by B. B. Hamel
“Cut it out,” Shaun says. “We’re not here to bicker.”
“You guys can bicker all you want so long as you write me checks,” I say, and they all laugh.
“Look, Lora,” Jacob says. “Brent’s right. That was one hell of a presentation. I’ve been to a lot of them in my line of work, and I have to say, that was really well done. I’d be proud to have that go in front of any board of any company I know.”
“That means a lot,” I say, feeling a surge of pride.
“But,” he says.
Shaun groans. “Of course there’s a but.”
“Am I not supposed to have reservations?” Jacob asks.
“You’re filthy rich. Give your sister some money, asshole.”
“I’m with Jacob here,” Delia says. “You know I love you, Lora, but this is a big deal. It’s a lot of money on the line.”
“I know,” I say, nodding. “Jacob’s right, Shaun. He can have reservations. I don’t want you guys throwing money at me just because we’re related.”
“I just want to know that this isn’t a passing thing,” Jacob says. “I think you can make this work, but it’s going to be really hard.”
“I know,” I say.
“You’ve been drifting a little, sweetie,” Delia says. “We’ve all seen it. And we love you. I agree with Jacob, I just want to make sure this isn’t something you’ll get bored with. Or worse, you’ll stick around for just because you feel like you owe us. I want you to be happy above anything else.”
“I appreciate that,” I say, nodding, and take a deep breath. “Look, you guys aren’t wrong. I’ve been spending time here at the manor basically spinning my wheels, you know? I haven’t figured out what I want to do with myself and it’s been…” I take another breath. “It’s been hard,” I admit.
“I know,” Delia says softly. “We’ve all been watching you struggle. And the worst thing is you’re the smartest one.”
I laugh. “Obviously.”
“I take exception to that,” Jacob grumbles.
“Of course you do, idiot,” Shaun says with a grin.
“It’s not a passing thing,” I say. “I think this is what I really want to do. At least for a while, until it’s all set up and chugging along, then I can delegate the daily stuff. But for right now… I think this is a good thing. I think it’ll help this community, and maybe that’s what I really want to do, you know? I want to help Loftville.”
“Like our parents have?” Jacob asks.
“No, not like them,” I say. “I want to do it better.”
Shaun smiles at me and Delia laughs. “Well, I’m on board then,” she says.
“Really?” I ask.
“Really. I’ll match Brent and Shaun. God, I’ve just been sitting on all this money anyway, might as well do something with it, right?”
“Sure,” I say. “Exactly. Give it all to me.”
She laughs and grins. “Okay, Jacob, your turn.”
He sighs. “I’m in. Of course I’m in, Lora. You’re the smart one after all.”
“Thanks, guys,” I say. “Seriously. I was so nervous for this call.”
“You did great,” Shaun says.
“Okay, I’m off.” Delia blows me a kiss and disappears.
“And I’m out too. I’ll send the money on over soon. I’m pulling for you, Lora.” Jacob disappears next, leaning me alone with Shaun.
“Seriously, you did great,” he says, grinning at me. “I’m really proud of you.”
“Dean helped me,” I admit.
“Yeah? The Ashman guy?”
“Yep. Couldn’t have done this without him, actually.”
“He’s a good business partner to have then.” He gives me a look. “Just a business partner, right?”
“Of course.”
“Sure.” He sighs. “So listen, I’ve been thinking. I want to give you more.”
“You don’t have to,” I say.
“I know, but Uncle Ron won’t sell for what we’ve accumulated between us. I mean, $1.3 million is good, but $1.6 million is better.”
I stare at him. “You’re going to add another $300,000?”
“Yep,” he says. “Half a mil in total.”
“Shaun.”
“Look, don’t argue, okay? I’ve been doing really well out here. I don’t even need to touch my trust at all. I can throw half a million into the fucking trash and never even notice. So just take it and be happy.”
“Thank you so much,” I say, biting back tears.
“Love you, kid,” he says. “Now I’m out. Good luck.”
He disappears from my screen and I’m left alone.
Which is when the tears finally do come.
I feel stupid, crying like this. But it feels so good to hear all that support from my siblings. I never knew they thought of me like that. I always figured I was just the youngest one, the girl they barely even noticed, just the fifth and last of the Lofthouse children.
But they think I’m smart and capable. They believe in me enough to give me large sums of money.
They trust me enough to invest in me.
It feels good. I can’t pretend otherwise. I want them to trust me, and I want to earn that trust.
12
Dean
I show up to work early the next morning, intent on catching up on all the work I missed when I skipped out to work on Lora’s presentation.
As I sit down at my desk, I get two pieces of news almost at the same time.
The first is a text from Lora.
Lora: We’re on.
Me: Seriously?
Lora: I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I’ve been freaking out.
Me: This is a good thing! Congrats, Lora. You deserve it.
Lora: I’m buying a warehouse. I’m starting a business!!!!
Me: It’s super easy, don’t worry.
