Chapter 4 #2
I swallowed and bent down to straighten the sample boards unnecessarily.
I needed to build up some resistance to this woman who had such an effect on me.
I knew plenty of pretty girls. I’d worked with attractive homeowners before.
But something about Presley Holiday put me off-kilter from the inside out.
“Whatcha got?” I asked casually, as if my thoughts weren’t off the rails.
“Your crew is booked for a few months, right? Levi said he worked me in when someone else canceled?”
“That’s right.”
We’d been planning on a room addition for the Petersons, but now that they were divorcing, the project was off, and the house was going on the market instead.
“Do you know how far out exactly?” she asked.
“Last I heard, we were booked through October.”
She pressed her lips together and looked like her thoughts were racing.
“You got another project in mind?” I asked.
She straightened and brightened in an instant. “I’m opening a coffee shop. I signed a lease on one of the spaces in the former community center this afternoon. It’s one of the smaller ones, and it’s already been gutted. It’s like a blank canvas. I need to find someone to build out the space.”
“Back up for a sec. Yesterday you said you didn’t know what you were gonna do with your time. You were thinking gardening.”
“It didn’t take. Dirt under the fingernails…” She shook her head and made a face.
I checked out her fingernails. They were well-groomed, medium length, no sign of dirt, and painted Nova’s favorite shade of lavender.
“I had breakfast at the diner with Chloe Henry,” she continued. “Their coffee isn’t great. I mentioned it to Chloe, and one thing led to another.”
“The diner’s coffee sucks so you’re opening a coffee shop? This all happened in a day?”
“It’s been quite a day,” she said, smiling widely and brimming with so much energy she was practically vibrating. “Things just sort of lined up.”
I laughed, trying to wrap my head around this force that was a five-foot-five knockout of a woman.
“You know when some things just sort of happen at the right time and seem like they’re meant to be?” she continued.
I didn’t really, but I nodded.
“I got the idea at breakfast. It invigorated me like nothing else has for, God, years. Chloe had to rush off to work. I was planning on coming back here to check in with you guys, but I strolled over to the gazebo on the square first, found a bench, and did a preliminary search on my phone for coffee in Dragonfly Lake.”
“Didn’t find much, I’m betting.”
“No coffee shops. The closest one listed is in Runner. Second closest is Nashville.”
“Sounds about right.”
“My mind was spinning. I started getting all kinds of ideas. Decor, menu… Pretty soon, my phone dinged with a text from Chloe. She mentioned my idea to Holden, and he told her the former community center retail spots were just listed.”
I’d seen something about that on the Tattler, the town app, but hadn’t thought much about it.
“So you marched across the street and signed a lease?” I teased.
“Kind of? There was some research in there. Costs of running a coffee shop, ways to market it, challenges. I read a couple dozen articles while I waited for the real estate guy to show up.”
I noticed she didn’t mention anything about financing. Based on the rumors that she’d bought this property with cash, my guess was she didn’t need outside financing.
This girl was a damn unicorn. I’d never met anyone like her. Looks, brains, guts… Was there anything she didn’t have?
She’s so far out of your league that you’re not even playing the same sport. She’s Formula 1 racing, and you’re a sumo wrestler standing in one place.
Which was neither here nor there, because I wasn’t interested in anything other than these glimpses. That was as real as my attraction to her would ever get.
“So you need a build-out,” I said, taking it back to the one topic I knew anything about.
“Preferably long before October. Are there other reputable companies in town?”
“There are, but any company worth their salt is booked through the summer and beyond. That’s how it is in this industry. This is our high season.”
She frowned, and I could tell her thoughts were spinning again.
“What would you do if you were me?” she asked.
I laughed. “Well, if I were me, I’d do the work myself on the weekends. If I were you, I’d try to find a couple of guys who knew what they were doing to do it after hours and make it worth their while financially.”
“Like your coworkers.”
“Something like that.” The thought of Nathan or Paul or Nick or Fritz working with her after hours didn’t sit right.
“Are you interested?” she asked, pegging me with a hopeful look.
I couldn’t think of a less feasible idea, what with my girls and my…attraction. I shook my head. “I’m a single dad. My girls don’t get enough of my time as it is.”
She nodded, pacing slowly with her arms crossed. “Can you give me any names of someone who could take a look and help me figure out what I need? I’m willing to do as much of the work as I can, but I’d need guidance.”
“You’re going to put up walls and install plumbing?”
Her shoulders sank a little. “Not by myself, obviously. Do you have anyone on your crew who doesn’t have a family and might want to earn extra money?”
I gritted my teeth, imagining one of our guys spending time with Presley. “Tell me more about what you need done.”
“I don’t really know. I need an expert to help me figure it out. Maybe Levi?”
I checked my watch. Flora would likely be dropping off the girls in the next half hour. The former community center was across the square from the diner. I could have her bring them to me there.
“I’ve got a few minutes if you can show me now,” I said.
It was a bad idea, but I told myself I could use the extra money for my girls. And the hell if I was going to let Levi or any of the other thugs I worked with be her contractor knight in shining armor.
If she was going to be invigorated, I wanted to be the one helping her get that way.