As a single mom in a small town, there's only one thing I want. Another baby. When all the roads to getting what I want lead to dead ends, I turn to one of my best friends for help.
In my mind, Trent Castillo is the perfect baby daddy. He has good g...
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Bruce finishes his brief tour of the shop and extends his hand. "I'd be pretty pleased to have Adrian's son take over the business. I still think of him often."
"Me too," I say, accepting his hand.
"There's just one thing," Bruce says, rubbing the back of his head, "and I'm not too sure how to phrase it."
I tense because I'm sure I know, and I'm tempted to assume, to make the transition easier for him.
"Not everyone in the town is going to be welcoming, if you take over. I can't guarantee the business I have is the same one you will."
"That'd be true no matter who took over." No one would run things exactly like Bruce from pricing to service. Some people will always balk at change.
"Some won't even give you a chance," he says.
"If I can do this, I'll throw my whole heart into it, and I might not win 'em all over, but I'll get enough. I'm confident." Or not at all confident, but I'm good at faking. False bravado works in almost any situation.
"People might even question where you got the money," Bruce hedges.
"They'll be able to follow the trail right to the bank. I'm going to talk to Warren Ferguson right after this. I don't do any of that shit anymore, Bruce. This isn't a front for anything."
"I've heard you're a good worker. You've even managed to fix some things I couldn't find or figure out over the years. The switch to more computerized components and electric cars has been a steep learning curve for me," he admits.
Whereas I've thrown myself into the changes from the minute Maggie worked her magic and secured me the apprenticeship in Utica. I might not be book smart, but I'm persistent and determined when I'm locked into something more practical, something that has a solution somewhere if only I dig long enough or deep enough.
"Earl'll miss you in Utica, if you decide to go after this."
He will, but I don't admit that out loud. There's no one else working for Earl who'll stay after hours for far longer than necessary to crack a problem. There have been some advantages in my superficial life—lots of time to get good at work. And Earl's been fair with overtime and the bonuses I deserved.
"I'll let you know when I have the finances secured. You're hoping to bow out in March?"
"I was going to put the business up for sale in March," Bruce says. "I can leave later or earlier than that if it works for you."
"I'll keep you posted," I say, shaking his hand again before leaving.
Next stop—the bank.
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By the end of my day off, I've visited every bank in Little Falls, and then I even went to a few different ones in Utica that I researched online that seemed more likely to loan to me.
