Stirring Up Dirty

by Kacey Hammell

  “I handle all the business stuff, honey. This will be taken care of. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Oh for Christ’s sake, Eric, we’re maybe a month away from foreclosure. There’s very little for you to do unless you have the thousands we owe,” Drew snarled. “You should have come to us. We still have ownership here.”

  “I know you do. But I didn’t want either of you distracted from your careers. And I promised I would take care of it.” Eric hated the shame and embarrassment coursing through him.

  He was the leader of this family, the caregiver, and supposed to be the strong one. Yet here he was, nearly dying with shame, praying the two most important people in his world would understand his need to handle it.

  Melissa stepped closer to him. “You have to stop treating me like a child. I can help you with some money I have in savings and I am signing with Candy’s company.”

  “The hell you are.”

  “Now isn’t the time to get into that argument. Not now,” Drew cut in. “We have to find a solution before it’s too late. Now,” he hopped onto a stool and waved them both over, “let’s see the finances of everything and see how bad it is.”

  “Don’t expect me to sit here and be babied, Drew. We’re going to talk about this now,” Melissa argued, her hands on her hips. “I’m not asking for permission from either of you. I’m letting you know that I’m taking a chance on the career I want.”

  “Mel,” Drew started.

  “No. I’m tired of all this. Eric didn’t come to either of us for help. Neither of you want me to get out of St. Albert and live a life I want. Hell, you didn’t even call me the day before Momma died to get back here in time to say goodbye.” Her voice cracked as the last words filled the room.

  Eric swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He’d only wanted to spare her the pain of watching their mother fade away. The sight of his sister’s sobs wracking her body nearly cut him in two. He had failed so much. From start to finish. From the time Lou died to his mother’s death and finally the bar. Through it all he’d held so much back from his siblings. Melissa, especially.

  She was so young to have lost both her parents. He was in his early twenties when his biological father had died, and Drew was sixteen. Melissa had been fourteen when Lou had died. Lou had doted on her, spoiled her and treated her like a princess. But he’d also taught her to stand up for herself. Eric had forgotten the countless times he and Drew had tried to protect her over the years and she’d told them to bugger off. Especially with dates. They’d tried to spy on her in case a boy got out of hand, but he and Drew witnessed a few occasions when they’d been ready to jump to her defense and the boy would be lying in the dirt by Melissa’s own hand.

  He’d been so proud of her in those moments.

  She was stronger than he believed. But there was no way she was capable of fending for herself in some foreign country.

  Pulling his sister into his arms, he let the tears fall and soak his shirt. By the height of her anguish and the deep sobs, she’d needed to let this out for a long time. He and Drew needed to do better by her. Show her the respect she deserved.

  “Hey,” he said softly in her ear when her sobs subsided. “Come sit.” He led her to the bar and helped her onto a stool. Pleasure filled him, remembering all the times he’d done the same thing when she was younger. But today there was no bright smile on her face.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry all over you.” She took the tissue Drew offered. “Everything just came erupting out. Worrying all night about the bank was the final straw.”

  “I know I’m an idiot for not coming to either of you, but you left the bar in my hands. I guess I couldn’t bring myself to come to you when I got behind with the payments and business really slowed.”

  “Your damn pride is a pain in the ass, bro.” Drew glared at him. “We’re all in this shit together whether you like it or not. I don’t have a lot in savings but if we pile what we do have together, maybe we can take that to the bank and they’ll rethink the loan.”

  Eric shook his head. “Glory said there were no other options.”

  Drew lifted his head fast. “Glory is the person you worked with at the bank?”

  “Ya, she exhausted herself over a lot of it.” He paused when Drew mumbled under his breath. “Look, I know you two don’t get along, and we’ve been over this before, but she’s a good friend and awesome at her job. Cut her some slack.” Eric had never understood what Drew’s animosity toward Glory was, despite asking both of them many times, but he supposed it wasn’t any of his business. He hoped someday they’d both get over it and become friends.

