Page 44 of Before We Say Goodbye
Bec slipped her arm into his. She smelled like fresh flowers and looked prettier than he’d ever seen her. “Let’s make it happen.”
“How? Some rich sap is going to swipe this up in the next day or two. We don’t have two hundred dollars to spare, let alone two hundred thousand.”
“Then we need investors.”
He found her eyes, and he saw that she was blinded to any of the obstacles in life right now. “Who could we talk into investing with us?”
The answer appeared like Norman Bates pulling back the shower curtain of Otis’s mind. “Don’t say it, Bec. Don’t say his name.”
She shrugged. “We’ll need a few investors.”
“Including you-know-who.” Had he a wine bottle, he would have smacked himself in the teeth.
Rebecca picked up a stone and placed it back on the wall. “He likes you, Otis. He believes in you.”
“First off, what are you doing repairing the wall? This isn’t ours.”
“It will be.”
“So matter-of-factly. You’re impossible sometimes. One day you want me to quit chasing this wine thing, and today you want us to jump into the deep end. I don’t even know why we’re here.” He threw out his hands. “And Lloyd. When’s the last time you saw him?”
Another shrug. “I bumped into him a few weeks ago. He said he believed in your vision.”
“You told him my vision? You always tell me not to worry about the how, that all we have to do is envision what we want. That’s becauseyouwere worrying about the how, greasing Lloyd up.”
Her eyebrows crinkled. “He’s a good man, Otis. He believes in you, and he told me that if we found a place, he might be able to help.”
“Of course he told you that. He’ll do anything to get in your pants.”
She picked up another stone and wedged it into a crack. “Don’t insult me. Everyone knows that you have a future in this business.”
“Don’t try to butter me up. My dream doesnotinclude Lloyd Bramhall, and I don’t appreciate you working behind the scenes.”
Something he’d said caused her to back away. “You know what? If you don’t need me, go do this on your own. Buy it or don’t.” She turned and began to walk back down the path that led to the truck.
“Oh, c’mon. Where are you going?” He raced after her. “You know how I feel about Lloyd. It’s impossible to not feel defensive when you bring up his name.”
Bec snapped back toward him. “It’s about trust, Otis. If we don’t have that, then what are we doing here? How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in him?”
“Every ... day? Multiple times a day. Jesus, Bec, look at him.”
She drew in a long breath. “You exhaust me.”
“I exhaust myself. Remember,yousaid yes when I proposed to you, and you said, ‘I do.’ No one was holding a gun to your head.”
She shot arrows out of her eyes. “Is that how you want to end this conversation?”
“I’m sorry, okay?”
She shook her head.
“Lo siento.”
“Ah, we resort to Spanish when we have trouble expressing ourselves?”
“Si, señorita. Te quiero.” He opened his arms, seeing a path toward forgiveness. “Lo siento, mi amor.”
Finally letting him hug her, she said, “I’ll let you off the hook this time, but I’m tired, Otis. Take some deep breaths. Quit trying to take over the world by tomorrow. For God’s sake, have a little faith in me ... and in yourself.”
