you, too.”
“A simple thank-you would be nice,” Jolena said, giving her a stern look.
“Thank you,” she said, letting out a long breath. “But honestly, I don’t know how to thank you. I feel like a charity case.”
“You are no such thing,” Rick replied. “Jolena and I had a long talk and decided this would be a good business decision. Doreen purposely let that house go to ruin. This is our way of taking care of business. So don’t go all noble and self-righteous on us. We intend to see a return on our investment, let me tell you.”
Jolena chimed in. “Yeah. Our best hope is that we never have to take over that loan, honey. While we’d love to own rental property on First Street, we’d rather just sign off and be done with it when push comes to shove.”
“No pressure there,” Cari said, wondering how she’d managed to get herself in this fix. “But I am grateful. I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me.”
Jolena gave her a quick hug. “I’ve got work to do.” Then she leaned close. “Your parents gave me a start twenty years ago. They sold me the diner at a rock-bottom price and even did owner financing for me. I owe them both, honey. This is my way of paying back a grateful debt.”
A grateful debt. Cari liked that concept. And she was grateful. “I’ll work hard to make sure I do the same, then.”
She watched as Jolena pranced down the flower-lined street toward the diner. Then Cari turned to Rick. “Okay, I get why Jolena helped me. She’s obligated since she’s my godmother. But you, Rick? I don’t understand that part. You barely know me. Care to explain why you just put your neck on the line for me?”
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