Chapter Sixteen
“I’m going to do it.”
My mom’s voice rings out as I put coins into the vending machine, needing an afternoon sugar fix. I turn to face her and wrinkle my forehead.
“You’re going to do what?”
My mom leans against the counter and grabs my free hand. “I’m going to buy the nursing home.”
“Mom,” I say, but she holds up her hand and presses it against my lips.
“Birdie,” she says. “I’ve thought a lot about this. It’s what I want. The answer has been in front of me this entire time. I love living here. I love the community. I need this nursing home to succeed, and if I’m not the right person to make that happen, then I don’t know who is.”
“That’s huge, though, Mom.”
“It is.” She smiles. “I met with a lawyer already. I met with my financial planner. It’s all within reach.”
I open my mouth to say something, but then snap it shut. Her face glows, and I know her mind is made up. It was so hard for my mom to sell the ranch. But after my grandma had her accident, my grandpa’s health went downhill quickly, and he passed. It all happened so fast, and all of a sudden, my mom owned a two-hundred-acre property in rural South Dakota.
She knew she’d have to sell it, and my mom and I have had several conversations on the importance of the inheritance going to something meaningful. But each month, she’s had to tap into the funds because we’re barely getting paid to work.
The ranch was so special, too. It was home. Where I felt safe. Until it wasn’t. But this nursing home feels like home, too.
“Liam is coming here soon,” my mom says. “Pop into my office when you get a chance. I’d love for you to be part of the conversation.”
“Let me do a couple of rounds, and I’ll be there.”
My mom claps her hands together and leaves the break room. I step into the hall and look around. This place is falling apart. It needs so many things, I wouldn’t even know where to start. And why should we trust Liam with my mom’s inheritance? He worked for a company that defrauded its clients out of their life’s work. He may not have been actively involved, but even he said that he should have recognized that something was amiss.
The money my mom got from the ranch? Well, it’s more than that. It’s my grandparents’ legacy. It’s our future. I can’t imagine putting it all into the sale of something that may or may not work out.
I speed up my pace and rip the door open to my mom’s office just as Liam is about to sit.
He stands when he sees me. We haven’t seen each other since the night of our kiss, and we both pause and stare. My mom glances at me, and then Liam.
“Good, you’re here,” she says, pointing to a chair.
“Hi, Birdie.” Liam lowers himself into the chair. “We were just about to get started.”
“About that.” I clench my hands together. “I haven’t had a chance to look at your report.”
“Birdie,” my mom says. “I’ve looked at it in detail. I showed it to my attorney and my financial planner. It’s excellent work.” She turns to Liam. “What’s next? I’m all in.”
“Well,” Liam chuckles. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, Mom,” I say. “Are you sure? You’re talking about investing every cent of your money into something that has been operating in the red since I was missing my two front teeth.”
“Birdie,” she says. “This isn’t some impulse on a whim. I’ve been wanting to lay down roots and do something meaningful for a long time. This is it. I can feel it.”
Liam nods as he turns his chair toward my mom’s.
“June,” he says slowly. “There is something that I need you to know.”
“Okay.” My mom rests her head on her hand and leans toward him. “Go on.”
“You see.” Liam’s eyes flick to mine. “Before coming to Wheaton, I lived in New York. I worked in finance.”
Liam looks down at his lap, the struggle written across his face. He’s going to tell her everything.
“I worked at Feldmans. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the rest of the story. I promise you, I wasn’t part of it. I didn’t know what was going on. But I should have. And I thought you should know before you go any further with everything.”
My mom leans back in her chair. She crosses her hands over her chest and narrows her eyes.
“Are you trying to steal from me, Liam? Trick me into giving you my inheritance and running off into the sunset?”
Liam nearly chokes. “No. Of course not.”
She reaches her hand across the table and squeezes Liam’s. “That was a joke. You worked for Feldmans. If you were trying to defraud someone, you’re smart enough to go after someone with a lot more money than my cut of the ranch once I paid it off.”
“Even so,” he says, eyes again cutting in my direction. “It felt like something you should know.”
“And I appreciate that.” My mom pushes back from the table and stands. “I have to run but let me know what the next steps are.”
Liam jumps up. “I know a broker. Let me give him a call today and see how fast we can get the ball rolling.”
My mom glances at Liam and then at me. She smiles and turns to walk toward the door. She crosses her fingers. “I have a really good feeling about this.”
She walks out and leaves the door open. I press my fingers into the table and watch the blood move away, turning a pale shade.
“What is it?” Liam closes the distance between us and sits on the edge of the table.
“This could fail,” I say, standing. “I’m not sure if she should move forward with it. She could lose everything. We could lose everything.”
Liam tilts his head and studies me. He taps his long finger along the ridge of the table.
“What?” I say when he continues to stare.
“I’m learning who you are.” Liam pinches his bottom lip between his fingers. “You seem to have an extremely low tolerance for trying things without a guarantee.”
“It’s worked out for me so far.”
“Has it though?” Liam raises his eyebrows.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Everything could fail,” he says. “But it could also work out and be the most amazing risk ever taken.”
I’m no longer sure if he’s talking about the nursing home or us.
I shake my head. “I know that. But you don’t understand how much this money means to my mom. When my grandparents. . .”
I don’t finish my sentence. I cross my arms over my chest and stare into his dark blue eyes.
“You have nothing at stake here. You’re going to move back to New York, and my mom and I will have to pick up the pieces if this goes terribly wrong. I’d rather make little money than go bankrupt if the nursing home doesn’t rebound.”
Liam presses his lips together and shrugs. “You’re right, Birdie. I’m going to be back in New York. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Your mom knows that, and she still wants to try.”
“What is she thinking? Why would she want to do this?”
“I didn’t give her advice, one way or another. I laid out the risks and the rewards. This decision is hers to make.”
Liam walks toward me and places his hand on my arm. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this goes well.”
June is almost over, and all Liam has been telling me since the moment I met him is how eager he is to start his life over in New York. He feels like a safety net to me. One that is very temporary.
“It seems like the decision is made,” I say. “But I want to go on record and say I’m very much against this.”
Liam puts a hand on my other arm and squeezes. “Your mom is smart and capable, Birdie. You both seem to love it here. Let her make an informed decision about this.”
Liam lets go of me. “This could be a really good thing for you. You need to think about your future, too.”
I stare up at him, aware of how easy it would be to get lost in his eyes. They’re dark, mysterious, and I let myself imagine this town without him here, which is going to be the reality sooner than I know it.
“I have to get back to work.” I glance toward the door.
He grabs my hand as I brush against him. “Have some faith, Birdie. I think this is going to be a really good thing for both of you.”