19. Johnny
Johnny
“Hey, man. Yeah, I’ll be there in five. I’m driving over now,” I said.
“Everything okay?” Lane asked.
“I’ll just talk with you when I get there. See you shortly.” I was short on the phone, but I needed help. Lane was one of my closest friends, and if anyone knew how to handle issues with owning a business, it was him.
I parked my truck in the still mostly-empty parking lot, hopped out, and stomped up to the door, walking into the place that was one of my mainstays but feeling completely out of sorts.
I looked at my usual stool by the door and decided against it.
I didn’t need everyone in town knowing my business.
Instead, I saw the open booth in the back and sat down, running my fingers through my hair, trying to solve my issue without having to open up if possible.
I knew it wouldn’t work, but it was worth a shot.
“What was so important that you cut me off on the phone and requested I come in two hours before I was planning to?” Lane took a seat on the opposite side of the booth and pushed a black coffee to me.
“Thanks.” I took the cup in my hands, just holding it, letting it warm my fidgety fingers.
He knew me well enough at this point that he just sat back in his seat, sipping his coffee, waiting for me. I was lucky to have a friend like him nearby—one of my closest confidants.
“The credit union is pushing back on the loan.” I ran my fingers through my hair again.
“What do you mean? I thought they gave you the tentative green light?” Lane furrowed his brow.
“They did, but it was contingent on how many other small business loans they secure. Basically, they can only allow so many loans at once—at least, for smaller businesses—and I didn’t make the cut.
They pre-approve more loans than they can allot because they assume some will fall through.
I’m on the waitlist for the next round.”
“That’s bullshit,” Lane said.
“Yeah, I agree.” I leaned back in my booth, crossing my arms and looking him in the eye.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Not sure yet. I just found out. Any insight?”
He paused for a moment, then chimed in. “Not really. I haven’t had to get any funding for anything since we opened. Any chance you can get another loan?”
“It’s possible, but I can’t count on that—obviously. Let alone it going through in time for the closing.”
“Yeah, I know Tara over at Crosslakes Credit Union if you want another option.”
“Already went there. She can’t underwrite it. Also already went to a couple other local banks prior. They said I don’t have enough history of success to lend to. That’s why I needed to go through this special program.”
“Ugh. Sorry, that sucks.” Lane hooked his arm over the back of the booth, leaning back.
“I really thought this was going to be a turning point, you know? Getting into the bigger stuff.”
“Still can be,” he said. “Just need to find a different route.”
Just then, Megan walked in. She headed straight to the register, and I watched as Lane followed her movement with a slight frown.
“Actually,” he started, still watching her, “I might have an option for you. How much do you need?”
“Seller agreed to a land contract, so it’s about a hundred thousand for the down payment.”
“Okay. Give me a few days.”
I looked to him, then to Megan, then back again, not knowing what he was thinking. “Okay? I need to let the seller know a status next week. I’ll have to back out if I’m not able to get secured funding. What are you planning?”
“I’ll text you with an update, but there might be another option—” He cut himself off. “I don’t know, let me look into it.” Finally, he looked back toward me and away from Megan.
He was acting standoffish compared to how he usually was, and I didn’t get it. I knew he and Megan had some sort of history, which had led to them not getting along but still.
“Something that’s actually viable?” I didn’t want to get my hopes up if there was no way out of this mess.
“Not sure. Give me a couple days.”
I looked from him to Megan, then back again. I guess I’d have to wait.
“Okay. Appreciate it, man. Let me know.”
Lane asked what I wanted to eat, then walked away put in our breakfast orders. As he sat back down in the booth, we shot the shit for a while. I knew he was attempting to change the subject to something more lighthearted after the funding news, and I appreciated it.
He leaned in after finishing his food and cleared his throat. “So, how’s Beth doing? Keep seeing you guys together.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, smirking into my coffee. As much as he was a man of few words, he got into gossip like the rest of this town.
“Ugh. Yeah, about that.”
“Yeah, what?” he asked.
“I like her.”
“You said that before, but I thought you were just hooking up with her. Isn’t she leaving in a few weeks?”
I put my head in my hands. “Yeah, soon after the festival.”
“And?”
“And I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. We agreed to be casual. But…” I paused, cutting myself off.
He just looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“I told her about Anne. It actually felt good to tell her too. I don’t know, man. We have this connection.”
He huffed. “I have to say I’m more than a little surprised. Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to focus on your business and growing everything out, not wanting to get wrapped up with another woman who could, and I quote, ‘Cut you off at the knees?’”
“Yup. I said that.” I nodded, looking into my almost empty mug. “It’s hard to stick with that though when this feels different. I don’t know. Maybe I was being too quick to make a decision there.”
“Hey, you can do whatever you want.” Lane raised his hands at me. “I just want you to take care of yourself. And from my vantage point, Beth seems like a great girl, but she’s leaving. Doesn’t seem like a smart decision to try for anything more. But hell, what do I know?”
“We both know she’s moving back to Randall after the festival. No promises made, nothing like that. Just having fun.”
All I could think about was the feel of her soft body up against mine when we laid in bed together. The feel of her lips on mine, and the way she made my chest tight.
Lane nodded.
“Guess I should spend a bit more time focusing on the loan anyway. Don’t worry about me. It’s just a summer thing.”
And as I said that, I tried to convince myself it was true, even though she made me feel like things could have been different.