That was the absolute ceiling.

Tom had warned us we couldn’t borrow a single penny past that number without putting our entire financial future at risk.

“Do I hear three hundred and two?” Denny asked the crowd.

I skipped his increment entirely.

I raised card forty-seven high above my head and took half a step forward on the gravel.

“Three hundred five thousand,” I said loudly.

My voice cut clearly through the biting north wind.