by Ali Parker
Other than buying her out, which we both knew Alex wouldn’t agree to, my options were limited. I remembered Samson’s suggestion to buy the business but keep Alex on to run it. It seemed like the best option for everyone involved. Samson would love it. Alex would get to stay on. Win-win.
“So,” Alex said. She cleared her throat. “What’s this about?”
“The shop,” I said simply.
“Obviously,” Alex said. “You mentioned wanting to help me. What did you mean by that?”
“Honestly,” I said. “I didn’t know when I offered.”
“Then, why did you ask to meet with me?” Alex frowned.
“Because I knew I wanted to help,” I said. “I just didn’t know exactly how I could.”
“Okay,” Alex said slowly.
She still didn’t understand, and I couldn’t blame her. I wasn’t making sense. Everything I said sounded confusing even to my own ears.
I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. It was time to go into business mode. I’d been running Gamble Realty for over five years. I knew how to negotiate. I knew how to behave in a business meeting. All I had to do was separate my emotions and put on my best professional demeanor.
Looking into Alex’s green eyes made it hard, though. All I wanted to do was hand over the money she needed to save her shop. I didn’t want to buy it from her. I didn’t want to own it.
“I thought about this a lot last night,” I said. “And, if you’re still hell-bent on not selling the property to us for us to renovate—”
“Absolutely not,” Alex said, anger flashing in her eyes. “I thought I made myself clear about that.”
“You did,” I said quickly. “I understand completely. But, that doesn’t leave me very many options.”
“You don’t have to help me,” Alex said. “I never asked you for anything.”
“I know that,” I said. “Just hear me out, okay? I’m not here to convince you of anything. I’m just here to make you an offer.”
“No amount of money will—”
“It’s not about the money,” I said.
Alex fell silent. She eyed me suspiciously, but I could see a trace of hope twinkling in her eyes. She wanted to believe I could help her.
“I’m listening,” Alex said.
“Gamble Realty would like to buy Tanner Bikes,” I said. Alex opened her mouth, but I kept going. “Not to resell. But to own.”
“Own?” She frowned. “You want to own a repair shop?”
“Not particularly,” I said. “My brother does. This was actually his idea.”
“Samson?” Alex asked.
I nodded. “He suggested we buy the property and keep it as it is,” I said.
“I would still have to sell,” Alex said.
“Yes.” I nodded again. “But, we would keep you on to run the garage. You would be in charge. Like a manager but more.”
Alex stared at me. She looked more confused than ever. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining myself.
“Listen,” I said. “We both know you’re in trouble, all right? If something doesn’t change, you’re going to lose this place anyway. If we buy it, we’ll fix it up. We’ll expand the garage, get some proper signage out on the main road, and amp up the advertisement. Business will pick up in no time.”
“And Gamble Realty will own it,” Alex said with finality.
I could hear the doubt in her voice. She was already saying no, and I hadn’t even finished my sales pitch. I was either losing my touch or Alex was just that stubborn.
“I can’t sell,” Alex said. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but the answer is no.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because,” Alex said. “Handing over my business is just not an option. I’m sorry, but I can’t do it.”
“You would still be in charge.” I reminded her. “We would own it, yes, but the day to day decisions would be yours.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Alex said, shaking her head. “This shop… it’s mine. Even if I ran the garage, there are still a million other decisions you and Samson would make without me. I couldn’t handle that. It would be too hard.”
“You’re going to lose the shop anyway,” I said. “If you don’t figure out a way to pay your bills, the bank is going to seize the property. At least this way, you won’t lose it completely.”
“How do you know that?” Alex asked with narrowed eyes.
“We have people all over town,” I said casually. “It’s our job to know which businesses are in good financial standing and which aren’t.”
“That’s shady as hell,” Alex said.
“I know.” I sighed. “I didn’t say I liked it, but you asked.”
“So, you don’t like your job?” Alex asked.
I opened my mouth to answer but quickly thought better of it. We weren’t there to talk about me or my job. We were there to talk about her and hers.
“Listen,” I said. “I want to help you, and I can’t just hand over a wad of cash. All I can do is buy this place and keep you on to run it. And from where I’m sitting, Alex, that looks like a damn good deal.”
Alex shook her head and looked away. My stomach tightened as I watched her. Her forehead was furrowed, her eyebrows pulled together. Her lips were pressed into a tight line of worry, and her eyes were dark. And still, she was gorgeous.
“I can’t,” Alex finally said. “Thank you for the offer. I appreciate it. But no.”
“Alex…” I began.
“No.” She shook her head. “That’s my answer. Even with the bank hanging over my head, I can’t just hand over my shop. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” I said, even though I didn’t.
Alex smiled sadly and stood up. The meeting was over. There was no longer a reason for me to hang around, and yet, I didn’t want to leave.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” I said.
“Of course.”
