Chase’s face softens. “I feel for you,” he says like he’s letting me down lightly. “And I’m going to take your concerns into consideration. See what’s possible as far as noise mitigation. But the way for me to maintain a profitable environment is to do good work, and that means you’ll be seeing a lot more motorcycles in front of your shop as we get rolling.”
“And heads-up,” Riley adds. “We’re going to host metal shows some evenings.”
“Of course you are!” I say brightly and shove the paper back in my pocket, working to contain a wrath I never knew I had inside me. “I suppose we’ll all just carry on with another day.” I use all my willpower to unclench my fist and stick my hand out to Chase. Surprised, he accepts it with a shake. “Nothing like a metal show to introduce yourself to the block, let us know exactly what kind of neighbors you’ll be!” When I shake Riley’s hand, too, I pump it extra hard, and don’t give him a chance to respond before I’m out the door.
Back on the street, I want to scream. I’m going to have to find a way to confirm that their deed truly gives them permission. But if there’s no answer for me from the bureaucracy, then what are my options?
When I return, a couple customers occupy seats at The Scoop, and Kenneth and Miranda are each working on a cone of their own.
“Finn!” Kenneth says. “We found the new batch you whipped up in the back. This is amazing!”
“Snickerdoodles!” Miranda declares, impressed. “The exact right cookie to compliment that delicious butter fudge ice cream you created. Truly, I didn’t notice until today how exquisite that creamy texture is.”
When I glance around, I see that the customers are working on butter fudge snickerdoodle, too. Exasperated, I throw my arms in the air with a groan.
“No luck at the garage?”
“None at all,” I answer, and grab an apron from the wall as I rally my spirits. “But that just means we’re going to have to go big.”
“Go big?” Kenneth asks.
“That’s right,” I say, back straight and voice determined as I tie the apron. “The time has come for an ice cream social.”
