Chapter 23 #2
On the short ride over, he told her that he was an architect and furniture designer. That the house would serve as his office and studio.
“I was mostly interested in it because of the shop in back. Not only do I design furniture, but I also build it.”
“A true craftsman,” she said admiringly. “I’d love to see your work sometime.”
She pulled next to the curb in front of the house as he brought up the picture of Piper’s bookcase on his phone. Turning the screen toward her, he said, “I built this for my future wife.”
“My goodness, that’s gorgeous,” Dorothy said. “You will find yourself quite busy, Sullivan.”
The house had great curb appeal and a large porch, something he was drawn to because of the large one at the Bay Breeze.
The structure had good bones, but he would want to do some work to the inside.
The wooden floors were scarred and needed refinishing.
The entire interior needed to be painted.
He decided he would knock out a wall so he would have a larger space to conference with clients.
He thought he might also remove the wall between the two bedrooms and make it into a small showroom which displayed some of his furniture.
They went outside to the shop, which was the crown jewel as far as he was concerned. It was large and roomy and still contained several pieces of equipment.
“Does the shop come with this machinery?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s included in the sale of the house.
The owner was retired for many years and hadn’t really used the shop for the last few, so you might need to check and see if the machines are running or need to be oiled.
He recently went to a nursing home and passed away two weeks ago.
No one in the family has any need for this type of equipment or a small house. They are very motivated sellers.”
This would definitely give him a head start.
While it would take time to see if the machinery were in good condition, he saw much of what he would need already here.
A jointer to flatten and square wood pieces.
A lathe to turn wood into different shapes.
A drill press for drilling holes. Even a decent sander for smoothing finishes.
In addition, a good variety of tools hung along the walls, including both band and table saws, which were instrumental in building furniture.
“I’ll take the place,” he said, glowing with pride at what would soon become Sullivan Design Studio.
Dorothy beamed. “Well, that’s probably the quickest sale I’ve ever made.”
“How long will it take to close?” he asked eagerly.
“We shouldn’t have any bumps along the road. It will need to be inspected, of course, but I don’t foresee any roadblocks there. Everything is in good working order.”
“At a later date, I want to talk to you about rentals available, for myself and my fiancée. Since I’m an architect, I’ll be drawing up the blueprints for our house, which will take time to build, but we’ll need a place to live in the meantime.”
“I’d be happy to show you the handful of rentals which I have available. Let’s go back to the office now,” she suggested.
Once there, Dorothy called the owners, and they accepted Sullivan’s offer. He signed the paperwork, and Dorothy said she would expedite it.
“If you’d like, we can at least look at the home rentals on my website while you’re here.”
“No, I’ll make an appointment with you regarding that. I want both of us here to make that decision.”
He stood, shaking her hand, and then left the real estate office.
His heart began slamming violently against his ribs the closer he got to the Bay Breeze.
With Labor Day in just a couple of weeks, Piper should be leaving her position as manager of the inn—unless Layne hadn’t found anyone to replace her yet.
That meant Piper would soon be homeless.
He wanted them to move in together while they took their time finding some land to build on.
He also wanted to marry her as soon as possible.
When he pulled up at the Bay Breeze, it was five-thirty. Piper would be on desk duty until six, unless today’s guests had already checked in.
He regretted not stopping to buy flowers for her, but he pushed that thought aside. All he needed was to see his woman.
And tell her he loved her.
Bounding up the steps, he opened the front door, only to find a stranger sitting behind the desk. He stepped toward her now, frowning.
“Hello,” she greeted. “I’m afraid if you’re looking to rent a room, we’re all booked up. I can direct you to a couple of other places around town, however,” the woman said brightly.
“Is Piper here?”
The woman smiled. “Oh, Piper is such a lovely young lady. She was so helpful in walking my husband and me through how to run the inn efficiently. We’ve taken over for her now. Do you have her number? Perhaps you could call her because I’m not sure where she’s living now.”
He didn’t think she would move in with her parents. Maybe she was staying with Keaton and Layne since they had such a large house.
“Thank you,” he said, returning to his car, not wanting to text her just yet.
Sullivan drove straight to Keaton’s to regroup and knocked on the door, hoping he would find Piper there.
Keaton opened the door. “What a great surprise. Come on in, Sullivan.”
He stepped into the foyer and said, “I just stopped at the Bay Breeze. Piper wasn’t there. I was hoping she might be here.”
“Piper’s gone.”
He turned, seeing Layne had joined them. “Gone? What do you mean, gone?”
Sympathy filled Layne’s eyes. “She’s left the Bay, Sullivan. Piper is in New York right now. Auditioning for Broadway shows.”