Alex smiled again and walked me out. I waved as I climbed behind the wheel of my truck. Pulling away from the shop took all my strength. I hated how hard this was for Alex. I hated that she wouldn’t let me help her.
The thought of her losing something she loved so much made me miserable. For the first time in over five years, I finally understood how Samson felt about our job. Watching people lose the one thing they’ve spent their entire lives working for, it was horrible.
26
Alex
Declan pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared around the corner. Even after he was gone, I stared at the street and tried to make sense of what just happened.
“So,” Garret said, walking up behind me. “What was that all about?”
“He wants to buy the shop,” I said.
“We already knew that,” Garret said.
“And keep me on as a manager,” I said. “To run the garage.”
“You’re kidding.” Garret whistled. “What are you gonna do?”
“What can I do?” I asked. “I told him no. Not a chance in hell.”
Garret didn’t say anything for a while. We stood side by side and stared out at the deserted road. The customer from before was long gone and so was his business. With an empty garage, there wasn’t anything for either of us to do but sit around and dwell on our shitty situation.
“Are you sure you don’t want to think about Declan’s offer?” Garret asked later that day.
“There’s nothing to think about,” I said.
“You know, there’s nothing wrong with accepting help,” Garret said. “It doesn’t make you weak.”
He was wrong. That’s exactly what it did. My father managed to run the shop for over twenty years without once accepting help from anyone. And now, less than six months after he died, I was failing.
If he could do it alone, then so could I.
I left the shop that night and drove straight to the beach. I parked my car in The Diner’s lot, then took the stairs down to the san
d. I didn’t want a repeat of the previous night. My body was still sore from being on my feet for so many hours in a row.
“Hey!” Diana said when I walked in. “How was your day, honey?”
“It was all right.” I shrugged. “My feet are still killing me from last night.”
“Don’t worry,” Diana said. “Eventually the blisters turn in to calluses.”
“And that’s better?” I asked doubtfully.
“Oh, yeah.” Diana nodded. “Much better.”
She laughed at my expression and tossed me an apron. I spent a couple hours waiting on my assigned tables and then moved to the counter. Not five minutes later, the front door clanged open, and I looked up to see yet another familiar face.
My mother.
Just like last night, I froze. Mom’s eyes met mine, and I felt my cheeks turn bright red. I was even more embarrassed than I had been when Declan and Mila had walked in.
“Pam!” Diana squealed in my ear. She hurried around the counter. She hugged my mom tightly, bringing on one of the first genuine smiles I’d seen on my mother’s face in months.
“It’s good to see you, Diana.”
“You too,” Diana said. “How are you doing? I’ve wanted to call, but I -”
“I’m okay,” Mom said quickly. “Every day is a little easier.”
“I’m sure.” Diana smiled. “Here. Sit. Sit.”
Mom sat down and turned her gaze to me. She was still smiling, but her eyes betrayed her confusion. She waited until Diana had gone back to the kitchen before unleashing her questions on me.
“What’s going on?” she demanded. “When did you start working here? Why are you working here?”
I sighed and sat down on the stool beside her. We weren’t supposed to sit on the job, but this was a special circumstance.
“I went to the bank just over a week ago,” I said. “I asked them for an extension, for them to forgive the last three months of missed payments and to give me a few more weeks to get this one together.”
“I’m guessing they said no,” Mom said.
“Of course, they did.” I shook my head. “I’m running out of options. I only have a few days left before they …”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it. It was too horrible to admit, even to my mother. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I looked up to see a sad smile on her face. She shook her head and sighed deeply. This was hard for her too.
“I wish I could help you,” she said. “I thought about selling the house. It’s just me now, so I could move into a one-bedroom apartment somewhere in town.”
“No!” I practically screamed in her face. A few people looked over at us. I lowered my voice quickly. “No, Mom, you can’t. That house has too many memories. For both of us. You can’t let go of it.”
“I thought you’d say that,” Mom said.
“I’ll figure it out,” I said, though we both knew that wasn’t true. “I don’t know how yet, but I’ll find a way.”
Declan’s face popped into my head. It was so clear, I almost thought he’d shown up at The Diner again. I shook myself and looked back at my mom. She was frowning, her forehead creased with concern.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just nothing.”
Before she could argue, I stood up and hurried back around the counter. She watched me like a hawk as I refilled coffee mugs and took a few orders. Wherever I went, I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head.
“You ready to order?” I asked her a few minutes later.
“Cheeseburger,” she said without emotion. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I can’t talk about this right now,” I said. “I’m working.”
“And two of your customers just left,” she said. She glanced around and added, “It looks like the place is emptying. You have time to talk to your mother.”
“I’m not sure my boss would agree with that,” I said.
“Who’s your boss?” she asked.
“Right now? Diana. But, if John comes in and sees me …”
“John doesn’t work tonight,” Mom said with confidence.
