Chapter 4
As Leo left Bennett’s office and walked outside, a brisk breeze kicked up the fallen leaves on the sidewalk and in the street.
He looked at the huge square in the middle of downtown. A massive pecan tree was at the center, hence the town name, Leo assumed.
Park benches were placed in different areas of the square and several people were occupying them. Some were reading or looking
on their phones while they sipped coffee. Others were just sitting, as if in quiet contemplation. The scene was peaceful.
Not a palm tree in sight and there was no salty ocean air to breathe in, but even in his current state of mind and circumstances,
he could appreciate it.
He could also do anything for thirty days. He’d have to call Robert and tell him he was taking the vacation his admin had
been urging him to take, even though the timing was atrocious. He’d call the head of Arcadia Financial and reschedule their
meeting personally. Maybe they could do a quick virtual one to discuss preliminaries. He preferred face-to-face meetings when
making deals.
Yes, he could handle this. It was just a bunch of old books, a junk-filled apartment, and . . .
He would be living next to Via.
That had him halting in his tracks. Only a few feet divided the two apartments. Even if they tried to avoid each other—and
he was sure Via would be more than happy to do so—they would cross paths. Once he got settled and had a plan to fulfill the
stipulations, his emotions would be on their usual even keel, and this odd attraction he had to her would disappear. He would
stake his job on it.
They would have to come to some kind of truce, though. Somehow.
But before he could do anything, he had to get some supplies. A cursory look through Earl’s apartment showed that he had next
to nothing, and that included toiletries. In his haste, Leo had only packed a towel and his tennis shoes in his gym bag.
Spying the Corner Store across the street, he figured he could find a few things there, including some food. He’d deal with
his wardrobe later.
When he entered, he saw a man in his early twenties stocking candy bars on a large rack next to an old-fashioned cash register.
Leo grabbed one of the baskets next to the door.
“Morning,” the guy said with a grin. His brown hair was cut short in the back and on the sides, the top a mussy mop of curls.
“Can I help you with anything?”
“Toiletries,” Leo said. “Shampoo, soap, etcetera.”
“Aisle six, right past the baby stuff.”
There were a few customers in the store, and they nodded their hellos to Leo as he made his way to the aisle, although he
wondered if they were noticing him because of his suit. He was definitely overdressed for a grocery trip.
Once he was in front of the shelf with bottles and bars, it didn’t take long to pick out what he wanted.
Then he went through the store and filled the basket with staples—bread, three cans of soup, crackers, milk, and a few other things to tide him over.
He went to the deli in the back of the store and searched the case.
He rarely ate lunch meat, but a sandwich would be an easy meal and he was getting really hungry.
The Cocoa Puffs were appreciated but not filling.
He tapped the small silver bell on the counter twice.
An older woman with silver hair covered by a hairnet appeared. From the curls flattened against her head, he deduced she and
the clerk who greeted him were related somehow. Leo glanced at her name tag. “Hi, Addie. I’d like a quarter pound of the Trail
bologna.” He’d never heard of it before, but it looked good.
“Sure thing.” She opened the case. “Where are you visiting from?” At his surprised look, she said, “I know everyone who lives
in Pecan Corner.”
“California. Los Angeles, specifically.”
She pulled out a long tube of meat and put it on the slicer. “First time in Ohio?”
“Yes.” His gaze was back on the case again. “Could I get some of that cheese too?”
When she handed him the paper-wrapped packages, she said, “Enjoy your stay. And don’t be a stranger.”
He nodded his thanks and headed to the counter. When he set down the basket and pulled out his wallet, he saw a small sign
on the wall behind the register that said Established in 1899.
“Ready to check out?” The clerk moved to the cash register.
Leo nodded, looking at the clerk’s name tag. Sherman. “This store has been around a long time,” he said.
Sherman nodded. “Oh yeah. My great-great-great, uh, great-grandpa was the first proprietor. That might be too many greats.
I can never keep track. What we sell here has changed, but the building is mostly the same as it was back then.”
Leo looked around again. He was so focused on his shopping that he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings.
But now that he was seeing them, he got the sense of being back in time—wood-planked walls, old pictures and other antique memorabilia and signs hanging up.
The counter was vintage, or at least a replica.
The whole mood in the store was unhurried.
Or maybe that was his own feeling, now that he wasn’t in a rush anymore.
It was all a contrast to the modern, teeming shopping districts he was used to.
