Maybe if she didn’t work for someone else, she could set her own boundaries, make her own hours, take on the clients and projects she wanted…

But Jessica had put years into building up her business and reputation in town. Could Sarah really take that leap of faith?

…

Wes fixed his tie as he waited in the lobby of the bank on Main Street. Dustin hadn’t wasted any time getting him in to see the loan manager, and while he appreciated his brother-in-law’s help, he couldn’t shake the nagging uncertainty in the pit of his stomach.

He’d already lost the office space once before. He’d hate to get in there and have to close up again if things didn’t go as planned, if his goal to expand his business failed. He had a good reputation in town, and people in the community would support him, but would that be enough without actual construction accounts?

Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten there so early; waiting was torture. He wasn’t concerned about the loan. Despite his financial setbacks, he still maintained good credit, and he had a small retirement savings account he could use to secure the loan, but that would be a risk he wasn’t sure he was prepared to take.

“Wes?” The loan officer appeared in the lobby. Shawn Loder had worked at the Blue Moon Bay branch since Wes had applied for his mortgage years before. The man wasn’t originally from town, having grown up in L.A. but he’d been in town so long, no one held that against him.

“Hey, Shawn, thanks for seeing me,” he said as he stood and, after wiping his palm on the leg of his pants, extended a hand to the other man.

Shawn nodded enthusiastically as he pumped Wes’s hand somewhat longer than necessary. “Yes, yes! Come on into my office.”

Wes entered, and Shawn closed the door behind him.

“Have a seat,” he said.

Wes sat in the soft, plush leather chair and immediately noticed all the items on Shawn’s desk with the Rams logo. His mug, the picture frame holding a photo of Shawn at a Rams game wearing a team jersey and holding a foam finger, a plush toy, and a water bottle. “Fan of the Rams?”

Shawn laughed as he sat behind the desk. “Guilty.” Lifting his foot into the air, he pulled up the leg of his dress pants to reveal Rams logo socks; then he leaned forward. “Gotta say, I’m kinda fangirling a little on the inside right now.”