Chapter 33
Four days. It had been four days since Porter had bought the building, and he still couldn’t get a hold of Fiona. David had seen her looking in the windows of the rental a couple mornings ago, so Porter knew she had to be seriously furious by now.
She thought he stole her space from her and her friends,he thought. And she was right.
But she didn’t have the whole story. And if he could just talk to her, he could finally clear the air.
Except she wouldn’t. No matter what he did, she refused to speak to him. So did Stella.
As much as it shocked him, the only one who finally responded to him (after several desperate attempts), was Cassie.
That’s how Porter found himself at Bonnie’s Boutique just after sunrise one morning. He got the feeling Cassie was punishing him by making him meet her so early, but honestly, he didn’t care. He was just so relieved to finally be talking to someone, and it’s not like he’d been sleeping much anyway.
He could see Cassie inside pulling clothes out of a large delivery box. He knocked, and her expression didn’t change at all as she walked up to the door and unlocked it.
“Hello,” she said curtly, motioning for him to come in.
“Good morning,” he said, surprised at just how nervous he was. A part of him was hoping Fiona would be here too, so he tried not to be disappointed that she apparently still didn’t want to see him.
“If I let you say what you have to say, will you leave us all alone?” Cassie asked, barely glancing up as she sorted through the package.
“Yes,” he said breathlessly. “There is so much I have to tell you all, but I couldn’t get a hold of anyone.”
Cassie assessed him carefully. She was small, but Porter was definitely a little afraid of her.
“And why should we talk to you, exactly? You pretended to like Fiona, distracted her and took the storefront for yourself. What more is there to say?”
“No, that’s not right,” he said. “I promise.”
“Then what?” she asked, exasperated. “And be careful what you say about Fiona. I can and will make your life a living hell if necessary.”
He believed her.
“I bought the building.”
Cassie frowned, clearly confused.
“You…bought the building? But you only needed the space next door.”
Porter stood, pacing now.
“It’s a long story.”
“Make it short,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
He nodded. “I bought the building. And we are using the space next door for our lounge. But…we want you guys to have the space upstairs.”
Cassie’s eyes went wide, but only for a moment.
“We can’t afford that place,” she said, defensive again. “It needs some serious work.”
“It does,” he agreed. “And trust me, it’s going to be a pain in the ass having that work happen right above our restaurant for the next couple of months. But it’s happening anyway.”
Cassie was silent, realization slowly lighting in her eyes.
“Porter,” was all she said, staring at him carefully. “What have you done?”
He sat, resting his head in his hands.
“Fiona wanted that space,” he said. “I want to help make that happen.”
Cassie looked completely dumbfounded.
He rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable now. “I didn’t want to make any promises until I knew this was even a possibility,” he told her. “I had to book a last-minute trip to Florida to work out the details. As soon as I had something to tell, I tried to call Fiona. I swear.”
“She thought you were using her,” Cassie said, her voice softer now. “It scared her. Fiona doesn’t really get close to people, so this really hurt her.”
“Don’t you dare tell her I told you that,” she added sternly.
Porter swallowed.
“I had absolutely no intention of trying to undermine your business,” he said. “Before Laura called me to say that the building was for sale, I was going to tell David we should pass on the rental space, I swear.”
Cassie shook her head. “Why would you do that?”
Porter shifted uncomfortably. “The rental was risky.”
Cassie put a hand on her hip. “But buying the whole damn building isn’t?”
“It’s an investment,” Porter said. “And a good one.”
Cassie stared at him for one agonizing moment, and then said, “Regardless of all that, we still can’t afford the place upstairs.”
“It’ll cost the same as what you were going to pay for the first spot,” Porter told her.
“How? It’s bigger,” Cassie shot back.
Porter shrugged. “I already know you guys. Saves me the trouble of trying to find other renters.”
Cassie narrowed her eyes. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes…” he said, cautiously.
“You did this for Fiona.”
He nodded.
Cassie laughed in disbelief.
Porter blew out a breath. “What should I do here? Leave her alone? Wait for her to call?”
“Are there strings in this arrangement? What, she has to date you for us to keep the space?”
Porter rolled his eyes. “Come on, Cassie. I wouldn’t do that.”
She raised her brows at him, skeptical.
“Of course I want another shot with her,” he said. “We were just finally getting to be…whatever we were. But even if she never wants to speak to me again, the space is still yours.”
Cassie looked at him carefully. He was terrified of what she might be thinking.
“I’m going to need that in writing. But…I will talk to her,” she promised. “I can’t guarantee anything. Fiona is content being a lone wolf, and if she smells danger, she runs.”
That’s exactly what he was afraid of. Porter thanked her and left, still completely unsure of what he was going to do about it.