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Lyla was stressed as she ran through the figures once again. Their latest collaboration with Brittany and Sam had cost them a lot of money, but it seemed only Brittany and Sam had benefitted from it. She was frustrated with the business, frustrated with the outcome, and a little frustrated with her friend.
She loved Brittany and at first, they had worked well together. They helped each other succeed and grow. Their projects and intense efforts at advertising brought more people into their small town, bringing life back into the dying tourism in the area. Their partnership had been beneficial to both, and she was grateful her best friend had gone into the same business as her. It was a passion they could share.
Lately though, it seemed that these projects tended to help Brittany far more than her, and she was starting to question Brittany’s handling of the finances. It seemed whenever Lyla planned something and oversaw the money, they both profited from it. Yet when she handed Brittany money to fund some new venture, it didn’t quite come back. More often than not, she netted a loss. If it were anyone else, she’d be suspicious.
Lyla scolded herself for her line of thinking. It wasn’t anyone else, Brittany was her best friend, and she’d never do anything to harm her in any way at all. She didn’t have proof of anything sketchy going on, and she couldn’t allow herself to think of the worst, not yet.
Realizing the direction her thoughts were heading in, she worried she was subconsciously using her best friend as a scapegoat for her own failings. Not failing though. Their business wasn’t failing per se, but profits were down, and maybe it was easier to blame someone else. Especially because Lyla didn’t know what had happened to cause this change, and she didn’t know how to fix things.
She did not want to end up like the last owners, stressed to the point it ruined their lives. Too often it seemed their legacy hung over her head, and she refused to go down that path. She wouldn’t lose this house. She needed to find a way to turn this around.
Lyla pored over the paperwork, looking at different ways they could cut down expenses. The warm light from the antique colored glass lamp on her desk fell across her knitted brow. She ran her fingers through her hair, fighting the urge to pull it all out. She was so deep in thought, she didn’t realize Billy had come in until he was right in front of her desk.
“Good evening,” he said, breaking her focus.
“Hey Billy.” She looked up and was instantly worried. She had known Billy for long enough to be able to tell when something was wrong. Something looked wrong. He looked troubled, his eyes crawling across the room, his posture slouched. He smiled. It looked forced. “How are you?”
“I’m okay,” he said. “How’s your night going.”
“Good,” she lied. “Just balancing the books.”
“Never a fun process, though I suppose it’s probably not so bad when you’re running a place like this. It seems like you’ve been doing a lot of events and such lately. Looks like things are going well for the business.”
Lyla wanted to tell him the truth. Billy was their closest friend and he deserved to know the state of things when he was so invested in the bed and breakfast. But his parents had already lost the bed and breakfast, and it cost them everything. Even though Lyla and Richard were nowhere near that point, she didn’t want to bring back old memories.
Part of her was deeply ashamed too. When they first started this business, they did wonderfully. They quickly increased their profits, and everyone thought they’d be a success. They were a success. Things had just shifted a little. Thankfully, they still had a lot in savings from brighter days, but it was troubling. She didn’t know what was going on lately, but she didn’t want to share until she found the cause and fixed it.
“Things are going great,” she said. “Thanks to your help. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you do around here. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. I really don’t know how we’d do it without you. We love you and Nathaniel, the kids do too. I know things have been crazy lately, but I really appreciate you sticking through this with us. Hopefully, things will calm down soon.”
Lyla knew they would because she wasn’t going to keep doing these pricey events or paying for expensive advertising. She was going to try to focus on solo projects from now on. She wasn’t sure how she’d pull back on collaborating with her friend without Brittany noticing, but she had to find a way. Things had to get better.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m here for you no matter what. I’m happy to be part of all the wonderful things that have been done with this property, and it’s exciting to see the good changes it’s bringing to the town as a whole.” He paused “Though there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Lyla’s heart sank at his tone. They had been doing a lot lately and she panicked, worried Billy had decided it was too much. They couldn’t lose him right now. She knew no one else would put their heart into it as much as Billy did.
“Of course,” she said, doing her best to mask her true feelings. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I have been doing a lot of work lately,” he said. “I come in early, stay late, offer up ideas that you’ve used, and I’ve really put my all
