Page 56 of Daddies' Holiday Toy
“Why not?”
I blink at him. “Why not what?”
His head tilts more, curiosity replacing the guarded lines on his face. “Why not let people see you like that? You seemed like you were having fun at the bonfire.”
“I did.” I give him a short, brittle laugh, not meaning to. “I don’t like to let loose like that most of the time. It’s not something that’s done much for me in the past. Plus, in my experience, a lot of the time when I drink, it’s because I’m trying to avoid thinking about something that’s bothering me.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re talking about your family?”
I hesitate then shake my head. “Not exactly. I’m…my life’s kind of a mess right now. My business isn’t doing the best.”
Something in his expression shifts, softening.
Before I can stop them, the next words come tumbling out of my mouth.
“I think it’s going under and there’s nothing I can do about it and it’s making me really sad because I’ve spent years building it from the ground up with no help.”
Liam sets his coffee on the counter and steps around the counter.
“What do you mean there’s ‘nothing you can do’? What’s going on with it that you think it’s failing that badly?”
“Sales have been really down this season. I mean, I’ve tried everything. Discounts. Ads. Chasing people down the street with a free sample. I’ve sunk every spare dollar into keeping it afloat, and it’s still not enough. My rent’s past due. I already got an extension on it, and I don’t even know if I can make it to next month to make back what I owe, let alone keep my books in the black. That’s why I took this cleaning job, to help pay some of that debt down.”
His eyes don’t leave mine. “How much do you need?”
My brows knit in suspicion. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I could give it to you. It wouldn’t be a loan or anything, so you don’t need to worry about paying me back. I’ve got a lot in the bank and it’s kind of just sitting there.”
I blink at him.
It’s such an absurd offer that at first I think he’s joking.
But then, as his face remains the same, I find myself shaking my head. “That’s sweet, but there’s no way I can do that.”
Because I can’t.
Even if he says it’s no strings attached and that it would be nothing like a loan…I know better.
Maybe not with him, specifically—hell, maybe he really does mean it—I’ve simply learned the hard way that nothing in life comes without a cost.
People who hand you something for “free” are usually just waiting for the right time to call in a favor you can’t refuse.
The strings are invisible until they’re not, and by then you’re too tangled in them to cut yourself free.
His mouth flattens into a line.
“I don’t want to see you lose something you’ve built, Holly. Let me help you.”
I swallow past the lump rising in my throat again.
Instead of letting the moment get too real, I force my lips into a faint smirk.
“So…if I didn’t pay you back with money, what exactly would you want instead?”
It’s meant to be teasing, just a little jab to lighten the mood.
But the instant the words leave my mouth, I realize I’ve stepped somewhere I can’t just back out of.
