Page 108 of The Love Penalty

I shrug. “Just on a cleaning frenzy.”

“Uh-oh.” She tips her head with a frown. “What’s up? Or is that like the stupidest question ever right now? I know you’re going through a really hard time. I’m sorry.”

I wince and grip the back of my neck. “You gonna hate me if you lose your apartment?”

“Of course not.” She gives me a light kiss on the cheek and moves around me. “We have to do what’s right for Lani.”

I nod, sliding onto the stool to watch her. She secures Casey’s joke Christmas present around her waist, and I grin at the apron with the large pecs, washboard abs, and huge penis on the front of it. I can’t believe she actually wears it, but I think she’s out to prove a point. Casey can’t go giving her a prank Christmas gift. She will walk around with that cartoon penis on her front all damn day if she has to.

Fighting a smile, I look away from the dangling manhood and shake my head. “What if Harvey didn’t do it and this is all for nothing?”

She spins with a sigh. “What if he did?”

“Then I’d lose it all for her.”

Rachel’s face softens with a smile. “It’s a big ask, isn’t it?”

“I don’t even know how it would all work.” I flick my hands up. “I mean, sure, we’d probably get kicked out of Hockey House, and you and Mick would get the boot, too, but does that mean I’m disowning my whole family? Will I get shunned from Christmas and New Year’s events? Will my parents cut off Hayes and Carla for treating me this way? Or am I the one on the chopping block?” I tap my chest. “Will they believe me or Harvey? Will they let Lani into their lives? Because they’ll have to if they expect me to join the family business!” I’m getting all worked up and agitated. The stool wobbles as I jump off it so I can pace the floor.

Rachel calmly watches me, her eyes darting to the mixing bowl she’s measuring flour into before coming back to rest on my face.

“Ash, can I ask you something?”

I give her a stiff nod and cross my arms.

“Do you even want to work for your family business?”

The air puffs out of me as I dip my head, then slowly shake it. “I don’t fucking know. It’s not like they’ve ever given me a choice. I’ve been raised with the expectation that I’ll graduate from college and move back to New York. They’ll find a place for me at the company, and I’ll lump it.”

“Okay.” She scoops some sugar and dumps it into the mixing bowl. “So, is the world going to fall apart if you don’t do that?”

A shocked laugh punches out of me. “I’m pretty sure theirs will, and what the hell else am I gonna do?”

“Well, what do you like doing?” She sucks the end of her finger, then grabs a wooden spoon out of the utensil holder. “Have you ever let yourself think about your dream job?”

Scratching my head, I wander back to the counter and sit opposite her. “Have you?”

“Yes!” Her eyes light up. “I want to open a bakery and fill it with delicious food and hot coffee and all things warm and inviting. It’ll be like a café where people can grab a quick bite or the place you stop at on your way to work. It’ll have traditional bakery food like donuts and cinnamon rolls, but all of them will have a little Rachel flair thrown in.” She grins, then spreads her hands across the air. “Sunshine and Cupcakes! Fill your heart with warmth and your belly with goodness.”

I let out a soft laugh, loving her enthusiasm.

Her nose wrinkles. “I think the tagline needs some work, but you know what I’m going for, right?”

“Totally.”

She sucks in a breath and nods a few times, turning her attention back to her baking. “I have no idea how it’s going to happen yet, but it will. Somehow.” She bites her bottom lip, then gives me a nervous wince. “To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin. I mean, I’ve got the vision and the recipes, but… how do I turn that into a reality?”

“Well… you could get yourself a business partner, or a coach. Someone who understands how to get a business off the ground and can help you with marketing and strategizing. They can map out a plan for you and help you formulate the practical steps you need to take.” I think of Desiree, my mom’s best friend from high school. She was actually my first time, and the only people who know that are Ethan, Liam, and Casey. They hassled me for hanging out in Cougar Town, but it was just one time, and it was perfect. She was perfect.

I always admired her and what she did. Getting alongside people, helping them to get their businesses off the ground with practical help. It’s kind of similar to what Bensens & Co is about, although there’s no tearing down, only building up. And it’s on a much smaller, more personal scale.

As her coaching business grew, she was also able to invest and offer financial support to the people she believed in most, and now she’s a freaking money queen.

That’d be cool, doing what Desiree does. Shit, she’d probably be willing to coach me if I gave her a call.

All I’d need to do is find myself some clients and?—

I glance up, my lips parting as the idea zings through my head. Is it completely stupid?

---