AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sophie pulled the demolition notice closer and read it again. “A hundred and eighty days. That’s, what, six months?”
“Unless I go for Option B,” I said, pointing to the bottom of the page. “He’s willing to pay cash for keys.”
Abigail hummed. “So he thinks money talks.”
“I’m pretty sure money is all he cares about. He’s stubborn as all hell. He won’t back down easily,” I answered bitterly. His whole sob story about the fire seemed like a distant memory at this point. Did he really care about safety? Or did he only care about it when he stood to make a tidy profit off of it?
“What if you take him out of the equation?” Abigail suggested. “Offer to buy the place yourself.”
Sophie straightened, eyes brightening. “Yes! Charlie! You should buy Radcliffe House!”
My heart began to thump. “I don’t… Would I be able to afford that?”
“You’ve had cheap rent for, what, ten years? Don’t tell me you haven’t been saving diligently like the little nerd you are,” Abigail said.
I huffed. “I might have enough for a down payment. Maybe. But…really? You think…” I bit my lip, meeting Abigail’s and Sophie’s eyes in turn. “You really think I could do it?”
“Doesn’t hurt to try.” Sophie beamed. “You could be a homeowner. You could fix up the place, just like your dad always wanted!”
I put my hand to my heart, worried it was about to jump right out of my chest. “I could. Oh my goodness. I could.” I sobered, forcing my excitement down. “Unless Anderson refuses.”
“You won’t know until you ask,” Abigail said with a decisive nod.
It was too exciting to let myself believe it. I forced myself to think about every possible avenue of failure. “If I apply for a mortgage, the bank will want to see that I have a job.”
Abigail looked at me like my brain had accidentally fallen out of my head. “Charlie. You do have a job. You have a great, stable job with the government that includes predictable pay bumps and generous benefits.”
“For now,” I protested. “What if I get fired because of this whole Monticello fiasco?”
“The only way you get fired is if the town runs out of money and can’t afford to keep you on,” Abigail said in a no-nonsense voice.
Sophie pinched her lips and added, “Which could happen if Charlie wins the vote and the theater doesn’t bring in more tourists.”
I took a sip of my margarita and had to swallow twice when it got stuck halfway down my throat. “I’m starting to think…” I couldn’t look at the two of them, so I traced the base of my glass with my finger. “What if I’m wrong about restoring the theater? It’s in really bad shape. And even if it’s been in town for a hundred years doesn’t change the fact that people aren’t going to the movies anymore, and another old theater in another old town isn’t going to draw more tourists to the area.”
There was a moment of quiet. I lifted my gaze to see two worried sets of eyes staring back at me.
Gathering my courage, I voiced the idea that I was almost afraid to say out loud. “I was thinking…” I let out a harsh sigh. “I had this idea, but I’m not sure it’ll work.”
“Shoot,” Abigail said.
“I’m sure it’s fantastic,” Sophie added.
“I wonder if there’s a middle ground for the theater,” I started slowly. “If we could keep the lobby and the façade, and if Anderson would be open to changing his plans, maybe instead of a big tower hotel that casts a shadow over all of the downtown area, he could build a smaller, boutique hotel.”
Their heads tilted in unison.
I continued. “We could save the most important parts of the theater and turn them into features of the new hotel. Then it would be a draw. It wouldn’t just be a generic place for people to stay while they go on wine tours outside of town. It would be its own destination.”
“Charlie,” Abigail said in a low voice.
I met her gaze, feeling like I’d just bared my heart to the both of them. “Yeah?”
“I fucking love you.”
Sophie let out a squeal. “You’re a genius!”
“You really think so?”