Sherman rang up Leo’s items and handed the plastic bags to him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Call me Leo.” The friendliness was catching. He’d have to curb that. He wasn’t here to make friends.
“Have a good day, Leo.”
“You too.”
He walked back to the apartment and past Pawsitive Vibes again. Three cats, different from the first two, were lounging in
the window. From his quick glance he saw customers sitting at tables with coffee mugs in front of them, but no sign of Via.
The Pawsitive Vibes sign above the café was vibrant pink, teal, and yellow, with the bottom of a cat’s paw prominently displayed
on one side and a coffee cup on the other. Very clever. Very Via.
Then he turned to Second Chapter. The facade was old and weathered, like the shop inside and the apartment upstairs.
There were a few autumn decorations—a rustic wreath on the door, fake leafy garland across the top of the window, and three pumpkins on the ground by the entrance.
Nice, but the dusty window and dark interior was a stark contrast to Via’s bright and shiny business.
The amount of work ahead of him was daunting.
Even without the stipulations, he would have had to get the shop and apartment sale ready.
Although he would have just paid someone to do that.
Now it was literally his responsibility.
But he never backed down from a challenge. He thrived on them. Forget 80 percent. He was going to score 100 on that quiz.
And once Second Chapter was legally his, he would sell the building and be done with Pecan Corner. Despite the friendliness
and the autumn appeal, he already felt like the proverbial fish out of water. He didn’t belong here . . . and he couldn’t
wait to leave.
Leo went to Earl’s apartment, opened the door, and walked inside. His second time seeing the place wasn’t as shocking as the
first when he had left Via’s apartment earlier this morning. But it was as overwhelming as Second Chapter. Both places were
cluttered and in disarray, and a layer of dust coated everything, as if nothing had been touched since Earl’s death in January.
How did the man live like this, much less run a business?
Carrying the bags of groceries, Leo wound his way through the cluttered living room to a small kitchen. He could see the apartment
layout was the mirror image of Via’s. A world of difference in decor and disarrangement, however. He carefully opened the
fridge, dreading that he’d find a science experiment or seven in there. Surprisingly, it was empty and clean. He started putting
everything away when he heard the sound of a telephone ringing.
He stilled as it rang again. It didn’t sound like a cell phone, but if it was, there was no way he could find it in the chaos.
Then he saw the landline on top of a stack of old phone books on an old two-drawer end table. Should he answer it? He didn’t
see an answering machine, and he had no idea if his uncle had email. On the fourth ring he picked up the yellowed phone handle
from its cradle. “Hello?”
“Hey, Earl. Perry Percival here. Been a while since we talked. How ya’ been?”
“Sorry,” Leo said. “I’m not Earl.”
“You sound just like him.”
He sounded like a seventy-three-year-old man? Yikes. “I’m his nephew. Way younger nephew,” he couldn’t resist adding.
“Oh, my bad. Now that you’re talking, I can tell you’re not him. Mind leaving him a message for me?”
Leo knew he shouldn’t judge one of Earl’s friends after only exchanging a few words, but the man’s fast speech and annoying
cadence made him sound like an overly familiar car salesman. “He passed away in January.”
“He did? That’s a shocker. Who’s running Second Chapter?”
“I am.”
“Fantastic.”
What kind of friend was this? “Mr.—”
“Percival. Perry Percival. Are ya interested in selling the store? Because I’m ready to buy.”
Leo almost dropped the phone. A buyer just falling into his lap? “I’m listening,” he said, trying to hide his eagerness. He
didn’t care who Perry Percival was as long as the offer was right.
But it wasn’t. It was so wrong it was outrageous. Leo’s answer was simple. “No.”
“No?” Perry had the nerve to sound shocked.
“Just what I said. No.”
“Son, I’ve been in that store. It’s a fire hazard. A dumpster diver’s dream. A—”
“Got it.” His back teeth ground. He hated being called son, by anyone.
“If you’ll just listen to my proposal—”
“Tell you what.” Leo stood. “When you’re serious, I’ll listen. Have a good day.”
“But—”
Leo hung up. Probably not the best way to end a negotiation, but if the guy really wanted Second Chapter, he’d call back.
Leo even took a few minutes to wait and see if he did.
When he didn’t, Leo went back to the kitchen to put up the rest of the groceries, only to pause.
If Perry was interested in Earl’s property, he was sure others would be too.