Page 107 of Tempting Me

“Yay! You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

Quinn pokes her head from around the kitchen and smiles.

“How’s your day?” she asks.

Quinn hasn’t been to that many girls’ nights, but I have chatted with her around town in the past month.

“Good,” I answer, and Grace pops out from behind Quinn.

“I know that tone. What happened?”

I let out a sigh and think about my afternoon.

The afternoon that I told not a single soul about.

“I went by the bank today.”

The bank was always a plan B for me. If my parents wouldn’t sell to me, I’d get the loan and try to buy it as if I were any other customer.

But turns out, I can't afford to buy The Marina on my own.

Part of me thinks that’s why I hadn’t gone that route yet. I knew I wouldn’t get approved, but after the last few weeks with Luca, I was feeling motivated, like I could do anything.

Anything but buy The Marina, that is.

My only chance now is that my parents finally do decide to sell to me and we work out some kind of deal. A buyout of sorts.

I don’t know.

I don’t really know how to make this work anymore. I just know that I don’t see myself doing anything else in life. My degree could let me start up any other business, but that’s not what I imagined for myself. It was always me and The Marina, and now, it’s me, The Marina, and Luca.

But for the first time, I’m realizing this might not actually be my future.

Instantly, all the girls appear in the living room. Grace, Quinn, Sadie, Brooke, and Ruby.

“And?” Brooke asks.

The tears start.

A part of me thought that if I could just get this loan, not only would I have this whole marina thing in the bag, but then I could stop sneaking around with Luca.

It wouldn’t matter anymore if my family knew.

Still, until it was in my name … ugh, this all so stupid.

I’m a mess.

Maybe if I just knew what happened, all the real details, I could somehow fix things between our families.

I’d have to find a way that wasn’t obvious as to why I was doing it, but I could.

I feel like so much of my life is out of my control. Either I’m about to snap or it’s all going to fall apart.

“I’m so sorry, Shay. Can I do anything?” Grace asks.

“No. I’ll be fine. I’ll figure it out.”

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