Free Merging Assets by Cheryl Dragon

raised to play it safe and not take this sort of risk, but it feels right,” She replied.
    “Moving in with us isn’t really a risk. You can always move out if you’re not ready.” Lance laughed.
    “I meant the job thing. I don’t have a lease on the house so I’ll let them know to look for new renters. I can start packing tomorrow. It’s so weird not to have somewhere to go.” She sipped her wine.
    “You’ll be here. We can help you pack. Or you can come to the garage and let Mr. Nicholas show you the books. He’ll still be hanging around and working part time so no rush,” Fred said.
    She smiled. “I have a feeling with five people in this relationship and two businesses, we’ll all be very busy and much happier.”
    “Yep, plenty to do. You won’t be bored. We don’t all have to be at the garage tomorrow. We’re signing the papers in a couple of days. The lawyer has the info. He’s drawing it up.” Roman opened another bottle of wine.
    She looked around at the family she had now. When she was single, she hadn’t been miserable, but she wouldn’t trade the crowded table for all the promotions in the world. The company didn’t care about her. Finally, she’d found the right men, and she was free to work for herself. It seemed like a dream, but it was very real.

 
    Chapter Eight
     
     
     
    Lance was the only one in the group who never got a twinge of doubt after the decisions were made. He’d even seen Roman a bit worried when they’d sorted through Mr. Nicholas’ old-fashioned tracking methods from the past. While the old guy’s body was wearing out, his brain was still sharp. They’d have to make the business their own.
    The relationship was working well with the corporate crap behind them. The five of them stuck together and sorted things out one problem at a time. Having control over things made it so much easier.
    It took three days of dodging calls to convince the company none of the five were coming back. The guys had managed to move Crystal in with them and set up an office for her in the sun room. They had plenty of time to have a little construction work done so the room would be fully winterized as an office.
    Since he was the best at hopping from job to job, Lance was a jack of all trades. Eventually, he’d manage the garage mechanics, but for now, it was all hands on deck with whatever needed to be handled. They had made serious progress with other goals, however. Crystal’s old place had been cleaned until it sparkled and was ready for new tenants. One more thing off the list.
    Today, it was all about the garage. Crystal was in one office poring through the books while Mr. Nicholas charmed the ladies waiting for their cars to be done. Lance and Andy were going over the employee files in the other office while Fred worked the phones for better deals on supplies since the old man hadn’t bothered to negotiate in a few years. Roman was learning the front desk from their best employee. It was a different business from what they were accustomed to, but it was theirs. The grin on Andy’s face told Lance everything would be okay.
    “What? You’re staring,” Andy said.
    “You like being the boss.” Lance smiled.
    Andy nodded. “I like us being in charge of our lives. And our business. A little less pressure on me and no corporate bullshit.”
    “And we know about motors, tires and all this crap. I’d rather be fixing a single mom’s car so she can to go work instead of worrying about semis getting loaded and the bottom line so the execs get their bonuses.” Lance liked his life more already.
    “Damn right. If someone needs credit or a break, we can do that. We won’t be screwing anybody, and we’ll make enough to live on.” Andy and his guys didn’t need to be filthy rich to impress Crystal. She had her own career aspirations and fit right in.
    Fred walked in and looked as if he’d seen a ghost.
    “What’s wrong?” Andy asked.
    Fred held up a finger as Roman and