“How can you possibly know that?” I demanded.
“I’ve been coming to this diner since before you were born, Alexandria. Now tell me, what’s the matter?”
“Fine.”
I put in her order and then leaned across the counter. This wasn’t the time or the place for this conversation, but she was right, there wasn’t anything else to do anyway.
“I met with Declan Gamble this morning,” I said.
Mom’s eyes widened. She sat up straighter and inhaled. A million thoughts seemed to fly through her mind, but she stayed silent.
“He asked me for a meeting,” I said. “At first, I was certain he just wanted to buy the property for one of his flips.”
“He doesn’t?” Mom asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “He wants to buy the shop, of course, but he doesn’t want to resell it. He wants to own it. Or, his brother does.”
“What do the Gamble boys want with a repair shop?” Mom asked. “They make more than enough money with the realty company.”
“Apparently, Samson’s really into motorcycles.”
“So, Declan offered to keep it as it is?” Mom asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “He wants me to stay on and run it. At least, run the garage.”
Mom’s eyes widened even more. She exhaled a long, slow breath and shook her head. It was a hell of an offer, I knew that. I couldn’t blame her for being surprised.
“What did you say?” she finally asked.
“I said no. Of course.”
“Why?” Mom frowned. “You didn’t even consider it?”
“What is there to consider?” I snapped. “The shop is mine. I can’t just hand it over to complete strangers.”
“That’s exactly what you’re about to do,” Mom said. There was a trace of anger in her voice. “The bank isn’t going to let you stay on and run the place. Once they buy it, you’re out. For good.”
“I still have time.”
“What? Three days? Four?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. There was no argument to make. Mom was right. Of course, she was right. And yet, my mind was made up. There was no way in hell I was going to sell Tanner Bikes to Declan and Samson. Not when I knew.
“What’s the problem?” Mom asked softly, all the anger gone from her voice. “I mean, what’s really stopping you?”
“Declan kept saying he wanted to help me.” I stared down at my hands. “I got the impression that this isn’t about business to him. He just offered this deal because, well, because he feels sorry for me.”
“Why would he feel sorry for you?” Mom asked. “He doesn’t even know you.”
I glanced at her, feeling guilty all of a sudden. Declan and I were barely acquaintances. He didn’t even know that the shop was once my father’s and yet, we knew each other better than my mom thought. Not only had we met at the shop, then again when I barged into his office, but we’d spent time together after that too.
“I’ve seen him around a few times,” I said vaguely.
“You have?”
“His truck broke down a while ago.” I shrugged. “I came across him on my way home, and I stopped to help. Then, he took me to lunch to say thank you.”
“You went to lunch with him?”
“It was just his way of thanking me,” I said quickly. “Nothing else.”
“Did you talk about the business?” Mom asked.
“Not really.” I shrugged. “I made it clear I wasn’t going to sell to him, but that was it.”
“Have you seen him since?”
“He and his daughter came in last night,” I said. “That’s when he asked about the meeting. After he saw me working here.”
“Ah.” Mom nodded. “So, you think this offer is pity.”
“How could it be anything els
e?” I asked. “We both know it’s not a smart move financially. He’d be taking a huge risk.”
“I’m sure they have plans for renovating the garage,” Mom said. “With the kind of money they have, the shop would pick up fast.”
“That’s what Declan said.”
“Well, he’s right,” Mom said.
“That doesn’t change anything, though,” I said. “How can I take him up on this offer when I know it’s his version of a handout?”
Mom frowned. She stared at me for a few seconds. I could see the wheels in her head turning. It didn’t take a genius to realize how much she liked this idea. She began arguing in its favor almost immediately. But, she also knew me.
All my life, I’d worked hard. I didn’t take anything from anyone, not even my parents. I’d bought my own car the day I turned sixteen. And my motorcycle on my eighteenth birthday. I’d paid for my mechanic certifications on my own with no help from my father. Even when they offered, I’d turned them down. The idea of letting Declan help me made my skin crawl.
“What if you worked for him?” Mom said suddenly.
“That’s the offer, remember? He wants me to stay on and run the garage. Technically, I would be his employee.”
“That’s more like a partner,” Mom said. “I’m talking about in exchange for the money you need to save the property. You could work for the realty company.”
“Doing what?” I asked with a laugh. “I’m not qualified to do anything there.”
“You’d be surprised,” Mom said. “You could be a part-time secretary or a file clerk or a property scout. Anything.”
“I don’t know.”
“That way it wouldn’t be a handout,” Mom said. “You would have earned the help.”
I leaned against the counter and shook my head. It made sense. If my only issue was that I refused to accept charity, then this was a good solution. My mother was right. It wouldn’t be a handout if I worked for it. If I earned it.
She was grinning when I looked back up at her.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, but a small smile crept onto my face.
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