Isabel
Penny paused, her coffee cup hovering inches above the saucer as her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh?" Penny’s eyes narrowed slightly, a warm light breaking through her expression. "Is this because of that old dream you used to talk about? The bookstore and coffee shop combo?"
"I know exactly what you mean," Penny told her, setting her cup down with a soft click. "I had that exact same feeling a few days ago. I found an old house about five miles down the coast from the lighthouse. It’s been completely abandoned, with no one living in it for around eight years."
"It is," Penny confirmed, leaning closer across the table. "The roof needs structural work, and the landscape has completely taken over the property. But there's something about the place. It's like it's calling directly to my soul."
"We could drive past there right now," Penny suggested, her fingers tapping enthusiastically against the edge of the table.
"Let’s do it, but let me apply for my manager position first," Isabel said with a quick grin.
"Your position?" Penny laughed, her smile widening into a brilliant, supportive look. "That's a girl. Go get your job, and I'll wait right here. I expect a massive family discount on these deliciously overpriced beverages once you're running the place."
Isabel laughed, using her cloth napkin to wipe her mouth before reaching into her purse for a breath mint. She quickly smoothed her hair and adjusted the collar of her shirt. "Oh, good grief, I just realized something. I don't have a copy of my resume with me."
"No worries at all," Penny told her, already pulling her mobile phone from her pocket and tapping the screen. "I have your updated profile saved right here in my files. You emailed it to me last week when we were adjusting the corporate directory records for the Wayne Group."
"Send it over to my personal email address, please," Isabel instructed, remembering she had originally sent the document from her corporate account. "I don't want to use the firm's server for this."
Penny executed a few quick taps on her screen. "Done. It’s sitting in your inbox right now. Now go charm them. I want my discounted pastries."
Isabel straightened her trousers, took a deep, steadying breath, and walked across the dining room toward the high front counter. The young server who had waited on their table earlier was currently restocking a display case with fresh mugs. She looked up with a bright smile as Isabel approached.
"Hi there. Can I get you ladies, anything else?" the server asked.
"Actually, I saw the help-wanted sign in the window," Isabel explained, keeping her tone warm and conversational. "I'm interested in applying for the manager position. Is the proprietor in today?"
The young woman’s face lit up with immediate delight, and she nearly dropped the ceramic mugs back onto the shelf. "Oh, that's amazing! Dr. Reed isn't in the building right now, but I can definitely help you with the preliminary steps. My name is Diane."
Diane grabbed a clean notepad from beneath the counter, scribbling down a line of text before tearing the paper off and handing it to Isabel.
"This is Dr. Reed’s direct email address.
If you send your details through, I know he'll look at them tonight.
Let me take your name and phone number as well, and I'll make sure he knows to expect your message. "
Isabel wrote her contact details on the notepad. "Has anyone else applied?"
"We've received a mountain of student applications for servers and counter staff, but absolutely none for the manager role," Diane admitted, shaking her head with a sympathetic sigh.
"To be completely honest, Dr. Reed has a massive situation to deal with at the moment, and he desperately needs someone competent to handle the daily operations here so he can step away from the floor. He really needs the help."
"Thank you, Diane. I'll send the file over immediately," Isabel said, feeling a surge of absolute confidence as she walked back to the corner booth.
"Did everything go okay?" Penny asked, watching her face closely as Isabel sat back down.
"Yes. The owner is out, but Diane gave me his direct email address and took my phone number," Isabel explained, already opening the mail app on her phone.
She quickly drafted a brief, professional cover note, attached her extensive management resume along with her interior design portfolio, and hit the send button.
"Done. Dr. Owen Reed has my application.
Shall we finish our coffees and go look at your dilapidated house? " She grinned cheekily at Penny
"Absolutely," Penny said, draining the last drop from her cup. She raised an eyebrow. “And it’s not dilapidated. It’s merely lacking TLC.”
“So sorry,” Isabel corrected herself. “Let’s go look at your unloved house.”
“It sounded much better as dilapidated,” Penny grumbled. “Now, when you say unloved, it makes it sound sad.”
