Page 105 of Book Club Confidential

“Dear Ms. Michels,” she began again. “Thank you for contacting Business Bank for your new business needs. Business Bank is the number one—yada yada yada,” she said, skimming despite all good intentions. “Unfortunately,” she groaned, “we will need additional information before making our decision.” Okay, she thought, bracing for what came next. It wasn’t an email offer for cash, but it wasn’t a no. Yet.

She read on. “While your credit score is outstanding, there are some areas of your finances in need of cleanup or clarity to get this application approved. One concern our underwriters flagged is your current debt-to-income ratio, which is nearing the preferable limit. Consider paying down your loans or paying off your credit cards. Another possibility to boost your approval odds is to provide collateral. Do you own your home? Can you tap into its equity? Recasting your projected budget to include a larger contribution of your personal savings and a smaller loan request, or the addition of a cosigner, could help move your request toward approval.”

Tessa slumped. If she could pay off her debt, she would have done that already. What was the point of having a great credit score, if not for times like these? Her nest egg was small and not enough to make a dent in her student loans. Did the bank accept paperbacks as collateral, because she had countless of those available, not that she particularly wanted to part with any.

She went back to her coffee, sipping, then tipping her face to the sun. She stretched her fingers around the mug, absorbing its warmth. The pang of rejection and denial burned in her core, but Business Bank wasn’t the only institution she contacted. She only needed one yes.

She lowered her gaze for another sip and spotted a new email. Another bank!

She said a prayer before opening the message. “We regret to inform you—” She closed the message.

Another email appeared, and her heart leaped, but it was from her favorite running shoe company. “You’re absolutely right,” she told the sky. “I need to walk away.” Or, more specifically, to go for a jog.

Forty minutes later, Tessa stepped onto the sidewalk in her favorite exercise outfit and shoes. She’d finished her coffee, had a slice of toast with jam, and pulled her hair into a ponytail, while trying not to reopen her email. Unfortunately, her self-control had failed, and she had read another rejection before leaving her apartment. Could she start a business with zero capital? Because it might come down to that or starting a whole new career.

Tessa jogged her usual path through town, over the cobblestone bridge, and along the river, growing angrier, instead of more relaxed, with each reverberating step.

She shouldn’t have to beg for money to start a business she had a degree in and thirteen years of experience doing. It wasn’t as if she’d asked for a loan to open a pet store, though that would be delightful. Worse, she shouldn’t have to ask for a loan at all, because she shouldn’t have been forced to quit a job she loved.

Yes, she’d chosen to pursue a thirty-day challenge to be the heroine in her own story, and that brought her to this point, but what was the alternative? Should she have accepted Peyton’s reign over her, put together a pitch for the Lilacs and Lace account for him, and let him take all the credit? Should she have continued to watch the company grow and new positions open, resigned to forever being passed by? Should she have gone back to the conference room after Xavier yelled at her and threatened to fire her and accepted that level of disrespect?

Main character challenge or not, she liked to think even the old Tessa would’ve drawn a line there.

She ran until her legs felt like rubber bands and sweat dripped from her hair. Then she walked in long strides, cooling down before the return trip home.

Her phone rang, and she fished it from her pocket. An unknown number appeared on-screen. Another bank?

Maybe calling to say I am approved.

“Hello?” she answered. A bubble of hope formed in her chest.

“Tessa?” an oddly familiar voice asked.

“Yes,” she said, trying to place the caller. “This is Tessa.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” the man said. “Our clients are reporting that you’ve been talking to them, giving them your sob story, asking for references so you can start a new company. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Peyton. She seethed.

Tessa hurried across the street, blood pumping double time. “I haven’t given anyone a sob story, and I can talk to anyone I want. It’s still a free country, even if you think you own it and everyone in it.”

“You’re going to regret this,” he said. “Trying to steal our clients is low, even for you. Xavier was right to fire you. You’ll be hearing from our lawyers.”

Her jaw dropped, and a small startled sound came out. She snapped her mouth closed and fought the sting of tears behind her eyes. She didn’t have enough money to win a fight with corporate attorneys. And she hadn’t done anything wrong! Jenny said some of Tessa’s old accounts were angry she was gone, and she’d sent the list of names, but Tessa hadn’t reached out to any of them.

“I’m not taking any of Hello, Marketing’s clients,” she said firmly. And that was the absolute truth.

“You’re right,” he said coldly. “You aren’t, and I’ll make sure of it. Maybe I’ll attach that picture of you and your drunk, half-naked friends when I send out the mass email warning our accounts about you. They can draw their own conclusions about why you left.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Tessa stewed into the night, waffling between calling Millie, Nina, or Jenny to see if they had more information for her, and leaving things at Hello, Marketing alone. She thought of everything she wished she’d said to Peyton, like “I know how you got this job.” Or “I hear your degree isn’t in marketing.” Or “You and Tim should both be fired!”

Instead, she pushed the vengeful thoughts aside. Peyton had proven himself to be unreliable and a fraud before. Why should she assume his phone call was anything more than an idle threat, spurred by his own insecurities? Better not to respond, she decided. Don’t give Peyton any fodder for his baseless attack.

Thankfully, a distraction presented itself in the morning by way of the group chat. Tessa finished dressing after her shower and scrolled to catch up on a deluge of missed texts.

Hallie: Meet me at Bryce’s place I have a surprise