As I put my phone down, smiling to myself, I notice a piece of paper on my desk.
It’s a bill. For the full price of the truck. Not the dealer price, but the full fucking price. I pick it up and walk out of my office. I head down the hall and find my father on the phone behind his desk. He looks up and holds up a finger, nodding his head, listening.
I walk over and hang up the phone.
He frowns at me. “That was rude,” he says. “I was getting some test results back from my doctor.”
I hesitate. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just kidding, that was some customer complaining about his car.” Dad grins at me. “Guess we lost that sale.”
“Goddamn it, Dad,” I say, and shove the bill at him. “What’s this?”
“Uh, looks like a bill for that obscenely expensive truck you bought.”
“It’s for the sticker price,” I say. “Nobody buys that truck for this.”
“You did,” Dad says with a shrug.
“Like hell. I bought it for dealer cost. That was my understanding, at least.”
“Your… understanding?” He raises an eyebrow. “And who did you have this understanding with?”
“Myself,” I say, clenching my jaw. “Is there a reason you’re being a dick?”
He shrugs. “I think you know.”
“I don’t. How about you spell it out.”
“You’ve been seeing that girl.”
I stare at him for a long moment. “This is because of Lora?”
“Lora Lofthouse.” He frowns at me. “I told you she was trouble. And now you’re seeing a taste of it.”
“I’m seeing… Dad, you’re doing this, not Lora. She’s not the problem here.”
“You bought that truck to impress her. Don’t even try to deny it.” I glare at him, but I don’t argue. He’s right about that. I bought it to impress her, but also so I wouldn’t be in her debt. “Now you’re paying the full price.”
“You’re insane,” I say. “I don’t even understand why you hate that family so much. They’ve employed a huge chunk of this town for decades. The whole reason Loftville
even exists is because of them.”
“And it also suffers because of them. You like that family because you like that girl, and I can’t blame you, she’s pretty.”
“You think I’m seeing Lora just because she’s pretty?” I stare at him. “You’re insane.”
“And you’re an idiot. Wake up, son. You’re not in her league. You’ll never be in her league. She’ll bleed you dry and when she’s done, you’ll come stumbling back to me.”
“That’s just insane,” I say. “I’m not interested in asking you for help. I don’t need help.”
“That’s interesting, and yet I pay your salary. You have a job because of me. You have a future because of me.”
“Does that mean I owe you allegiance? That I have to only be friends with a list of approved people?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “But it does mean that you should value my opinion.”
“I do. I’ve listened. I just don’t agree.”
He shrugs. “Not good enough.”
“You know what? Fine.” I grab the bill off his desk. “I’ll pay this.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He grins at me. “It’ll be a great sale for me. I haven’t had many in the last few years. Been too busy letting you guys do all the work for me.”
“I’m not going to be here forever, Dad,” I say. “I hope you can come to grips with that.”
He doesn’t respond as I leave his office.
Fucking asshole. I’m seething the whole way back to my desk. There’s absolutely no reason for him to make me pay the sticker price on that truck. The dealership doesn’t need it. We’re not losing a dime in this sale. Anyone else at the dealership would get that car for dealer cost.
But not me. All because my father hates the Lofthouse family so much, he’d punish me with this shit.
I sit down at my desk and check my phone. I have two messages, one from Lora, and another from the construction manager at the car wash.
I open Lora’s first.
Lora: Just so you know, I couldn’t have done it without you. Everyone was impressed by my little business plan.
Me: You earned that, I just helped put your vision into words.
And then I opened the message from my construction manager.
Bill: Got the green light, construction going ahead today. Just so you know. Guys are showing up now.
Me: Fantastic! Mind if I stop by to take a look?
Bill: Sure thing, boss.
I put my phone down and take a deep breath. At least there’s one piece of good news. I know the car wash is only a thing because of my father, but I have plans for it now. I’m going to buy him out of his investment and own it outright as soon as humanly possible.
I get up and grab my jacket before heading outside. Fuck my father and fuck this place. As I get into my truck, I text Lora.
Me: They started construction on the car wash today. So thank you for helping me with that. I guess we’re even now.
Lora: Nope, not even. You still owe me. Forever.
Me: Okay, okay. I guess that’s not so bad. I’m heading over there now to take a look at it.
Lora: Mind if I stop by?
Me: Sure, if you want. Nothing special though.
Lora: I’ve never seen a car wash being built before.
Me: You’re in for a treat then. It’s amazing.
Lora: Wait, really?
Me: Nope.
I smile to myself, start my truck, and go for a drive. I get to the job site about twenty minutes later, park my truck on the street, and head through the fence. Sure enough, the construction crew’s there and working hard. They don’t even notice me as I lean against a pallet of wooden boards, watching them work.
I can see what this place will look like in the future. Big neon sign, lots of bright colors. I know it’s just a car wash, but I want people to feel comfortable bringing their cars through here. No bullshit, no sales tactics, just a quick wash for a good price.
