Page 3 of First Bride to Fall
“So, the marriage doesn’t have to be”—Charlotte gritted her teeth—“consummated?”
Their mom shook her head. “Nothing like that. I mean, it’s not like anyone’s going to be suing anyone in court over noncompliance. Jane said Aidan’s indifferent to the arrangements. His bride can lead her life, and he’ll live his. There will be some travel, of course, and cooperation on business matters. We’re talking more of a professional partnership than a standard marriage.”
That sounded dismal to Nell. Not like the storybook ending each of them deserved.
“How long does this ‘marriage’ have to last?” Misty asked.
“At least five years,” their mom said. “After that, if there’s a split, the equity in the joint businesses will be divided evenly between the two families as communal property.”
Charlotte frowned. “Five years is a long time.”
“Time that we’d be wasting,” Misty said. “Where is all this coming from? This is pretty drastic.”
Their mom fidgeted with her wedding band, turning it around on her finger. “Bearberry Brews is in worse shape than you know. Your dad and I took out a loan to get through the rough patch last winter, and now it’s coming due.”
“What?” There’d been no loan cited in Nell’s accounting data, and she kept the books. “So those cash reserves we were relying on?”
Their mom sighed and stopped messing with her ring. It had grown looser lately. She seemed to have dropped a few pounds. “Weren’t actually ours at all. They were on credit from the bank.”
“When do you have to pay everything back?”
“By October first.”
Nell’s pulse pounded in her ears. That was only a month away. “Oh Mom,” she said. “I wish you’d told us sooner.”
Their mom’s shoulders sank. “There was nothing any of you could have done.”
“But your trip to London,” Charlotte said. “How did you—?”
“Jane paid for it. The ticket was her way of extending an olive branch. She didn’t know how badly our shop was suffering. And it’s not just the shop, I’m afraid. The loan we took out was a home equity loan. So if we can’t pay it back, we might lose the house, too.”
Nell’s head reeled. That would be worse than just losing the business. Her parents were approaching sixty. Where else would they live, and what else could they do? If their dad’s spirits were low now, it would devastate him to lose Bearberry Brewsandtheir house.
This was bad. No. Terrible. Her mom normally wasn’t like this. Desperation had set in. Even if the three sisters pooled their small savings and whatever personal loans they could get, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the entirety of a home equity loan. They could cobble a few payments together, sure, but beyond that? The numbers didn’t add up.
“I’m sorry. I realize how outlandish this sounds now. It seemed so much more logical and even exciting when I was with Jane.” Their mom let out a defeated sigh. “But you’re right. No matter how much Jane and I want to heal the rift between our families, you girls deserve the lives you want, not a marriage that’ll go nowhere just to get rid of some loans. Please forget I even asked. Here.” She extracted a business card from her purse and handed it to Charlotte.
Charlotte flipped it over, scanning some handwriting. “What’s this?”
“Aidan’s card. His cell number’s on the back.” She gave a wan smile. “I thought you might want it in case—”
“Hello, loves,” their dad called out, ambling into the room from the kitchen. Bob Delaney had thick gray hair, cobalt blue eyes, and a round face that stayed permanently ruddy. “Having a little confab out here?”
Their mom sat up straighter in her chair. “Just talking. About…things.”
Charlotte slid the business card into her notebook.
He studied them curiously. “Things?”
“Dad,” Misty whined. “Why didn’t you and Mom tell us about the bank loan?”
Their dad rubbed the back of his neck. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have to know.” He glanced at his wife. “That your mom and I would find a solution.”
“Hopefully a better solution thanthis,” Charlotte muttered.
Her mother glanced away, pink rising in her cheeks.
“Wait.” Their dad set his hands on his hips. When he spoke, his disappointment was clear. “Please tell me you didn’t pitch that cockamamie idea about Aidan?”
