The House That Built Me (Strawberry Inn Book #3)

Chapter 1

CHAZ

The urge to slam the phone down is strong, but I’m trying to keep my anger under control through this entire situation. The last thing I need is more law enforcement involvement and legal trouble. I take a deep breath and look over at my soon-to-be-former business partner and exhale loudly. I’m biting back what I really want to say to him, at this point it is probably pointless.

“What did they say?” Leland asks.

“The city has pulled all our permits effective immediately. Even if tried to use my personal equipment, I can’t legally do any of the jobs that we were contracted to do.”

“Shit,” he hisses. “I’m really sorry, Man. They won’t even let you finish the jobs we had started?”

“Nope,” I bite out. “If you don’t mind, I need to make some calls and deal with some very angry customers.”

“I’m sorry, Chaz, but it could be worse, you know?”

“Excuse me?” I sneer. “I know you didn’t just say that to me, Leland.”

“All I’m saying is that I took the fall and cleared your name. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be heading to the same place I am. I know this sucks, but at least you have the chance to do something else.”

Now I’m livid. Over the last three months, I have kept my cool, I have tried not to fly off the handle at the guy who I thought was my best friend, but today might be the day that all goes to shit. I knew he was having financial issues because of a little gambling hobby that he had, but he told me it was under control. He made some really good bets and was able to pay off some debts he had. I didn’t ask many more questions. Maybe if I wasn’t dealing with my recent break-up or I wasn’t spending more time driving back and forth to visit my mom and sister, I would have seen the signs that he was full of shit.

I guess I just trusted my best friend and business partner, that was a huge mistake though. While I was working on our business and continuing to build it, he was off making deals with the devil. The devil in this case was a bookie who ran a huge underground gambling organization. When Leland said it was into gambling, I thought he met the legal shit that everybody can do now. I mean, there are about five different legal apps for crying out loud. I guess that wasn’t a good enough thrill. When he got in too deep, they offered him a way out by working off his debts.

Leland, being the naive idiot that he is, thought he was just doing a few construction jobs here and there. He didn’t ask questions and he didn’t realize that what they were asking him to do was work on one of their illegal establishments. When the FBI raided the place, Leland was caught red-handed. Since he was there and working for this guy, he was arrested too. It didn’t matter that he said he wasn’t one of them, he was going to be headed to prison just the same. The only thing he had going for him was that he clearly didn’t have any good information, so his sentence was going to be minimum. 

What didn’t go well though, Leland was using our company vehicle and our company tools and materials to do the work. Unintentionally, he brought down the entire company. Once the company name was part of an FBI investigation they seized everything owned by the company and from the sounds of it they will keep it until all of the cases are closed. The lawyer who took my case said it could be years before we see these things back.

I knew the company was done and over with, but at minimum, I was hoping we could finish the jobs we currently had going. I wouldn’t make any money, since I would have to pay our workers from my personal funds since all business accounts were frozen, but at least nobody would be left hanging. That was the phone call that just ended. We can’t do anything, not even if I work by myself, using my own tools. The business is completely dead in the water, thanks to Leland.

Leland is not sitting in front of me, acting like he is some sort of damn hero because he told the FBI that I had no idea what he was doing off-business time. A fact that was true, not even something he was trying to help me with. I slam my fist down on the desk, tired of being the nice guy. “Dammit, Leland! You didn’t do me any fucking favors by just telling the truth.”

“I took this deal for you, Chaz, chill out.”

“You took the deal because you didn’t want an additional ten years in prison for working for the fucking mob.”

“They’re not the mob,” he actually tried to argue.

“Is that really the fucking point right now, Leland? You’re unbelievable. You may have taken the deal, but you still refuse to take responsibility and everything you’ve done to me. This business was what I had going for me. I spent my entire adult life working towards the goal of having a successful construction company and thanks to your dumb choices, that is down the toilet.”

“I told you I was sorry, Chaz, geez.”

“Sometimes sorry isn’t enough. What am I supposed to do now? I can’t just start a new business. That all costs money, money that I don’t have because all of those accounts are frozen. I’m just fucking happy I was paying myself because otherwise, I would have no money right now.”

“You could go get a job, Chaz. I know it won’t be as cushy as being in charge, but I’m the one going to prison!”

“Because you fucked up, you moron!”

“You know what?” Leland says as he stands up. “I don’t need to take this shit anymore. I only came here today because I was hoping that we’d hear good news and I wanted to be here to celebrate with you, but if you’re just doing to blame me for everything and get pissy then I’m leaving”

“This is your fucking fault, Leland! Who else would I blame?” I stand to show off my height as well, which is well over six inches taller than his. “Why don’t you just do me a favor and not come back. They’re coming on Friday to clear all this stuff anyway and I have to hand the keys back to the landlord so there is no reason for you to be back.”

“Fine!” he shouts.

“Fine!” I yell back even louder.

Leland stomps off and slams the door on his way out. I drop back into my chair and bury my head in my hands. I don’t know how things went from so great to so fucking horrible. I went from having a woman that I loved by my side and a successful business that I was going to be able to retire off of. In three months it all came crashing to the ground. Now I’m single again, without a job, and with nothing significant to my name. This is not how I saw my forties going.