The Imperfection of Swans by Brandon Witt Page A

again. “I can cover that! We can still get the brownstone.”
    Despite himself, a modicum of hope began to blossom. Kevin tried to smother it. Better to accept than to be dashed against the rocks again. “Even if you could, there’s no time for you to get a loan for that. We were supposed to close in two days. Scott… the banker already said that we don’t have time to get another person to take out a second—”
    “Kevin, listen to me. I can cover it. In cash.”
    A billion thoughts crashed in a pileup inside his brain. “You have nearly a quarter of a million available in cash?”
    “Yes.”
    Who the hell was this man? “I thought you were a baker. Are you part of the mob or something?”
    A warm chuckle floated over the line. “You’re the Italian. At least you look like it.”
    “I’ll ignore that racist comment.” Kevin almost grinned. “If you have that much, why haven’t you started your own business already?”
    “I don’t have much more than that, and you already know how much that will get you, at least in a place people would be willing to buy food. And I don’t have anyone else to cosign, like you do.”
    “You could have surely rented a building with that much.”
    “Not for a place I really wanted. Not for one that felt right. Nowhere close to this.”
    “How do you have that much in cash?”
    “Geesh, Kevin. I didn’t rob a bank. I didn’t ask you where you got your money.”
    “Yes, you did.”
    “Oh, right, I guess I did.” There was a pause, and then Casper continued awkwardly. “I had an aunt and uncle who lived in California who died a few years ago. I was their favorite… long story… anyway, they left me a little over three hundred thousand.”
    “Wow.” Kevin felt a touch of jealousy, then shoved it aside. His family was basically doing the same thing, and they didn’t have to die to do it. “Do you have it where you can get it out easily, or will it take a week or—”
    “I can get it by closing. No problem.”
    It was all too much for Kevin to process accurately. Too fast. He never made hasty decisions. At least he hadn’t before a few weeks ago. In less than thirty minutes he was opening a wedding dress shop, then he wasn’t, and now it looked like he was again.
    He really was going to throw up. His gut gurgled, and Kevin placed a firm palm over his stomach.
    Casper’s voice was startling in his ear. “You’re not responding. Are you not wanting me to be part owner? That’s what you said people on the loan would have to be, right?”
    “Oh. I hadn’t made that connection yet, honestly.” More gurgling.
    “I can understand if you don’t. There’s a big difference between me renting from you and owning it with you.” Casper’s tone was slipping from the manic excitement to trepidation once more.
    “Just give me a sec, let me think.”
    With his family involved, Kevin would still have been completely in charge. At least as much as he ever would be with his family involved, financially or not. He would have still been in control with Casper renting from him. But this? His dream wasn’t to own a business with a stranger. He was supposed to do it on his own. Or with Scott.
    Scott. He’d been about to do this with his husband at the time. Hardly a stranger. Look how that turned out.
    What difference did it really make?
    “Okay. Let’s do it.”
    “Really?” Casper’s voice shot back to excitement instantly.
    “Yeah. It’s now or never, right?”
    “We got this! I can feel it. This is so going to work and be amazing.”
    “I wish I was as certain as you.” Kevin couldn’t help but be jealous of Casper’s nearly childlike faith. Or naïveté. “Last chance, are you sure?”
    “One trillion percent!”
    Kevin chuckled. “Okay, then. I’ll call the banker real quick and see if we can switch Tony to your name on the loan. I’m betting since you’re bringing cash and not needing further financing, there won’t be a problem. Can you get off