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"What's wrong now?" Megan set the bag of chips down on the counter as Lauren stormed into the kitchen. She knew that look on her sister's face.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Lauren cried through clenched teeth.
"What is?" Tiffany asked, exchanging a glance with Megan.
"That friend of yours, Andrew. You know that perfect Italian restaurant I'm trying to buy? Can you believe he's trying to steal it from me!"
Tiffany finished loading the shrimp cocktail platter and turned toward Lauren. "Lulu, aren't you exaggerating a little?"
"I'm serious. He already outbid me for the place."
"Did you tell him you're also trying to buy it?" Megan asked, studying her sister's face.
Lauren shook her head. "I'm not giving away any information that could risk me losing that restaurant."
"You're being a little obsessed, aren't you? It's just a restaurant," Tiffany looked at her sister with concern in her eyes. Of course, she wanted her sister to succeed in fulfilling her dream, but blowing things out of proportion wouldn't help in this situation.
"You don't get it. It's not the restaurant I care about most. It's a place for all of us to hang out, to build memories as a family..." Lauren trailed off. The ache in her stomach refused to settle.
"So, what are you going to do?" Megan asked.
"I need to beat his offer. I'm fifty thousand dollars short. My broker says I need a partner to make it happen. What do you two say about joining me as silent partners in this restaurant?"
Tiffany raised her eyebrows. Megan ran her fingers through her shoulder-length blonde hair. "Gee, I never thought about being an entrepreneur. Organizing weddings is my specialty."
"Come on, Megan, it'll be fun, just like the good ol' days growing up! Remember how we used to do everything together as sisters?" Lauren was desperate, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized owning the business with one or two of her sisters would be an adventure, even if it wasn't what she originally had in mind.
"Of course, I do. But you're talking about buying a restaurant. It's a lot of work." Megan loved her sister and wanted her to be happy, but she wasn't sure Lauren had thought everything through.
"You don't have to worry about a thing," Lauren encouraged. "I'll be the one to handle the day-to-day operations. You benefit by getting a percentage of the profits each month. Besides, it'll be the perfect tax deduction." She paused and smiled at her sister. "What do you say?"
Megan looked at Tiffany, who shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Well, my accountant did suggest buying a business that would help with tax deductions."
"There you go!" Lauren exclaimed, her eyes beginning to light up. Then, Lauren turned to her other sister. "How about you, Tiffany? Can I count you in?"
Tiffany pursed her lips. "Not sure, Sis. My practice is taking off, and I must devote all my energies to keep the momentum going."
"But all I need is a financial partner. I promise you won't have to deal with the restaurant. Plus, you'll be earning extra money every month. Please . . . this is really important to me." Lauren touched her sister's shoulder.
Tiffany drew up one side of her lips. "You promise to handle everything?"
"Everything."
Tiffany gazed at Lauren. "Alright then. You can count me in too."
Lauren danced in a circle, clapping her hands like a little girl. Then her sisters laughed, happy to see Lauren in a better mood. The last thing they needed was for Lauren to cast a cloud over their special time of celebration.
Finally, Lauren grabbed her sisters in a hug. "I promise you two won't regret this."
"Are we going to let Andrew know?" Megan asked after a second.
Lauren looked at her and shook her head. "Absolutely not. We're going to catch him off guard. Now, here's our game plan.
