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“Do you know me at all?” I asked, though there was a lightness to my voice that told Liz I was joking. “I’m not really someone who likes surprises. You know I need time to think through all the possible scenarios for what might go wrong!”
“I don’t know if even you could have predicted running out of the house before even speaking to him.”
I groaned, realizing how ridiculous it must have looked.
“Did I completely embarrass myself?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it—he was distracted by this older couple who wanted to show him pictures of their grandchildren. Where did you go, anyway? I’m heading back to the office now.”
“I’m not there,” I said. “I stopped by the hardware store.”
“Oh,” Liz said and, in her voice, I heard a question. “You didn’t get an offer, did you?”
“No,” I said. “No new offers. I just needed a spot to think.”
A few months ago, I had decided to put my dad’s store on the market. After all, my dad and I both knew I was never going to be passionate about the hardware store business. Despite working in the store through high school, I couldn’t drum up excitement for garden rakes and mousetraps. But instead of being disappointed, my dad had been nothing but excited for me.
“You get to go out there and find the thing you love,” he would tell me often.
It felt good to have his blessing to move into a different profession. And my dad had been so proud when I got my real estate license and opened my office. But that didn’t mean I found it any easier to walk away from my family’s business and legacy.
“Have you had any showings lately?” Liz asked. “There have to be people interested in that place—it’s one of the best retail spots in town!”
“There’s interest,” I said, but I let my voice trail off, leaving something unspoken. Of course, Liz caught onto it immediately.
“Not the right interest?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed, walking to the checkout counter to drop down onto the stool. “I know I’m dragging my feet on it. And I know my dad would want me to let the place go. But it feels wrong to sell the place to someone who’s going to gut it and put in an ice cream shop.”
“Ooh we could totally use a good frozen-yogurt place!”
“Liz!” I cried out, laughing along with Liz on the other end of the phone.
“I know you don’t want to hear it,” Liz said, her voice much more serious. “But you might be looking for a unicorn. In a small town like Maplewood, I’m not sure you’re going to find someone who wants to buy a building just to keep it running as a hardware store.”
“I know.”
“It’s not like your dad was raking in the money. These old, town hardware stores are sort of a dying breed these days.”
I hated to admit that Liz might be right. The idea that someone would come along to buy the store and keep it exactly the same was probably a fantasy. But if I was going to let the store out of my family, I at least wanted to find a buyer who would preserve some part of the store’s legacy. Was it so hard to imagine someone who might pick up right where my dad left off?
“I’m willing to wait,” I told Liz. “I still have hope the right person is out there.”
To Liz’s credit, she had never pushed me when it came to the hardware store. Despite the store’s listing with our office and the potential commission we were set to receive if the building was sold, Liz knew this building was my own thing. And so far, she seemed prepared to let me deal with the building in my own time.
“It’s alright,” Liz said. “Take the time you need.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I glanced down at the desk where mail had piled up on the counter. Pulling the stack to me, I flipped through the envelopes I had been avoiding. I knew I would find bills and invoices in most of them. Settling my dad’s estate and planning a funeral had all come with endless expenses I hadn’t anticipated. And then there were all the canceled wedding expenses: A lost deposit on the venue, an invoice from the graphic designer who made the invites, a bill from the seamstress. Selling this building could go a long way toward paying off these debts.
“I’m at the office,” Liz said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I’ll drop everything off, and then I have to pick up the kids from camp. Do you need anything else today?”
“You closed another deal,” I said. “Go get that frozen yogurt with your kids and celebrate!”
“Will do,” Liz said. “You should come! Please don’t hide out in that empty hardware store all night!”
“Tell me when Callum leaves town, and I’ll feel comfortable showing my face again.”
