Chapter 1

Chrissa squinted up at the clock on the far wall. She had only been sitting there a few minutes, but it already felt like an eternity. How was it possible to be this excited and this scared at the same time? It didn’t make sense.

She let out a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut. As she did, she felt a hand cover her own under the table, giving a gentle squeeze—a silent reminder that she wasn’t alone.

She opened her eyes and looked across the narrow wooden table at her best friend, Nellie.

“We’re in this together.” Nellie smiled. “I know it’s scary, but it’s also our dream come true. Trust me—this is the hardest part. Once we’re done with the lawyers, banks, and paperwork, it’ll all be worth it.”

Chrissa couldn’t help but smile at her friend. Nellie was an eternal optimist—no matter the situation, she believed everything would work out just fine.

But fine for one person wasn’t always fine for another, and Chrissa had learned to look for different perspectives just to find the silver lining.

“I don’t know how you can be so calm right now. Yes, this is our dream—but if we fail, it becomes a nightmare. We’ll never be able to pay back this loan if everything doesn’t go to plan.”

The worry etched into Chrissa’s face pulled a frown from Nellie.

“Then we don’t fail.”

Nellie said it so matter-of-factly that a twinge of annoyance surfaced in Chrissa’s chest.

She was about to object when the door to the small office swung open and a young man in a suit stepped inside. He carried a stack of papers and smiled politely at the two of them.

"Well, we have just about everything in order—except for a few signatures from the two of you.”

“Really?” Nellie nearly jumped out of her chair, her voice more surprised than it should have been for someone who was so sure everything would work out.

“Yeah.” The dark-haired lawyer flipped through the paperwork. “You two really did your homework. It made my job a lot easier, considering how much of the heavy lifting you did before coming in. All the permits, insurance, and the deed are in order. You both have excellent credit, a sound business plan, and the collateral appraised higher than expected, so there were no problems getting the loan approved.”

The wind suddenly felt knocked out of Chrissa.

“Collateral? What collateral?” Her eyes widened as panic rose in her chest. She turned to Nellie, her gaze demanding answers.

The air in the tiny office grew heavy as the man clenched his jaw and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ah—maybe I should give you two a few minutes to talk.” He set the stack of papers on the desk between them. “Don’t overthink it. This is a really solid plan. The business has excellent potential.”

With that, he stepped out, closing the door softly behind him.

“Alright, spill it. What was he talking about?” Chrissa clenched her fists and locked eyes with Nellie. “We already talked about this. We don’t have anything to use as collateral.”

Nellie looked down at her hands. “Actually, we do. I didn’t want to say anything because I knew you’d react like this.”

“So you thought it was better to go behind my back and try to sneak it past me in a pile of paperwork?”

Chrissa struggled to hold in her temper, but sometimes Nellie’s good intentions were more than she could stand.

“I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t get anyone else involved. So who offered to support us—and what are they using as collateral?”

“No one else is involved.” Nellie’s words came out more like a squeak than a sentence. “I put up the collateral myself.”

Chrissa tilted her head, confusion flashing across her face. “How? With what?”

Nellie fidgeted with her fingers, clearly uncertain her longtime best friend would approve. “Remember when I was contacted by that lawyer a few years ago—right after Grams passed?”

“Yes, of course. I remember we argued because you refused to tell me what it was about.”

The memory stirred the same knot of distrust in Chrissa’s chest as it had back then.

“Well…” Nellie hesitated. “Grams left her house to me in her will. I don’t know why I didn’t want you to know. Maybe I always suspected we’d end up in a situation like this, and I didn’t want you to shut down the idea before we even talked about it.

“This has been our dream since we were kids. I know it’s changed a lot since then, but the heart of it is the same—you and me, running something of our own together. I know you think I rush things or see everything through rose-colored glasses, but I wasn’t being unrealistic. I was prepared.”

She finished by biting her lip.

“Are you crazy?” Chrissa was on her feet in an instant, towering over her best friend, her voice louder than she intended. “That house has been in your family for five generations. You can’t use that as collateral. Do you know what will happen if our business fails?”

Nellie stood too, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Of course I do. I’m not as naïve as you think. I know you’re the smart one between the two of us—you’re in college, practically getting perfect grades, while I sit at home making jewelry—but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

Her voice wavered, but she pressed on. “I talked to my family first. My mom and my aunt are both on board. They agree this is what Grams would have wanted—for me to reach for my dreams, to take chances and work hard, not sit back and do nothing because I’m afraid of failing.”

She wiped at her cheeks, eyes blazing. “I’m doing this with or without you, Chrissa. So what’s it going to be? This was supposed to be our dream. I want us to be equal partners. You already bring so much to the table—let me do this for us so I can feel like I’m contributing my share.”

The voices in Chrissa’s head were louder than Nellie’s plea.

You’ll never succeed.
You can’t do anything right.
You’re being unrealistic.
This is just a childish dream.

“No. I can’t be responsible for your family losing your grandmother’s house. I can’t do this.”

Fighting back a flood of tears, Chrissa turned and walked out of the small office, leaving Nellie alone with the unsigned papers—and a broken heart.