"Gabe?" She says my name experimentally, as if trying out the sound on her tongue. "You haven't gotten into any trouble lately, right?"
My initial decision to stay away from her was best. She's the kind of girl that wants to believe in the good in people. I don't want to be the one who proves to her that there is no good. There are simply those who take the opportunity to act and those who don't. But all people are just doing what is most advantageous for them.
"No, I'm done with all that. But I'll always be trouble, Sasha. It's in my nature."
"Aren't you the one who said our failures don't define us?"
I smile hearing my own words thrown back at me. She's watching me with a knowing look on her face.
"I don't consider the things I've done failure. More like character traits. Just like my hair color or eye color." The music ends and I step back. As enjoyable as it's been to be around her, I know it's time to go. There's something about talking to her that makes me forget where I am. Who I am. But I don't have that luxury right now. I need to get over to Luke's and figure out what's going on.
"Walk me out?"
She looks like she wants to protest but then she grabs her coat. I hold it out for her, watching as she slides her arms into the sleeves. I lift the heavy fall of her hair to keep it from being trapped under the collar of her coat.
Out on the street, she turns left so I follow. Finn's building is in a neighborhood in transition. It's got a great location so a lot of developers have started snapping up the buildings in the area so they can renovate them or raze them completely and create new condos. But at night, the area is still a little sketchy. There's no way I'm letting Sasha come out here to find her car by herself.
She stops next to the same steel gray monstrosity I remember. It looks even worse on second viewing as I notice all the places where the paint is peeling.
"My brother would be in pain if he saw this car. He's a mechanic. It looks like it's in dire need of medical help."
"Your brother?"
"Zack. The one upstairs with the Mohawk and all the tattoos."
"Right. I can barely keep all your brothers straight. I feel like I need a list."
"Yeah, you're not the only one."
She laughs softly and pulls her keys from her small purse. "So he's a mechanic. What about you?"
"I oversee the restoration of classic cars. It's a lot of bodywork, mostly. Zack handles repairs and we've also got a guy who deals with nothing but motorcycles."
"I can tell you enjoy what you do. I'm determined to find that for myself too. That's why I came here tonight. Oh, why did it have to be you?" Her face crumples.
I move closer and take her face between my hands. Tears pool in her eyes and I brush them away with my thumbs. "What do you mean?"
"Emma told me that Finn found me a mentor. I was so excited! Everything is falling apart and I thought this would be my chance to get some help. But now it's you. I know you don't want to help me." She crosses her arms and steps back a little. It's probably good for us to have some space right now but I immediately miss the contact.
"I think we both know that if I spend time with you, it won't have anything to do with business. I'm attracted to you, Sasha, but you're friends with my brothers. That's a line I can't cross."
She sniffles. "I know. If things got weird then we'd have to see each other. It's already going to be weird enough. But I was really counting on getting help. Now I'm not going to get the money I need to open my club. I might as well just give up now."
"What's the problem exactly? You need people to invest? I invest in stuff all the time."
She narrows her eyes. "I didn't come here to beg for a handout. I already got a loan. It's just that the loan only covered a certain amount. My family was going to invest but I found out yesterday they're backing out."
My mind races, turning over the information she’s given me so far. I need to stay away from her but I can help her before I go.
"Okay, so if the bank gave you a loan, they probably funded a certain amount based on items you stated in your business plan that you'd need to open. I'm going to guess instruments and speakers were a big line item."
She nods and brushes away a tear with the back of her hand. "Yeah. That's one of the biggest items on the list. They also funded me a certain amount for construction to build a stage. There were some smaller items like cleaning on there, too."
"Well, if you really have to cut costs, the easiest way is to figure out how to borrow or trade for some of those items. If you know anyone with instruments or equipment like that, maybe they'd be willing to let you borrow them. Or you could find some of the items secondhand. Then you could use the loan money allocated for instruments on something else."
She nods, her smile growing. "Or have friends who are handy help me build the stage."
"Exactly. That would be my advice. Trim costs by using resources you already have."
Suddenly she grabs me around the waist. "Thank you!"
I stiffen in the embrace and shift, trying to keep my hard-on away from her. After one final squeeze she pulls back.
"Sorry. I was just so excited." But there's a naughty little twinkle in her eye as she says it.
"You're going to be fine, Sasha. Just fine." I brush my finger over her cheek and she closes her eyes. I take a deep breath and step back. "I'll wait for you to get in the car."