My palms were sweating so bad I had to wipe them on my skirt. It had been three days since Tawny had made off with my money, and I’d had to go to a thrift shop to even find a skirt long enough and businesslike enough to wear to the bank. My usual attire consisted of jeans, shorter skirts, and a lot of ripped pants. But I wanted to look my best, and I’d heard you were supposed to dress like you were as successful as you wanted to be, so I was doing my best to play the part of a small business owner.

Sitting across the desk from me was a girl who looked younger than me, but who had nicer clothes and a professional manicure that made me sit on my hands. Nails like hers were not conducive to working in a bakery.

“Ms. Malloy, you don’t have any other assets—jewelry, vehicles, stocks, bonds, real estate?”

Real estate? Was she kidding? Judging by her face apparently not.

I shook my head.

“How about a co-signer? Someone who will take care of your loan in case you can’t make your payments?”

I stared at her blankly.

“No husband? Or a parent perhaps?”

“I pretty much wrote everything down on the form. I just thought you might have something for women small business owners, like some start-up funds.”

Banker babe crossed her hands over each other and faked a sad look the likes of which I hadn’t seen since the mean girls in high school. “I’m sorry, but to get a loan like you’re talking about we’d need some sort of collateral, or you know, if you had a sizable CD with our bank, the size perhaps of the loan you’re asking we might be able to help you.”

Was this bitch a moron? If I had ten thousand dollars to put into a CD, I would not need a ten-thousand-dollar loan!

Disappointed, I skidded my chair back and started to get up. “Thanks anyway,” I mumbled.

I was just about to leave her office when she said, “You know, you might try one of those kicks starters or fund me accounts. That’s what a lot of people are doing these days.”

I don’t remember walking out of the bank. Everything seemed like I was in a daze. Things started to come back into focus after I’d walked a few blocks.

Maybe banker babe was onto something. She might not be such a moron after all, and now I felt kinda bad for having thought that of her.

It might’ve been worth the humiliation of having her check my pitiful credit and financial track record for that little idea. She was right. I’d seen people do fund me campaigns for all sorts of things—a broke down truck that needed fixing, cancer treatments, helping a high school band go to the Rose Parade, a college fund for a child whose parent passed away . . . the list went on and on.

And I had heard about people making movies with kickstarters. Maybe that was the way, but did I even know enough people who would want to help me open my bakery? I’d stayed off Facebook for the past few years, hadn’t kept in touch with my friends from high school, and barely spoke to the people I worked with.

The sad realization dawning in my brain was that I’d done a really good job of isolating myself.

Then it occurred to me—the bishop!

Maybe Eduardo would know some people, or at the very least, he might have some advice.

I remembered what Pepper said to me a few days after I had coffee with him.

When she’d asked how my date had gone I’d told her that he wasn’t for me.

“Not kinky enough for you?” Pepper had nodded her head like she’d understood then giggled.

“No, it’s not that. I don’t have time for a man in my life,” I’d said.

Pepper laughed. “Girl, you’re a workaholic I’ll give you that. But you know what they say?”

Rolling my eyes I answered, “No, what?”

“Nobody on their deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I’d spent more time working.’”

“Yeah? Well, this isn’t forever. It’s only until I get my bakery up and running.”

Pepper shook her head. “And the handsome priest will have found somebody else by then. It’s a shame, really. I think you ought to give him a chance.”

“Maybe I’ll give him your number,” I’d teased, and we both laughed.

I wasn’t sure what he’d be able to do to help me, but the thought of seeing him again brightened my mood. Yes, I’d vowed to stay away from him, but I was having a weak moment and as much as I wanted to do this all on my own, it was time to reach out for some help.