. “It was just an idea, okay? I thought you might be interested in selling to another repair shop. Like I said, they’d probably keep you on to run the garage anyway.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m not selling.”

  “What choice do you have?”

  Garret’s question wasn’t accusatory. His tone wasn’t mean or nasty. He was sad. We both were. When I met his gaze, I felt all the fight drain from my body. I didn’t know why I was so angry with Garret. Of course, he was still on my side.

  “I’m sorry.” I sighed. “I’m not mad at you.”

  “I know.” Garret nodded. “This isn’t easy for anyone.”

  “I guess you talked to my mom?” I asked, suddenly putting the pieces together.

  He nodded again. “She’s worried about you.”

  “I’m worried about me too,” I said softly.

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. I thought about getting back to work, but what was the point? I’d been over the numbers so many times already. They weren’t going to magically change because I wished they would.

  “I’ll go to the bank tomorrow,” I said, speaking more to myself than Garret. “See if they’ll give me an extension or something. Maybe they can even add to the loan. Or issue a small business loan. Or a personal loan. I don’t know. Anything.”

  “I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Garret said. “Banks suck.”

  “I have to try something,” I said. “At this point, the doors will be closed in less than a month.”

  “If I could help -” Garret began, but I shook my head and stopped him.

  “I know,” I said. “But, it isn’t your problem to fix.”

  “I would if I could,” he said firmly. “If I had any money saved.”

  We both knew he didn’t. Working at the shop wasn’t exactly the same as working for a Fortune 500 company. Garret had never made enough to save for the future. My dad had tried to take care of him, but there was only so much he could do. The only reason I had any savings at all was that I’d taken odd jobs around town since I was sixteen to make a little something extra.

  Tanner Bikes wasn’t about money. It never had been. It was built on love. Love for family. Love for motorcycles. Our customers tried to stay loyal, but as they got older, they rode less and therefore needed their bikes tuned-up less often. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit, but our clientele was dying out.

  “If we could just bring in more business,” I said.

  “Your dad always talked about getting a sign put out on the main road,” Garret said. “He thought more people would come in if they could find us.”

  “I remember.” I nodded. “But, signage costs money, and money is the one thing we don’t have.”

  “Maybe your new boyfriend could help us out,” Garret said sarcastically.

  “Don’t call him that,” I snapped.

  “I thought you said lunch went well?”

  “It did,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to jump into bed with him anytime soon.”

  “Well, I would hope not,” Garret said. “Then, he’d really try to buy this place.”

  “I think he learned his lesson about that,” I said. “I made myself clear. I’m not selling, especially not to him and his brother.”

  “Does
n’t mean they’ll stop trying,” Garret said.

  “They will.” I was confident. “There’s no way he’d be that stupid. Like I said, I told him twice already that I’m not interested. He gets it.”

  “And his brother?” Garret asked. “Does he get it?”

  “Samson?” I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t know, but I got the impression that Declan is the decision maker. He’s been in charge since his dad died.”

  “That’s one thing you two have in common,” Garret said slyly.

  “The only thing.”

  Garret looked doubtful, but he didn’t push the issue. Talking about Declan wouldn’t distract us from the problem at hand.

  “The bank,” I said firmly. “I’ll go by there tomorrow and see what I can do.”

  “Okay.” Garret nodded. “Well, good luck.”

  The sun was already starting to set outside, so we locked up the shop and said goodbye. I took my time getting home. Being on the road helped clear my mind and relax me. When I got home, I felt almost normal again. It didn’t last long.

  When I opened my mailbox, I saw a stack of personal bills to add to my ever-growing pile. Since I’d depleted my savings account, I had nothing. The shop was losing money, which meant I couldn’t pay myself. And with all my focus on the shop, I couldn’t exactly find a second job. I was in the middle of a downward spiral, and there was nothing to grab onto.

  “Fuck,” I whispered as I tossed the bills on my coffee table.

  Hazel bounded over to me and licked my fingers. I scratched behind her ears, but my heart wasn’t in it. My stress had returned with a vengeance, and Hazel could tell. She rubbed her head against my hip and stared up at me with her big, brown puppy-dog eyes.

  Normally, that would be enough to put me in a good mood. Just seeing my big, dopey dog was enough to make me forget all my troubles, but now, my troubles were too big to forget. I was standing at the bottom of a mountain, staring up at the top, terrified to start my ascent because falling wasn’t an option. It was an inevitability.

  I spent the rest of the night scouring my house for things to sell. I ransacked my cabinet and climbed into my attic. I tore apart my garage and rummaged through the back of my closet. After four hours, I hadn’t found anything worth selling.

  I’d always prided myself on being frugal. I never bought things I didn’t need. Now, I wished I’d been a little more frivolous. If I’d just splurged on a new iPad or been like other girls and bought the latest Coach purse, then I’d have something to sell. I loved purses, always had, but my favorites were the discount kind from Target. The kind no one would pay for. Even just a few hundred dollars would have meant a world of difference.

  I went to bed that night mentally preparing for my bank visit. I forced myself to have hope. Banks were notorious for being brutal, but I had to try. If I could plead my case well enough…

  My head was spinning so much that I barely slept. My eyes stayed closed, but I drifted in and out of consciousness until the sun rose the next morning. I wanted to curl into a ball and hide under the covers.

  Instead, I pushed myself out of bed and took a deep breath. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but it was time to find out.

  19

  Declan

  “Which seat is mine?” Mila asked.

  I led her down the aisle of the plane and pointed to her seat. She slid into the row and plopped down in the window seat. She peered through the window and bounced up and down, unable to contain her excitement.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “This is awesome!”

