His eyes widened. “Jesus. How do you know all of that? Just who the hell have you been talking to? My sister? No, I bet it was that stupid husband of hers. He can’t keep a secret to save his own life.”

Sidney chuckled. “Actually, I heard it inside while I was talking to one of the workers at the counter. I didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret.”

“It had to be Kyle.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know his name. Young guy with a big smile. Super friendly. Piercings in both ears.”

“Yep, that’s him. He’s a good kid and all, but he spreads gossip faster than a teenager.”

“Well, I’m glad he told me. I think it’s great that you’re finally going after your dream of opening your own garage. You’ve wanted that for so long. I just wish you had told me the good news yourself last night.”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m not even sure if I’ll get the loan, and I still have to check out the property to see if it’s worth the asking price.”

Did she dare ask? “Uh, so which bank are you planning to use?”

His eyes met hers. “Not yours, if that’s what you’re thinking. I didn’t want to put you in a weird position since we have a past.”

“I appreciate that, but it wouldn’t have been a problem. I take my job as a lending officer seriously, and the loan process would’ve been the same for you as any other client.”

He nodded in agreement. “I figured as much. But I think I’ll go ahead and stick with the other bank I chose. I wouldn’t want to get approved for a loan through you and anyone in town to question your integrity just because we used to be a couple. I think it’s better this way.”

“That’s fine. But at least let me help you out by giving you some tips on how best to get approved for a loan. If you want, I can even look over your finances and credit score to make sure everything is in order and walk you through the documents you’ll need to fill out. Being prepared could really help your chances of getting that approval.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Of course not. You did me a favor, and I’d like to repay it. Do you have mobile banking on your phone so that we can bring up your statements online?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Well, if you have some time right now, maybe we could grab a bite to eat and go over your records.” She motioned to his favorite fast-food eatery—a little locally owned hot dog stand across the street from the shop. “I know how much you love that place. Why don’t we just go there?”