Christmas at The Heartbreak Cafe (Lakeview Christmas Novel) (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 7) by Melissa Hill Read Free Book Online Page A

resolved but uncharacteristically quiet. She barely recognised the man who was so often full of life and laughter.
    “How could they not need you? You’re an area manager. You’ve been at that bank since you were twenty-one. This is ridiculous, Paul. It really is.”
    “There’s more.” His voice lowered and his head still pointed downward as he avoided eye contact with her. He reminded Heidi of a scolded dog, or one who knew that he was about to get in trouble. “We’re in a lot of debt.”
    “We will just have to find you a new job of course,” she continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Our savings will hold us over until you find another, better paying position.” Her voice changed to optimism. She needed to believe it, for her own sake.
    “That’s the thing Heidi, there are no savings. We used our savings money to buy all the rental properties, but it seems I leveraged them too high to make all the repayments and … bottom line is the bank is repossessing everything.” He met her gaze. “And I mean everything.”
    “Repossessing what? The rental properties?” His silence led her to a stark realisation. “The house, this house? No, Paul! Not our home! Amelia has lived here since birth. We have raised her here. We have made a home here. I will not part with this place.”
    “Honey, I’m sorry. I really am. But I have been looking at the numbers for a while now, and if we want to hold onto this place, we have to make serious cuts — and fast. Miriam has to go. The renovations are off. We’re going to have to think about selling a car or two in the meantime just to make the next repayment. I’ve been trying to keep things going for as long as I could by using rental income from the investment properties to pay off this place, but with the layoff …I’m not sure what to do now.”
    “You can't be serious!” She panicked. This house was her crowning glory. It was everything she had ever wanted. Now that, along with their entire lives, was under threat. And all the rental properties in the village, their hometown to be repossessed? She couldn’t stand it.
    “Listen," he said tentatively, "one of my old golfing buddies has been interested in this place for years. When I was let go, he approached me and asked me about it again. Maybe we should consider selling. The equity would hold us over for a while at least.”
    “Paul, no, please! Think of Amelia. We cannot do this to her. We cannot do this to us . We have to make things work without selling the house.” She pleaded with him, her voice breaking as tears pooled in her eyes.
    “Like I said, I’ve tried everything and there is nothing else we can do. We’re behind on all the rentals and if we can’t make the mortgage repayment, which we won’t be able to with none of us working, the house will eventually have to be sold anyway. We have to let Miriam go straight away too. If we don’t get a handle on things soon, we will not be able to stay on top of our bills for much more than two or three weeks with my redundancy package.” His voice was firm. This was it. He needed to tell Heidi that. He needed to make her know that this was the only way.
    “I just don’t understand.” As she sat, wordless in their beautiful kitchen, her husband gently kissed the top of her forehead, brushed the hair out of her face, and turned to leave.
    “I know you don’t." His resolve melted into what Heidi could only describe as guilt. It looked like it was overwhelming him. "I am sorry that I cannot make this perfect for you sweetheart. All that I have ever wanted was to give you and Amelia the world, and I have failed you. I am never going to stop being sorry about this. But you have to know that if there was any other way, I would have found it. It just … is what it is.”
    “Okay." Her voice quivered as she struggled to find an answer for his world-rocking confession. But Heidi really had no other words for him. She had no way to express the feelings she