Chapter 17
The next day, fueled by coffee and adrenaline, all three women waited outside the space, plus Hank Reed, in his signature hat and boots.
“Great to see you all,” Laura said, greeting them in a blinding neon yellow dress and matching heels. “Mr. Reed, so glad you’re here.”
“Thank you Ms. Lewis,” he said, tipping his hat. “I’m looking forward to seeing the property.”
“Oh, call me Laura, please,” she said, and Fiona noted a faint blush.
Laura let them in, and allowed them to look around again.
“Have you ladies discussed the area maintenance fees?” Hank asked, knocking on a random wall. “Property taxes? Insurance costs?”
Fiona raised a brow at Cassie, who just shrugged. “I think he was googling some things before we came here,” she whispered.
“Everything is outlined in the packets I gave them, but some numbers would still have to be worked out if they chose to move forward,” Laura said.
“And our family friend is a business lawyer. He helped me set up my esthetician business, and he’s been helping us with this business, too,” Stella told Hank. “I sent the information to him, and the lease.”
“Very good,” Hank said, nodding.
Fiona had brought a tape measure and dimensions for their spaces to make sure everything would fit the way they were envisioning it. Hank tagged along, knocking on more walls and questioning Laura about everything from mold potential to flood zones. By the time they were done, Laura looked like she would be needing a hurricane in the tallest glass possible.
Laura walked them out and locked up behind them.
“Call me with any questions,” she told them. “And Fiona, I’ll email you the details on that space upstairs. Just in case.”
Cassie and Stella both looked at her, but Fiona shrugged. “I’m just curious, okay?”
“It’s a nice property, but we’ll have to review the details,” Hank said. “See you at home, Cassie. Ladies.” With a tip of his hat, he walked off behind Laura.
“We’ll be in touch,” Fiona called after her.
“So?” she asked, turning to the group.
“I’m sold,” Stella said, grinning. “Let’s move in tomorrow.”
“I’ll do some mockups just to make sure,” Cassie said. “I’m not convinced Stella’s massage table will fit in that small room in the back.”
“Let’s review and talk tomorrow,” Fiona told them. “Remember that David and Porter are interested, too, so I don’t want to wait too long.”
“We certainly are interested.”
At the voice behind her, Fiona felt like her soul left her body. Porter was leaning against his sleek black car, arms crossed, brow furrowed.
“Hello, Porter,” Stella said, her voice all honey sweetness. “We were just checking out this adorable little storefront.”
“I figured that might be the case, when you all walked out with Laura. Fiona, can we talk?”
Fiona’s heart was racing. How could she not have seen him?
She turned to her friends. “You guys go. I’m going to try to smooth this over.”
Cassie frowned. “Are you sure?” she asked, concern in her voice.
“I think it’s better than the three of us ambushing him, right?”
“I have faith in you,” Stella said, squeezing her arm. “Call later?”
Fiona nodded.
“Alright, Porter,” she said. “Let’s talk.”