Page 173 of Beautifully Damaged Boxset

“What’s on your mind?” Chance settled into one of the chairs, and I sank into the other.

“I miss the club.” A weight lifted off my chest as I spoke the words.

“And?” Jace took another drink, then rested his tumbler on his jeaned thigh.

“If … if things don’t turn out how I hope they will.” I swallowed hard. “I have to figure out how to pick myself up and rebuild my life.”

“Dude, that’s some dark shit. I thought you didn’t want to talk about anything fucked up?” Jace’s brows knitted together.

“I’m simply telling you where I’m coming from. I need to rebuild 4 Play.” My hold on the glass tightened. “I have to plan ahead, or I’m going to go insane.”

“Did you ever call the realtor about the property in Sandpoint?” Jace took another drink, tilted his head back, then cracked his neck.

“No. It slipped my mind with all the shit going down.” I rubbed my chin. “Being on the water made me think, though. What if I built the club on the Spokane River? There’s several pieces of property for sale.”

“Too bad you can’t build over the river.” Chance crossed his legs. “Imagine what that would be like if you were dancing on a glass floor.”

“I like that idea, but I don’t think it would be a pleasant experience if people were drunk. Which, most of the time they are. Holden would be cleaning up chunks all night long.” Jace flinched at the disgusting idea.

“Gross.” I raised the glass to my lips and sipped the scotch. I took a moment to taste the alcohol as it rolled over my tongue and down my throat. The first few drinks, I hadn’t given a shit what it tasted like. I just wanted to numb some of the unbearable pain. It was the only time-out that was available. I grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t be cleaning it up, but Chance would if we were low on staff that night.”

“Not happening. I make the bartenders do it on slow nights.” Chance grinned as if he was really proud of himself.

“I think near the water would be pretty amazing. You could offer a closed-in balcony with an open roof for people to get some air. The last thing you want is someone wandering down to the river and falling in,” Jace suggested.

I frowned. “Dammit. Maybe that location isn’t the best idea. It sounds like more of a liability. One death and I’d be sued for every penny I have.”

“Fuck that.” Chance pressed the rim of the glass against his lips, then took a drink.

“Where’s the prime area? Where do businesses boom?” Jace asked.

“Where I was at or on the river.” My leg bounced as I pondered different options.

“Are you going to rebuild the Master’s Playroom?” Chance asked.

“Oh yeah. And with the clientele that we currently have, I’ll expand the lower floor too. I’m thinking we could easily add and book ten additional rooms.”

Jace rubbed his fingertips together. “Major money.”

“It will be a nice bump.” I rolled my head, the stress easing from my neck and shoulders.

“So, you’ve decided to rebuild 4 Play. The only question is where? I’d pick out three places and list the pros and cons. It should be an easy choice after that,” Chance suggested.

“That’s a great idea.” Unwilling to drop the subject yet, I grabbed a notepad and pen from the end table next to me. “Okay, so I can build where we were before the fire, on the river, or …” I tapped the pen against the arm of the chair. “The water won’t work. We’ve ruled that out. I guess I have some research to do.”

“That should keep you busy. Plus, what if there’s an existing building for sale? You can do a full reno. That would be cheaper than building from the ground up.” I must have made a face because Jace followed up with, “I mean, don’t immediately dismiss the idea.” He stared at me. “Decisions made out of desperation never end well.”

He was right. “I won’t decide anything yet. I need something else to think about.” I shifted in my chair. “What I want to do is go under hypnosis again.”

“That has disaster written all over it.” Jace shook his head. “Why now? I mean, Brynn almost left us, and you’ve been drinking.”

“Exactly. I’m fucking exhausted and my barriers are down. I’m finally a bit numb. My thoughts aren’t tapping on my skull every fucking second of the day.”

“I get that. I do.” Jace stood from the couch and topped off his drink. “It’s already risky with your guard up. I’m almost afraid of what you’d see while you’re like this.”

We stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

Chance rose from his chair, pinning me with an intense gaze. His forehead creased. “I don’t like it, but you’ll do it with or without my approval.” He placed his hands on his hips. “I know we need to find River, so I’ll see if we have access to enough ice.”

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