  “I have some ideas about getting more money,” Melissa spoke up. “I’ve asked Candy to find me some magazine shoots for this month. The money is really great—well, for someone so new—and it will help. She’s just not sure what she can find on short notice.”

  “What sort of magazine shoot?” Drew asked, scowling.

  “Did you talk to Candy about our financial situation?” Eric demanded.

  Her gaze darted away. Anger raised along his spine. He couldn’t believe she’d divulged personal information to a stranger, to Candy no less. He had enough problems with her at the moment and didn’t need her thinking he was a complete fuck-up who couldn’t succeed. Plus she hadn’t said anything about it when he’d been with her earlier.

  “I’m sorry. I was so upset and had a meeting with her this morning. It all came pouring out. I trust her, so she won’t say anything. In fact, she’s willing to help.”

  “I will not take money from her,” Eric spat, slamming his palm on the bar.

  Drew and Melissa’s eyes widened, surprise clear on their faces. He rarely lost his temper but he didn’t care what they thought of him right now. There was no way in hell he’d take money from that woman. He’d burn the bar to the ground before that happened.

  “She offered, yes, but I said no. I can’t take money from my future boss.”

  “Darn it, Melissa—” He pointed at her, ready to give her his final no about going to Europe if Drew hadn’t cut him off.

  “Enough. I hope you thanked her, Mel, but you’re right. We can’t take any money from her. We’ll think of a way. Which also means no modeling work right now.” He shook his head when Melissa opened her mouth. “We have enough on our plate right now. The modeling and Europe discussion is off limits until we figure out the bank business.” He glared at both of them. “I mean it. Let’s get one thing handled, then move on to the next.”

  Melissa held his gaze until she relented and nodded. She glanced at Eric and gave a second nod. “All right. Agreed.”

  “Agreed.” Though anger at the whole situation continued to boil inside him, he had bigger problems than Candy Wilson. Oh, he’d speak to her about butting out of his family’s personal business but he’d push her to the side for now.

  At the moment, he needed to devise a cohesive solution or they’d lose the one thing that meant so much to them. He should never have let things get so dire. His pride and shame had kept him withdrawn and secretive with his siblings and that wasn’t what any of them needed.

  All three of their parents had taught them that family came first and no problem was too big to overcome. He could only hope that they were right.

  They needed a solution. And fast.

  ****

  Candy finished jotting her notes for people she needed to get in touch with on Melissa’s behalf. She’d spent the last two hours on the phone, touching base with all her contacts at magazines and with assistants to some of the hottest designers and came up with zilch in leads. Though she suspected magazines were at least six months ahead, and the shows were booked full, she’d needed to try anyway. Now the assistants had Melissa’s name as a backup if one of the other models canceled.

  There might be a five percent chance Melissa would get the money she needed for the bank in the next month. At least by working.

  She’d made some notes of concepts she had. But
she knew little about the town and the best ways to raise the money. The main idea right now was to find a local business to open their doors for some kind of event and sell the tickets to it. Her ideas were certainly lacking, though.

  Opening her tablet case, she tapped a search browser and typed in St. Albert. Maybe if she could find more avenues to work with, she could make headway on helping Melissa.

  Her cell phone rang on the table beside her.

  For the first time in days, joy filled her and she grinned happily, knowing who was on the other end.

  Pulling the accept button across the screen, she lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey, lovely momma. How are you?”

  “I’m a tired, two-hundred-pound whale who needs to pee every twenty minutes. Am lying in bed right now, wishing my best friend was here with some ice cream and interesting conversation.”

  Candy moved over to the sofa and piled pillows on the one end, then laid back.

  There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her best friend, Olivia Shalvis. It sounded like she needed to talk and she might as well get comfortable.

