CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The familiar sounds of the coffee shop put April at ease as she sipped on her iced matcha. It was sunny again outside and maybe that was why she felt more hopeful that everything would work out the way she wanted it.
She had chosen their usual spot by the window and was pleased to see pink beginning to show outside on the trees.
Spring had officially sprung, and the magnolia trees seemed to know it too.
There had been so much going on with the shop and with researching the buildings that she’d barely looked up lately, so the sight of pink buds and even a few early full blooms was as welcome as it was surprising.
“April?”
Glancing up, she smiled at the man hesitating beside the chair opposite her. “Adam?”
He breathed a sigh of relief and she gestured for him to sit. “Luke told me to look out for the pretty blonde.”
She rolled her eyes. “How helpful of him.” The door opened and Em and Izzy walked in and waved as they headed to the counter to order their drinks. “My friends are going to join us, but feel free to get started without them.”
Adam sat down, the chair looking too small for his tall frame. “You brought the paperwork?”
“Yep.” April slid the plastic folder across the table so he could inspect what they’d found. “The deed has a duty-of-care clause, but I can’t make head nor tail of whether it’s boilerplate or not.”
Papers rustled as Adam flicked through what April had brought, pausing on the deed and withdrawing it to read fully. Emma and Izzy approached, claiming the other two seats left around the table, and greeting Adam with a smile and a wave which he returned distractedly.
Izzy in particular seemed … peppier than usual, and April narrowed her eyes, desperate to ask her friend what was going on with Noah. But this wasn’t the time. Later, when this was all sorted out—then she would interrogate Izzy.
“OK, so this is fairly standard,” Adam said, looking up and adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose as disappointment flared in her stomach. She’d really thought they had something. “But I do think in this case it’s referring specifically to the building’s heritage.”
She sucked in a breath. “You mean …?”
Adam nodded. “It’s fuzzy on the details, so you’ll need to do some research there, but the building is definitely protected by the laws of heritage and culture.”
Emma whooped and April smiled in response. It wasn’t a fix, not yet, but it was a start.
“Honestly, it was a good catch. There’s not many buildings where this kind of thing would apply nowadays, especially in the States …
” Adam rambled on about the history of the cultural heritage law while April’s mind spun.
If what Adam was saying was true, then they might not have found any of this without Luke’s help.
“I really appreciate this, Adam,” she said, cutting him off mid-spiel and leaving him blinking. “You’ve been a massive help.”
“Hey, I owed Luke a favor. So I guess it’s him you should be thanking.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” she murmured and then shook herself. “I have to run—I’ve got painting to do, and I guess some more research if we’re going to make this evidence watertight.”
“No problem. Glad I could help.”
Emma and Izzy stood, following April to the door with their drinks in hand, and the fresh air hitting her face was exactly what she needed to clear away some of the anxiety that had settled heavily on her chest over the last twenty-four hours.
“I’ll walk with you to the store but then I have to get to work,” Izzy said as they moved off in the direction of the trail that led through the park. “I need to update you on what Noah and I found, anyway.”
Noah and I. Was there a sense of familiarity there that hadn’t existed before?
April nodded and Izzy began to recount the evening at the library as they walked.
The remnants of dead leaves littered the ground, the breeze carrying them onto the grass from the tidy piles they’d been swept into.
April smiled as she watched a dog make a beeline for one of the piles, no doubt planning to launch itself into the mound of leaves.
“We found several mentions of a famous architect, Lisandro Conti—an Italian artist who made his mark in the Americas with his mission of small-town beauty. Practicality meets elegance,” Izzy said and April nodded.
This really was promising, maybe even the other half of the problem.
They knew the building was protected, but maybe Conti was the reason why.
“We couldn’t find the history group, and the librarian didn’t have any contact info for them, but based on the old newspaper clippings in the archive, we think Conti was responsible for the design of at least some of the buildings in Magnolia Springs.
His work has been considered rare since his untimely death in 1843. ”
“That’s great work, Iz. Thank you.”
Izzy looked over and smiled, the sunlight hitting her face until she practically glowed. “You’re welcome. Noah was a big help.”
