Chapter 3 #2
Betty came out of a side door. "Our next service isn't for another hour yet, but you're welcome to have a seat."
I stepped forward. "We're actually hoping you can help us with something. There was a fire in my bakery last night."
"Oh, Reina. I heard about that." She moved toward me, enveloping me in a hug. "I was going to mention starting a drive for you. What do you need? Food? Clothes?"
"Actually, I wanted to see if you had a kitchen I could use to bake."
The woman frowned. "I don't know what you need, but it's a large space. We use it to serve meals throughout the week."
That meant I wouldn't have free access to it. Maybe it was a bad idea to come to a church. They used the kitchen and wouldn't be able to rent it out. Especially if this was a church that routinely served meals and had volunteers prepping food.
We followed her through a door on the side that led to bathrooms, an office, and a classroom, then down the stairs to a hall they used for serving food. We walked through a swinging door to a large kitchen.
There were multiple ovens which would be perfect and more than enough counter space to prep. "How often do you use the kitchen?"
"We're in here every day at ten prepping for lunch."
"I could come in early if you're open to it but then would need to clean up by nine to ensure I'm out of your way." It probably wouldn't be worth it. But it might be the only option.
"I'll talk to Minister Pete and see if he'd be willing to rent the kitchen for a few hours a day."
"I'd appreciate that."
She walked us out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
When we reached the front door, I paused. "Thanks for showing us the kitchen. I really appreciate this."
"Just let us know if there’s anything else you need. We love having a bakery in town."
"I'm hoping to stay in business. I just need to find a kitchen that can accommodate me," I said.
She reached for a card on a nearby table. "Write your number on this, and I'll get back to you."
I wrote my contact information and handed it to her. "Thank you so much."
On the sidewalk, I let out a breath. "I'm not sure that's going to work. I'd really need more than just a few hours to maintain the business at the level I'd like."
"But it's an option."
"We need to keep looking." But there was only one church in town, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go to Telluride.
My phone rang. "It's Eve. I should take this."
He gestured for me to go ahead.
I hit Accept. "Eve?"
"How are you doing?" Her voice was filled with concern.
I tightened my grip on the phone. "I'm okay physically."
"I want you to know that the Sterlings are going to fix everything. It will be up to code, and everything will be new again."
I gripped my phone tighter. "That's good."
"What are you planning to do in the meantime?"
I glanced over at Morgan, who was scrolling on his phone. "I'm hoping to find a kitchen to bake in so that I can process the orders I have."
She was quiet for a few seconds, and then she said, "You know, I might have something for you."
My heart rate kicked up. "You do?"
"The town hall has a rather large kitchen. I don't know if it's what you need, but we rarely use it. When we have events, we have them catered, and it's used as a prep space."
"I'd be happy to take a look to see if it could work."
Morgan glanced up at me, his brow furrowed.
I held up a finger indicating he should wait. "We're in town. Can we come see it now?"
"Morgan has the master key."
"I'm actually with him now." Hopefully she didn't ask any follow-up questions.
"Oh, good. He can give you a tour."
I let out a breath. "That would be great. Thanks, Eve."
"I don't know if it will work for you. But if it does, it's all yours. We're the reason you're in this mess to begin with."
"It sounds like the prior owners might have missed an inspection of the electrical before I moved in."
"Either way, I feel awful that we weren't able to take care of this before there was a fire. If something had happened to you—"
"I'm okay," I reassured her.
"I'm just glad Morgan was there so quickly and got you out."
"Thanks, Eve."
"I'll be in touch after the fire investigation is done. Then Morgan will want to do an inspection and prepare a plan for the renovation."
"That sounds good," I said, clicking off with her, and then I said to Morgan, "She said you could show me the town hall's kitchen. That it might be an option."
He turned and walked in that direction. "I didn't even think about the town hall. But then again, I've never seen the kitchen. I've only been there for the toy drive at Christmas."
"Most of the parties are held at the inn's ballroom, so there's no need for the hall."
"Except for town meetings which we could all do without," Morgan said dryly.
The town halls were the place where the older shop owners complained about newer stores and plans to bring in more customers. I never enjoyed them. "Well, let's hope this works. If not, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
"We'll figure it out," he said as he unlocked the door to the town hall.
I hadn't expected Morgan to take me around town, touring available kitchen spaces. It was a nice thing to do. As long as it wasn't entirely for my brother.