Possessive Best Friend

“And it also suffers because of them. You like that family because you like that girl, and I can’t blame you, she’s pretty.”

“You think I’m seeing Lora just because she’s pretty?” I stare at him. “You’re insane.”

“And you’re an idiot. Wake up, son. You’re not in her league. You’ll never be in her league. She’ll bleed you dry and when she’s done, you’ll come stumbling back to me.”

“That’s just insane,” I say. “I’m not interested in asking you for help. I don’t need help.”

“That’s interesting, and yet I pay your salary. You have a job because of me. You have a future because of me.”

“Does that mean I owe you allegiance? That I have to only be friends with a list of approved people?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “But it does mean that you should value my opinion.”

“I do. I’ve listened. I just don’t agree.”

He shrugs. “Not good enough.”

“You know what? Fine.” I grab the bill off his desk. “I’ll pay this.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He grins at me. “It’ll be a great sale for me. I haven’t had many in the last few years. Been too busy letting you guys do all the work for me.”

“I’m not going to be here forever, Dad,” I say. “I hope you can come to grips with that.”

He doesn’t respond as I leave his office.

Fucking asshole. I’m seething the whole way back to my desk. There’s absolutely no reason for him to make me pay the sticker price on that truck. The dealership doesn’t need it. We’re not losing a dime in this sale. Anyone else at the dealership would get that car for dealer cost.

But not me. All because my father hates the Lofthouse family so much, he’d punish me with this shit.

I sit down at my desk and check my phone. I have two messages, one from Lora, and another from the construction manager at the car wash.

I open Lora’s first.Lora: Just so you know, I couldn’t have done it without you. Everyone was impressed by my little business plan.

Me: You earned that, I just helped put your vision into words.And then I opened the message from my construction manager.Bill: Got the green light, construction going ahead today. Just so you know. Guys are showing up now.

Me: Fantastic! Mind if I stop by to take a look?

Bill: Sure thing, boss.I put my phone down and take a deep breath. At least there’s one piece of good news. I know the car wash is only a thing because of my father, but I have plans for it now. I’m going to buy him out of his investment and own it outright as soon as humanly possible.

I get up and grab my jacket before heading outside. Fuck my father and fuck this place. As I get into my truck, I text Lora.Me: They started construction on the car wash today. So thank you for helping me with that. I guess we’re even now.

Lora: Nope, not even. You still owe me. Forever.

Me: Okay, okay. I guess that’s not so bad. I’m heading over there now to take a look at it.

Lora: Mind if I stop by?

Me: Sure, if you want. Nothing special though.

Lora: I’ve never seen a car wash being built before.

Me: You’re in for a treat then. It’s amazing.

Lora: Wait, really?

Me: Nope.I smile to myself, start my truck, and go for a drive. I get to the job site about twenty minutes later, park my truck on the street, and head through the fence. Sure enough, the construction crew’s there and working hard. They don’t even notice me as I lean against a pallet of wooden boards, watching them work.

I can see what this place will look like in the future. Big neon sign, lots of bright colors. I know it’s just a car wash, but I want people to feel comfortable bringing their cars through here. No bullshit, no sales tactics, just a quick wash for a good price.

That’s my goal anyway. I think I’ll call the place Quick Wash. Or maybe Car Through.

Okay, I have to work on that still, but there’s plenty of time.

As I stand there watching, I spot Lora moving around the fence. I wave at her and she grins. She slips through and comes over to me, wearing dark jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a light black jacket. She walks up and gives me a huge hug.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey.” She pulls back, grinning huge. “We did it.”

“We did,” I say, nodding. “What did we do?”

“You got construction started here. And I convinced my siblings to give me a ton of money.”

“Oh, that’s right.” I frown. “Your success is a little bit bigger than mine.”

“But also incomplete. Still have to convince Uncle Ron to actually sell the place.”

“You’ll need to come up with a contract, you know.”

She frowns at me. “Oh, shit, you’re right.”