Her Lifelong Dream (20 page)

"We could put an awning up over the doorway," Jo Anne
said.

"A big, black awning, like at Nickoby's," Leedy added.

"Perfect."

"And maybe a green canopy for the front of the door."

"Great idea," Jo Anne said

"I think there's enough room for a dining area outside when the weather is nice. On the side facing Market Street
perhaps."

"We could put up some wrought iron rails to mark off
the dining section," Jo Anne said. "If we keep the area
narrow and we use both sides of the building, there should
be plenty of room for at least eight or nine tables."

"That will work," Leedy said thoughtfully. "It was nice
of the agent to give us the key. I'm glad we have the chance
to look at the place by ourselves."

"It was not nice of her," Jo Anne corrected. "She already
has two other buyers interested in this building. She knows
she will have a contract by the end of the day no matter
what. So why waste her time personally showing it?"

"Two other buyers?" Leedy asked, her heart sinking. "Do
we have a chance?"

"I think so," Jo Anne said. "Terry says we have to act
fast. He says the real estate firm owes him a favor, too. But
we still have to make the best offer."

"This building does not look this big from the outside,"
Leedy remarked, swinging open the door into the dark and
empty building.

Jo Anne led the way through the front room, snapping
on lights as she went along. "We'll need to knock down
some walls to make room for a big dining room. And that
old storage area could be made into a banquet room. It
looks as if it's plenty big enough."

The women worked their way quickly through to the
back of the bakery. To the room they both wanted to see
most.

"Thank goodness," Jo Anne said.

"They've modernized it," Leedy said, finishing her thought. They walked through the kitchen, pulling open
cabinets and looking into drawers.

"I think these ovens will do just fine," Leedy said. "I'm
happy to see they're gas. And it's a good thing too. Have
you seen the prices the new commercial ovens are going
for these days?"

"They're through the roof," Jo Anne agreed. "I hope
these have not been sitting for too long. They don't appear
to be that old. We certainly aren't lacking for oven space.
There are, what, a half-dozen double ovens in this kitchen.
We may need another cook top though." They opened and
shut more drawers and cabinets and lingered in the enormous kitchen.

"Probably," Leedy remarked. "And the floors need some
work."

"The real estate broker said there is hardwood underneath the industrial-duty olive green carpeting in the lobby
area, but the kitchen floor is another matter."

"It looks as if it's been painted with a high-gloss paint."
Leedy examined the chipped, worn red paint that covered
the kitchen floor. "I bet it could get pretty slippery when
it's wet," she noted. "Maybe some black and white no-skid
commercial-grade floor tiles might work out for us. We
should research the facts first though."

"I like the stainless steel cabinets," Jo Anne commented.
"After a good scrubbing, they will be fine. Shoot, we could
get my boys in here and they'll have it clean as a whistle
in no time. We'd have to cough up a few bucks though.
But, don't worry, they work cheap."

"This place is perfect," Jo Anne said and Leedy agreed.

"The square footage is enormous!"

"Bigger than either of us had hoped for."

"We'll need to hire an architect to remodel the floor plan.
And the bathroom facilities could use a facelift."

"Terry already has scheduled a meeting for us with an
architect," Jo Anne said.

"He's that confident we'll get the loan?" Leedy asked.

Jo Anne shrugged. "I don't know. All he said was this
architect was booked solid for the next year, but he's the
best in town and he has agreed to work with us. Another
favor he called in on our behalf."

"The location is perfect," Leedy mused. "We won't have
any problems getting people to notice us. It will be ideal
for romantic dates, homecoming parties, weddings ..."

"And being on the corner gives it a strong curb appeal,"
Jo Anne added, imitating Terry's classroom voice perfectly.
Leedy giggled.

"Speaking of the infamous professor," Jo Anne said.
"How goes it with Mr. Foster?"

"Fine," Leedy said, with a twinkle in her eye. "As a
matter of fact, the last time I saw him he seemed like the
happiest man in town." It was all she could do to keep
from swooning like a love-struck schoolgirl.

"Have you seen him lately?"

"We went to lunch yesterday," Leedy said.

"More smooching in public places?" Jo Anne asked.

"A little, but we're trying to keep it G-rated."

