Chapter 12

chapter

twelve

Summer

Am I losing my mind?

Did I manifest this?

I called in sick from work last night and instead stayed up all night talking things out with Harmony.

We'd decided to take up our retired mother's offer to co-sign a business loan. We hadn't wanted to ask her, but she offered.

We'll just have to get a lease on a smaller location off the beaten path instead of our dream location on the courthouse square. We'll have to work harder at spreading the word, but everything will work out once people know about us.

I think.

And I might have to keep my job at the nightclub a little longer.

Today, I'll tell the boys we've changed direction. If that puts our potential dating situations at risk, so be it.

The biggest downside of all of this is I've never been this instantly sexually compatible with anyone as I seem to be with Carter. But sex isn't everything. I'll get past it. Besides, it's better not to mix business and dating.

Honestly, what was I thinking, using my feminine wiles to lure investors? The more I think about it, the more I realize I should have listened to Harmony in the first place.

But now, despite preparing all night for our meeting at the bank, I feel unsteady on my feet at what I see before me.

Am I sleep-deprived?

That must be it. I'm sleep-deprived and hallucinating because there is no way that Carter and Cooper are here, chatting up our mother in the lobby of the First National Bank of Fate.

Mom is bent over laughing at something, her hand on Cooper's shoulder.

"What is happening?" I blurt.

Mom dabs her eyes, catching her breath. "Good morning, girls! So nice of you to join us. The boys here were just telling me stories about the amazing Gabriella MacKenzie. I can't believe you two didn't tell me you knew such an interesting family!"

Harmony is silent, having gone into fight or flight mode.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask.

Carter's got dark circles under his eyes, and he looks like he hasn't slept either. "Stopping you from making a huge mistake."

Harmony and I glance at each other. We've already talked about this.

We would let the boys down easy after our meeting with the bank. Assuming we could get the financing we need here first.

My sister squares her shoulders and takes a deep breath. "We didn't want to tell you this until we had another plan in place, but we changed our minds about the location," she announces.

I nod. "We don't want to do it in Gold Hill. We want to build our shop here, in Fate."

Carter stands and eats up the distance between us. "Sweetheart, that's exactly why we came here."

He presses a kiss to my lips, and I melt against him. "You did?"

"Oh my," says Mom. "You naughty boy! You never mentioned you were dating my daughter. But I approve!"

"Mom, please!" Harmony says.

Carter bites back a laugh and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. "We don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

I glance over at Harmony. Cooper is inches away from her but not touching her. Her arms are across her chest in a defensive pose. But Cooper has nothing but compassion and patience in his eyes. Score one for Cooper. "And we don't want you to owe money to anyone."

"What does that mean?" Harmony asks.

"It means that Carter and I are funding the entire thing, no questions asked."

Harmony looks skeptical. As am I.

"What luck, girls!" Mom exclaims. Of course, Mom buys whatever they're selling—hook, line, and sinker. She found her own Prince Charming after Dad abandoned us, and she never thought anyone was good enough for either of us. Until now, apparently. "Guess you don't need me to co-sign after all!"

It's a little weird that she's instantly on board because the boys have a lot of money. So, we'll have to chat about her priorities later.

"What if we don't want to put all our eggs in one basket?" I ask Carter, though it hurts to say this to him.

"Look," Carter says, "all we want is what you want."

"It seems like you want more than ten percent ownership," I say. "And if that's the case, you two will be horning in on our decisions. No pun intended."

Carter smiles. "Are you kidding? Please, god, do not ask me to make any decisions other than deciding when it's time to order more checks. I don't want to tell you what to do. I just want to be there for you."

"Harmony and I will have to talk about?—

"We're in," Harmony interrupts. "But I'm not dating you," she says to Cooper.

The other brother nods. "Fair enough."

Yeah, I don't believe him.

But when I look at my sister, I know she's ready to take the plunge with our new investors on our terms.

I smile. "Let's do this."