Best of My Love (Fool's Gold, #20)(68)
Fay petted Charlie. “Our little boy is all grown up. I’m just so proud.”
*
THE HELP EMERGENCY RESPONSE OPERATIONS, or as it was known in town, the HERO office, was designed to handle a crisis. There weren’t a lot of unnecessary touches. The walls were covered with maps of the surrounding forests, the desks had state-of-the-art computers and the command center looked capable of a space launch.
Shelby had always felt a little intimidated when she visited her brother at work. He rescued people and saved lives—she made cookies. Not that the comparisons were new. After all, he’d been a world-class athlete before heading up the town’s search-and-rescue organization, while she’d, well, baked cookies.
Kipling smiled when he saw her and pulled her close for a hug. “How’s my favorite sister?” he asked when he released her.
“Good. How’s my favorite brother?”
“Tired. Happy, but tired. Tonya’s sleeping longer between feedings, but we are weeks from her sleeping through the night.” He waved Shelby into a chair and sat behind his desk again, swiveling so he faced her. “It’s great.”
“You like being a dad.”
“It’s the best thing ever. She’s so tiny and perfect. I never thought I could love anyone this much.”
Shelby thought about all the women that had paraded through her brother’s life for years. As he’d gotten older, he’d started to settle down, but he’d always had a wild streak. Until he’d met Destiny.
Theirs had been an unconventional courtship—with Destiny’s unplanned pregnancy first drawing them together before tearing them apart. In the end, they’d realized they were in love and wanted to be a family.
Shelby had watched it all from the sidelines. She’d hoped things would work out. Not only did she long to see her brother happy, she genuinely liked Destiny and Starr. Now there was one more Gilmore in the family.
“You’re surrounded by women,” she teased.
“I know. Isn’t it great? How are things with you and Aidan?”
Three days ago, Shelby would have pointed out—for the nine hundred and forty-seventh time—that she and Aidan were just friends. Only she wasn’t sure about that anymore. Making love had changed everything. She wasn’t sure of the consequences, but was sure they existed. With luck, they would all be happy ones.
“Excellent,” she said, thinking of the flowers delivered to the bakery that morning. And the way he texted her at least once an hour.
“Aidan’s a good guy. He was a bit of a player, but he seems to have changed his ways.”
“You’ve been checking up on him?”
“Of course.”
Which was totally what Kipling would do, she thought fondly. He’d always taken care of her. No matter what, her big brother would be there for her.
“You know about the bakery,” she said. “That I’m buying it.”
He nodded. “It’s going to be great.”
“I’m excited. Well, scared, too, but mostly excited. I’m working on my business plan. I’ve already met with a contractor to discuss expanding into the space next door. The landlord is holding it for me. If everything comes together, I’ll have the lease by the end of next week. Once Amber and I get the paperwork signed, I’ll be moving forward.”
There were a thousand details to work out. For one thing, she wanted to change the name of the business to Flour Power. She wanted a new logo and fresh, new boxes and bags for her customers.
He leaned toward her. “I’m glad you’re doing this,” he told her. “When you first wanted to buy into Amber’s business, I know I resisted. I wanted you to be sure. I was wrong about that. You’ve settled into living here as if you were born here. Owning your own business is the next logical step.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She smiled. “Because I’m here to ask you for a loan.”
She had more to say. Like how she wanted a loan, not a partner. That she would be paying him back with interest. That her business plan had been reviewed by both a lawyer and an accountant. But she didn’t get to go there with any of it because Kipling was standing and pulling her to her feet.
He hugged her hard, squeezing until she couldn’t breathe. But that was okay, because she felt the love between them.
“Thank you,” he said and kissed her forehead. “I wanted to offer but didn’t know if I should.”
She smiled at him. “There was a line of people trying to give me money. It was kind of cool. Even Morgan, Amber’s dad, offered me a loan. There’s a surprising amount of money in this town.”
She hugged her brother. “I knew you’d want to be a part of this, so I came to you first. If you only want to take on part of it or would prefer me to go to a bank, I’m—”
“I have the money. I want to give you the loan.”
Kipling had made money skiing, but most of his fortune had come from endorsements. When you had multiple gold medals, the big guys came calling. In addition to the usual equipment deals, he’d had international campaigns with a fast-food restaurant and had been the face—and body—of a clothing line. While the size of her loan terrified her, she doubted it would amount to a single quarter’s interest payment for him.