[Blueberry Springs 01.0] Whiskey and Gumdrops Read online

  Mandy felt the smile slide off her face. John, who was a bit older than her father, was supposed to be the kind of guy who just went ahead and got stuff done. Not…whatever this was.

  “I can’t get over what a young lady you are now,” he said. “I remember when Marisa used to babysit you and your fully energized brothers.”

  Mandy smiled politely and waited for him to pick up the giant stack of papers in front of him, but they remained untouched. “How are things at Benny’s? Is Gloria still fussing over Amber being single?”

  “Last I heard, she’s found someone in the city. Some newscaster or something.” Mandy waved her hand. She was paying him by the hour, and had no intention of wasting time filling him in on the latest gossip. Besides, hadn’t he already heard it and its many variations from Liz? She needed to get this contract up to snuff and signed before someone else swooped into her region with a more enticing offer.

  “Really?” John’s eyebrows lifted in interest. There seemed to be something about people of a certain age wanting all the kids to hook up. “That’s wonderful. Is he a nice man?”

  “I dunno.” She pulled her own papers from her shoulder bag and set them on the table. “So? What did you think of the contract? What kind of changes do you think we need to make?”

  John pulled the agreement out of the stack beside him. “Have you read it?”

  Mandy nodded. It had taken her hours upon brain-draining hours to read through the thick stack of legalese with all its conditions of ownership, regulations, amendments, fees, etcetera. She’d had to take oodles of notes and had gone to bed with legal terms swirling in her head like cookie dough in a mixer. Only not nearly as sweet.

  “Any questions before we go through it page by page?”

  Page by freaking page? This was going to take all afternoon and would surely turn her brain into a thick and fuzzy caterpillar that wouldn’t be able to hold a customer’s order for the time it took for her to pass it on to the kitchen. “I have a shift at four.”

  “Well…” John plunked reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and glanced at what looked to be pages of notes. Mandy swallowed hard. He looked over his glasses at her, his light blue eyes serious. “This is a pretty big contract and I don’t want you to sign anything until you’re one-hundred percent certain it’s going to work for you. Frankie was saying--”

  “It doesn’t matter what Frankie says. I am the one signing the contract.”

  “I was talking about the lease he wants you to sign.”

  “Oh.” She sat back. “He brought the lease to you?”

  “He has a few stipulations about modifications to the building.”

  “Okay.”

  “I don’t think it should become an issue but it’s good to know going in. You don’t want anything like this to ruin your friendship.”

  “I know! That’s what I was telling him.” Thank goodness someone understood.

  “I’m also concerned about a few other things such as the franchise fees. They seem a tad high although they do offer an uncharacteristic level of support based on my research. They also seem to have an overinflated marketing plan, which could kill your initial cash flow--”

  “Wait. You saw the marketing plan? I haven’t even seen that.”

  “Liz!” John called through the closed door. It popped open in a matter of seconds.

  “Yes, John?”

  He handed her a thick document. “Be a doll and copy this for Mandy, would you?”

  Liz vanished with the document, looking slightly disappointed.

  John returned his attention to his list. “What happens if they don’t allow you to renew your franchise license?” He swept the glasses off his nose and gave her a serious look. “There’s a lot to consider here, Mandy. Are you prepared to take on all of this?”

  She nodded but she couldn’t stop thinking about Frankie. Why had he brought the lease to John? Did he not believe in her, despite his words to the contrary? Did he believe she was going to do something where he’d need legal recourse? Or was he finally trying to protect their friendship?

  John was sizing her up, assessing her fortitude as he had back when he’d coached her soccer team. Only in soccer, she had been certain of her limits and skills. But right now? She had no clue. Was she in over her head?

  Probably.

  Could she handle it?

  Not a clue.

  If Frankie didn’t even believe in her…then was she a fool to think she could do it?

  Her mother’s soap operas were starting to look like a fine way to spend her time.