“Well, it is sad when people just leave something to rot,” Isabel said. “Rather tear it down or find something to use it for.” She never understood why, when there was so much homelessness and need for various shelters in the world, buildings like that weren’t used.
“You’re thinking about saving all the homeless and downtrodden in the world, one abandoned building at a time again, aren't you?” Penny asked with a sigh.
“ Am I that obvious?” Isabel asked.
“Honey, you have a heart so big and want to save everything and everyone,” Penny told her. “I know how your mind works when you see what you deem to be wasteful.”
“Well, maybe if people learned to recycle everything and find another use for things,” Isabel stated, “Everything wouldn’t be so expensive and we’d have more open spaces in the world.”
“Come on,” Penny said, standing up. “The cab is outside waiting for us.”
Ten minutes later, the local taxi sedan pulled to a stop, but the sight that greeted Isabel through the passenger window was not at all what she had been expecting.
Instead of a modest, weathered beach cottage, the cab had parked in front of massive, towering ornamental iron gates anchored into a high stone privacy wall.
"Penny," Isabel said, as they slid out of the car. Her eyebrows shot up as she stared at the impressive boundary. "I thought you said you bought a little run-down house. This looks like a grand historical estate behind these walls."
Penny smiled knowingly, reaching into her handbag to extract a small black plastic remote control.
"Come on," Penny said, pressing the button to trigger the mechanism. "Let me show you my latest restoration project."
The heavy iron gates clicked, swinging open slowly to reveal a long, winding driveway, now heavily overgrown with weeds and falling leaves.
Restoration project? As they walked up the drive, Isabel's jaw dropped slightly as she glanced around her before looking at Penny. "Wait a minute. You already bought this place? You actually signed the deed?"
"I did," Penny confessed, her grin growing even larger as she opened her car door. “An hour after I’d looked at it.”
"I thought we were just coming to look at a prospective property," Isabel said, a mix of worry and mounting excitement fluttering in her stomach as they continued walking up the driveway. "You bought a massive estate without an inspection?"
"Well, I looked around.” Her eyes took in the scenery as they walked.
“I told you, Isabel, the place called out to my soul," Penny explained, stepping up beside her and linking her arm through Isabel’s as they continued on their path to the main house.
"Then I found my hand opening my checkbook, and my fingers signed the check before my brain could stop them. I answered the call."
Isabel let out a long sigh, shaking her head in disbelief, but she couldn't suppress the genuine thrill building inside her. The mature trees arching over the drive were beautiful, though the entire landscape desperately required a serious garden service to clear away the neglect.
"Can I help you renovate the structure?" Isabel asked on impulse before they even got to the main building.
"Of course," Penny said, squeezing her arm affectionately. "I was secretly counting on it. This is significantly bigger than my usual real estate projects, and I knew I’d need a master eye to handle the layout."
The words ‘significantly bigger’ than any of Penny’s other projects sent a prickle of anticipation down Isabel’s spine. Penny’s last few projects were not small houses, so she was dying to see what this one was.
They cleared the final curve of the driveway, stepping into a wide circular turnaround.
In the center sat a large, majestic stone fountain.
It had stopped working years ago, the basin was dry and filled with drifted leaves, but its architectural beauty remained completely unmistakable even in its uncared-for state.
To the far side of the lawn sat a grand, multi-car detached garage.
But the moment Isabel raised her eyes to the main house, the breath caught sharply in her throat.
It was absolutely stunning. The building was a magnificent, two-story Mediterranean Revival manor house, a style that had dominated the luxury Florida land boom during the early 1920s.
She took a few steps forward, her architectural training instantly taking over as her eyes traced the stucco arches, the authentic clay barrel tiles on the roof, and the intricate wrought-iron railings lining the upper balconies.
"This is incredible," Isabel murmured, her voice dropping into an awed whisper as she calculated the timeline.
"The framing, the window placement... Penny, this estate must have been constructed around the exact same time the town borders were first established.
The historical significance is immense."
