Chapter 4 #2
A few weeks ago, Sal told me he was retiring.
I panicked—not knowing what I would do after he closed up shop.
But then he asked me if I wanted to buy the place.
My first thought was no way. I am only twenty-four, and that does not feel old enough to be a business owner.
But then I started thinking about it more and all of the changes I’d make to the shop.
With each idea sprung a new wave of excitement I couldn’t ignore.
There was only one problem. No bank was going to give me that big of a loan without a reputable co-signer.
“And?” I say, encouraging him to finish the thought.
“Listen,” he says in his thick, serious voice. The voice he always used to discipline me as a kid. “I’m going to be honest here and I hope you know it’s coming from a place of love. I will always be in your corner, no matter what. You know that, right?”
I nod my head, but keep my lips pressed together.
“Okay, then,” my dad says, swallowing hard.
“I’m a business owner too and reputation is important in a town like this.
I know you could run this shop with your eyes closed and do a damn good job at it, but ever since the incident last year, the town doesn’t look at you the same.
And in order to run this business successfully, you need loyal customers. ”
I bite the inside of my lip as heat rises to my face. “You know I didn’t do anything wrong. I told you everything.”
“I know and I believe you,” he says, placing his hands on his thighs, “but you know how gossip works in these small towns. Once people get an idea in their heads, it spreads faster than wildfire. And even if it isn’t true, some people just don’t care. They like their version of the story better.”
My gaze drops to the cheap tile peeling up on the floor. Something between shame and frustration curls inside me and my chest feels so tight, I can barely focus. I’ve done a lot of stupid shit in my day, but I never thought one night would screw up my life this badly.
“So basically, you think if I buy the business I’ll tank it,” I mutter, not lifting my eyes.
My dad exhales slowly and leans forward.
“I think you’ve got the skill set and the heart to turn this business into something Sal only dreamed of, but you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Maybe a few years from now, once things quiet down, you can take on something like this, but it’s too risky right now. ”
I nod, grinding my teeth. Everything he’s saying makes sense, but it doesn’t make it sting any less.
“So that’s a no,” I say, forcing my lips to curl up to hide the hurt gnawing at my gut.
He frowns. I know this isn’t an easy conversation for him. “I’m sorry, Knox.”
I push up from the chair and turn away so he can’t see the anger starting to blister across my face. “It’s fine, Dad. I get it. I really do.”
“Knox—”
“What would it take?” I ask, stopping at the office entrance.
“What do you mean?” my dad counters, rising from his own chair.
I take a deep breath and turn back to face him. “What would it take to fix my reputation and change your mind?”
It seems like a loaded question. It took me years to develop my reputation as the charming boy next door, but it only took a few days for it all to come crashing down. What if I can prove them wrong? Prove everyone wrong.
My dad studies me, his eye sweeping over my face carefully as he considers my question. Then he crosses his arms and pulls his mouth into a straight line.
“I’m honestly not sure. People are quick to remember the worst version of a story, and that doesn’t disappear overnight. But…”
He pauses, his eyes dropping to the floor.
“But what?” I press, stepping closer.
“But people do remember consistency. If you can show them that you’ve grown up and you take things seriously now, then they’ll come around eventually.”
Eventually? That could take time—time I didn’t have. Sal was giving me until the end of summer to get my ducks in a row. After that, he was selling the shop to someone else.
“And how exactly do I do that?” I ask, running a hand over the spiky stubble on my chin. “Volunteering? Baking pies for the local church bake sale? Adopting ten dogs from the local shelter?”
Dad huffs out a tired laugh. “Those are all a good start. But maybe not the dog thing. You’re renting one of my places, and ten dogs won’t fly with this landlord.”
I smile and even offer a light chuckle, but the wheels in my head are turning. I need to make this happen.
“You just need to show people that you’re not just the guy who wrecks relationships. You’re also the kind of guy that they can depend on to do things like fix their car.”
I wince at the title I’ve seemingly been saddled with. The guy who wrecks relationships. I don’t want to be that guy. I’m not that guy.
But if I want the loan, if I want this shop… Then, I need a new story. And a good one.
And suddenly, I’m hit with a ridiculous, yet kind-of-perfect idea that might do the trick.
If people think I ruin relationships, then maybe I need to show them the flip side of that. I need to show them a man so in love that he would never dream of becoming the town pariah again.
But of course, that isn’t something I can pull out of thin air. I’m not looking for love, and love sure as hell isn’t looking for me, but if I can find someone willing to fake it, that would be perfect.
At some point during my internal brainstorm, my dad must have sidestepped me and headed for the door. I call out, stopping him before he can leave.
“If I do something that makes people talk in a good way, would you reconsider?”
He glances back with his eyebrows raised. “If you manage to pull that off, I’ll reconsider.”
Then he walks out, and I hear the soft whoosh of the door closing behind him. I stand there for a moment before I head back into the shop to get started on my next car.
As I reach my tool bench, faces and names whirl around my head, but one blast from the past seems to stand out above the rest.
Emery is perfect. She is new to town, so no one would question why they haven’t seen us together yet.
We could play it off as two people who fell in love as teenagers and reconnected as adults.
We could have the perfect second-chance romance, and they’d eat it up. Small towns love a good redemption arc.
I grab a wrench and twirl it in my hand. The cold metal that presses against my hand grounds me as my master plan starts to take shape.
The main thing I can’t wrap my head around is how to get her to agree. She hates me. Loathes the fact that we now live in the same town. But if there is one thing I’m good at, it’s getting the yes.
And as my eyes settle on the rusted-out pick-up sitting a few stalls over, I know exactly how to get that yes.