“She’s a general, Ma,” Marcus said, his voice suddenly bitter. “She’s been lying to us the whole time.”

“I never lied,” I said. “None of you ever asked.”

Marcus took a step closer to the porch, his jaw clenched.

“I don’t care about your rank, Rachel,” Marcus said. “My payroll is due on Friday. I have six men depending on that draw.”

“Then I suggest you find another way to pay them,” I said.

“We have a contract!” Marcus yelled, pointing a finger at me. “You guaranteed that line of credit!”

“As a personal guarantor,” I replied. “A status I revoked at three o’clock this afternoon.”

“You can’t just ruin my life because you and Daniel are having a fight!” Marcus roared.

He turned on Daniel, his face twisting with sudden rage.

“Fix this, Daniel!” Marcus shouted. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Daniel said, his hands raised in defense. “She’s doing this because of Ava!”

Evelyn looked between them, her breathing shallow.

“Ava?” Evelyn asked. “What does Ava have to do with my shop?”