Furocious: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Read Online Free Page B

dollars in deposits. That money would have to be reimbursed to the customers.”
    “Hmm…I wonder how much it is in total.”
    “I can tally it,” Kyle said.
    I handed him the ledger. “Yeah, see how much it is.”
    He pulled out his cell phone and started pressing numbers into his calculator app.
    “I’ve been doing well flipping goods. I have some savings and could pay it off. When she’s feeling better she can write me a check…” I shrugged.
    “She doesn’t have it, Angie. Granny is flat broke and it’s worse than that...”
    “How can that be? I mean, her house is paid off. I know she likes to shop, but she’s always careful with what she spends. Did she go on a late night TV shopping spree?”
    Missy shook her head.
    I frowned. “…and when we visited her in the hospital she said she was pushed at the craft fair and that’s why she tripped and broke her arm! What’s all that about?”
    Missy gasped. “You have got to be kidding me—pushed? She didn’t tell me that. This is worse than I thought.”
    “Do you think someone actually pushed her?” Kyle asked, his handsome face etched with disgust.
    “Unfortunately, yes, I do,” Missy said, her brow creased with worry.
    “She’s flat broke and she was pushed. This is worse than awful,” I groaned. “What the hell is going on here?”
    Missy hesitated for a moment. “Remember when you opened that ‘Bargains for Your Dollar’ store?”
    “Ugh, don’t remind me. I don’t want to talk about it.” Why was Missy even mentioning it? She knew it was a sore spot for me.
    The ‘Bargains for Your Dollar’ store had been a disaster.  I was super excited about having my own business and I’d jumped at the opportunity to open the start-up franchise in my area.
    I’d used my savings and an interest free loan from Granny to get my foot in the door. And things went great—for a while. People flocked to the store to get household items, school supplies, knickknacks, canned goods, and other items on the cheap.
    But the franchisor’s expanded too fast and the stores went bust. The owners filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I was left with no savings, a debt to Granny, and several years supply of window cleaner, toothpaste and other goods I had sold in the store.
    I liquidated as many of the assets from the store as I could. Then, I started buying and flipping goods to sell, mostly on Craigslist. Over the next few years I curtailed my spending as much as possible. I paid off my loan to Granny and gave her a few hundred extra to thank her.
    Recently, I’d taken a job working with Alicia at Morgan’s Treasures. As much as I loved working there, I knew there was no pension plan waiting for me. If I wanted to live comfortably as a little ole’ lady, a lot depended on what I did now . I was trying to save as much as I could. Right now, I probably had enough saved up that I could pay the deposits back to the people that had ordered cakes and other baked goods. It was the least I could do for Granny.
    “The total is $2,283,” Kyle announced.
    “Ugh. That’s more than I thought it would be.” I probably had about $1,000 saved. “Well, I could pay back as much as possible and take out a loan for the rest.”
    “It gets worse,” Missy said sadly.
    “Worse? Where has she been spending her money? Has she got a boy-toy stashed away somewhere?” I joked. But I was concerned. How could she be flat broke?
    “She’s not just flat broke. She owes money. Start by adding another $20,000 to that $2,283.”
    “She owes $22,283?” Normally I wasn’t the best at math, but this was an easy one…and oh boy, what a number. I was in shock. “How can this be?”
    Missy gave me a withering look. “The ‘Bargains for Your Dollar’ store you opened…”
    “Yeah, what about it?”
    Missy pressed on. “Granny took out a loan so she could give you the money to buy into the franchise and open the store.”
    “What!”
    “You know Granny—she always pays cash for