“Annette, I’m begging you. Please don’t sell the building. Please… Lyra and I will have to start over and—”
“That is not my problem. Be out on Sunday or you’ll regret it.”
Annette hung up before Veronica could say another word. The phone dropped to her lap and she stared numbly at the row of photos on the dresser.
If Annette sold this place, Veronica and Lyra would be out in the cold. Literally. She’d put all of her savings into making this place a home for her daughter. She couldn’t afford a decent down payment on another place this size, not even a quarter the size. What would Lyra think if they had to leave? It would break her heart.
Veronica’s vision blurred and before she knew it, she was crying. This house was her world. It was where she’d grown up and where she wanted Lyra to grow up. And it was one more thing that Annette would take away from her.
Lyra’s small head peered into the doorway. “Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?” Veronica wipes at her eyes, trying to hide her tears.
“Can I sleep with you? I had a bad dream.”
Veronica looked at the phone on her lap. “You and me both, baby.” Lyra was usually good about sleeping in her own bed, but sometimes a child just needed to be with their mother. “Come on.” Veronica threw back the covers and her daughter rushed to climb in. “What did you dream about?”
“Jellybean monsters. They were trying to eat me.” Lyra’s eyes were wide with fear.
“Jellybean monsters? That’s easy. Why don’t you eat them!” Veronica said and tickled Lyra stomach. Within seconds her daughter was giggling and squirming on the bed.
“Do you feel better?”
“Yes.” With a sleepy yawn, she burrowed beneath the blankets. Veronica watched her fall sleep, knowing sleep wouldn’t come so easily for herself. What was she going to do if Annette’s interested buyer made an offer on the house?
5
Thad looked up from his phone as someone opened the brownstone’s front door. He stood just outside the coffee shop, which was dark inside since it was closed on Sundays. He’d been standing outside for a few minutes, leaning on the side of his car while he and Simon waited. The lack of activity in the Chi-bean had bothered him. He realized with no small amount of bemusement that he missed seeing Veronica at the counter, her hair pulled back in a ponytail as she worked the espresso machine.
“Mr. Worthington?”
A middled aged woman with blonde haired and an eager to please smile waved him toward the door.
“Mrs. Becker?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s so nice to meet you.” She clearly thought she hid her icy demeanor, but Thad was good at reading people. Her practiced smile failed to hide the greed in her eyes. He could tell exactly what type of woman she was—one he wanted to be careful around.
“Thank you for being flexible about the time. I wanted to make sure the tenants weren’t underfoot.”
They moved through the first floor to a door which Mrs. Becker unlocked, revealing a staircase that led to the floor above the Chi-Bean. “Are they on a month-to-month lease with you?”
“Yes, they had an understanding with my late husband, but I’ve wanted to sell this house for a while now.”
“And the coffee house? What agreement do you have with the owner?” They reached the top of the stairs and Thad’s heart raced with excitement. The second floor was perfect. A cozy living room opened to a large kitchen with clean white colors and quartz countertops that looked like they were inlaid with diamond dust.
“The same arrangement. I assume you’ll close the shop and renovate back to a full residence?”
“That would be my plan.” Thad noticed a tiny pair of bright blue shoes doused with glitter, half-hidden under the brown leather couch facing the TV. A family clearly lived here, but the walls were strangely devoid of photos. He would need to give them time to find new place before he closed on the sale, but it wasn’t like he was in a rush.
Mrs. Becker showed him the master bedroom and a second bedroom which had a child’s bed. Two more bedrooms were done up as guestrooms, an office with a large bay window that faced the street, a laundry room, and two bathrooms, one off the master bedroom and one off the guestrooms.
“Well, what do you think?” Mrs. Becker asked.
It was perfect but she didn’t need to know that. Mrs. Becker struck him as someone who would try to screw him in a deal if she could get away with it. He slid his hands into his trouser pockets and let his gaze run around the room, examining the crown molding as he considered how to play this. A hint of something shiny on the kitchen counter caught his eye…was that more glitter? Mrs. Becker had been thorough in staging the apartment for his visit but had missed that spot.
“Not bad. Solid construction, though a less than ideal location. I’ll have my office draft an offer and send to you by the end of next week.”
“Great. Let me show you out.” There was a flash of triumph in her eyes, but something about it was strange. Something about her forced smile bothered him. He didn’t think it had to do with him, however. She acted as though she’d scored some unseen victory. He could put it up to the fact that she was confident he would make an offer, but there was a smugness to her that put him on edge. He wondered if there was something wrong with the building, that perhaps she was trying to offload a money pit. Or the tenants were problematic. Whatever it was, he and Jared would get to the bottom of it.
They were just leaving the Chi-Bean when Mrs. Becker flashed him an ingratiating smile. “I read your article in GQ, Mr. Worthington.”
“Oh?” He was beginning to hate that article. The only woman who hadn’t seemed to have read it was Veronica.
“Yes, it’s an honor to meet GQ’s Gentleman of the Year.”
“Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what else he should say to that and he frankly didn’t like this woman complimenting him. It reminded him of something his father used to say. “Never let the devil shake your hand.”
He decided he would have Jared acquire a copy of the lease agreements for the coffee house and the residential floor this week. He would also schedule time for an inspection of the building from floor to basement, just to make sure nothing was amiss before he made an offer.
Mrs. Becker passed him a business card. “Here’s my card. Email your offer to this email address.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch.” He pocketed it and walked away. But as he waved his driver over, he had the urge to text Veronica. She’d been on his mind for the last couple of days, and despite agreeing to see him again, she hadn’t texted him since. It wasn’t what he expected, but Veronica had her own life, was the manager of the coffee house and it seemed like she had very little time for dating. That stopped him short for a moment. If he ended up buying the place, he’d likely close the Chi-Bean. Would Veronica be okay finding another job? She seemed to like it, but it also seemed to be stressful to manage it. He could easily help her find work at one of his many properties if she was interested. He needed to see her again
Thad: Are you free today?
He sent off the text as Simon pulled up next to him. A mountain of work was calling his name at the office and he couldn’t put it off any longer, but maybe he could see Veronica tonight for date number two. He knew was she wasn’t counting but he was, and it wasn’t simply to get to date fifteen anymore. There was something about Veronica that drove him forward. He needed to make her smile, needed to kiss her, to hold her in the dark and show her that life could bring her joy again.