Page 14 of Holiday Reunion
The head of the board leaned back in his seat with a smile. “Looks like we can just let her flounder a bit, then when she finally kicks it, we’ll scoop up the building in the aftermath. I’m sure the bank would be interested if we told them how much we’re willing to pay and that is with a steep discount of course.”
“No,” James blurted. He’d said the word without realizing what he would do next. Several surprised eyes landed on him, expecting more. What more could he say? They wouldn’t entertain a bailout. That wasn’t what his company was built for.
“Sir,” the head of the board leaned close with a whisper. “What are you suggesting?”
“I think we should help,” he murmured.
The man lifted his brows. “You can’t be serious.”
James nodded. “I’ve been spending a lot of time there with the festival in full swing. She’s got something great. We should save it, not steal it.”
“Mr. Stetson, what you’re suggesting. It’s not appropriate.” The way he said it made James wonder if the man was aware of his romantic connections to Sarah. “What would you have advised if this business was one of the others we’d already acquired? Or one of the businesses we took over in the city?”
He was right. James wouldn’t have let his heart get in the way of a good business deal. This news about Sarah’s bakery should only be viewed for what it was—an investment. His feelings forSarah shouldn’t get in the way of a good business decision and that was exactly what they were doing.
James remained quiet for the rest of the meeting, his thoughts whirling with concerns for Sarah and her bakery.
“I can’t believeI’ve never been to that store before.” Sarah glanced up at James, delight in her eyes. “Did you hear the shop owner? She said they stay open all year around. Can you believe it? And they’re actually profitable. I wouldn’t have thought people would be interested in Christmas ornaments and other decorations in the summer. I wonder how they do it.”
James made a few noncommittal noises. He burned to tell Sarah what he’d found out in his meeting. He wanted to offer his help or force it on her. She was so close to losing everything she loved.
“You okay?”
He stiffened and then glanced at her. “What?”
“It’s like you’re in another world.”
Maybe because he was. He opened his mouth, tempted to break the promise he’d made when they’d started seeing each other, but then thought better of it. There had to be another way. “Do you know why I made the harbor my project?”
She glanced at him warily. “James, I thought we agreed?—”
“This isn’t about business, I promise.” He swallowed audibly. “I know you love this place. Interestingly enough, I might love it more. Out ofallof Hollyberry Harbor, the harbor is the place I refuse to see disappear.”
That caught her attention.
“I used to spend my summers by the lake. I used to get snow cones from the little stand by the pier. It was an escape for me—one that made me want to travel more. I know it sounds strange, but I used to look out over that lake and pretend it was a vast ocean. It gave me courage to move out and see what else was out there.”
“Ironically, it did something completely different for me,” she murmured.
“I know. And isn’t that part of what makes Lake Harbor great? No matter who you are, it is a place to escape reality for a moment. You can go to the harbor to relax and enjoy yourself or take a boat and go on an adventure. The problem is, not enough people are coming to the harbor and something needed to be done—” he cut himself off. He’d been getting dangerously close to talking about saving the harbor his way and by proxy, telling her she needed to do something to save her bakery.
James sighed, letting the conversation die.
“As much as I don’t agree with the way you’re doing things, I can appreciate what you’re doing for the others on Lake Harbor Avenue.”
Her confession surprised him. He glanced at her sharply. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to help her. She just needed to come to the conclusion before the bank completely gave up on her. One step at a time. That’s all he could do. James slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her close.
Sarah leaned into him, and they walked in comfortable silence for the next little while. James had hope that she’d finally understand that her stubbornness was going to get her in trouble. And he knew he would be there to help her pick up the pieces when it all came crumbling down. She cared far too much to let something slip away from her without a fight.
NINE
Everything was crumbling. Sarah could feel the bakery slipping from her fingers with each passing day. It was as if everything she held dear had been turned to sand. There was only so much she could catch and hold in her palms.
She hadn’t told Brie any of this. Her friend would’ve told her to get help—most likely from James since he’d made the offer.
But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t bring herself to ask for his help when she’d been so adamant about keeping their business decisions separate from their personal lives. James had actually been very good at keeping his promise and she didn’t want to destroy anything that they had worked so hard to build.
She sat at her desk in the back office staring with dread at the letter from the bank. It was a week before Christmas. Normally, she didn’t get anything from them this close to the holidays. She could expect to hear from them at the beginning of each month, but that was it.