“Yes,” I said. “One of them is meeting us this afternoon.”
“Perfect,” Lori said. “Natalie, stick around to pitch your design ideas to the tenants. We need to wow them and make it impossible for them to say no.”
“Of course,” Natalie said, her voice steady despite the tension humming between us.
Lori gave us both a look that could only be described as don’t screw this up, then waved goodbye.
The silence that followed felt heavy. Natalie shifted uncomfortably.
“The tenants will be here around 1:30,” I said finally. “Do you have someone to pick up your kids if the meeting runs long?”
Her eyes widened. “Shoot. Thanks for reminding me. Let me make a few calls.”
She stepped away, phone in hand. I could hear her apologizing to someone—probably their sitter—who couldn’t help on such short notice. Then she called who I assumed was Camille, I could hear her saying into the phone, “you can’t bring two more kids to the dentist. I will figure it out, love.”
Sounded like that was also a no-go.
When she returned, she looked worried. “I don’t know if I can stay past two,” she said.
“I have an idea,” I said. “I’ll handle the lease pitch and the financials with the tenants. When I’mdone, I’ll head to the school and grab your kids. You can hang back and focus on the design.”
Her brows knit together. “Won’t Ivy be confused?”
“No, she has choir today, and Kelly’s picking up the boys after lacrosse,” I said.
“But Bebe and James…”
“Bebe knows me. I’ll let her know you sent me. If there’s any confusion, we’ll FaceTime you. It’ll be fine.”
Natalie hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”
Her words felt like a lifeline, but I didn’t dare read too much into them.
The tenants arrived on time—two sisters looking to open their first retail shop. I gave them a tour of the space, explainingthe square footage, leasing terms, and the vision for the center. By 2:00 pm, I handed things off to Natalie.
As they discussed color palettes and layouts, I excused myself and headed to the school to pick up Bebe and James.
When I arrived, I spotted Bebe scanning the crowd for her mom. I went over to her and crouched to her eye level.
“Hey, Bebe, your mom’s still at work. She asked me to come get you. Is that okay?”
James looked to Bebe for the answer, and she tilted her head, considering.
“Are we going to our house or yours?” she asked.
“How about mine?” I said. “And we’ll grab In-N-Out on the way.”
That sealed the deal. Both kids jumped up and down, cheering.
By the time we got to my place, they were happily munching on fries. I took a quick photo of them and sent it to Natalie.
Will: Meet at my house whenever you’re done.
Natalie: Thank you! The sisters are taking the space. Can you send over the contract?
Will: High-five, Bradford. Way to close the deal.
Natalie:
