Page 81 of Tricked in October
She forced a smile. “Hey, Benny. I have an appointment at noon.”
He blinked at her before speaking into the phone. “Um, yeah, I’m gonna have to call you back.” He set the phone down as he took a seat hesitantly.
“Sorry for barging in, but Sue-Ellen is an incompetent ass. Assistant,” she corrected at the look of his reluctance.
“It’s fine. I was expecting you.” He smoothed his tie against his chest. “How have you been?”
She sat down in the worn chair across from him. “Good. And you?”
She wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. He could very well be holding in the knowledge of her future. Of her life.
“I can’t complain. Good job. Good health.”
She nodded along while pressing her thumbnail into the palm of her opposite hand.
“But you’re not here to talk about me. Let’s talk about you.” He smiled and then moved a folder in front of him, opening it. “It looks like you provided all the required documentations to process the loan request.”
She scooted to the edge of the seat.
“And after some serious research and analyzing, I’m sorry to say our company didn’t find enough promise in O’Henry’s Bar and Grill to invest.”
His words blared loud in her brain, set on repeat;didn’t find enough promise.
“There must be some mistake. Maybe I filled out the paperwork wrong. If you could just look at it again,” her words rushed out, shaking.
“You filled everything out correctly. Believe me, I checked and rechecked. And I crunched the numbers. I’m sorry.” He shut the folder, the sound of it amplified in her ears like a door slamming shut.
“Please, Benny,” she said, tears aching in her throat. She felt desperate. “Check again. Ask again. Do something. O’Henry’s is the busiest restaurant in town. My sales projections—maybe I did the figuring wrong. Can you look at them again?”
He shook his head solemnly. “I had a feeling you might say that, so I did some digging myself” He pressed his elbows against the desk’s surface, resting his chin on his clasped hands. “The overhead to sales ratio just doesn’t match.”
The realization sunk in slowly. Almost like she was lacking oxygen, unable to catch a breath. She was going to lose everything. Her eyes watered and she considered just breaking down right there in Benny’s fake office.
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do. I mean, maybe someone could loan you the money? Your in-laws?”
“No.” The word came out garbled but stern. They’d already told her they couldn’t afford it.
“What about your mom?”
Kelsey’s brows pinched together, and her chest tightened. “What about her?”
He shrugged. “Maybe nothing. But maybe something. I thought you might be stubborn enough to not take no for an answer, so I looked into her business as well.” He hunkered down, lowering his voice. “We handle your mom’s accounts too. And while her character may be questionable at times, she’s never missed a payment. The Sweet Cakes Bakery is a thriving business. If she were to move some things around, she might have enough equity in the business to pay off your debt at O’Henry’s.”
Despite all her mama’s mistakes, she had somehow managed to hold onto a successful business. Kelsey never expected that her mama would come through for her now. Except that she couldn’t risk it. Besides Kelsey and the kids, the bakery was the only thing keeping her mama going. To encourage her to get sober.
“No, I can’t,” Kelsey finally said. “We have to find another way.”
Benny blew out a breath, emitting a stale stench and Kelsey held her own breath. He shook his head. “There isn’t another way.”
“Benny, I can’t lose O’Henry’s. I just can’t.”
She couldn’t. But as she sat there in the worn chair in Benny’s fake office, feeling helpless, the reality of her situation rested heavy on her shoulders. Ricky had left her without options. Hopelessness ached deep in her chest, her heart sinking lower, and the stubbornness that usually portrayed itself in strength dissipated.
In a way, she felt as if she were back in that place. In the hospital after Ricky’s accident. When the doctors told her they’d done all they could to save her husband. She’d still lost him.
Again, the unfairness was raw, and the helplessness was massive. She felt paralyzed. She was going to lose everything.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