  “It would be better if we were in first class,” Samson said under his breath.

  “Drop it,” I warned.

  “Why are we sitting back here?” Samson whined. “I’ve never flown coach in my life.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “It’ll be good for you.”

  “Bullshit,” Samson said. “You’re just trying to instill some stupid life lesson in Mila.”

  “So?” I asked. “I’d like her to be humble, unlike her uncle.”

  “I’m humble.”

  I ignored him and buckled Mila’s seatbelt. Samson was right. I wanted to teach Mila to be humble, to be a good person, to not let money dictate her life the way it had always dictated my father’s.

  Still, as the plane left the ground and we flew toward Florida, I felt guilty. This was Mila’s first vacation, her first time outside of Virginia. I wanted it to be amazing. I wanted her to remember her first trip to Disney World for the rest of her life.

  So, when we landed and went to pick up our rental car, I let her pick it.

  “That one,” she said firmly. She pointed to a bright red convertible.

  “I knew you’d pick that.” I laughed.

  “Is it expensive?” she asked.

  “Yup.” I nodded and asked the man behind the counter to please rent us the bright red convertible.

  Mila grinned and jumped up and down. The three of us piled into the car and headed toward Disney World.

  “What happened to being humble?” Samson asked.

  “Maybe I can teach her to be humble and rich,” I said.

  Samson laughed as I pushed my foot down on the gas. We arrived at the resort, and Mila’s excitement was too great to be contained.

  “Where’s our room?” she asked. “Can we ride the rides today? Where are we going to eat? Can I have that? No, wait, I want that!”

  She ran around like a bat out of hell as Samson and I got the luggage into our room. It was a huge suite, complete with two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a pullout couch, and a mini kitchen. Mila was in heaven.

  “Can we live here?”

  “Our house is bigger,” I said.

  “But this place is cooler!”

  Samson and I took Mila all over the park that day. We let her ride whatever ride she wanted and then held her hand when she got scared. I bought her whatever she wanted. Souvenirs. Candy. Everything.

  For the first time, I stopped worrying about what would happen if I spoiled her. I gave in to her every wish, and the smile on her face was enough to make it worth it.

  “What do you want to do next?” Samson asked her.

  “I want to have dinner with Goofy,” she said. “And Mickey Mouse but mostly just Goofy.”

  “I think we have to schedule that in advance,” I said. “I’ll look into it for tomorrow night, okay?”

  “Okay.” Mila shrugged and ran over to a stand that sold funnel cakes and cotton candy.

  “We should eat real food at some point,” Samson said after Mila’s third funnel cake.

  “Now who’s the boring one?”

  Samson punched my arm, making us both laugh. It had been years since we acted like kids together. I’d been his boss for so long that I’d almost forgotten how to just be his brother. This vacation as exactly what we needed, and from the powdered sugar all over Mila’s face, she needed it to.

  “Uncle Samson is right,” I said. “Let’s find somewhere to eat dinner.”

  Mila nodded. Samson and I each held one of her hands and swung her forward as we walked through the crowds. It was the middle of the school year, so there were fewer people than I expected. I’d never been to Disney World, but I always heard it was a parent’s worst nightmare.

  For me, it was the opposite. I would never say it out loud, but it was my dream come true. Being with Mila, watching her be a little kid … It was everything I wanted.

  “How about this?” Samson asked. He pointed to a restaurant just in front of us.

  “Works for me.”

  We got a table on the patio and ate until we were bursting. Mila groaned and rubbed her stomach, her eyes already starting to drift closed.

  “Full?” I asked, laughing lightly. “Too full for ice cream?”

  “No!”

  Mila perked up immediately. We ordered a huge ice cream sundae to share and finished it in minutes.

  “So,” I said when we were done. “What do you thin
k of Disney World so far?”

  “It’s amazing,” Mila said. She stifled a yawn. “Can we ride more rides tonight?”

  “Probably not.” I shook my head. “The sun’s already setting, and besides, after everything you just ate …”

  “I would totally puke,” Mila said with a confident nod.

  “Totally.”

  We laughed and sat back to enjoy the night. Samson was unusually quiet on his side of the table, but I was too busy playing with Mila to notice. It wasn’t until her eyes really started to get heavy that I glanced over at my bother.

  He was staring at something. I glanced behind me but didn’t see anything.

  “What’s up?” I asked, snapping my fingers in front of his face.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head. “Just zoned out.”

  Mila fell asleep in my lap a few minutes later. She’d been up for almost twenty-four hours, so I wasn’t surprised. I stroked her wild red hair and let my mind drift away. I’d been so busy getting the trip planned and then leaving that Alex had flown out of my head completely. As I sat at the table and watched the sky darken, my thoughts returned to her.

  I didn’t know if I’d see her again. The deal with Tanner Bikes was so unsettled. As much as Samson wanted to issue them a formal offer, I still wasn’t sure. A huge part of my motivation for taking this trip was to avoid having to decide. If it were up to Samson, we would send Alex an offer right that second. I knew that was a mistake. Alex wasn’t ready to think about selling. Not yet.

  After our lunch, Alex had made it clear she wasn’t interested. Even if we didn’t buy the shop, I still wanted to see her again. I couldn’t help it. Despite her guarded nature and her mean streak, I just wanted to be around her.

  Still, I didn’t have high hopes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I never saw Alex Tanner again.

  “Hey,” Samson said, shaking me back to reality. “Check it out.”

  He jerked his head to the left. I followed his gaze and saw two women staring at us with seductive smiles on their faces. They were clearly in their early twenties. One looked barely old enough to drink.

  “I should have known.” I shook my head. “When you were ‘zoned out’ earlier.”