“I’ll bet,” April muttered and Em shot her a look as Izzy reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Here. I found some examples of Conti’s work online. I’m no expert, but it looks familiar.”
April unfolded the paper and saw several photographs of Conti’s designs, dating back to early iterations from 1820.
“Oh,” she whispered, drinking in the details. The flower store could sit perfectly among these examples. “How can we verify this, though? I mean, the style looks right but I don’t think the mayor will take my word for it.”
Izzy’s face fell. “I’m not sure.”
Emma clapped her hands, making two birds in the trees above them flap their wings in shock. “What about Ethan? Maybe he knows someone?”
Ethan. “That … might actually be a very good idea.”
“I thought he was an interior designer,” Izzy said, raising her brows as she looked between them.
“He is,” April agreed. “But he also does building design and he studied architecture at college.” She barely had time to process the opportunity—their deadline was looming and they needed answers, fast. “Actually, he did say something about the ceiling when he came to check out the bar …”
“Call him,” Emma said, practically bouncing as they left the cover of the trees and the sunlight hit them once more. “If you want to follow up on this lead, I can continue with the painting.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that—”
Emma squeezed April’s arm gently. “What are friends for?”
They reached the store and April hugged Izzy goodbye before reaching for her phone and dialing Ethan’s number.
“Hey, April! What’s up?”
“Hey, Ethan. Listen, I need a favor.”
Movement from across the street caught her eye and she beamed as she spotted Ethan waving at her with his phone pressed to his ear.
“I’m in the area.” He chuckled and then hung up as he crossed the street to her.
April unlocked the door and ushered Emma inside, Ethan trailing behind them. April smoothed out the plastic wrap on the floor and pried open a can of paint to give it a stir.
“OK, here and here,” she said to Emma, pointing to sections of the wall, “you can see I’ve sketched out the small flower designs—can you fill in the petals and just add a bit of texture?
You always had an eye for this kind of stuff in art class, so you’ll probably do a better job than me anyway!
And then the shelves need these metal holders unwrapped and slotted in.
See what you have time for, and I’ll be in to help soon too. ”
“Aye aye, captain.” Emma saluted and April smiled as she rolled her eyes before turning to Ethan.
“What do you know about verifying heritage sites?”
An hour or so later, Noah arrived at the store, cheeks pink from the slight breeze that had kicked up outside.
“Hey, Bug, I thought I’d pop by to see if there’s anything I can help with?
My site manager’s given me a long lunch.
” He walked over to April, giving her a one-armed hug as he glanced around, noticing Emma finishing off her painting.
“Em, those flowers are so good! How do you get them to look so realistic?”
Emma smiled, blushing slightly at the compliment. “Oh, you know, small brushstrokes and a lot of patience.”
“Well, they look sick.” He turned to April, who was holding up the papers Izzy had given her with examples of Conti’s work to the ceiling. “I see Izzy filled you in on the Conti stuff. What do you think—reckon it might be enough?”
“I honestly can’t tell. From some angles the design looks almost identical, but I can’t tell if it’s just wishful thinking …”
“I reckon it’s more than that,” said Ethan, emerging from the back office where he’d been making some calls. Noticing Noah, he smiled, “Oh hey, man, how’s it going?”
“Ethan, I didn’t realize you were back there! Has April got you roped into this too?” Noah grinned at his friend, and April shoved him, mock annoyed at his words.
“I’m happy to help, honestly. I hate seeing these gorgeous old buildings flattened for soulless apartment blocks, so it’s nice to think I could help save them. April, do you want to head over to the restaurant to talk things through? Pen says she’s fine for us to grab a bite there.”
“Oh yeah, that would be perfect,” April said, and they all headed out of the store, back into the sunlight.
Penny was stood in front of The Garden Table and waved the group over, leading them through the front to a table in the back.
As April slid into her seat, she noticed the initials ‘PL’ and ‘EB’ carved into the wood, followed by a little infinity symbol.
April brushed the letters with her finger and smiled to herself as she looked up and caught Penny’s eye.
Penny grinned back, setting down a plate piled high with sandwiches.