  But she wanted this. Bad. And when she wanted something, she dug deep, finding the fortitude that could blast through walls. And right now, nothing was holding her back, other than figuring out a ton of details.

  There was a reason why she was paying a lawyer--an expert.

  “John,” she said, leaning forward. “Just tell me if there’s anything in here that’s going to sink me, because otherwise I’m going to just sign this thing and get myself into business.”

  He studied her for a moment, then slowly smiled. With pen poised above a copy of the contract he said, “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen. As a Blueberry Springs business owner I’ll protect your interests like I’m Attila the Hun.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Mandy smiled when she saw Frankie waiting for her outside the law office. He was leaning against the wall, ankles crossed, reading something on his phone. He glanced up as she exited, his expression warm. Despite the sting of finding out that he’d asked John to take care of their lease, she knew in her heart that it had been a move meant to protect them both--that their friendship was important to him, too. And now he was here to make sure she was okay.

  He pushed off the wall and handed her a motorcycle helmet.

  “Looks like you could use a ride to clear your head.”

  “I have a shift in an hour.”

  “There’s time.”

  She donned the helmet and followed Frankie to his bike. He straddled the hog, then reached out to offer his hand, steadying her as she climbed on behind him. He pulled his own helmet over his unruly hair and turned, “Ready?”

  She nodded and he kicked the engine to life, flipping down his visor. She slipped her arms around his waist, feeling hesitant as the contact lit her up inside. Being with Frankie always felt so right and lately in a way that left her yearning for more.

  Knowing she had to hold on, she allowed herself the contact, savoring the feel of her body wrapped around his as he ripped up the street, leaving their worries behind.

  As he put on miles, climbing higher and higher through the mountain passes, the bright green of new leaves waving gently to them as they passed, the dazed feeling from being bathed in legal jargon slowly melted away.

  She smiled at the feeling of freedom, the closeness of her best friend and the joy of having someone in her life who always seemed to know what she needed and when.

  Darn it all, but she loved the guy.

  And, if she allowed herself to mull over that little nugget of truth, it was steadily becoming an increasingly larger fraction of more-than-friends affection.

  9

  Mandy stepped out of Benny’s to cool off in the fresh spring mountain air. Her uniform was sticking to her after working the busier-than-usual breakfast shift. Jen had a big excursion today and obviously, none of her clients had eaten before hitting the road to come enjoy nature--which probably said a lot about the kind of lunches they’d packed. There seriously had to be a business in delivering lunches to them as they probably expected to paddle up to a McDonald’s whenever they got hungry.

  And of course, because they had to be at Wally’s Sporting Goods by eight-thirty to meet up with Jen, they were in a rush, annoying all the locals who wanted their usual breakfasts at the usual time and at their usual tables. And making Mandy--who hadn’t broken a sweat waitressing since Benny’s air conditioner broke during a heat wave three y
ears ago--ended up hustling so bad, she was now a gross mess. But also up an extra fifty dollars in tips compared to a typical Saturday morning. Not bad. She just needed to do that an extra couple hundred times to meet the little gap in her finances. Every time she turned around, there seemed to be another small financial complication or more paperwork or another fee. It wasn’t nickel and diming. It was more like hundreding and thousanding.

  She gripped the front of her shirt and pulled it in and out a few times, creating a breeze against her skin. She glanced through the window to see Sasha, the weekend help, texting her boyfriend and chewing on the end of her ponytail instead of shuttling dirty dishes to the kitchen like Mandy had requested before taking her break.

  If she managed to open her place she was going to have to deal with employees like Sasha all the time. And because Sasha’s dad, Ed, was the editor of the local paper, she’d end up hiring the likes of her despite her instincts. Not hiring the paper’s daughter wasn’t a help-you-up kind of move and only a fool would fail to notice how often Benny’s place had been mentioned in the papers lately.

