“And what do you need from me?” I asked, keeping my hands folded on the desk.

“I need you to co-sign a bridge loan,” he said, leaning over my desk. “It’s only for three million.”

He looked at me as if three million dollars were a minor favor to ask of an underpaid administrator.

“They just need a clean signature, someone with no active flags on their credit,” he explained, his voice rising in pitch. “With your clean history, they’ll release the funds immediately.”

“You want me to take on three million dollars of your debt,” I said.

“It’s not debt, it’s a bridge,” he insisted, his face flushing red. “If you don’t do this, Jocelyn, everything is gone. The house in Highland Park, my car, the girls’ school tuition.”

He was using Ruby and Hazel as leverage, just as he always did when he wanted to force my hand.

“The girls will be fine,” I said quietly.

“How can you say that?” he snapped. “Do you want them to grow up in a rental? Do you want Gloria to see us fail?”