Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Big Steps and Arrests
Declan
Standing outside Janis’s office, I sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. Licorice fluttered her wings from where she stood on the sidewalk beside me. She cooed softly as if to soothe me.
“I know,” I said, as if she’d actually told me everything would be okay. “I’m overreacting.”
This was just such a big step—financially, emotionally, everything.
I was also still reeling from Gideon calling me baby. It was the first time he’d used a term of endearment, and it’d taken me by surprise, in the best way possible. I should’ve said something back to him, called him by some sweet name, too. But my mind had blanked and then the moment passed.
And what should I call him? I wasn’t the kind of person who could pull off something like darling. Sweetheart seemed, I don’t know, not quite right. Honey? Muffin?
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I knew it was a reminder of my appointment. Right. Deciding on a term of endearment for Gideon could wait. After wiping my palms on my pants for the fourth time since crossing the street, I tugged the door of Wilcox Development open and walked inside.
Janis was on the phone. She looked up at me with a big, welcoming smile.
She mouthed, “I’ll just be a minute.” Then she turned her attention back to her call.
As she listened to whoever was talking, she batted a small ball back and forth across her desk.
Gideon had said she was a cat shifter so that seemed appropriate.
“It’s just a business decision,” Janis said. “It isn’t personal.” She rolled her eyes in my direction like whoever she was speaking with was being unreasonable.
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the office wasn’t that big. I considered stepping outside to give her some privacy, except I didn’t want her to think I’d changed my mind. So I turned to study an oil painting on the wall and tried not to listen to her side of the conversation.
The painting was dreary. The kind of dark and gloomy landscape you might see in a stately home in Europe. It probably cost a fortune, but I wouldn’t want it. If I remembered correctly, I think it’d been here the last time I was here, too.
Honestly, I didn’t think anything had changed since Janis had taken over Winston’s business, including the name. She hadn’t even moved into the private office with a door, which she probably should. That way, I wouldn’t be hearing her remind someone to re-read the terms of their lease.
A moment later, she said, “My next appointment is here. If you still have any questions, we can meet later. I also have other properties that may be of interest to you.”
Even I could hear the squawk of outrage from the other end of the line. Then it was cut off abruptly as Janis ended the call.
“Declan! Hello.” Janis got up from her desk and came over to shake my hand. She was all smiles, like she hadn’t just been arguing with one of her other tenants.
“Thanks for meeting me today,” I said, adjusting my glasses and wishing I didn’t feel so awkward.
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’ve heard such great things about all the delicious things you make. I think your bakery will be a great addition to our little town.”
I lifted an eyebrow.
“Sandy helps me with filing one morning a week,” she explained. “He’s been raving about your cakes and cookies.”
“Sandy’s a great guy,” I said. “But I could probably give him a spoonful of sugar, and he’d be just as happy.”
She laughed. It sounded genuine, which helped ease a little of my tension. “Alright, let’s go take a look around, shall we?”
As soon as we were outside, Licorice cawed from the top of the nearest streetlight. It was a nice reminder that I wasn’t alone.
“Did you have a chance to look at the information I forwarded about the properties?” Janis asked after she locked up her office and led me across the street toward a building on the corner.
If I took the place, I’d have a great view of The Den, and that made me happy.
I liked knowing Gideon would be so close.
“A little,” I said. “But there’s only so much you can learn about a place without seeing it. I mean, I’ve been inside a couple of the places already, but…” I shrugged. Okay. That was a bit of a white lie. I’d only really had my eye on this one.
“But you weren’t looking at them as possible venues for your own business,” Janis finished my thought for me. “Okay. Well, let’s see what we can find, shall we?”
Janis’s keys jangled as she unlocked the door and waved me inside. The business had been closed since I’d arrived in town, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My pulse quickened when I crossed the threshold. My gaze darted around the small restaurant as I tried to take it all in at once.
My first thought: the place was perfect… or it would be with a little TLC. It’d obviously been used for a coffee bar/bakery in the past. The furnishings and finishes were a bit worn and tired, but it was so much better than it’d looked online.
While Janis turned on all the lights, I walked through the seating area.
It was small but functional. I’d want to paint the walls, change the light fixtures, and I still hadn’t decided whether to offer coffee and keep some tables, or do something totally different.
I could sell unique gifts or fancy food or who knew what.
Then again, I could start with tables and adjust what I offered as I built my business and got a sense of what people were looking for.
Was it strange that I was already mentally moving in?
Janis watched me take pictures of the space from various angles before waving me behind the counter.
“As outlined in the previous tenant’s lease agreement,” Janis started, making me think I really needed to examine whatever paperwork she gave me to sign, “all equipment remained with the property. So if you want it, we can write it into our agreement.”
“I guess it depends on what condition it is in,” I hedged.
“Oh, everything is in excellent condition. The espresso machine was only a year old when Betina and Ted decided to go on vacation and never came back.”
“That sounds ominous,” I muttered.
“The coffee grinders, and blenders, and, of course, the point-of-sale system are all here, too,” Janis continued.
Everything seemed fine, but what I was really interested in seeing was the kitchen.
So, I left Janis and made my way there. It was larger than I’d expected.
At least half of the footprint of the building was dedicated to the industrial kitchen, and it was gorgeous.
I opened one of the ovens and peered inside.
It was clean. The whole place was. But before I got too excited, there was something I needed to know.
“Why did it close?” If Ravenstone couldn’t support a bakery in the past, I needed to rethink my plan.
“Don’t worry. Nothing bad happened.” Janis laughed and patted my arm.
“The Larsons decided to winter in Brazil so they closed up last fall, thinking they’d return in the spring.
Instead, they fell in love with Rio de Janeiro and decided to stay.
