Page 67 of Drive Me Wild
“You know it?”
“I do. Buy all my books from her.”
I sigh, releasing the knot in my gut. This has to be a good sign.
“Then you probably are aware she wants to sell the business and the building it is housed in. And I want to buy it.”
“Do you have experience running a bookstore?”
“No. But I built an online business from the ground up.”
I open the binder and turn it toward her, pointing to the relevant page. The more I talk about my current business, how it relates to the bookstore, and what my plans are, the more confidence blooms in my chest.
Brenda nods, asks loads of questions, and looks over the numbers before finally folding her hands over the top of the pages. I take it she is done listening, and my heart thunders like a late summer storm.
“This is a very impressive proposal, Zoe. But I’m afraid with your lack of credit history, small down payment, and inexperience running a business of this scope, we won’t be able to extend an offer to you today.”
My cheeks are burning. All that work and the door just shut in my face.
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
“Build your credit and bring a more substantial down payment, and then we can talk. But as it stands, no bank or credit union is going to offer you enough to cover what Mabel is asking. Maybe she’d be willing to sell you just the business, which should be a much smaller loan request.”
I gather my binder and shake her hand while holding my breath to hold back the tears.
“Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you, Zoe. And if you want to start building your credit starting today, you can open an account and apply for a low-limit credit card with us.”
“I appreciate that, but I want to come back another day to do that. I have to go.”
I speed-walk out of the bank, nodding to the blond woman as I pass her.
By some miracle, I keep the tears at bay until I’m in my car. As I fumble with my seat belt, a sob erupts from my body, which starts an avalanche of tears, wails, and shaking.
I don’t think I knew how badly I wanted this until now. Maybe I’d been keeping this dream at a distance out of fear, just like Renée said.
I want to see Caleb. I want to curl up in his arms until my tears are dried and I can think straight. Because right now, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Caleb
This morning started out so good. Even though I didn’t stay the night with Zoe, memories of her sweet kisses lulled me to sleep. And this morning, I got a call from a tour company asking me to start servicing their vans on contract.
Not only is my business growing, but my life is looking rosy. Or at least it was until Laura showed up in my shop.
She was dressed in a tight skirt and see-through top without a jacket, and I thought the teenager was going to lose his eyesight he was bugging out so badly.
It didn’t take long for her to start in on me. First, she tried flattery, then she tried guilt, and then back to flattery before she looked like she was going to pitch a fit. Honestly, I don’t know where she gets the nerve.
She knew the score—no strings, no attachments.
Apparently, my decision to change the rules with another woman when I see fit doesn’t sit well with her.
Too bad, but at least I got her to leave.
Almost.
She’s upstairs using the toilet before she drives back to Port Stratton, and I can’t wait until she’s gone for good. Honestly, the way she’s been acting all morning made me wonder why I found her attractive in the first place.
