Page 28 of Hometown Girl

“And I’ve loved it. It’s like, finally, after all these years, I have a sister.”

Beth turned and saw tears in Molly’s eyes. She had a wild look about her, like someone had cracked her top open and she was about to overflow. “I never felt like I was good enough for you. And because of that, I never even tried to do anything great.” Molly turned away. “Dad told me once I had to let go of your shadow—that I was the one who put myself in it. I got mad and tried to blame him and Mom, but he was right. I always thought he wanted me to be silly little Molly. He knew God gave me this big heart for a reason. He told me I was fearless.” She laughed as a tear trickled down her cheek. “Do you believe that?”

Beth turned and put a hand on her sister’s arm. “Yes. I’ve always admired that about you.”

Molly’s face puckered as she tried not to cry. “I didn’t know that.”

“He told me once I worried too much. To stop trying to always find the ‘best way.’ That sometimes it’s okay to be wrong.” Beth swallowed the lump in her throat. “I guess if this is a mistake, it just feels like it would be a really big one.”

Molly stilled. “But it’s our mistake to make, Beth.”

Beth couldn’t afford another mistake. Her last one had cost her so much.

“And who knows? Maybe we’ll fall flat on our faces. But that’s okay. I mean, if we’re going to fail, let’s fail gloriously.”

The image of Darren’s disappointed expression rushed back. Beth squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I know. Because you’ve never failed at anything in your life.”

Beth thought about setting the record straight—telling Molly everything—but she couldn’t. She couldn’t stand the thought of everyone knowing what she’d done.

“I’m an accomplished failure,” Molly said, “and I can tell you, if this is a disaster, we’ll bounce back.”

“This is a terrible sales pitch.”

Molly reached over and squeezed Beth’s hand. “And if it’s a success, it could be the best thing we’ve ever done in our lives. It’s like we get a second chance to do something really amazing.”

“Did I miss our first chance?”

“Everything before today was our first chance.” Molly smiled. “Today is a brand-new day. I remember a version of you that wanted to be an artist. You were good, Beth. And you gave it up because Dad convinced you it wasn’t practical.”

“It wasn’t,” Beth said. “And he didn’t convince me. I came to that conclusion myself.” She’d known better than to pursue something so unsteady. It wouldn’t have suited her the way it might have suited Molly. Besides, her father had been right—she did have a head for business.

Her sister let out an exasperated sigh. “Does everything have to be evenly measured? Life isn’t all about dollars and cents. There’s so much more to it than that.”

Beth waved her off. “It doesn’t matter. That was a long time ago.”

“Yeah, before you started letting your head make all the decisions.”

Beth stilled. Every major decision she’d made, from where to go to college to what internships to apply for to how to manage the office staff at Whitaker Mowers, had been accompanied by lists of pros and cons. She was a rigid planner, but what if Mom was right? What if she and Molly really did make a good team? What if they filled in each other’s gaps?

What if they could bring Fairwind back to life? She drew in a deep, long breath and closed her eyes. This was crazy. Absolutely, 100 percent, off-the-charts crazy.

And going into business with her sister was perhaps the most foolish part of the whole idea. She hadn’t made a pro–con list for this yet.

But for once, she wondered if she could follow her heart instead.

“Fine,” Beth said, rushing the words before anything could make her change her mind. “I’m in.”

Molly clapped her hands over her mouth but failed to contain a noise that could only be described as part squeal, part scream. “You’re in.” She gasped.

“But there will be conditions,” Beth said, moving away. “Terms. A written business plan. And I’m not here for good, Molly. Just long enough to get things off the ground, and then I want to become more of a silent partner. I’ll have to take a leave at work and figure out what to do about my plans and everything else.” She waved her hands in the air, the weight of her deception and her decision pressing on her shoulders. “We’ll need capital. More than we have.”

“What about Mom?”

Beth frowned. “That wouldn’t be my first choice.” She didn’t want the risk of this venture to threaten their mother’s bank account. “I’ll talk to Ben first. Let me see what I can do.”

Molly nodded, hands still covering her mouth. A smile worked its way up to her eyes. “You’re in.”

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