Page 23 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
“I didn’t know you painted.”
“I don’t. I was never any good at it. I think she was, though.” I dropped the letter to the counter. “I don’t know what to do with this. Does she really expect me to hop on a plane and fly out to Rhode Island?”
“Could be fun,” Julianna said. “I hear New England is beautiful this time of year. You never take any time off—you must have a ton of vacation days stored up. You’re way overdue for a trip, and you said you miss the ocean.”
“But how awkward will it be to show up at my grandmother’s door after, what’s it been… almost twenty years?”
“So bring a little gift basket or something, flowers, local delicacies, some of your world-famous cookies.”
“I’d hardly call them world-famous,” I said.
“Well, Minnesota-famous at least. You sell out every day during the state fair. Theycouldbe world famous if you’d expand your business past a few grocery stores and a booth at the fair. I bet you could make a living at it. Then you could leave that bookkeeping job you hate at your stepdad’s company.”
“I can’t leave. David counts on me. Plus starting a business takes a lot of money—which I don’t have.”
Another obstacle occurred to me. “What am I thinking? I can’t even go on vacation. Who’ll do the bookkeeping while I’m gone?”
“They can get by for a week or two without you,” Julianna said. “If they’re really stuck, I can help out. I’m working the dinner shift at the Hot Dish for the foreseeable future—I could stop by Mixitall during the day. It might be nice to actually put my accounting degree to work for something other than balancing my checkbook.”
“And as far as money to start a business, do what everyone else does—get a loan,” she said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.
“I can’t. I have too much student loan debt still.”
“You never know. Have you even tried?”
“No.” I went to the sink and started washing out the coffee cups accumulated there. “Even if I could, It’s too much risk. What if the business expansion flopped? Then I’d be in even more debt and have no job.”
Julianna picked up a dish towel and started drying the newly cleaned cup I handed her. “Well maybe old Grandma is loaded. You could be like, secretly a Kardashian or something.”
“I seriously doubt it. Anyway, that’s not why I’m going. I don’t wantanythingfrom her,” I said.
She stopped drying. “You’ve decided to go?”
“Yes. Maybe? I don’t know. She sounded like it was really important to come soon.”
“You should,” Julianna said. “It’ll be good for you—maybe she could tell you stuff about your dad, about what he was like before all the… you know. She’s his mom after all. And she’s your blood relative, too. You don’t have many of those.”
Turning my back to the sink, I leaned on it and dropped my head back to look at the ceiling. “That’s true. But what if it’s awful?’
“What if it’s not?”
“What if itis?” I couldn’t understand Julianna’s optimistic expression. “If my mom wasn’t good enough for the Hood family, how could I be?”
“If it’s awful, then have some tea and crumpets with the old bag and get the hell out of there,” she said. “Go see something new, do some things you’ve never done. You’re always saying your life is boring. You could explore New England, tour the Eastport Bay mansions.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “And meet another condom salesman.”
My face hot, I turned back to the sink in search of something else to keep my hands busy. “I never should have told you that story. And he wasn’t a condom salesman. He was a promotional products salesman who just happened to have condoms in his product line.”
“And a very impressive ‘floor model’ to demonstrate them with,” she reminded me—as if I needed a reminder.
My blush grew hotter. “I definitelynever should have told you aboutthat.Believe me, the last thing I want is to have a fling with another player. I’m lucky I made it out of that bad decision in one piece—Iwon’tbe repeating it.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
TOO MUCH TROUBLE
Gray
