“No.” There wasn’t anything else she could do to help with the rest of the mess that had become my life.

“You have a good day, and thank you for doing business with Regional Advantage Bank.” Pause. “And say hi to Noah Douglas for me the next time you see him.”

She hung up, having shot that last barb at me with a slightly sarcastic tone. Someone nicer probably would have assumed she was being polite, but I knew my own kind and how we threw shade at others.

I needed money. Like, now. Not fifteen days from now. And business days were stupid. Our world was international and open 24-7. There should just be days, and weekends should count when someone took all your money.

A cold chill enveloped me, and I shuddered a little. I was just now understanding what had actually happened—and there was a sense of violation that some unnamed person had stolen from me. Taken everything I’d worked so hard for and blown it all in just over twelve hours. It seemed so unreal that I’d been robbed. My normally dim outlook on humanity had grown even bleaker.

I glanced at my phone. I needed to take that shower and get ready. I had an appointment in a couple of hours. I relied on muscle memory to carry me through the motions as I considered my options.

There was always my mom, but she had a major hang-up about me not repeating her mistakes. She didn’t want me to marry someone older than me who had a reputation as a player like my dad apparently had (I found that hard to believe) and who would walk away when things got too hard. She’d always counseled me to be sensible and get a steady, well-paying job. She had not been pleased when I’d graduated with an accounting degree but no plans of becoming an accountant. That I would figure out what I wanted my job to be.

When I told her about my plan to buy the van and start Waggin’ Wheels, she reminded me that I wasn’t prepared and didn’t know how hard it was to start your own business (which she had done, so she knew better than I did). I kept insisting that I could do it and she didn’t have to take care of me. There was no way I was going to run to her now and admit that she’d been right about everything and I needed financial help.

Especially since she was being so careful with her own expenses because she was pursuing her degree full-time. I knew her concern came from a place of love and that she would help if I asked, but it was important to me to be independent.