Page 40 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
“What’s got you up so late, baby girl?” He laid his head on the back of the chair.
She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back. “Oh, nothing. Just...awake.”
He snorted. “You sure it ain’t Wyatt West that’s got your sandman in a headlock?”
Did everyone know about her crush on Wyatt West? Good thing she didn’t play poker; otherwise, she’d be in the poor house. “I’m not thinking about him.”
“Oh, really? That’ll be a first.”
“I’m over him,” she lied.
Her dad lifted one bushy eyebrow and leveled his eyes at her. “You went on a date with him last night, and now you’re up and unable to sleep?”
“He was just being nice because Bandit wasn’t able to take me out. I used to have a crush on him, but I’ve outgrown that.” Now that she said it, that’s exactly why Wyatt had volunteered. Which meant she’d also imagined the part where she thought he was going to kiss her. In a way, she was sad that she hadn’t had the brains to figure that out sooner. It would have been a disaster if she’d actually puckered up. Talk about embarrassing.
Her dad lifted his head and looked at her. “Okay, if you say so.”
She scoffed. “I have. I need to be over him. He thinks of me as a friend. I’ll always be that little girl with the crush. It’s foolish to hold a torch for someone who can’t even see you.” Wyatt had never really seen her. Ever. If he did, she sure didn’t know it.
Her dad remained quiet for a moment and then said, “Talk to me, baby girl. What else is on your mind?”
Her relationship with her dad had always been like this. He was someone she could always come to. He never passed judgment or made her problems feel small. If she was going to tell anyone, it’d be him.
“I lost my job at the paper. I thought I was getting a promotion, and they gave me a pink slip. They wanted fresh blood. Like somehow twenty-four is too old all of a sudden? I’m not seventy.”
“Hey, now. I’m not too far from that, and I can tell you, fifty is the new thirty.”
Gabby giggled. “Sure, Dad.”
“All right, keep going. Give that boulder on your shoulder a shove.”
She’d missed this too. They’d done just this thing numerous times. It was like he knew she’d need someone to talk to and was waiting for her. If she ever had kids, she wanted to have this kind of relationship with them. One where they knew they could talk to her about anything and she was never too busy for them.
“I’m thinking about getting a loan and buying the paper here in Caprock Canyon. I’ve been looking at the Small Business Association website. I think I can do it.” She glanced at him.
He nodded. “Well, of course you can. You just need a solid plan and a good business model. We’re going to need a paper once the town is prospering again.”
She twisted in her chair to face him. “Exactly what I thought.”
“It’ll be hard work. You know a business isn’t easy. You’ll be the boss, and you’ll have to keep a close eye on costs.”
“I know. I figure I’ll look into the financials of the newspaper and see how they were fairing when they were open. If I adjust for inflation, it should give me a good idea what to expect as far as expenses and possible profit.”
“Sounds like a good start.”
She shrugged. “I hope so. I have some savings, and I think I’ll try using the local Caprock Canyon Bank.”
“That’s real smart. I’ve known the president since she was a wee thing. They had this fella from Florida or somewhere for a while. Couldn’t stand him. Iris Hastings is smart as a whip. We were glad when she came home and took the job. Haven’t had a bit of trouble since she took over.”
Gabby cast her gaze to the floor as she tried to remember an Iris Hastings. “Oh, yeah, I think she was a senior when I was in middle school. The high school would have them come over and talk to us. She was a cheerleader.”
“Yep, her dad was a good man. Her momma is still getting around, but I heard she took a bad fall. That was one of the reasons Iris moved back. Sweet, sweet girl to do that.”
It felt like the planets were coming into alignment for Gabby. Her dad seemed to think she could pull it off. She had an in with the bank president. Okay, so maybe that was taking it a little too far, but she at least had a history with the woman. “If I’m careful, I think this could work.”
“I do too. I bet Stephanie would help you with a website.”
“Yeah, I thought maybe I’d ask her when the craziness of the holidays is over and I’m not on maid-of-honor duty. That also reminds me that I’ve got to come up with a bachelorette party. Not sure what I’m going to do yet.” Especially since she hadn’t even thought about it until right that second.
