Page 54 of So Close

“And then I came along.”

A funny expression came over Trey’s face then. “Yes. And then you came along.”

“And ruined everything.”

“That’s not—that’s not what I was going to say.”

His eyes were warm on her face, and if she hadn’t been so confused, she would have stepped toward him. Let herself be pulled into the tenderness of his gaze.

But shewasconfused.

“If you don’t get the money—?”

He sighed. “A hundred and fifty people lose their jobs. I lose my business and—well, most of the money in it.”

She thought of what he’d built, and from what. A lemonade stand, a pet-sitting business. Lawnmowing, landscaping, house flipping, real estate development, his own app … bit by bit, one thing building on the next, each increment taking him further from theshitholeof his childhood. Leaving behind his father’s world.

She thought about what he’d said about his dad.And he flailed—broke shit, ruined shit. Couldn’t hold a job. Then he’d get into these risky schemes to try to make the money he couldn’t make nine-to-five.

And then she thought about Beachcrest and her mind stalled out.

“If I get Beachcrest … you lose everything.”

He opened his eyes. They were clear and bright. “No. Notnecessarily.”

“But I don’t—how—”

And then she got it.

“You could sell it to me.”

“I could sell it to you,” he affirmed. “But—”

She was there, a beat ahead of him. “But only if I have the money.”

He heaved a sigh. “Yes.”

“Which I don’t. Trey?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because you won. By the book. You made me fall for Beachcrest. And because—” He hesitated. “Because it didn’t feel right anymore. After what happened between us on the beach. And after what you told me about Patrick and how he’d controlled you. I had to give you a fair shot.”

“But that’s all it is. A fair shot. If I can’t get the money, you’ll sell to …?”

“If you can’t get the money, I have to sell to someone else.” His eyes met hers, and she thought the worry there was as much for her, and what she stood to lose, as for himself. “I’ve called in every favor I have coming to me already. If I thought I could squeeze another ten thousand out of anyone I knew, believe me, I’d do it.”

“I believe you,” she said quietly. “How much time do we have?”

“Monday. I’ve done the math a hundred ways, and—well, Tuesday, if the Dow doesn’t lose more than a hundred points.”

She didn’t let her shock and horror show; he didn’t need her to pile onto the shame and fear he was already feeling. “Okay. Let me think. There’s still one more lender who has to get back to me. And Chiara set up a Bootstrapper page for me. But when I checked this morning, there were only a thousand dollars in pledges. That’s hardly going to save our asses.”

“I have a friend who’s gotten some good startups off the ground with cloud-sourced money. I can have him look at what you’ve got on the page, tweak it a bit, advise you about advertising. That’s a favor I can still call in.”

She nodded.

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