Page 63 of Hate You Later
“What?” I sit bolt upright at this unexpected news. “Are you kidding me? Angie is a millionaire? OUR Angie?”
Suddenly, I can’t stop laughing. The whole thing seems so ludicrous. All this time, I was picturing Angie clipping coupons and feeling guilty about charging her anything for the costumes she keeps coming back for.
Kenna and Xander gape at me as I continue to shake and howl with laughter to the point of inducing hiccups.
“Are you okay, G?” Xander casts a sidelong look at me. I take a deep breath and attempt to get ahold of myself.
“I mortgaged the house,” I blurt out. “I’m so sorry, Xander. I fucked up. Please don’t hate me.” I can’t even look at him. I cover my eyes with my hands.
A beat goes by, and then I sense them moving closer. Kenna sits on the arm of the chair and rubs my back. Xander kneels in front of me, gently peeling my hands from my face.
“Georgia,” he says.
“I don’t know how I’ll pay it back,” I admit. “It was already going to be a stretch before the rent hike.”
“Dammit, G. What were you thinking?” Xander sighs.
“That we had to make sure the shelter could reopen in a new space so the animals would be safe and so Angie could keep her job.” I hiccup as I justify my decision.
“Okay, but how were you planning to pay it back?”
“Marketing,” I say. “I signed up for that Petfluencer Challenge. You’ve done so well on TikTok.” My plan sounds so flimsy to me now. Especially since I still have less than two hundred followers.
“That didn’t happen overnight though,” Xander says. “I’ve been making grooming videos for years, and it’s taken a long time to figure it out. I don’t know why you didn’t ask me for help.”
“I know.” I hang my head in shame. “I just didn’t want to bug you. I thought I could figure it out myself. I’ve been so stupid. I’ve let everyone down. Mom would be so disappointed in me.”
“Stop it. Mom would still be proud of you, Georgia. And she’d say the same thing we’ve been attempting to tell you. Stop trying to do everything alone.”
“He’s right,” Kenna says.
“So, you’re not mad at me?” I wipe my eyes and dare to look at my brother.
“I’m not gonna lie. I’m a little pissed that you kept this from me.” Xander lets out a long breath. “But I’m not mad at you for trying to keep the shelter open.”
“And if it means we lose the house?”
“We’re not losing the house.” Xander shakes his head.
“But how?”
“We’re going to blow out this event. It’s not just a local shindig anymore. Between my followers and Jackson’s offer to livestream, we have the ability to reach tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of potential donors. We’re going to pay for the shelter’s renovations and at least a few months of operating expenses.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“We’ll figure something else out. But it IS going to work.”
I sigh, feeling some of the tension lift from my shoulders. “Thank you for not being mad at me,” I say to Xander.
“See how much more you can accomplish when you trust people enough to let them in?” Kenna squeezes my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re finally starting to see some sense. Nobody can possibly do it all alone.”
“But what about the Holms?” I ask. “What am I going to do about the knockoffs?”
“Let’s get through this masquerade. Afterward, we can hire you a lawyer and you can sue the pants off Hudson Holm, if you still feel like it.”
I bite my lip and Kenna punches me.
“You just pictured him without pants, didn’t you?” She laughs. “Admit it.”