  Leaning against the building, she wished she hadn’t given up smoking in high school. But again, her stupid nosy-head stepmother had forced her to quit before she’d even managed to get addicted. That woman had a nose like a bloodhound. And in the way it caught scents, too. But a cigarette would remind her to exhale right about now so her brain could gather some fresh oxygen to help it think. Think, think, think.

  John had tweaked the franchise contract to his exacting specifications and all she had to do was sign. The only hiccup was the tiny little fact that John had noticed her bank’s draw schedule for her loan was going to leave her short for her first payments to the franchise--even with the franchise loan. Basically, the bank wanted her to have more assets built up before advancing more cash…but without the cash, she couldn’t build up the assets. The only answer was to get someone to cosign her loan in increase her draw payments and effectively pull her out of the fire.

  The problem was who. There was no way her mom, who lived check to check, had the financial muscle to help her. And she’d rather live the rest of her life as a waitress than accept her father’s offer of help because saying yes would mean she’d be granting her stepmother the opportunity to stand over her shoulder nitpicking and snoopervising every little thing. Mandy wouldn’t even be able to buy a pack of gum without her stepmother hinting she could have used that money to pay them back.

  Beside every person on her ‘ask’ list was a big red light saying no.

  “Heard you had quite the crowd this morning,” Mary Alice said as she and Liz ambled by. A whiff of Mary Alice’s familiar stale smoke smell hit Mandy, making her craving that much worse. She wanted to lick the woman’s skin on the off chance she’d get a small hit of nicotine.

  “I love tourists,” Mandy replied automatically, leaning away from Mary Alice. She stopped using her hand to fan her shirt and shoved both hands in her pockets. “Hey, uh, can I bum a smoke?”

  Mary Alice gave her a long look, eyes narrowed. “Since when did you start smoking again?”

  Mandy shrugged. “Do you have one?”

  “At the store,” Mary Alice said slowly. “But you don’t wanna start up again. You’ll never quit and you’ll end up hauling an oxygen tank like ol’ Sal. You’ll have the likes of Lauretta hauling you outside for fresh air in a wheelchair. Besides, you need all the cash you got, dontcha?”

  “That’s right,” added Liz. “And you’ll smell like a chimney and taste like an ashtray like wrinkly old Mary Alice here.”

  Mary Alice shot her a disgusted look. “Like you’ve ever tried kissing me. No, thank you very much,” she muttered. She dug around in her cleavage, her eyes never leaving her sister until she found what she was looking for. She defiantly popped a mint in her mouth and raised her chin. Still looking at her sister as if she was expecting some sort of sneak attack if she looked away, she swung the mints in Mandy’s direction.

  “Uh, no, thanks,” she said quickly. Mints warmed by someone’s cleavage probably weren’t as bad as gum warmed in someone’s pocket, but she didn’t exactly want to test the theory. She came out here to freshen up, not get grosser.

  “You’re going to wear out your bra carrying around junk like that,” Liz warned, watching Mary Alice pull out a cell phone and change purse before tucking her tin of mints alongside her ‘girls.’ “They aren’t made for stuff like that.” She added in Mandy’s direction, “That bra is like a magician’s hat. You never know what she’s going to pull out of it.”

  Mary Alice gave her sister a sassy look and jiggled up and down, making her cleavage rattle with the sound of change, tinned mints, and some other unidentifiable things. “What’s handier than a big ol’ Double D cup? Frees up the hands.” She shot Mandy a wink.

  “Well, thanks, ladies,” Mandy said with a sigh. “Guess I’ll take up drinking instead.”

  Mary Alice gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Personally, I find sex to be a much healthier, stress-reducing alternative and opportunities pop up in the wink of an eye.” Her gaze moved to the street, settling a few parked cars beyond Mandy. She gave Mandy a nudge and indicated the girl should adjust her cleavage. By the time Mandy looked up again, Mary Alice was hustling down the street with her giggling sister.