That’s my goal anyway. I think I’ll call the place Quick Wash. Or maybe Car Through.
Okay, I have to work on that still, but there’s plenty of time.
As I stand there watching, I spot Lora moving around the fence. I wave at her and she grins. She slips through and comes over to me, wearing dark jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a light black jacket. She walks up and gives me a huge hug.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” She pulls back, grinning huge. “We did it.”
“We did,” I say, nodding. “What did we do?”
“You got construction started here. And I convinced my siblings to give me a ton of money.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I frown. “Your success is a little bit bigger than mine.”
“But also incomplete. Still have to convince Uncle Ron to actually sell the place.”
“You’ll need to come up with a contract, you know.”
She frowns at me. “Oh, shit, you’re right.”
“God, you’re clueless.”
“See, this is what I need you for.” She laughs and I have to admit, she really is beautiful. “For me, this is just a wish and a prayer.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure your family has a lawyer you can use. He’ll draw up papers and you can use those to make an offer to your uncle.”
“Then what?”
“Well, if he agrees, you get him to sign. And then you pay him, and he hands over the deed… and, well, the lawyers take it from there, really.”
I let out a breath. “Okay. Okay, cool. So we’re close.”
“You’re close.” I look over at the crew moving over the building. “I got my hands full here.”
“Come on, you’re not going to let me do this alone, are you?”
I frown at her. “I’m starting to get the sense that you only want me around for my great business sense.”
She laughs. “Not at all. I mean, if you want out, that’s fine by me. I’ll just struggle.”
“Good. A little struggle might be good for you, rich girl.”
She rolls her eyes but grins at me. “You know, you can’t keep playing up the poor boy thing. Soon this place is going to kill it and you’ll have more money than me.”
I snort. “That’ll never happen in my lifetime, no matter what I do.”
“Okay, that’s true, but it’s not your fault. I was just born with all this money.”
“Lucky you then. Maybe you should donate it all to some great cause and live like the rest of us do.”
She looks horrified. “Like… like a poor person?”
“An icky poor person.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Never.”
“Of course not. Stubborn rich lady.” I grin at her and turn away… only to spot my father standing across the lot, talking to the foreman. “Oh, shit.”
“What’s wrong?” she asks. “I don’t actually hate poor people, you know. You’re not even poor. Shit, I need to stop saying the word ‘poor’ right now.”
“No, it’s my dad.”
“Oh, really? Let’s go over and say hi.”
“Uh, that’s a terrible idea.”
“Why?”
“Because he hates you.” I look at her and she seems genuinely surprised.
“Really?”
“Really. Hates you and your whole family.”
“What… why?”
“I don’t really know,” I admit. “He thinks you guys do more harm than good, maybe. I don’t know. Every time I ask, he gives me some vague bullshit answer.” I frown at her, and for a second, I want to run to my truck.
But fuck that. I’m tired of running from my father. He’s a damn bully, and if I want to spend time with Lora, I’m going to. It’s time to stop taking shit from him.
I look away and spot him walking over. He has a big smile plastered on his face, the sort of smile he saves for very, very annoying customers. And really, any customer that makes it all the way up to an audience with my father is going to be incredibly annoying.
“Dad.”
“And who is this?”
I give him a look. “Dad, you know Lora.”
“Oh, this is the famous Lora Lofthouse.”
“Hello, Mr. Ashman,” she says.
“How are you, Lora?” he asks.
“Just fine. And yourself?”
“I’m great. Your family doing well? Oh, I guess they’re always doing well, aren’t they?” He laughs but it’s empty.
She smiles at him. “Yes, they’re doing great. It pays to be rich.”
He laughs again, this time with an edge, and looks at me. “What are you doing here?”
“Got a text from Bill about the site being up again. Came to check it out and Lora came to take a look as well.”
“Oh, right. Since she helped this whole thing happen. This is all thanks to you, isn’t it?” He gives her a look.
“This is where you thank her,” I say.
“Dean,” Lora interjects. “That’s not necessary.”
“No, he should,” I push. “You made this happen. It’d still be stalled if it weren’t for you, Lora.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s true,” Dad says and he looks at me. “Considering I gave it to you.”
I smile at him. “And here we are, building again.”
“All thanks to the Lofthouse family. Of course.” Dad practically sneers at Lora. “Son, you should’ve stayed at the office. But truth be told, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Are you?” I tilt my head.
“While I appreciate you getting this up and running again, I don’t think I’ll need your input here after all,” he says.
I stare at him for a long moment. “Excuse me?”
“It’s just, you don’t need the extra work, do you? You have this girl to deal with right now, and I know how the Lofthouse family can be so demanding.” He smiles at us. “Why don’t you run on back to the office? You’re going to need a paycheck now more than ever. Don’t want to get on the boss’s bad side.”
I stare at him for a long moment. I can’t believe what he’s saying.
The motherfucker.
“You’re taking this from me,” I say.