Page 16 of The Bourbon Bet
Paige looks at her watch. “I’ve got an hour until I need to get back to prep for tomorrow’s baking, and you, surprisingly, don’t have any customers. Spill. What happened?”
I hesitate, but next to the Hayek sisters, Paige is my closest friend. I tell her about her lease issue and then Thorne’s deal. By the time I finish, her eyes are as big as serving plates. “No joke?” she asks.
Nodding, I pull Thorne’s card from a drawer and hand it to her. “No kidding.”
“Wow. I’ve heard about those two, but damn…” She flips the card over. “So Sebastian shows up, invites you to coffee, then his lawyer—”
“A Blackstone lawyer,” I correct.
She rolls her eyes. “Isn’t he a Blackstone? And he asks you out right before the lawyer calls… The timing is suspicious, don’t you think? It could be a red herring to make you think he’s not involved with the eviction.”
“Maybe, but even if that’s true, it goes against who I am to do something that could harm him or his career. Plus, I can’t see what Sebastian would get out of all this.”
She shrugs. “ I heard they compete over everything, from work to women. The rumor is that Sebastian’s marriage ended because of some rivalry between him and his brother.”
I absorb this information, letting the weight of it settle alongside everything else. Marriage destroyed by family rivalry makes me wonder about Thorne’s offer. But dwelling on their mess won’t save my store.
“I’ve thought about getting a second job,” I admit. “But who would run the store while I’m gone? And would I make enough money fast enough to secure a new lease somewhere else? This feels like a waking nightmare. But then I imagine the looks on the kids’ faces when they come for story time and find the doors locked, and I realize the real nightmare would be letting them down. Everyone who comes through these doors isn’t just a customer, they’re my community. My family. How can I walk away from that?”
Paige taps Thorne’s card on the table. “You should do it.”
I frown. “Do what?”
“Accept Thorne’s deal to keep leasing this place.”
My mouth falls open. “Huh?”
The bell on the door rings, drawing my attention from our conversation. A woman in her early forties approaches, her gaze bouncing from me to Paige. “Hi, um, are you the owner of this place? Ms. Manchester?”
“I am. Please, call me Rosalia.”
The woman nods. Her gaze skitters to Paige, then to her feet. “I’ll just…” Paige gestures toward the shelves and drifts away, giving us privacy.
Once she wanders away, the woman says, “We haven’t met because my boyfriend usually brings our daughter. I wanted to thank you for the incredible reading group you've created for kids. Lily used to struggle with reading, but since starting with you, she loves it. Especially since you let her read comic books.”
My heart swells. “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m so glad Lily is enjoying the graphic novels and coming here.”
The woman glances at Paige, who seems engrossed in a book she plucked from a nearby shelf. Lowering her voice, the woman continues, “I want to encourage my daughter’s love for reading, and I think the best way to do that is by modeling it myself. Do you have anything similar for adults?”
A pang of regret spreads through me. “I do have one, but I’m afraid there’s a waiting list at the moment. I’m actively seeking more volunteers and funding to expand the program and accommodate more participants.”
The woman’s shoulders sag a bit, but she nods. “I see. Well, if anything changes, please keep me in mind.”
I long for a magic wand that could conjure the resources to help every person who walks through my doors. Lily’s mother leaves, and Paige makes her way backto the counter. “It breaks my heart to turn people away,” I tell her. “I wish I had the means to expand our programs and eliminate the waiting list so no one would ever have to leave here without the support they need.”
“And that’s why you should agree to Thorne’s deal. You’ll be able to keep the store and this location.” She picks up the discarded card and taps it on the counter. “Consider your deal with Thorne a backup plan. He said you can keep looking for another place. There are also grants and Small Business Development Center assistance. Or maybe a partnership with a complementary business. Or hell, crowdfunding. Meanwhile, you’ve already told Sebastian that you’ll go out on a date with him, so go and enjoy yourself. You might have a horrible time—”
“Doubtful. I always enjoy his company when he comes here.”
“Yes, but this will be outside of your book bubble. He might be a dud. Arrogant like his brother. Or he’s a terrible boss and they might actually be better off with Thorne in charge.” She raises her hands as if weighing all the options. “There are so many factors, and he didn’t say it’s all or nothing. Accept, but keep looking.”
I stopped pacing. “You make this all sound so simple.”
Paige squeezes my hand, her eyes full of understanding. “I know it’s not simple. I can’t give great advice on love, because I suck at it,” she laughs. “But business, that I understand. The first few years of my bakery were touch-and-go. And I did what I had to in order to make my dreams happen.”
“That sounds like a story.”
She shrugs. “For another day. Today is yours. Our community needs your programs. And honestly, some of this is me being selfish. I don’t want you to move to another location. Or, if you have to, not outside of Louisville.”