They finally let me know this week that they weren’t coming back.
You’re the first person I’ve shown the place to. ”
I poked around the rest of the building, checked the upstairs apartment, and looked at the parking stall and dumpster behind the building. Everything I saw made me like the place more. It wouldn’t take any time at all to get things the way I wanted and open the doors.
My heart started beating faster. Was I really going to do this?
“If there isn’t anything else you want to see here, should we go? There are still a few properties down the street and—”
“I…” I shook my head. I swallowed. “I think this is the one.”
“How wonderful!”
“But I guess I have some questions,” I said, running my hand over the stainless-steel countertop. “I couldn’t help but overhear you talking to someone about their lease agreement when I first got to your office today. It seemed like they were unhappy.”
“Nothing underhanded happened,” Janis assured me, patting my arm.
“Oh, no… I didn’t mean to imply anything like that…” I said quickly.
“No, of course not.” She didn’t sound at all bothered.
Then she leaned in, as if sharing a secret.
“Honestly, I don’t think the sale will go through now.
But when Roy won the brewing contest, he decided to expand his business.
He made an offer on one of the properties I lease.
It was ideal for what he’d planned because it’s right next door to the Black Feather Brewery.
I didn’t even have to think about accepting his offer.
It was an automatic yes.” She sighed. “It’s such a shame about what happened. ”
“Yeah, the whole town was shocked,” I said, not wanting to talk about how I was there when Roy’s body was discovered. But at the same time, I was way too curious about what Janis was saying to steer the conversation away from Roy.
“So even though there was a lease, Roy could still buy the property?” That seemed underhanded.
“Well, Roy had said she could still stay in the building she uses until her lease expired. He’d wanted to build something on the open field.
He didn’t think he’d need to demolish anything, even though he was planning something big.
At least not right away.” She shook her head.
“But with his death, I don’t know if the sale will go through.
The offer to purchase had been submitted, but there were still a few conditions on the sale that hadn’t been removed yet. ”
I tried to think about what places were adjacent to the brewery. I hadn’t paid much attention when we’d driven out there yesterday, but Hazel had said her friend’s yoga studio was out there. Could that be it? “Are you talking about Kim’s yoga place? Is that the place Roy was buying?”
Janis tapped the side of her nose and winked.
From the little I’d heard about Kim and Roy’s relationship, that couldn’t have gone over well.
Would it have been a reason to kill him?
I didn’t know. Maybe. From what Hazel said, her friend didn’t like Roy even before he tried to buy the land out from under her feet.
That would have just made everything worse.
“I wouldn’t want that to happen to me,” I said.
“Do you want to rent, lease, or buy?”
I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I’d expected to look at all the properties and go away to think about them. But now that I was here, I found myself reluctant to walk away. If someone else came along while I was wasting time drawing up lists of pros and cons, I would be heartbroken.
“Uh… could we arrange a one-year lease?” I wanted to know I could make the business work before I bought the building.
And it’d hopefully be easier to go to the bank for a loan if I had profit and loss numbers in my pocket.
Sure, I could ask Elwood to help me buy it, but I wanted to do this on my own, to prove that I could.
“Absolutely. We can even include a right of first refusal in the contract.”
“What’s that?”
Suddenly, I wished my dad was here with me.
He knew all about finances, contracts, and such.
But would he even support this decision?
My parents loved me, I knew that, but my whole life had changed since I’d last talked to them.
I rubbed the back of my neck. They would be getting back from their holiday soon, but I didn’t want to wait for his feedback.
Not that I needed their approval; I was an adult.
But I wouldn’t have minded having it, all the same.
“It just means that if someone comes along and offers to buy the place before the lease is up, then you would have the opportunity to buy it first.”
“Okay.” That could work.
“Should I draw up a contract?”
Why did her saying it out loud make sweat bead on my forehead? I swallowed hard and looked around the place again. This whole situation felt spontaneous, but it wasn’t. Not really. I’d been dreaming about opening my own bakery my whole life.
Besides, it was only a one-year lease. If it didn’t work, I’d only lose a year and look at what I’d gain. I’d know I’d actually tried to follow my dreams. I wiped my palms on my pants again, then I straightened my shoulders.
“Yes. Let’s do that,” I agreed.
“Great,” she said. “I’ll start working on that today and should have something in a day or two. Just need to make the changes you've requested.”
“Can I have a minute to look around a little more before we leave?”
She nodded and went to sit at a table by the window. Coincidentally, it was also in the only small patch of sunlight. I’d heard of cats gravitating to squares of sunlight, and apparently, cat shifters were the same. “I’ll just wait here for you.”
I wandered around the space. I wished I’d brought a tape measure, but I supposed there would be time enough to get those kinds of details later.
The longer I was here, the more it felt right, and I wanted to share this moment with someone.
On impulse, I took a selfie of myself standing in front of the stainless-steel counter in the kitchen. I texted it to Gideon.
Me: I think I’m going to lease it.
Gideon: I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Feeling somewhat buoyed by the fact that he hadn’t questioned my decision or said I was being impulsive, I rejoined Janis at the front.
“Okay. I think I’m good.”
She motioned toward the door.
That’s when we saw a police car swing sharply into a parking stall right in front of us. Its lights were flashing blue and red. The officer hopped out of her vehicle and rushed toward a man walking down the sidewalk.
“Oh my,” Janis gasped. “I wonder what’s going on.”
The officer spun the person around to face the window, then she patted him down. The man stared through the window at Janis and me. He looked shocked. But I wasn’t.
Because the man the police had apprehended was Beckett Hayes, and I’d bet my deposit on this restaurant that the police suspected him of killing Roy Pruitt.