Page 15 of Surrendering His Heart (Buena Hills #4)

A rare bout of dread hovered over Hallie as she sat at her desk chair, entering the last expense to the budget software she used to track her business finances.

She’d just returned from shopping for the Autumn Festival, and the chunk of cash it took to purchase everything she needed for those two days had made quite a dent in her already declining bank account.

She blinked at the number displaying the remaining total at the bottom of the screen. At this rate, she only had a few more months until the money she’d meticulously saved during college ran out.

“You’ll make it up next weekend,” she muttered to herself, drawing as much optimism as she could from speaking the assurance out loud.

She didn’t doubt her baking skills. It was the businessy stuff—the branding, marketing, finances, etcetera—on top of the baking that proved more difficult than she’d realized.

In the five months since finishing college and transitioning into the real world, she’d figured out quickly that she wasn’t super woman.

There just weren’t enough hours in the day to do it all.

Closing out of the budget software, she sighed at the job listing for an assistant baker at Crème de la Crème, a bakery near her alma mater.

She’d found it on a job listing site she’d perused before leaving for the store.

She didn’t love the idea of fighting the city traffic to get to work every day, but she’d managed it while going to school.

And maybe working there would give her a few years of valuable experience.

That would be good in the long run, right?

“Are you ready for girls’ night?” Beej asked, breezing through the open doorway into Hallie’s room.

She still wore her light pink nurse’s scrubs from her shift on the pediatric floor of Buena Hills Hospital, and her tight blonde curls were piled in a messy bun on her head.

Kendall entered behind her, and they both made themselves at home on the bed.

Hallie swiveled in her chair to face them. “Is that tonight? What’re we doing?”

“Manis and pedis.” Kendall’s nose scrunched like she’d smelled something foul. “Not my choice.”

Not Hallie’s either. Like she really needed to spend more money right now. “Why don’t you guys go without me tonight? I’ll come next time.”

“Hal, you can’t bail,” Beej whined. “Girls’ night is a time-honored tradition.”

Back in college, maybe. But now that Elise had moved to Connecticut and Beej frequently worked the night shift at the hospital, it seemed they barely managed two Fridays a month.

“Besides, this is Cassie’s choice,” Beej continued. “Brad’s coaching in Inglewood tonight and doesn’t think he’ll get home until late. They’re staying at Grandma June’s, so I invited her and Gemma to join us.”

Beej’s sister-in-law hadn’t felt well enough to leave her apartment for weeks.

And Hallie hadn’t stopped by to help out since last month.

She’d love to see her. But still, the expense.

“I don’t think it’s smart to splurge on something so frivolous right now.

Some of us don’t have a thriving career yet. ”

“You’ve been working on your finances, haven’t you?” Kendall lowered onto her stomach, using Foxie to prop up her chest. “You always get in your doom-and-gloom mood whenever you have to deal with money.”

Hallie threw a side eye in the direction of her friend. “I do not. I’m being cautious until I get my business off the ground. And you should be too. I have my doubts that the campus biology lab pays enough for a lot of extras.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Kendall shrugged. “One time isn’t going to destroy my bank account.”

Beej pulled her legs into a crisscross position. “Hal, you will get your business off the ground. I know it. It’ll just take time. And you know we’re here to help with anything.”

Hallie dropped her gaze to the floor, embarrassed by the random tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t doubt her cousin’s insistence—all her roommates were fierce supporters of her ambitions. “I didn’t realize it would be this hard.”

“You know what you need?” If Beej’s last statement had been delivered in a compassionate tone, this one could only be described as perky cheerleader.

“What?” Besides a long walk to clear her head, which she wouldn’t be getting tonight.

A bright smile slid onto Beej’s face. “A night out with the girls to take your mind off your business troubles. Kendall and I will cover your bill.”

“We will?” Kendall’s dry tone made it obvious that this was the first she’d heard of the plan.

“I’m not letting you pay for me,” Hallie insisted. Kendall’s financial situation wasn’t all that different from hers. And despite Beej’s full-time salary, it wasn’t fair to expect her to pay for everything. Although Hallie knew her cousin wouldn’t mind, she refused to set that precedent now.

Her adamance didn’t dim Beej’s determination in the slightest. “Fine. I have another suggestion.”

“What’s that?” Hallie joined the others on the bed.

Beej pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrubs and swiped her finger across the screen before holding it out for Hallie to see. “I have a coupon. I’d planned to use it myself—I have a date with a hand model tomorrow, so you know my nails have to look perfect.”

“Yeah, because you know he’ll notice.” Kendall rolled her eyes with a smile.

Beej ignored her. “I think you could use it more.”

“Why do you want me to go so much?” Hallie asked.

Sure, girls’ night was tradition, but it wasn’t like no one had ever skipped in the past. So why the importance of this one?

Beej’s jaw worked as she swallowed slowly. “It’s just … Remember th e old days when we used to do everything together? With Elise gone and all of us done with school?—”

Kendall loudly cleared her throat.

“Well, the two of us done with school,” Beej corrected, gesturing to herself and Hallie.

Kendall still had over a year left of her PhD, and McKenzie wouldn’t start her undergrad program until January after putting off college to pursue the Global Elite Games.

“I miss the old days when we were all together.”

They never talked about the dynamic shift that had occurred in the house with Elise’s absence. Hallie had simply thought she was the only one who’d felt it. She sighed. “Fine. I’ll get my feet done. I hate having nail polish on my fingers anyway. I always pick it off before it has a chance to dry.”

Beej clapped her hands. “Perfect! I have to change and Zee’s in the shower. As soon as she’s ready, we’ll head out.” She picked up her phone from the bed. “I’ll text Cassie and tell her and Gemma to meet us at the salon.”

With that, she popped up from the bed and left the room, a slight skip in her step. Kendall gave Hallie a commiserating glance before following.

Alone again, Hallie rose to her feet, smoothing out the bedspread and straightening the pillows before arranging Foxie in her rightful place in front of them. Returning to her computer, she slid her finger back and forth across the mouse. The job application greeted her as the screen lit up again.

She hated the idea of giving up on Hallie’s Cakes.

But her financial situation had never been this dire before.

And her year of culinary classes had required a hefty tuition.

At USC, her full-ride academic scholarship allowed her to save much of the money she’d earned from her on-campus job and her baking business.

What good had all that saving done her now? It was vanishing before her eyes.

She stared at the application for several long seconds, the blinking cursor mocking her. Maybe it’s time to admit defeat.

Sighing, she clicked on the first section and started typing.