A Guide to Being Just Friends(60)
Hailey
It’s a gift
Wes
You have many.
Hailey
I should go.
Wes
GNH
Hailey
???
Wes
Goodnight Hailey
Hailey
Did you just make up an acronym for me even though you hate them?
Wes
I didn’t say hate and yes. Some people are worth adjusting for. Your turn. You make one for me.
Hailey
IAU
Wes
Hmmm … It’s not I owe you
Hailey
Which should actually be IOY not IOU
Wes
Agreed. I give up
Hailey
I adore you.
Wes
Damn. You win. GNH. IAYT.
25
“Why are we doing this on a Friday night?” Noah asked.
Because for some inexplicable reason, Wes needed to take his mind off the fact that Hailey was on a date. They let themselves into the space above Tara’s bakery with a key she’d given them.
“We won’t be long and you didn’t have to come.” Wes turned on the lights.
“Shit. I knew it would be perfect. We need to push him on this,” Noah said, hands on his hips as he turned in a slow circle.
“It’s this space, three apartments that he overcharges for, and the shops below,” Wes said, remembering what he’d dug up on the Vanderben property.
“We’d own the lease on Tara’s and Hailey’s shops.”
Which meant they could lower the rent. “That’s fine. It’s a great investment if we can get him to sell.”
“I have some news on that,” Noah said. He pulled up his phone, scrolled through something, then passed his phone to Wes. “It’s an email from a friend of a friend.”
The email talked about an investment opportunity that had come up. One of the names on the list was the landlord of this particular building.
Wes looked at his brother. “So he used this place as collateral to invest in a deal that didn’t work out as well as he hoped.”
“Now he’s stuck. He’s invested in the other property, which has been put on hold. He’s paying a high mortgage on that one but not getting any income from it. He’s using these shops to cover the cost of the deal that went south.”
Shit. That complicated things.
“What does Chris say?”
“That we can push it forward but we’ll lose money.”
Wes swore, passed the phone back, and walked through the space. Right now, it was fairly bare except for a couple of long meeting tables, some chairs, and an empty watercooler.
Was he being too emotional about this? He couldn’t push and he’d never made a decision that impacted him personally as well as professionally.
“We’ll make up the loss if we buy him out, even if we overpay as incentive for him to do the deal. I’m positive. Tara’s and the vintage shop are pulling in nice little profits, they’ve been here awhile. Those are stable. We lower the rent on those apartments, get people in them, use this space as our office.”
Noah was saying all the things he was thinking. Wes turned to meet his brother’s gaze. “You don’t think it’s risky to put him on the spot?”
Noah shrugged. “He’ll tell us to go to hell or he’ll be happy someone is throwing him a rope. He saves face, we get what we want. Is this about Hailey?”
“Not entirely,” Wes said. His brother knew him too well. “I just want to make sure I’m not making a financial decision based on personal reasons. I’d really like for the rent to drop for her sake and Tara’s. Hell, and the other shop owners. It’s hard enough to keep things going in an ever-changing economy. They don’t need some so-called businessman raking them through the coals because he wants a piece of a bigger pie.”
“Doesn’t sound like you’re being too touchy-feely about it. It’s okay for some of our investments to have a personal connection.”
Wes strolled to the window. He really liked the openness, the high ceilings, the windows that looked out onto the street. “That goes against one of dad’s cardinal rules.”
“And he’s sitting in an ivory fucking tower, three weeks to Christmas with not one person who loves him at his side. What’s going on with you?”
“Let’s go get a drink,” Wes said.
Noah shrugged. “Sure. I know a place.”
Wes forced himself to think about nothing as he watched the palm trees whip by from the passenger’s seat of Noah’s SUV.
The space above Tara’s felt right. It was exactly the kind of space they were looking for. What they were proposing, giving Vanderben above his asking price, wasn’t unethical. Financially, the cost would work out in their favor. He had zero doubt about that. You wanted the space before you met Hailey. Before you knew she existed. Did he want it more because he knew it would benefit her, and if so, how was that different than what his brothers wanted for their one-day wives? If he was all about protecting them and their investments, was this the most sound route for all of them? He’d been able to tell himself these confusing feelings when they texted, talked, or hung out were innocent. Simple. For the first time in his business history, Wes was questioning his own motives.