“That’s great, I hope they are exactly what you wanted and needed,” I state, smiling, knowing that so far, I’ve hidden the fact that I upgraded what she wanted to order to the best line available, she just doesn’t know it yet. Yes, it cost me an extra fifty grand, but it was worth it, knowing that it was the best available for their set up and will be something that will last for years to come.
“Thanks for your help, Nathan,” Lacey adds.
“Anytime. I’m just a phone call away,” I tell her. “Babe, I’ll call you later, sound good?”
“Of course, thanks for talking us through all of this.”
“Love you,” I tell her before we end the call.
20
Harper
“So, what are you thinking?”I ask Lacey. We’ve been discussing the future of the bakery all afternoon, and after our call with Nathan, I think she’s got a pretty good picture of the options.
“I really like the idea of buying the bakery from you, I’m just scared to take that step. I know you did it on your own, but I’ve got the kids to think about,” she says, worrying her lip.
“I completely understand. Do you want my two cents?” I ask, knowing she will.
“Of course,” she states.
“I think that the best option is actually a combination of some of the ones we came up with earlier. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, and I’d have to run it by Nathan, but I really think it will work. He can come in as a silent partner, providing enough capital for me to pay off my loan with the bank. Once I own everything, or at least, besides his portion, that will make it easier for me to owner finance it for you. We can then come up with a sales price and payment that you’re comfortable with each month. If you want to use the third party, we can, otherwise, I can just open a new account over at the bank and you can deposit the payment into that account each month for the term of the loan.”
“That is a very interesting option and I think my favorite. How about we think over everything for a few days, you run that by Nathan, and we can talk about it again next week,” Lacey suggests.
“Sounds perfect,” I tell her.
We finish our cleanup for the day, both exhausted from the long day in the kitchen, helping customers and then talking business.
I stop at my parents’ house before heading home. I love stopping in, sometimes just to say hi. When I move to California, this will be one of the hardest parts. Not seeing my family whenever I want to. I know Nathan’s solution will be to just fly me home whenever I want to see everyone, but it still won’t be the same as just pulling in for a quick hello on my way home.
“Hello, baby girl,” my dad greets as I enter the house. I find him kicked back in his recliner, reading a book.
"Hi, daddy,” I greet him, kissing his cheek before I take a seat on the couch. “How’s Mom today?” I ask.
“She’s had a rough one. The home health aide took both a blood and urine sample in to be tested. I think she’s got another UTI.”
“Well, that sucks, I hope they can get her feeling better soon. Is she sleeping?”
“The last I checked on her, she’d finally fallen asleep. She’s been pretty restless today. I think due to the pain.”
“I’m sorry, Dad, you should have called me. I’d have come by earlier.”
“We’ve got it covered; you’ve got enough on your plate as it is,” he tells me.
“Lacey and I discussed her buying the bakery more today,” I admit.
“And that’s something that you want to do?” he asks.
“If you’d have asked me that six months ago, I’d have been offended, but today,” I stall, thinking over the last couple of months and what a whirlwind it has been since Nathan came back home after being gone for ten years. “Today, I’m ready to sell and move forward. We only get one chance at life and I know Nathan is my future. I have to go to where he is, and that means packing up my life here and moving to California. At least for now, and for the foreseeable future. One day, I might get him to come back here, but I don’t think that will be anytime soon.”
“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy, and if being with Nathan makes you happy, then I’m behind you one thousand percent. Just no disappearing on us like he did for so many years,” Dad jokes.
“Don’t worry, I have no reason to stay away.”
“Do you have any plans yet for your birthday in a few weeks? The big thirty.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” I grimace. It isn’t that I’m afraid to turn thirty, it isn’t that I don’t feel accomplished, but there’s just something about starting a new decade of your life that can feel daunting sometimes. “Actually, Nathan told me to clear my schedule for the week. He said that he’s whisking me away, but won’t tell me any of the details.”