I tried to think about what places were adjacent to the brewery. I hadn’t paid much attention when we’d driven out there yesterday, but Hazel had said her friend’s yoga studio was out there. Could that be it? “Are you talking about Kim’s yoga place? Is that the place Roy was buying?”
Janis tapped the side of her nose and winked.
From the little I’d heard about Kim and Roy’s relationship, that couldn’t have gone over well. Would it have been a reason to kill him? I didn’t know. Maybe. From what Hazel said, her friend didn’t like Roy even before he tried to buy the land out from under her feet. That would have just made everything worse.
“I wouldn’t want that to happen to me,” I said.
“Do you want to rent, lease, or buy?”
I hadn’t really thought that far ahead. I’d expected to look at all the properties and go away to think about them. But now thatI was here, I found myself reluctant to walk away. If someone else came along while I was wasting time drawing up lists of pros and cons, I would be heartbroken.
“Uh… could we arrange a one-year lease?” I wanted to know I could make the business work before I bought the building. And it’d hopefully be easier to go to the bank for a loan if I had profit and loss numbers in my pocket. Sure, I could ask Elwood to help me buy it, but I wanted to do this on my own, to prove that I could.
“Absolutely. We can even include a right of first refusal in the contract.”
“What’s that?”
Suddenly, I wished my dad was here with me. He knew all about finances, contracts, and such. But would he even support this decision? My parents loved me, I knew that, but my whole life had changed since I’d last talked to them. I rubbed the back of my neck. They would be getting back from their holiday soon, but I didn’t want to wait for his feedback. Not that I needed their approval; I was an adult. But I wouldn’t have minded having it, all the same.
“It just means that if someone comes along and offers to buy the place before the lease is up, then you would have the opportunity to buy it first.”
“Okay.” That could work.
“Should I draw up a contract?”
Why did her saying it out loud make sweat bead on my forehead? I swallowed hard and looked around the place again. This whole situation felt spontaneous, but it wasn’t. Not really. I’d been dreaming about opening my own bakery my whole life.
Besides, it was only a one-year lease. If it didn’t work, I’d only lose a year and look at what I’d gain. I’d know I’d actually tried to follow my dreams. I wiped my palms on my pants again, then I straightened my shoulders.
“Yes. Let’s do that,” I agreed.
“Great,” she said. “I’ll start working on that today and should have something in a day or two. Just need to make the changes you've requested.”
“Can I have a minute to look around a little more before we leave?”
She nodded and went to sit at a table by the window. Coincidentally, it was also in the only small patch of sunlight. I’d heard of cats gravitating to squares of sunlight, and apparently, cat shifters were the same. “I’ll just wait here for you.”
I wandered around the space. I wished I’d brought a tape measure, but I supposed there would be time enough to get those kinds of details later. The longer I was here, the more it felt right, and I wanted to share this moment with someone. On impulse, I took a selfie of myself standing in front of the stainless-steel counter in the kitchen. I texted it to Gideon.
Me:I think I’m going to lease it.
Gideon:I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Feeling somewhat buoyed by the fact that he hadn’t questioned my decision or said I was being impulsive, I rejoined Janis at the front.
“Okay. I think I’m good.”
She motioned toward the door.
That’s when we saw a police car swing sharply into a parking stall right in front of us. Its lights were flashing blue and red. The officer hopped out of her vehicle and rushed toward a man walking down the sidewalk.
“Oh my,” Janis gasped. “I wonder what’s going on.”
The officer spun the person around to face the window, then she patted him down. The man stared through the window at Janis and me. He looked shocked. But I wasn’t.
Because the man the police had apprehended was Beckett Hayes, and I’d bet my deposit on this restaurant that the police suspected him of killing Roy Pruitt.
Chapter Eighteen
