Page 20 of In the Long Run
‘What was all that about?’I ask Knox.
‘I need your help.I’ll explain everything inside.’He opens the front door and gestures for me to go in first.
8
KNOX
Fucking Brand Bolton.Going to call me ‘Jailbird’ in front of Gen.Smirking because he knew exactly what he was doing.
My hand shakes as I tip the pan of burnt asparagus into the bin.I breathe deeply, taking a few seconds to get myself under control.
Eugene is sleeping in his room – I was getting concerned, but his doctors keep saying this level of fatigue is normal a week after such a big surgery – and Gen sits across the granite counter with papers spread out in front of her.The first thing she did was twist her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and put a pen behind her ear.Another is clutched tightly in her hand and the page in front of her has notes scrawled all over it in perfect cursive with long, loopy letters.
‘Okay.’She reaches for her glass of water.‘Things are’—she looks over her shoulder towards where Eugene’s door is ajar and lowers her voice—‘not good.’
This isn’t a surprise.Not after Eugene gave me access to all the pâtisserie’s accounts, but hearing someone else say it?Not fun.I wipe my hands on the tea towel I tossed on the stone benchtop when I realised the asparagus wasn’t just lightly charred, it was inedible.
‘Alizée’s is struggling to keep up with all its expenses, including its mortgage payments.Those are being paid late.Severalsupplier accounts are overdue as well,’ Gen continues, pointing to the pile of bills next to the poor salad I took out all my frustration on.The lettuce leaves, squashed cherry tomatoes and roughly chopped walnuts and feta deserved better.
‘Those are paid now,’ I say, and a crease appears between her brows.Please don’t make me say it.I still feel sick about what I did, because lying is the one thing I promised Eugene I wouldn’t do.But he would’ve never accepted the money otherwise.‘Can you help me come up with a plan to get Alizée’s back on solid ground?’
Gen taps her pen against her lips.‘It won’t be easy, and it might not work.’Something on my face pushes her to add, in a softer voice, ‘But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.We could get in touch with the bank’s financial hardship team to negotiate a payment plan.But …’
‘We’d need to demonstrate that the business is still viable.If things continue the way they’re going …’ I look down.
Alizée’s will be gone forever.
Eugene needs something to keep him going.To get him out of bed in the mornings and fill his days, especially now.I sigh before adding a knob of butter to the frypan on the cooker.‘It feels impossible.’
‘Nothing is impossible, Knox, except maybe you coming up with a good nickname for someone.Coffeebean?’
I sneak a glance at her over my shoulder.The pendant light makes her skin glow.
‘It slipped out.Besides, you like coffee and coffee cake.I seem to recall you almost having a sexual experience with it the other morning.’
Excuse me, mouth, but what did you just say?The fumes in the kitchen must be getting to me.Cutting up onions makes some people cry.Apparently, it makes me say wholly inappropriate thingsto the woman I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.But there’s just something about Gen.She disarms me without even trying.Or maybe I don’t want to keep my walls up around her.
Gen blinks at me, her mouth hanging open in shock, which, frankly, doesn’t help, considering my mind has relocated to the gutter.
‘I’m sorry.That was …’ I gesture around the room at nothing in particular.I don’t often get flustered.‘That was bad.But in my defence, you said you’d had indecent thoughts about it first.’
Gen giggles and claps a hand over her mouth.It’s the cutest sound I’ve ever heard.She arches her brows at me and I’m done for.Gone.Lost in this tiny moment of joy in the midst of a week that’s been a total shitshow.
‘I also like whipped cream on my coffee sometimes.Going to bust that out next time?’
A vision of what I’d like to do to Gen with whipped cream instantly materialises and I sniff deeply, forcing air back into my lungs.Shit.Something’s burning again.I spin around and the butter has blackened.I tip it down the sink and start over.I need to … focus, damn it.There are real problems all around me.Indulging in what is fast becoming an adolescent crush won’t help anyone.
But I really want to help Gen.
‘Were you serious about going to the police?’I ask.
She rolls her eyes, but it doesn’t feel like it’s directed at me.‘What’s the point?Brand’s right.No one’s going to take me seriously.As much as I don’t want to buy into the whole Bolton family Kool-Aid situation, I’m the anomaly.Even my mother thinks Brand’s a good guy.Everyone does.’
‘He’s never been a good guy,’ I mutter darkly, scoring tonight’s steaks too roughly.I release my tight grip on the knife and flex my fingers before reaching for the salt and pepper.Once the steaks areseasoned, I place them into the pan, wash my hands and flatten my palms against the countertop.
‘What’s the beef between you?’Gen leans across the bench to swipe a cherry tomato, and the oversized shirt she’s wearing slips off her shoulder, revealing a black bra strap and so much smooth skin.
‘He’s never liked me.’In truth, I hadn’t liked myself all that much back then either.Things could’ve been so different if I’d made different choices.
