I’mnot sure. What if my storefront flops or I don’t get enough clients?“What if I say no?” I tilt my face. I know it’s fear giving me false bravado.
He grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger until I’m holding his gaze, and I struggle not to sigh from his touch. “You’ve been good following my terms so far, Naomi —” he swipes his thumb slowly across my quivering lower lip “— let’s not test my patience.”
* * *
Charity
“I knowwhy the bank manager didn’t give you a loan,” Mason says as we stroll through rows of Christmas trees in search of the perfect evergreen. But I’m content spending the day with the men I love and my best friend.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Charity and I already suspect Mr. Cooper want Elizabeth to have the advantage. He knows that without money, I’m stuck taking smaller contracts.”
“Yeah, about that…” I glance toward Mason, who’s on my right. “Mason and Dad thought it odd that after five years of doing business with you, Mr. Cooper would suddenly pull a switch.”
“If it’s merely about money and connections, Elizabeth has that in spades,” Dad says.
I clench my fists just hearing Elizabeth’s name and knowing she has the gall to visit Naomi. Elizabeth is underhanded. How I ever considered her a friend puzzles me. And now we have proof that her father is no better. “Hey,” Mason whispers against my ear. “You good?” He engulfs my fist in his warm hand and doesn’t let go until my fingers loosen from their death grip.
Noami stops walking. “The business is all I’ve got. I have nothing Elizabeth or her father want.”
“That’s not true,” Dad says, holding Naomi’s shoulders as if to reassure her or keep her upright. “You have your house.”
“What?” She jerks.
“Nathan is right. While looking at rentals on Main Street at the real estate office, the agent said she foresaw new commercial space becoming available in a couple years,” Mason says. “There’s no construction planned for existing commercial space. That leaving rezoning residential property.”
“I still don’t know what that has to do with me.”
“At the bank, Mr. Cooper suggests you sell,” I say. “And what better way to get you out than cutting off your income?”
“It’s true,” Mason says. “Your boyfriend, Travis, who works at city hall, confirmed a developer submitted an application.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. Wait — he knew?”
Dad rubs Naomi’s arms and I zero in on the innocent gesture I don’t think dad consciously realizes he’s doing.
“I’ll bury that bank manager in ethical lawsuits before he takes anything away from you,” dad says and I know he means every word.
“You’re not losing your home,” I say, knowing there’s no way dad would let that happen.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” dad says. “We had to be sure first.”
Naomi nods, but instead of hugging me like I expect, she leans into dad and I watch my father wrap his arms around her, whispering reassurances against her hair. My heart thumps loudly in my chest as our entire friendship clicks into place. Her lack of committed relationships, her attempts to stay away anytime my dad visits, and the reason she never goes with me to New York. All this time I thought it’s because she doesn’t like my dad but didn’t have the heart to tell me. But watching them together — I swallow. It isn’t just her. I see the adoration in my dad’s face and hear the commitment in his hushed words.
What the hell, Naomi. Why didn’t you tell me?
Mason hugs me to his side, jostling me away from my thoughts. Suddenly, it’s like I’m intruding on an intimate moment.
Naomi eases away from dad. “I thought the town can’t rezone my neighborhood without the residents’ approval?”
“It’s much easier if the developer buys up that strip of properties,” Mason explains.
“What does that have to do with Mr. Cooper?”
“We think he’ll financially back the project,” Nathan says. “The biggest investment for the bank in years, and you’re standing in his way.”
Naomi’s eyes widen.
“The developer already bought two of the neighboring properties,” Mason says. “But yours, Mrs. Tobit, and Mrs Konner’s are essential because of your lot’s size and proximity to main street.”
