Olivia rolled her eyes at her cousin.“Yeah, Mom. Could we maybe step into the office?”
“Sure.”She frowned, wondering what in the world Olivia was so serious about. She brushed her hands on her jeans and led the way to her tiny, cramped office. She grabbed a stack of papers off a side chair and motioned for one of the girls to take it. There wasn’t room in here for another chair.
Heather sat down and nodded at Olivia. Olivia who looked…nervous?
“So…Mom. I have this idea.”
Donna slid into the chair behind the desk and waited for Olivia to continue. At least it didn’t sound like this was some kind of problem with Emily. Though, the whole“I need to talk to you”serious face of Olivia’s did remind her slightly of all those years ago when Olivia had gotten up the courage to tell her she was pregnant with Emily and had no plans to marry Brett.
“Did you hear that they’re selling the building next door?”
“I did. The Redmonds haven’t had their heart in running that cafe ever since their daughter moved away. I heard they were moving to Jacksonville to be near her and their grandchildren.”
“Right.”Olivia nodded.“And I was thinking that presented us with an opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
“Well…we could buy the building. Expand Parker’s like you’re always saying you wish you had more space. And also, we could expand the malt shop area into more of a cafe or eatery. I don’t know what to call it. But have a coffee shop, maybe bakery things. Who knows, maybe sandwiches or something? Just something to get more people here. And then we’d have the extra space in the back of the building to expand Parker’s.”
Donna’s mind reeled at the words rushing at her.
Olivia continued.“And that extra space is something you’ve been wanting. You said there’s more you’d like to carry at Parker’s if only we had the space.”
“Olivia…I don’t know what to say. I’m so busy now just keeping Parker’s going. How would I find the time to do all that? And then there’s the money…”Donna hated to crush Olivia’s idea, but really? Could her daughter not see how swamped she was just keeping Parker’s afloat?
“I’ve found financing for it and I’d take over, be in charge of all the renovations to connect the buildings and the expansion. You wouldn’t have to do a thing.”
She frowned.“Where did you find financing?”
Heather raised her hand and shrugged.“Me.”
“You?”
“Yes, it appears my cousin is more famous-er than she’s let on. And she wants to invest in this.”
“I want to invest inLivy. Let her…let her have her chance.”
Donna didn’t miss the direct look that Heather gave her. She glanced over at Olivia and saw the excitement that lit up her daughter’s face. She hadn’t seen her this animated about something in a long time.
She, herself, wasn’t much of a risk-taker. At all. The risks she had taken in life seemed to have a way of crushing her. But how could she let her own insecurities and doubts smash her daughter’s dreams?
“I’ve run the numbers, Mom. Talked to an accountant. I ran it past my business professor.”
“You have?”
“Of course. I couldn’t just jump into suggesting this if I didn’t think it would turn a profit.”
“I see.”
“But, you’d have to agree, of course. Because we’d have to take out some of the wall. I already talked to a contractor about how we could connect the buildings. They’re only about three feet apart. We’d have to work with the town to get it approved, but they’ve approved it before for businesses that have expanded to the building next to them. The contractor didn’t think it would be a problem.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“Probably not.”Olivia shook her head.“But I’m trying to cover as many bases as possible before actually doing this. And, of course, the Redmonds would have to take my offer for the building. I’ve come up with what I believe is a fair price.”
She leaned back in her chair, the air sucked right from her lungs. This was not what she’d expected today. Or any day. Her days were the same and she liked that. This would change things. Change things a lot. She’d be the first to admit shehatedchange.
“Aunt Donna, what do you think?”Heather leaned forward in her chair, pinning her with a hard stare.
