Page 23 of Scoop Me Up
Mayor Axlerod frowned, her eyebrows dipping. “Settling?”
I cleared my throat, shooting Cooper a look, eyes narrowed, before turning back to the mayor. “Cooper isn't convinced it’s the right place, but I’m going to sign for it.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
I opened my mouth to respond but Cooper jumped in. “It’s going to need a lot of work to bring it up to Sam’s vision.”
The mayor didn’t speak for a moment, just placed her index finger on her chin, before dropping her voice to a low murmur. “Let me give you a little insider secret. There’s a storefront on Maple Street that’s going to come on the market later this week. It used to bethecandy shop, years and years ago.”
“Are—are you sure?”
She nodded solemnly. “I signed off on it just yesterday. We expect whatever opens there will have great foot traffic, which I’m sure you know is important for a budding business.”
“That would be…perfect.” My mind raced with possibility. That building had an apartment above it, too, where the owner had lived when he ran the candy shop. I’d been inside that shop dozens of times as a kid and I could remember it as clearly as anything we’d seen that day. It really would be perfect.
“Score,” Cooper said, gently punching my shoulder. “You need to call Miles back.”
I nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”
Mayor Axlerod gave me a warm smile. “I have somewhere to be but let me know if you have any issues at all. I’m happy to help you navigate this new venture.” With that, she left, heading down the street.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. As I did, Cooper nudged my shoulder. “I’m going to go grab a pastry from Special Blendwhile you get in touch with him. Do you want anything?” When I shook my head, he gave me a thumbs-up. “Be back in a few.”
Standing on the sidewalk, I let anxiety get the better of me and dialed Miles’s number. He answered right away.
“What’s going on, Sam?”
A beat passed and I hesitated. Was this really happening? “I ran into the mayor a few minutes ago. She tells me the old candy store is about to go on the market.”
Miles was silent for a long moment and I started to second-guess myself, mind racing. Maybe I’d misunderstood. Maybe it was a different property. Maybe maybe maybe.
Finally, he spoke. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that was going to happen, but it sounds like it’s a done deal if the mayor is telling you about it.”
“Can you take me to see it?” I knew how eager I sounded. I wanted this place.
“Absolutely. The only thing is… it’s going to be a few days before I can get the details and the keys and get permission to get inside. Do you mind waiting?”
“I don’t mind.” I’d wait as long as it took. I wanted that property.
As we hung up, I decided I’d head toward Special Blend to catch Cooper. Maybe I’d get a muffin or something to celebrate after all. A moment later, the jingling of a bell let me know that someone was exiting the arts store, the Wild Palette, on the other side of Special Blend as I was approaching, and the next thing I knew, I was face to face with Gabe.
I froze.
“Sam!” He smiled, but it looked a little uncertain.
Embarrassment flushed through me. The post-bet dinner had beensogreat. My crush had grown exponentially, especially when he’d wiped chocolate off my face with his napkin. Did he know I had a crush on him? He had to know, right?
I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to sound ultra-casual. “Hey, there.”
“How’s your Saturday treating you?”
With a laugh, I let myself relax into telling him about the morning Cooper and I had spent looking at properties. “I think we found the one. It’s perfect, but I can’t afford to buy, so I’m hoping to sign a two-year lease. The real estate agent seemed optimistic that it would work out and so did the mayor.”
His smile was bright, lighting up his eyes. “That’s awesome. Who’s your real estate agent? I think I’m going to need some help.”
“Making the move to Maplewood permanent?”
He shrugged. “Nothing’s decided yet.”