"I knew you'd appreciate the bones of this place," Penny said softly, standing beside her on the brick apron.
"Oh, Penny," Isabel breathed, her heart expanding as she looked up at the weathered facade. "This isn't just a good real estate find. This is a rare piece of historic luxury. The interior proportions must be spectacular."
"Want to see inside?" Penny asked, a bright glint in her eyes as she dangled a heavy brass ring of keys off her index finger.
"Is that honestly a question?" Isabel asked, laughing as she snatched the keys from her hand.
They unlocked the heavy oak front door, the hinges groaning slightly from years of disuse, and stepped into the grand foyer.
The interior of the manor house was completely empty.
There were no furniture pieces, no drapes on the towering windows, and no carpets covering the beautiful, dark hardwood floors.
Their footsteps echoed loudly through the bare, high-ceilinged rooms as they moved from the parlor into the formal dining hall.
Every single room was flooded with the warm, golden afternoon light of the coast.
They pushed through the rear French doors, stepping out onto a wide stone terrace.
Behind the house, a grand concrete swimming pool sat empty and neglected, its tile borders cracked by the elements.
Beyond the pool, the untamed lawns swept gently downward to meet the calm, blue waters of the bay, where a private stretch of white sand formed the boundary of the property.
Off to the eastern side of the beach, a long, weathered wooden jetty jutted out into the surf.
Isabel rested her hands against the terrace railing, letting her imagination roam free as she got swept back in time.
In her mind's eye, she could see it all perfectly restored. How it must’ve once looked.
The fountain flowing, the pool sparkling, crisp white outdoor furniture on the lawns, and a classic wooden yacht moored to the end of the jetty.
Then her brain clicked into place about how it would look once restored, a grand masterpiece carefully brought back to life.
As they turned back to head inside toward the foyer, the quiet of the empty house was broken by the sharp, loud ring of Isabel's mobile phone. She reached into her pocket, frowning slightly when she saw an unrecognized local number flashing on the digital screen.
She swiped the glass, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello, Isabel Graham speaking."
"Hello, Mrs. Graham," a deep, measured male voice responded through the line. "This is Dr. Owen Reed. I just received your email and looked over your extensive corporate portfolio."
Isabel’s hand tightened around the phone casing, her heart giving a sudden, excited jolt. "Hello, Dr. Reed. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly."
"Your credentials are exceptionally impressive, Mrs. Graham," Owen continued, his tone turning warm and conversational. "To be honest, your management background is exactly what the café requires at the moment. Are you free to meet with me in an hour for a formal interview?"
"Sure," Isabel replied immediately, keeping her voice level. "Where would you like to meet?"
"Can we meet in the dining room at the Hearts Hotel?" Owen asked. "I'm currently managing a project there, and it would be the most convenient location for me if that works for your schedule."
Isabel’s eyes widened in surprise at the location, but she didn't hesitate. "Of course, Dr. Reed. I can meet you there in an hour."
"Excellent. I'll see you shortly, Mrs. Graham," Owen said, ending the call.
The moment the line went dead, Isabel dropped her hand, finding Penny staring at her expectantly.
"I have an interview for the café manager position," Isabel announced, excitement bubbling through her voice as a massive smile broke across her face. "In an hour, at Hearts Hotel."
"Well then, let's head straight back to the gates and call another cab," Penny told her, already turning back toward the front door.
As they walked down the echoing hallway, Penny glanced sideways at her friend, a soft smile touching her lips.
"For someone who held a senior executive role at the Wayne Group for years, I don't think I've ever seen you look this genuinely happy or excited about a job before, Isabel. "
Isabel shrugged her shoulders, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a decade as they stepped back out into the warm afternoon sun.
"This is exactly what I've always wanted to do, Penny," Isabel admitted softly, looking back one last time at the beautiful architecture of the old manor house.
"I've had my time in that fast-paced corporate matrix.
I want this simple life now. Managing a quiet café, helping you restore this grand historic house, and giving my granddaughter a real childhood in a warm, welcoming community. It's exactly where we belong."