Page 11 of Too Delicious

I’ve also seen how she defers to her more outgoing, younger sister.

Harmony goes along to get along, for everyone’s benefit.

But after the hours we spent together, just talking, I know she deserves to have a voice.

Hell, I knew she had strong opinions when she threatened to karate chop me for staring at her like a dummy at the business expo.

Her opinion deserves to be heard. And I wish she would say it more.

She doesn’t want to open the shop in Gold Hill. I saw her hesitation when they signed the paperwork. I saw the look on her face when I shat all over her town when we first met.

I’m an idiot.

There’s only one solution to this. And I think it’s a terrible idea, but Carter needs to listen.

We must honor the girls’ wishes, even if we don’t like it.

And if their dream fails? It’ll ruin everything. Carter and Summer’s budding romance, and my friendship with Harmony. That’s the risk.

Behind me in the distance, the door to the main kitchen creaks open and closes again. Carter’s found me.

What’s he doing up at this hour?

Regardless, we need to talk.

Carter’s leg is driving me crazy.

He sits next to me on the bench, his knee bouncing away. It does that when he’s nervous.

The First National Bank of Fate lobby is quiet except for my brother, me, and a row of tellers doing their morning tasks. A door labeled “bank manager” stands ajar; the aroma of brewing coffee and the whoosh of emails come from that office.

My twin and I crunched the numbers and decided early this morning that we can’t ask the girls to put their store in Gold Hill. And we’re going to back them, whatever they want to do.

The only problem is they’re not answering our texts. So we’re straight-up ambushing them at the bank.

We’re here to intercept Harmony and Summer before they make the biggest mistake of their lives, which we initiated. They think they’re about to apply for a bank loan for the remainder of the funds they need for a Gold Hill store. But we can’t let that happen. We need to cancel the contract and convince them to let my brother and I finance the whole damn thing, right here in Fate.

I can’t take the bouncing of Carter’s knee anymore so I pace the lobby while I wait for Harmony and Summer to show up.

“What time did they say their meeting was?” I ask Carter.

“I didn’t ask. It’s supposed to be sometime today.”

“So you’re saying I could be pacing for hours,” I snap.

I need coffee. I need sleep. Mostly, I need to see Harmony.

Everything will work out once I see her.

Just then, a well-dressed woman who looks like an early-60-ish version of Harmony glides through the entrance. She nods at one of the tellers as she moves through the room like she owns the place.

One of the tellers calls out, “Good morning, Ms. Mosley!”

My ears perk up. Mosley?

I turn to Carter. He heard it too.

The well-dressed woman heads straight to the office of the bank manager. “Brenda!”