Hustle Me (Bank Shot Romance #1)(47)
Author: Jennifer Foor

"I hate that my dad is deciding the fate of this place." He shook his head when he said it.

"I could ask Elle. Maybe her father could give me a loan." They had the money.

He filled the shot glass up one more time and downed it. "You might have to."

So, after calling Elle and setting up a convenient time for her parents to have a meal with me, I got dressed in my best outfit and headed to their elite community located in Montgomery County. Ryan had opted to stay with Jammer and I was more than fine with that decision. I couldn’t deal with my outbursts of emotions when I begged with everything I had for help.

Elle’s home was like an apartment complex compared to its size. Going inside seemed even bigger, with its cathedral ceilings and marble floors. Her father was some kind of scientist for Johns Hopkins and her mother was a neonatal doctor. Sometimes I wondered were Elle had gotten her brain from, considering she was always so flighty.

I’d met these people a few times, but this visit was beyond awkward. Asking someone that you really don’t know for fifty grand isn’t exactly a friendly kind of meet.

We sat down in a white decorated living room and when I say white, I mean everything in the room was some hue of white. I felt like I looked filthy as I sat down on one of the plush couches. Elle’s dad was a nice looking man. I would guess he was in his forties. His hair was starting to gray on the sides, but the rest remained a brown in color. He was wearing business attire, but had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt two buttons.

Her mother sat next to him, in her suede pants and blouse. Her hair looked like it was fake it was so beautiful. She motioned the butler to come in and serve us drinks right before we started talking. I felt so out of place, sitting there with them. Elle had told me that it was worth a try, but she hadn’t sounded convincing when I arrived. I also couldn’t stand how she still called him Daddy. It reminded me of something inappropriate, but maybe it was just my own issues with my father that made me think out of the box.

“How have you been Charlene?” Elle’s mother asked. Apparently they felt that Charlie wasn’t an appropriate name for a lady. Since I’d never considered myself a proper lady, it didn’t really offend me. I liked my name.

“Well, I’m sure Elle had told you that things have been hard for me. I inherited a bar and the apartment upstairs, but unfortunately the debt that came with it. The bank contacted my lawyers and I have thirty days to come up with the past due amount in full. That’s actually why I’m here. I don’t have family to ask, or else I would have gone to them. Would you be willing to offer me a personal loan?” I rambled all of that so fast that I wondered if they even got half of what I said. I was just so nervous.

Elle’s father leaned his elbows on his knees and looked right at me. “Charlene, how much do you need?”

I looked down at the plush carpet and closed my eyes. “Fifty thousand dollars.”

When I didn’t hear anything at first, I opened my eyes and looked at the man. He sat up straight and shook his head. “That’s an awful lot of money. Even if I didn’t have my money tied up in investments, I don’t see how I could be willing to risk that type of loan. Friend or not, that’s just too much, dear.”

My heart was breaking just knowing that they were my last resort. “I understand.” I started to cry. It wasn’t so they would reconsider; it was because I felt my world crashing down on me. “I just don’t know what to do. It’s not just my job, it’s where we live. That place means everything to my little brother.” I stood up and shook his hand. “I won’t stay and impose on you any longer. Please don’t think badly of me for asking you. My desperate attempts were only out of love for that little boy.”

Her mother stood up and tried to call me back. “Charlene, wait dear. Just stay for dinner, love.”

I kept walking. I had humiliated myself and just wanted to leave.

Elle followed behind me but I didn’t turn around until I reached my car. She pulled me into her arms. “Charlie, I am so sorry. I knew it was going to be too much for them to consider. Maybe I can get them to do it. I can beg Daddy to do it for me. Maybe I can get him to take it from my trust.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay. It’s inevitable actually. I need to just suck it up and start preparing myself to move somewhere else. Jammer said he can make enough to get us started until we both found real jobs. As long as I have him, it makes things easier.”

She pulled away from me and leaned against my car. “He really seems like he’s changed you. Aside from this mess you are going through, you seem happy. I never thought you’d be fighting for that bar.”

“I love him, Elle.”

Her eyes got really big. I’d already filled her in on everything with his name and his parents, but I hadn’t admitted how deep my feelings were for him. “Wow. I never thought I would hear you say that about a guy. He must be hung like a horse.”

I punched her lightly in her arm. “Shut up! It’s not about the sex.”

“But I know it must be good. Come on, spill it.”

I smiled and could feel my cheeks getting red. “It’s intense. Every single time, it’s just really intense. I feel so connected to him.”

“Well, you did say that you knew him when you were little.”

I ran my hands through my hair and wiped my eyes. “I don’t remember him like he remembers me. He just feels familiar, if that makes sense.”

“Yeah, I guess. So, are you like going to get married and shit?”

Elle cracked me up how she just came out with ridiculous questions. “No, we are content with how things are right now. Neither one of us has had a real relationship, so we need time to grow as a couple before we go to that level. Right now, he loves me and he loves Ryan. That’s really what is important.”

She held her arms up and hugged me again. “I love you too, Charlie. If you need anything, well, besides fifty grand, just call me. I will drop anything to be there for you, chick.”

“I love you too, Elle. Thank you for trying to help. I will call in a couple of days. Maybe you can go apartment shopping with me.”

I climbed in my car and started the ignition. She leaned inside. “Seriously girl, I could hook you up with a stylish pad.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled out of her development.

When I pulled onto the main road, I started to cry again. After pulling over to the side of the road, I turned off my car and started to cry. I didn’t know how I was going to get through this. If it weren’t for Jammer, I don’t know how I would do it. I was so thankful he was in my life.