He stops by the door, but he doesn’t look at me, his hands balled into fists at his side. He looks huge, standing in the doorway, his shoulders tense, and I don’t recognise the man I call brother. We’ve had our arguments before, the three of us disagreeing, but this is different, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to fix this.
Bear turns his head to the side but he still doesn’t look at me, staring at the empty gym space. “Leave Clayton to me.”
With that ominous statement, he walks out the door. If it was anyone else, I might worry what’s about to happen to Clay, but this is Bear, and even as upset as he is, he would never hurt him.
All the tension suddenly leaves my body and exhaustion hits me. What a fucking day. I’m going to have to keep an eye on that woman next door if I want to make sure we all stay sane. Her sweet demeanour doesn’t fool me.
Grumbling my disgruntlement, I turn and head for the store cupboard. After all, I have a wall to fix.
TWENTY-FOUR
HOLLY
The numbers on the paper before me blur together, making no sense. Ashley is trying to explain it to me, but I feel completely dense. Seriously, is she even speaking in English? Everything she’s saying sounds like Latin to me. Groaning, I drop my head into my hands. Maybe if I stay like this long enough, she’ll leave me alone and I won’t have to deal with it on my own.
The documents on the table are from Ivy and the independent legal advisor about selling her half of the bakery. If I can’t understand any of this, then what hope do I have of running this business by myself? I know I need to get some legal advice, but seeing everything written out like this is making me realise what a huge undertaking all of this will be. I deal with the general managing and running of the business, while Ivy looks after the finances, and honestly, I have no idea how to manage that side of things.
When I first tried to look through it, I became overwhelmed and called Ashley in a panic. Being the amazing friend that she is, she came over immediately and has been patiently attempting to help me through it.
“Hol, it’s not as bad as you think it is.”
Lifting my head, I pin her with a disbelieving look, despondency draining my energy. “I don’t have the money she’s asking for, Ash. How is that not a disaster?”
Clearly thinking that I’m being dramatic, she rolls her eyes and slides one of the sheets towards me. “First of all, this is just an assessment, a price that she’s being advised to sell at on the market. She’s your sister, I’m sure we can convince her to sell her side for less than that.”
I’m not so sure. Ivy has been difficult with my decision not to sell, her constant calls to convince me otherwise have been draining and a sticking point between us. If she thought it would stop me from buying her share, she would out-price me. However, she knows that I will do almost anything to keep this going. I only wish I knew why she’s so against me keeping the business. Fair enough if she wants nothing to do with it, but why is selling it to me so abhorrent to her? So much for sibling support.
Ashley doesn’t wait for me to protest, holding her hand up to stop the oncoming tirade, already knowing what I’m going to say. “There are other options, Holly. You could get a loan. Do you think your sister would accept a payment plan? Worst-case scenario, she sells and you share the business with someone else.”
Between having to sell and sharing with a new partner, the latter is the lesser of two evils, yet it still makes me want to cry. Whoever takes over will want to come in and make changes and nothing will be the same again. No, this bakery has been in my family for generations. I’m not going to let someone else try to take over. I will honour my parents’ wishes, even if my sister won’t. There is something magical about our bakery, and I honestly don’t know why Ivy has never been closely involved.
“Stop panicking. I can see it in your eyes.” Ashley reaches out and squeezes my shoulder, chiding me gently. “You know I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“I’m not taking money from you.” Crinkling my nose, I pull back and shake my head, the idea abhorrent. She’s my best friend – I could never ask her for money.
“That’s not what I was suggesting, but I would do that as well.”
Movement out the window catches my attention, and I barely hear what she’s saying, my eyes glued to the figure walking across the square. Bear. My heart clenches in my chest and I rub at the spot absent-mindedly. He looks good, even in an oversized hoodie and jeans. He always looks good, but there’s something about him today that makes him seem extra handsome. There is nothing I want more than to run out and speak to him. I grit my teeth and grip onto the table tightly to stop myself.
“What happened there? You never did tell me.”
“What?” I snap back to reality, my cheeks red at being caught out. Attempting to look innocent, I turn to Ashley with a questioning expression. Of course, she doesn’t believe it for a second, raising her brow at my weak attempt to keep it hidden.
My last disastrous meeting with Clay and Bear was a week ago, and other than spying on them from the bakery window, I’ve not seen them. Am I sad that they didn’t try a little harder to stop me walking away? Yes, a small part of me hoped they wouldn’t let me leave until we had sorted something out. However, I know that this is the best option for all of us. I was pretty upset and ran straight to Ashley. I didn’t know how to tell her what had happened, so I didn’t, and she didn’t push me for an answer. Instead, she comforted me, not questioning why I was sobbing in her arms.
It seems that my grace period is now over.
“They were all over you, and now, nothing,” she continues, trying to prompt a response from me. “That and the fact I’ve caught you pining over them three times since I’ve been here.”
Sighing, I wince slightly at her comment. If she’s seen me watching the guys, then the others in the bakery are sure to have noticed. Thankfully no one has said anything to me about it. Groaning, I rub my temples, trying to ease the headache forming there as I try to put my issue into words.
“I couldn’t choose between them. So I decided it would be better not to see either of them.” Saying it aloud makes me feel awful and I realise how selfish that makes me sound – wanting two guys to the point they were fighting over me.
Ashley’s brow raises again and she tilts her head to one side. “Better for who? At the moment, it seems like all four of you are suffering. I’m not saying that it will stay that way forever. You might find you become closer with one, but why deny yourself this?”
She has a point. Are the guys struggling with this as much as I am? Has my decision only made things worse? There is no way of knowing without talking to them, and that will only stir up those feeling of hurt, right? Hang on, what did Ashley just say? That thefourof us are suffering. Who else could she mean…
“Elliot?!” Leaping away from the table, I practically screech the name, nose wrinkling in disgust. “You think I likehim?” Outrage pours through me. How could she ever think I would like someone like him?