Page 26 of The Right Garza

The charm from the main house carries through here, too. Bright, open, and tasteful. But it’s narrower than a usual home, which explains the three stories. Each floor has a spacious balcony with stairs that lead from one balcony to the next.

“Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and an office,” Trent informs me as we walk through.

Unlike the guesthouse, the furniture here is uncovered, and let’s just say the previous owners had flare. Aside from a few hideous art pieces, I wouldn’t change a thing.

“This is a damn good investment you’ve made, Trent,” I say. “It’s a shame you’re not making use of it.”

He snorts. “Didn’t bring you here to brag, Lexi.”

I turn to face him. “Oh?”

He’s leaned against the doorjamb, watching me explore, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Like you said, we’re sitting on money here. Not that we’re hard-pressed for it, but I’d like to retire early. Love my job, but it takes a toll sometimes, and it’s sure as shit not what I wanna be doing when I start a family. Which is why I’ve been making a number of investments over the years. But this one…we need help.”

“Fromme…?”

“Yup.”

What? “How?”

“You’re gonna get this place up and running again.”

I blink at him. And then I laugh. Because he’s clearly messing with me.

When he just stares at me deadpan, I wave my hand at him. “Helloooo. Still waiting for the punchline over here.”

“This is how you pay me back, Lexi.”

Dear God. Heisserious. I gape at him. “You do realize that the only thing I have experience in is waiting tables and counting cards, right?”

He shrugs. “You’ll figure it out.”

“You hit your head or something,amigo?” I ask through a cackle. “How are you gonna put me in charge of an investment that I’m sure cost you a couple million and tell me to ‘figure it out’? Does True know about this?”

“Yup.”

“And heagreed?”

“Once I told him it was you, yeah.”

“You two shouldneverbecome entrepreneurs,” I say, disbelieving. “Like, ever.”

He chuckles. “Think of it as an on-the-job kind of training. You’re pretty much gonna be the project manager, spearheading everything. You’re not gonna be the one repainting, reflooring, decorating, or whatever the hell needs to be done.”

“Oh? I mean—How? I don’t understand.”

“I’ll email the logistics and protocols later so I can copy True in,” he says. “But quick summary: we give you a budget, we give you a credit card, and you make all the decisions. Only thing we require is that you send all potential hires to us first so we can run background checks. Stay within the budget and don’t overpay for anything. Don’t contact us about anything regarding decor decisions, amenities, plumbing, electrical problems, etcetera.We don’t care. This isyourproject.Youtake care of everything and make report logs.”

“Wow. I mean…wow. That’s a lot you’re trusting me with.”

“Well, if you fuck up, you can start over, but you’ll also owe me more—every dollar wasted. So just keep that in mind for every decision you make. You either get it right, or be indebted to me forever.”

“I…” Pulling at my ponytail, I spin in a slow circle until I’m facing him again. “Is there another option for payment?”

“Nope.”

“Not even sex?”

“For the amount you owe me, you’d be on your back for a long time.” He straightens from the doorjamb and checks the time on his watch. “Look, I know it’s a big task, but you’re not on a time crunch, so take some time to figure it out; jump online and do some research, watch YouTube videos, create a Pinterest board, whatever the hell you need. Just get on it. I’ve got to get to the office so lemme go grab your bags.”