Page 26 of Ours to Lose
“Sure thing.”
We hung up, and my resolve to figure out this loan solidified. Not only was the gym a part of my history, but I already had close ties to the area. Any fighters I trained interested in going pro would have my connections to give them a leg up in finding the right opportunities.
Itwasmy gym as far as I was concerned. Now, I needed to find a way to make it official.
Located in an up-and-coming area of Fishtown, the gym sat on a corner of Girard Ave across from both a light rail station and bus stop. The building had seen better days—its sand colored paint was faded and chipped, its broken windows boarded behind rusted metal bars. Coach Lou had a hard time maintaining it after his second heart attack forced him to close its doors and retire. It’d been sitting here since, a missing piece of the community waiting to be brought back to its former glory.
I got off the bus and made my way inside, surprised to find Coach Lou already in the office. Still bundled in his jacket, thin white hair peeking out the bottom of his cap, he sat hunched against the edge of the desk as if the chair behind it wasn’t his place anymore. I tossed the gym’s keys on the desk beside him and threw my suit jacket on the cot in the corner.
Coach watched it land and shook his head as if just looking at the cot made his back hurt. “I can’t believe you choose to sleep here,” he said.
“I like it. It’s familiar.”
“What about the home you grew up in? It’s got an actual bed you can sleep in.”
I flashed a grin. “I don’t need a bed. I’m not an old man like you.”
He blew out a hoarse laugh. “It’s coming for you sooner than you think.”
What I didn’t say was this cold, abandoned building felt more like home to me than the home I grew up in. That when I’d slept there after New Year’s, everything that had once felt familiar and comforting now brought nothing but shame. Like the walls themselves judged me.
“It’s helpful being here,” I told him. “Gives me inspiration for how I’ll set it up when it’s mine.”
“How’d it go with the latest bank?” he asked. “Any luck?”
“Not exactly. It wasn’t a hard no, but I’ll need more cash before they give me the loan. It might take me a bit to come up with, but I’ll keep you posted.”
We’d been meeting for lunch most of the past two weeks to talk out my business plan and break down the numbers. In fact, he was pretty much the only person I’d spent any real time with since returning from camp. I still hadn’t even told Aubrey I was back.
That I hadn’t ate at me. Iwantedto see her. To tell her my every wild dream for this place so she could imagine it with me in the way only she could. She’d become one of my closest friends over the past two years. Someone I shared things with first and opened up to the easiest.
But that had all been over messages. Building that friendship in person felt bigger somehow, more permanent. And permanent wasn’t something I had a lot of experience with.
Evan’s words from the party still swam in my head, telling me the last thing she needed was another person who bailed.
I didn’t want to be that person.
I’d been telling myself I would reach out to her as soon as I got the loan. That it would be an official sign I was here for good. But it wasn’t looking like that’d be an option for a while, so I’d have to figure something else out.
Or maybe I didn’t. I was probably overthinking this. Aubrey had never been the one who cared whether I was here or how long I stayed. She wouldn’t hold it against me if I left.
“That’s actually why I stopped by,” Coach said.
I tucked away thoughts of Aubrey. “The loan?” I asked. “Did you have an idea?” He’d already agreed to sell to me for a steal, so going any lower on the price wasn’t an option. He had a long retirement ahead to pay for.
“No. It’s…well.” He rubbed his forehead, almost nervous, the blue veins in his hand pronounced through his pale and thinning skin. “A developer approached me yesterday.”
My heart dropped.
“They made me an offer on the building. A big one.”
I hid the initial panic from my voice. “Did they tell you their plans for it?”
“Said they wanted to tear it down and put up some new apartments. Something to bring in a younger crowd.”
Outside, I’d gone perfectly still. My body had dropped into boxing mode, composure on and adrenaline pumping as my pulse ran sprints through my veins.
“Did you accept?” I wouldn’t blame him if he had. The kind of money they were probably offering meant he’d never have to worry about finances again. His medical bills would be handled, and his wife could stop stressing. He could take her on vacation. Take her on a few.