  “You coming or what?” Frankie called. He had one leg in the Charger. The other supported him on the pavement as he leaned against the roof of the car, watching Mandy. Her stomach did a funny little flip in anticipation and, without thinking, she took a step closer before catching herself.

  “Sorry?”

  “I’ve got to return the Charger. It’s done. I called in some favors.”

  “And?” She shrugged, the cool air feeling amazing as it hit her overheated pits. Stupid polyester. She was hot and cold all at the same time.

  “You promised you’d drive in. I need a ride back?” He tilted his head in question.

  Mandy shook her head and shrugged again.

  “We’re supposed to pick up the beer fridge and a couple other prizes for Blueberry Cruise.” He looked over her uniform. “You promised.”

  Mandy glanced down at her attire. “Shooooot.” It was all coming back to her now.

  “You never changed your shift, did you?” Frankie asked, disappointment etched in his expression.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot,” she said, coming over. “When you hurt your shoulder, I figured you wouldn’t need a ride and I got all wrapped up in the Wrap it Up stuff. Get it? All wrapped up?” She raised her eyebrows but Frankie didn’t smile. “The good news, I guess, is that I’ll be returning to real life again.” She swung an arm through the air in a languid movement. “Woohoo.” She flashed him a cheery smile that was as fake as Wrap it Up’s claim about having homemade buns.

  Frankie’s forehead creased and he stepped away from the car. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m short on start up cash.” The familiar feeling of despair welled up inside her, dragging down any joy like it was an unrelenting undertow.

  “I thought Wini set you up with a loan?”

  “I have no real borrowing record, not enough assets, nor enough income. The ratio was off by a couple of zeros. Or percentage points or something.” She waved a hand. “Unless a fairy godmother falls out of the sky, the truth is--” she sucked in a deep breath “--I’m not going to be able to make Point A and Point B meet in the middle. I have to sign the contract in a week or I lose my deposit. I don’t have enough money to make it to the grand opening.” She rubbed her face, wondering how she’d managed to get so far into this process before reality decided to reveal her pretty face.

  “I’ll cosign a loan.” Frankie turned to the car. “We’ll go talk to Wini first thing Monday.”

  “Frankie.” She hurried to grab his arm. “You know I can’t do that. I can’t…” Her shoulders ended up somewhere near her ears. “If I already managed to overlook this shortfall what’s going to
happen later when I’m fully underway?”

  “Yeah, but you figured it out in time.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “And I believe in you.”

  “But…” She sighed, feeling as though she’d never find a way to win in an argument with her best friend.

  “I thought about what you said.” He paused and kicked at the road before looking up to meet her eye. “If you say the guy is okay, then I’m in. I’ll help any way I can. I know you don’t want to get me involved, but all it’ll be is my name on a piece of paper so you can do what you need to do.”

  “I can’t ruin our friendship by letting money come between us, Frankie.”

  “Then don’t.” Frankie grabbed her hands and she stiffened as the few local pedestrians slowed to watch. “You want this. How can I, your best friend--” he paused to meet her eye again “--sit by when I have the means to make your dreams come true? That wouldn’t be being a good friend. The truth is, this is something you’ve wanted deep in your bones for a long time. It’s time to put yourself forward, grab your future and shape it around your dreams.”

  She jutted out her hip. “What if I fail?”

  He winked. “I know you’ll pay me back. You always do.”

  “You’re not following your dreams,” she pointed out.

  “That’s different.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “They’ve already found someone else,” he said tautly.

  “Oh, Frankie. I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. He returned the hug, his body fitting nicely against hers.

  She drew away before she got stuck, unable to let go. “This will be better. You staying off the air so all those sexy, bikini-clad car bunnies don’t fall for you and me staying here at Benny’s.” She nodded as though convincing herself. “I’ll be able to live a real life and not be stuck running a business twenty-four-seven.” She gave another nod. Yes. That was it. Think positively. “Less stress. The last few weeks have been insane and I wasn’t even running a business. I’ve missed hanging out with you.”