“Wait. I don’t want to go the investor route. I don’t think it’s smart to give away profits to a company I don’t have any connection to. It feels wrong. I want to get a home equity loan and use that.”
“Abs, as a businessman I would never support an endeavor that I thought would fail. When I said I believed in you, I meant it, and I still do. So when I say this, know I’m saying it with my personal hat on.” His tone was so serious, it made her uneasy. “This is the guy who takes up space in your bed speaking, not the finance guy.”
In an effort to ease her nerves, she went for levity. “That’s a very possessive designation.”
“With you I’m a possessive guy.” He took her hand, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Yeah, you are. You take up space in my shower, too.”
His grin broke free. “Careful, sweetheart, or we’ll monopolize this table next.”
“That sounds like a lot more fun than whatever you were going to say a second ago.”
He scooted closer, holding her gaze and her hand as he said, “Babe, this house means the world to you. I see the way your shoulders relax when you walk in the door. Last night after our walk, when we were standing at the edge of the property, you were talking about gardening with your mom and how your dad used to tell stories about when he first came to the island. You said he knew this was the house for his family the first time he saw it, and I could hear how much it means to you. This house is the very fabric of the family you cherish. I will stand back and support whatever you decide, and Lord knows it’s not my business, but if you take out a home equity loan and something goes awry, you risk losing both the Bistro and the house. Please think this through before you make that decision. I would hate to see you make a mistake that can’t be undone.”
She slid her hand free and put it over her stomach, nauseous at the thought of losing everything. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about since yesterday. If I screw up, or something happens and this goes south, I’ll have enough to deal with from disappointing myself and my sisters. I will put enough pressure on myself to try to keep that from happening. I don’t need the additional pressure of some investor breathing down my back, waiting for me to fail.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what investors do.”
“Come on, Aiden. You’re a finance guy. You must know they’re sharks, investing with the hopes that companies will fail so they can take over.”
“That’s not how investors work, Abby.” He squared his shoulders and said, “Not good ones, anyway. They help companies become even more profitable. If they do their job right, both parties come out on top.”
“Yeah. I know that’s what’s supposed to happen. But it feels like they’re sharks with giant teeth waiting for the little fish to slow down so they can gobble them up.”
“Abby—”
“I’m sorry,” she said sharply. “I know that sounds bad. But if this doesn’t work, I’d rather lose it all to a local bank than to some investor I don’t know, especially when it didn’t feel right to go that route in the first place.”
He drew in a deep breath, his eyes contemplative. “Then reconsider my offer. Let me invest. Let me help you.”
“No way. If I’m not taking my own sister’s savings, there’s no way I’d ever take yours.”
His expression softened, and he said, “Abby, I know what it feels like to leave childhood memories behind. Even though the memories were too much for me to stay in West Virginia, selling that house was the hardest thing I’d ever done at that point in my life. I’m trying to protect the things that mean the most to you.”
He was fighting so hard to help her, a lump formed in her throat, but she had to follow her gut instincts. “I appreciate that, but I’ve made up my mind. Now I have to get my sisters on board.”
Aiden stepped outside to call Ben while Abby called her sisters.
Ben answered right away and said, “If Remi finds out I answered your call, she’ll throttle me.”
“I know, Ben, sorry. But I’m in over my head. I need some advice.”
“You, in over your head?” Ben scoffed. “I highly doubt that. What’s going on?”
Aiden paced the front yard. “I don’t know, man. That’s the problem. I met someone.”
Ben didn’t respond.
“You there?” Aiden looked at his phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.
“Yeah. I was waiting for you to tell me what kind of business this person is in.”
“I met a woman, you idiot.”
“Seriously? Why didn’t you lead with that? I wondered why you hadn’t come back to work yet. I figured you’d be gone for a weekend at most, but when I asked Remi if she’d heard from you, she basically threatened my life if I reached out to you. So you met a chick. What’s the problem?”
“She’s not just some chick. That’s the problem. Her name is Abby.” He gazed out at the water and said, “She’s so fucking adorable. When she gets excited about something, her entire face—no, the entire room—lights up. She knows what she wants, and she goes after it. She’s a chef. She’s hardworking, smart, energetic, funny, and sexier than any woman I’ve ever met. I’m really into her, Ben.”
“So this thing is going to last another few days?”
“A lot more if I have it my way.”
“Well, not too long. You’re set to do the international Q2 meetings after your vacation. Is something worrying you? You want me to have Mason run a background check on her?”
“No,” Aiden snapped, though he knew Ben was only watching out for him, the same way Aiden had watched out for Ben over the years. That’s what partners did. But it still rubbed him the wrong way.
“Buddy, I know you’re careful not to give away your hand, but you sure she’s not a gold digger?”
Aiden rubbed a knot in the back of his neck, gritting his teeth, and said, “Yes, I’m sure. If you met her, you’d know in ten seconds that she’s not like that.”
“Women can hide a lot.”
“Damn it, Ben. Trust my fucking judgment, will you? I just offered her two hundred grand and she turned it down.”
“She must give one hell of a blow job.” Ben chuckled.
“Forget it. Sorry I called.”
“Wait, I was kidding. Dude, you’re really off your game today.”
“No shit. That’s why I called.” He took a deep breath and said, “I told her about Remi, about my parents.”
Ben was quiet for a beat. “I’m sorry for messing around, man. I didn’t realize how serious you were.”
“Yeah, it kind of crept up on me, too.”
“Talk to me, Aiden. What kind of advice do you need?”
“She’s inherited a restaurant, and she has a shot at something magnificent. I believe in her with everything I have, and it’s not based on anything other than a gut feeling, tasting her food, seeing her work ethic, and her passion for the business. I swear, Ben, she talks about her father having some sort of magic that made that restaurant shine. I see the same thing in her, and I know how crazy that sounds. But it’s true. The problem is, she stands to lose everything if she doesn’t handle it right. I want to step in and make sure it’s all done perfectly, but . . .”