No Vacancy (The Aveline Series Book 2)

Chapter 18

DARCY

I sentPenn on his way. I let him take his grilled cheese with him, but I had decided there was nothing left for the two of us to discuss after he told me what he was really doing in Aveline. Penn had called the hardware store “run-down” before he had even seen it. He had every intention to gut it, to completely change it, and there was no way I was going to let my dad sell his store to a man who wanted to do that.

A man who didn’t even belong in Aveline.

So, after swallowing the last bite of my mediocre grilled cheese—thank God he wasn’t the chef for this restaurant—I did the only thing I knew to do. I called my dad.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Jere-Bear.”

“Dad, listen to me,” I began, without pleasantries. “Do not, I repeat, do not agree to any kind of sale on the store with a man named Penn Murphy, got it?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t know a Penn Murphy.” He hollered next, “Hey Winnie, do you know a Penn Murphy?”

I heard my mom in the background. “I don’t know any Penn. Or Murphy for that matter. Is that Darcy? Tell her I got Bernie something!”

My mom was desperately waiting for grandchildren, and until then, she treated Bernie like one. She was always buying him little socks and sunglasses, treats and toys. I couldn’t imagine how spoiled an actual human grandchild would be.

My dad came back to the phone. “Your mother doesn’t know a Penn Murphy either, but she got Bernie—”

I cut him off. “Yes, thank her for me, but I need you to listen. Penn Murphy is going to show up and offer to buy the store. Do not sell to him.”

“Is there a reason why? You know I haven’t had offers flooding in, Jerry.”

I closed my eyes. I knew my dad was feeling desperate, but I couldn’t let him sell the store he had spent his whole life developing to a guy who was going to destroy it.

“I know, but this guy isn’t the one. I don’t trust him. He said he wants to put a restaurant in the store.”

My dad chuckled slightly. “Well, a restaurant doesn’t sound so bad. We could use another option for food around here. I don’t think the café would mind at all.”

I huffed. “But it’s not a restaurant, Dad. It’s a hardware store. The person who buys it should keep it a hardware store.”

My dad sighed, his voice gentle. “We’ve talked about this, kid. When the store is sold, it’s up to the new owner what they want to do with it. We can’t just sell to someone expecting them to keep things the same. Change isn’t always bad.”

I felt the tears welling in my eyes. “Just don’t sell to him. Don’t rush into it. We don’t know anything about him. Promise you won’t sell it to him.”

“Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll promise you I won’t sell it to him without knowing we can trust him first, okay? And you are going to have to trust me and know that I will do what’s best for all of us.”

I hesitated. I trusted my dad more than anyone in the world, and I knew he wouldn’t do something to jeopardize the wellbeing of our small town. My dad was not a na?ve man, and he couldn’t be fooled by some pretty face and a smooth talker.

He would see right through Penn.

“Okay. I trust you,” I replied, knowing that even though I meant what I said, I was going to make sure Penn Murphy would not only not get my dad’s hardware store, but also that he would leave Aveline for good. I just had to figure out the best way to do it.