Page 47 of So Not My Thing
I waved my hand like I was shooing her words away, when really, I wanted to gather them up and save them, tuck them into a jar like I used to with my favorite rocks.
I climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door harder than I needed to.
Get over this right now, I told myself as I started the car.
But I didn’t dare name what the “this” was.
Chapter Twelve
Miss Mary handed myphone back to me, grinning. “These photos make this place look so fancy, I want to ask for the agent’s number so I can lease it myself. Except it’s already my place. At least for a little longer.” The photographer had come the day before in the late afternoon and stayed until the kitchen was spic and span, getting shots for the listing.
“Sarah does good work,” I said. “I’m going to go list it right now, but I wanted you to see your place through her eyes. Sometimes I wonder if you see it the way the rest of us do.”
She smiled around the café, which was empty except for a couple of tables near the front windows. “I know what I did here. And I know you’re trying to lure me into staying, but my mind is made up. I already wrote an outline for my novel!”
“No way. That’s amazing, Miss Mary. How does it end?”
“You’re not one of those sneak-a-peek at the end types, are you?” she asked, her eyes narrowed. “Have I nurtured a viper in my very bosom?”
“I am. But I still read the whole book even though I know.”
“I can’t with you. Go do your work while I contemplate this new information about you. Think you know someone...” she muttered as she headed back toward her table.
I went up to my apartment and finished the listing. I knew the specs by heart, but it took me an hour of revising to nail down the property description. It needed to communicate the soul of the place, to weed out the wrong tenants and draw exactly the right one in. I thought about Miles for a minute. In some ways, the dimensions were perfect for what he needed. But the idea of him literally underfoot every day didn’t feel right.
Five hundred words and a nugget of my soul later, I had a description I could live with. That I even loved. Property descriptions needed to paint a picture for potential tenants, and this was my masterpiece.
This building is a piece of Bywater’s soul. Built in 1906 by architect Remy Duplessis, for over a century it has served as a home to some of Bywater’s most ambitious entrepreneurs. For the past four decades, it has been home to Miss Mary’s Place, beloved by locals. But it’s ready for its next phase, serving as a bridge between its history and its future. It needs a visionary with a respect for the past.
From there it went more into the building’s architectural features, ending with the practical details about space and suggestions for use.
There was always some hungry young chef looking to make their mark on New Orleans cuisine. I hoped my words were enough to tempt one of them into the gamble. I didn’t want to have to fend off one of the bigger restaurant groups looking to expand their brand.
I printed it out and ran it downstairs to Miss Mary. “What do you think?”
She read it over and grabbed a pen. “Looks good but add some adjectives. Rich history, bright future. Oh, profound respect. That’ll sound good.” She read it again. “So now what?”