  “You’re the one who decided to get pregnant again, ya know. The docs told you after the second one that having another one would be risky and you’d be in bed a lot during the last trimester.” Candy closed her eyes, thinking about Olivia in a lot of pain. Her first pregnancy with Molly had been a breeze. But the second with Sheri, the weight gain and inability for Olivia to push during delivery had made things a lot more difficult. Having a third was a risk. Knowing the love Olivia and Dare had to give to children, and the desperation to finally have a boy, Candy prayed they’d made the right decision. She couldn’t fault them for their dreams.

  “I know, but I have great news, Candy.” Olivia sniffled. “I had another ultrasound yesterday. We didn’t want to know the sex, but guess what? We’re getting our boy. It’s a boy, Candy. A baby boy.”

  Candy gasped and tears of happiness fell down her cheeks. Such wonderful news. Prayers had helped. “Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you.” She kicked her feet happily against the cushion. “I wish I was there with you. How’s Dare? I imagine he’s grinning somewhere at the moment?”

  In the beginning of Olivia’s relationship with Dare, Candy hadn’t been all that impressed with him. Olivia had been wrongfully accused of something out of her control, and Dare hadn’t stood by her best friend. He’d automatically believed their employer had just cause to kick her to the curb without looking into the matter. Candy thought he was the wrong man for her best friend, but now, eight years later, she was glad they were happy and tighter than ever. She’d even become friends with Dare. There were moments she liked to give him a hard time still, and remind him of when he’d been an ass, but he made Olivia happy. There was no fighting the love and happiness the two shared.

  “He’s with his brother, celebrating. He is over the moon.”

  “I can’t wait until the little one’s born. Everything is okay?”

  “Yes. The doctor advises I stay in bed as much as possible. The girls and Dare made sure I’m following her orders. But I’m already tired of it.”

  Candy hit the speaker button and laid the phone on her stomach. “I bet. But it’s best for my nephew, so you’ll do it.”

  Olivia’s laughter filled her heart with joy. She missed her friend and hoped she’d get to see her soon. “Do you think you’ll make the trip home before my due date? His godmother should be here, you know.”

  Candy’s heart jumped. That Olivia and Dare had named her godmother to all of their children filled her with warmth. There were very few times when she ever considered having children, and knowing she could care for her best friend’s babies and watch them grow up was all she needed.

  She mentally went over her schedule. Her stay in St. Albert was the unknown. She did have to get back to Boston in two weeks for an important interview with the local news station, but helping Melissa was in the back of her mind.

  “Once I’m done here, I have the news interview, so I might be home for your delivery. You still have four weeks, right?”

  “Yep. I have a feeling this baby boy plans to percolate as long as he wants.”

  Candy chuckled. “Well I have a feeling he’s going to be as stubborn as his father.”

  Olivia laughed. “I agree. But enough about us. What are you up to? How are things going?”

  Candy sighed.

  “Well that doesn’t sound good. Does Melissa no longer want to sign with you?”

  “She’s more eager than ever. I’ve just run into a roadblock with her family. Her oldest brother, actually. Talk about stubborn.”

  “Doesn’t he want his sister to be happy?”

  “Of course he does. He just thinks her happiness is his decision and what’s best for her is to stick to law school, then settle in the other brother’s law practice here in town.”

  “Ah, I see. Well, I guess he’s being protective.”

  Candy scoffed. “Controlling. A pain in the ass. Egotistical. And did I mention controlling?”

  There was a long pause. “You don’t like him much, do you?”

  Memories of his hands on her ass, and his back pressed against her, came rushing back. Candy ground her teeth together, angry with herself all over again. Like had nothing to do with how she felt about Eric. She’d never fall prey to him ever again.

  “He’s an obstacle I hadn’t realized would be so difficult. He’s a tough nut to crack.”

  “Handsome?”

  “Very much so, the bastard.”

  “Ah-ha!” Olivia’s shout filled the sitting area and startled Candy.

  “Jesus. What’s with the shouting?”

