Hailey
Thank you
Wes
I know your schedule is tight right now but Chris is having a holiday party for the radio station staff. We were both invited.
Hailey
Yet neither of us work there
Wes
Laugh out loud. We’re still invited.
Hailey
Sounds good. Also, did you seriously just type out LOL?
Wes
I don’t like acronyms
Hailey
YASAD
Wes
????
Hailey
You. Are. Such. A. Dork.
Wes
If you’re not familiar with acronyms, they can be bothersome to decipher.
Hailey
TWSS
Wes
Okay, even I know that one.
Hailey
Do you?
Wes
That’s what she said?
Hailey
Yup. Acronyms can also be a shorthand with people you’re close to. Like secret coded messages!
Wes
How do you make everything fun?
Hailey
IAG
Wes
I have no clue
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.”