interesting, but it was her independent streak that held his attention. She was too young to own her own businesses and deal with the problems inherent with neglected properties, yet she was determined to make a success of the café.
What was her father thinking to leave her alone with this mess? Why didn’t he stay and help her get things under control?
Luke was curious about the kid, but he didn’t ask any questions until after they ate and returned to the motel. Ivy thanked him and disappeared into her room, and Luke and Laura sat in his truck, talking. “Laura, where did she come from?”
“I have no idea. She said her parents threw her out because she was pregnant.”
“My grandparents threw my mother out for the same reason. She was seventeen.”
“Ivy says she’s sixteen, but I doubt she’s that old. She looked so tired and hungry, I couldn’t turn her away. I told her she could help me in exchange for a room.”
“Be careful, Laura. She looks young and innocent, but you don’t know this kid.”
“There’s nothing here for her to take, Luke. Nothing. Maybe, if she could carry a television, but they’re all about shot, so it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. I have no money, so that’s definitely not a problem.”
He twisted to face her. “You don’t have any money?”
She shook her head. “I filled my car today. If one of those banks doesn’t come through soon—”
Luke reached for his wallet.
Laura held up her hand. “I can’t take your money.”
“It’s a personal loan. Pay me back when you can.”
She slowly shook her head. “I’m a poor risk, Luke. I have no source of income.”
“Yet you’re feeding a strange kid. Take it.” He folded her hand over two hundred dollars. “That’s all I have with me today, but I’ll give you enough cash to open the café and get started. Pay it back when you can. I remember eating popcorn for dinner when I was a kid. Mom didn’t make much some weeks. She brought home leftovers when there were any, but it wasn’t something we could count on.”
“But your father owns all those carpet stores.”
He draped his left arm over the steering wheel. “Laura, I didn’t even know who my father was until my mother won all that money in the lottery four years ago. I’m just getting to know him.”
Her eyes widened. “Lottery?”
“Sixteen million. She won it the year I graduated from college. We use some of it to invest in small businesses, mostly restaurants.”
“Like Bernie’s Place?”
“That’s right. Our share of the profits from Bernie’s Place helps us invest in other places, like Queenie’s Café.”
The corners of her eyes turned up slightly when she smiled. “So I’m not just a charity case?”
“This is a business, not a charity. If I didn’t think you’d make a profit, I wouldn’t be interested.” He put his hand over hers. “Look, Laura. If I decide I don’t want a piece of your business, I’ll make a personal loan for whatever you need for start-up expenses for the café. Queenie’s Café has a lot of potential. It wouldn’t take much to turn it into a very successful business. There’s no other place to eat in this town except the pizza place.”
Laura Whitfield was a proud young woman. He admired her spunk and determination, but that stubborn pride was something else. “If you want to do this on your own, I’ll loan you as much as you need for the café, just like a bank, but I want you to open your eyes and consider the possibilities. Try to picture what this place could be. If you had enough money to do anything you wanted, what would it be?”
“You mean besides the obvious, fix up the buildings, resurface the parking lot, replace the roofs, paint, landscape, and maybe buy new furniture?”
“Aw, come on, Laura,” he said on a groan. “You can dream bigger than that.”
A smile played with the corners of her mouth. “Okay. I’d love to have a sunroom on the side by the street, something
What was her father thinking to leave her alone with this mess? Why didn’t he stay and help her get things under control?
Luke was curious about the kid, but he didn’t ask any questions until after they ate and returned to the motel. Ivy thanked him and disappeared into her room, and Luke and Laura sat in his truck, talking. “Laura, where did she come from?”
“I have no idea. She said her parents threw her out because she was pregnant.”
“My grandparents threw my mother out for the same reason. She was seventeen.”
“Ivy says she’s sixteen, but I doubt she’s that old. She looked so tired and hungry, I couldn’t turn her away. I told her she could help me in exchange for a room.”
“Be careful, Laura. She looks young and innocent, but you don’t know this kid.”
“There’s nothing here for her to take, Luke. Nothing. Maybe, if she could carry a television, but they’re all about shot, so it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. I have no money, so that’s definitely not a problem.”
He twisted to face her. “You don’t have any money?”
She shook her head. “I filled my car today. If one of those banks doesn’t come through soon—”
Luke reached for his wallet.
Laura held up her hand. “I can’t take your money.”
“It’s a personal loan. Pay me back when you can.”
She slowly shook her head. “I’m a poor risk, Luke. I have no source of income.”
“Yet you’re feeding a strange kid. Take it.” He folded her hand over two hundred dollars. “That’s all I have with me today, but I’ll give you enough cash to open the café and get started. Pay it back when you can. I remember eating popcorn for dinner when I was a kid. Mom didn’t make much some weeks. She brought home leftovers when there were any, but it wasn’t something we could count on.”
“But your father owns all those carpet stores.”
He draped his left arm over the steering wheel. “Laura, I didn’t even know who my father was until my mother won all that money in the lottery four years ago. I’m just getting to know him.”
Her eyes widened. “Lottery?”
“Sixteen million. She won it the year I graduated from college. We use some of it to invest in small businesses, mostly restaurants.”
“Like Bernie’s Place?”
“That’s right. Our share of the profits from Bernie’s Place helps us invest in other places, like Queenie’s Café.”
The corners of her eyes turned up slightly when she smiled. “So I’m not just a charity case?”
“This is a business, not a charity. If I didn’t think you’d make a profit, I wouldn’t be interested.” He put his hand over hers. “Look, Laura. If I decide I don’t want a piece of your business, I’ll make a personal loan for whatever you need for start-up expenses for the café. Queenie’s Café has a lot of potential. It wouldn’t take much to turn it into a very successful business. There’s no other place to eat in this town except the pizza place.”
Laura Whitfield was a proud young woman. He admired her spunk and determination, but that stubborn pride was something else. “If you want to do this on your own, I’ll loan you as much as you need for the café, just like a bank, but I want you to open your eyes and consider the possibilities. Try to picture what this place could be. If you had enough money to do anything you wanted, what would it be?”
“You mean besides the obvious, fix up the buildings, resurface the parking lot, replace the roofs, paint, landscape, and maybe buy new furniture?”
“Aw, come on, Laura,” he said on a groan. “You can dream bigger than that.”
A smile played with the corners of her mouth. “Okay. I’d love to have a sunroom on the side by the street, something
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