  “You’re not all pissed off at him because he’s a roadblock. You’re attracted to him, honey, and you hate that.”

  Olivia knew her so well. “Do you need anything for the baby before he’s born?”

  “Don’t change the subject now, and no, we don’t need anything. I know you, Candy. You’re having a hard time with this guy because of attraction. Is he gay?”

  Her eyes widened. “No, he’s not gay.”

  “Are you sure? Have you gotten to know him so well? Jesus, have you slept with him already?”

  Sitting up, she set her phone on the seat beside her and crossed her legs. Damn it for Olivia’s insight and rambling questions. She didn’t want to think about Eric right now. But her friend was nothing if not relentless.

  “Your silence speaks volumes. Obviously the two of you have gotten close.”

  “Not in the way you think. It was a momentary lapse in judgment.” Candy waved a hand, dismissing her friend’s notions.

  “How hot is he?”

  “On a scale of one to ten…fifteen.”

  “Holy shit! He’s not falling at your feet, is he? And you can’t stand it, can you?” Olivia laughed.

  Candy sighed. “He’s trouble. Besides, I won’t see him again after a couple weeks, so he’s not someone who needs to be discussed.”

  “Have you met your match?”

  “I’ve dealt with worse than this one. I’ll get him to change his mind.”

  Olivia laughed. “Of course you will. If anyone can, you will.”

  “Right now Melissa is on my mind. There have been some financial issues and they’re on the brink of losing their business. I’m trying to think of ways to help.”

  “Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that. That’s terrible. Has the business been in their family a long time?”

  “Yeah, Melissa’s dad owned it. Left it to all of them. He considered the two brothers as his own. They all share the same mother.”

  “Has to be difficult. But, and not to sound rude, but why do you feel the need to help them? Are you using this attraction as an angle to get him to let Melissa sign the contract? I mean, Candy, I know you’ll fight for whatever you want.”

  Had anyone else but Olivia said that to her, she’d be angry and hurt. Eric’s exact sentiment had cut her to the quick but Olivia didn’t mean any
harm.

  “I know what you’re saying and the answer is no. I just want to help this young woman. She has so much talent, probably more than I had in the beginning. And sure, while there are personal motives here, too, Melissa won’t leave town while the business is in jeopardy. If I can help her in the process, then it’s a win-win.”

  “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  Candy picked at some fuzz on the arm of the couch. “Yeah, I do. If I had someone willing to help me at the beginning of my career, I would have been ecstatic. It was a lonely road at the start. Like I said, she’s even better than I was. She’ll go a long way.”

  “So what concepts are you thinking to help? Run some by me.”

  There had been many times the two of them had sat on the phone, or in one another’s kitchens, exercising the pros and cons of one decision or another. They’d been friends since college. Candy trusted no one more.

  “I was thinking about trying to include some local business. Someone to open the door for an evening, sell tickets. But not sure what type of event to do.”

  “You could have an autograph session. Like a meet and greet. People to come see you.”

  While the idea had merit, it was too far from doable. “People here aren’t going to know who I am. Not really. There are a few who have recognized me but not like a huge fan club here. I don’t think it would bring in enough revenue.”

  “Hmmm, well, what about bringing more than one business together? An auction for some of their items?”

  Ideas raced through her mind. “You know, that might actually work. I met quite a few vendors when I was at the market. There’s a jeweler who should really have her own place. She’s that good.”

  “Wonderful. Definitely find her again. Maybe you could borrow a small space to have the auction and draw people in with various prizes. Spa days, free meals, baskets of goodies from the vendors. I’m sure you can find enough items to make it worthwhile.”

  Candy stood and rushed to the desk, set the phone on the top, then wrote all their brainstorming notes onto her notepad. “It would all be free advertising for the local businesses. That might make raising the money for the bar easier. Knowing everyone benefits in the end might be an incentive. You’re awesome. Thank you.”