She looked above the fireplace and frowned. “Did the realtor take all the photos and paintings off the walls?”
Gabe cleared a space on the dining room table. “I’m not sure. What you see is what was here when I arrived.” His hands stilled. “You haven’t been inside your grandparents’ cottage since you came home.”
Natalie swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s your home. I didn’t want to intrude.” Gabe’s gray eyes connected with hers. There was so much compassion and understanding in their depths that she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.
“Why don’t you have a look around while I read the business plan.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need to. Just being in the living room is enough.” Natalie ran her hand along the back of the rocking chair. Her grandfather had built it from trees that grew around the cottage. Her grandma had made the bright orange rug under the coffee table, and the TV was the same one her mom had bought them many years ago. So much was the same, but without her grandparents, it would never feel like the home she remembered.
Sherlock sat beside her.
She knelt on the floor and gave him a big hug. “Who’s a good boy?”
He leaned into her arms, panting softly.
Gabe sighed. “You’re the only person apart from me who can do that.”
Natalie ran her fingers through Sherlock’s thick coat. “That’s because we’ve got a special bond.”
“And you give him chicken for breakfast.”
“It was only a couple of times,” Natalie murmured. “He loved it.”
“I’m sure he did.” Gabe picked up a pair of glasses and opened the folder Brooke had given him. “It shouldn’t take me too long to read this.”
“Brooke and I did some research about what should be in a business plan. I left our notes at the back of the folder.”
“We think we’ve covered everything,” Brooke added. “But it would be good to get a second opinion.”
Gabe settled into one of the chairs. “I hope I can help. The coffee’s still hot if you’d like a cup.”
“Why don’t we take Sherlock for a walk?” Natalie suggested. “I’ve got my cell phone with me. If we’re not back by the time you’ve finished, just call.”
Sherlock ran across the room and sat beside the French doors.
Gabe’s gaze moved from his German Shepherd to Natalie. “It looks as though you’ve got your answer. Take the whistle. It’s on top of the refrigerator. If Sherlock goes too far, blow it and he’ll come running.”
“We won’t be long,” Natalie said as she headed toward the kitchen.
He nodded and opened the folder.
Whatever advice Gabe could give them would be better than none. All Natalie and Brooke had to do was get Sherlock home without him rolling in anything too smelly. And that, she knew, would be harder than fine-tuning Brooke’s business plan.
* * *
By the timeNatalie and Brooke came back from their walk, Gabe had finished reading the business plan. He’d made some notes and highlighted the text he thought needed to be more obvious.
“What do you think?” Brooke asked.
“It looks great to me. The only question I have is whether you want to buy or lease the store you’ve found.”
“I’d like to buy the building, but I don’t know if the bank will lend me the money. That’s why there are two different budgets.”
Gabe flipped to the pages Brooke was talking about. “I think you should make it really clear that your preference is to buy the building. Why are you asking a bank manager in Polson for the loan?”
“Because that’s the closest bank.”
“Will they know about property prices in Sapphire Bay?”
