Page 14 of Single-Minded
“Do you know how far out exactly?” she asked.
“Last I heard, we were booked through October.”
She pressed her lips together and looked like her thoughts were racing.
“You got another project in mind?” I asked.
She straightened and brightened in an instant. “I’m opening a coffee shop. I signed a lease on one of the spaces in the former community center this afternoon. It’s one of the smaller ones, and it’s already been gutted. It’s like a blank canvas. I need to find someone to build out the space.”
“Back up for a sec. Yesterday you said you didn’t know what you were gonna do with your time. You were thinking gardening.”
“It didn’t take. Dirt under the fingernails…” She shook her head and made a face.
I checked out her fingernails. They were well-groomed, medium length, no sign of dirt, and painted Nova’s favorite shade of lavender.
“I had breakfast at the diner with Chloe Henry,” she continued. “Their coffee isn’t great. I mentioned it to Chloe, and one thing led to another.”
“The diner’s coffee sucks so you’re opening a coffee shop? This all happened in a day?”
“It’s been quite a day,” she said, smiling widely and brimming with so much energy she was practically vibrating. “Things just sort of lined up.”
I laughed, trying to wrap my head around this force that was a five-foot-five knockout of a woman.
“You know when some things just sort of happen at the right time and seem like they’re meant to be?” she continued.
I didn’t really, but I nodded.
“I got the idea at breakfast. It invigorated me like nothing else has for, God, years. Chloe had to rush off to work. I was planning on coming back here to check in with you guys, but I strolled over to the gazebo on the square first, found a bench, and did a preliminary search on my phone for coffee in Dragonfly Lake.”
“Didn’t find much, I’m betting.”
“No coffee shops. The closest one listed is in Runner. Second closest is Nashville.”
“Sounds about right.”
“My mind was spinning. I started getting all kinds of ideas. Decor, menu… Pretty soon, my phone dinged with a text from Chloe. She mentioned my idea to Holden, and he told her the former community center retail spots were just listed.”
I’d seen something about that on the Tattler, the town app, but hadn’t thought much about it.
“So you marched across the street and signed a lease?” I teased.
“Kind of? There was some research in there. Costs of running a coffee shop, ways to market it, challenges. I read a couple dozen articles while I waited for the real estate guy to show up.”
I noticed she didn’t mention anything about financing. Based on the rumors that she’d bought this property with cash, my guess was she didn’t need outside financing.
This girl was a damn unicorn. I’d never met anyone like her. Looks, brains, guts… Was there anything she didn’t have?
She’s so far out of your league that you’re not even playing the same sport. She’s Formula 1 racing, and you’re a sumo wrestler standing in one place.
Which was neither here nor there, because I wasn’t interested in anything other than these glimpses. That was as real as my attraction to her would ever get.
“So you need a build-out,” I said, taking it back to the one topic I knew anything about.
“Preferably long before October. Are there other reputable companies in town?”
“There are, but any company worth their salt is booked through the summer and beyond. That’s how it is in this industry. This is our high season.”
She frowned, and I could tell her thoughts were spinning again.