"How is Deanna taking this new and improved Uncle
Terry?"

"She's happy for us," Leedy said.

"She isn't putting you through her boot camp?" Jo Anne
asked, surprised.

"No."

"No whipped cream in your purse or thumbtacks on your
chair?"

"Of course not!" Leedy said. "Deanna is my friend."

"You're luckier than any of the others," Jo Anne noted.

"Not that there were that many. I guess since she had already given you her blessing, she's not going to change her
mind now. Once Deanna makes up her mind she likes
someone, she'll be true blue."

"We went shoe shopping again last night," Leedy said.
"She called up out of the blue and said that Terry suggested
she call me. It sounded like fun to me, so we went. She
bought a pair of bright yellow bowling shoes."

"They sound lovely."

"I got a pair in red," Leedy added. "They feel like a
dream."

"I'm glad to hear you and Deanna have something in
common," Jo Anne added. "Has Terry said anything about
the loan?"

"No," Leedy said. "Terry and I have an agreement. I
don't ask him about the loan and he doesn't question my
champagne taste in restaurant decor."

"I'm not worried about it," Jo Anne said. "Terry Foster
is a professional, through and through. As demonstrated by
his telling Krissy Montgomery to take a hike."

"Oh, yes," Leedy said. "My old friend Krissy. Whatever
happened to her?"

"I hear she signed up for Intermediate Small Business
Management. It's on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and ...
it's taught by a lawyer from Schumaker & Jacoby-I think
his name is Gregory Barlow-the poor dear."

Leedy giggled. She didn't mean to be catty, but it was
a good feeling to know that Krissy was finally out of the picture. "I hope it all works out for her," Leedy said. "And
for Gregory Barlow."

The women laughed and talked as they toured the former
bakery. Both women were thinking of the potential of the
space and neither of them wanted to leave, but they also
knew they had to move quickly with an offer.

"I can't believe we are going to buy property," Leedy
said. "I always thought I would lease space."

"It will be a good investment," Jo Anne said. "That is,
if we make the best bid. Speaking of which, we better get
back."

"I know," Leedy sighed. "I have to work late this afternoon. Although I'm finding it difficult to keep my mind on
my job lately."

"Because of the restaurant or because of your sizzling
love life?"

"Both," Leedy said, winking at her with a devilish grin.
"But enough about me. Come on, partner. Let's go make
an offer on this space before someone beats us to it."

"We can call the real estate agent from my cell phone,"
Jo Anne offered.

Jo Anne led the way to the door and Leedy followed
close behind her. She hoped the seller accepted their bid.
There was something about the place that felt comfortable,
as if it already belonged to them. She took one last look
around before she clicked off the light. "Our restaurant,"
she whispered to herself. "Our lifelong dream."

it was a beautiful day for a wedding. The sun was just
beginning to set, and the sky was a lovely shade of blue
intermixed with tints of purple, pink, and yellow. Terry and
Leedy arrived at the church in a festive mood. It had been
an exciting week and she was happy just to be with him.
But it was also Brittany's big day-and a wedding. Leedy
loved weddings. Something about the magnificence of a
man and a woman walking down the aisle always made her
feel so happy she wanted to cry. In fact, just the sound of
the organ music was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

She had bought a new dress for the occasion months ago.
It was a fitted, delicately smooth silk dress in a deep plum
color that complimented Leedy's lustrous glossy dark hair.
She had spent nearly a half-hour trying to coax her long
tresses into a loose but secure bun, but she ended up with
a slightly tousled, yet elegant, French twist.

"It isn't right," Terry told her when he arrived at her
apartment to pick her up.

"What isn't right?" she asked, smoothing the silky material of her dress.

"You," he said. "You aren't supposed to be more beautiful than the bride."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're gorgeous," he said and his eyes told her he
meant it.

And Leedy felt gorgeous too. In fact, when Terry slipped
his arm around her waist and led her out the front door,
she had never felt so beautiful and so adored in her life.
He led her to his Corvette and opened the car door for her.
He climbed in behind the steering wheel and started the
engine, barely able to keep his eyes off her. "Would you
like me to put down the roof this time? Or would arriving
at the wedding frozen be a faux pas?"

"No roof," Leedy told him. "One ill-timed gust of wind
and my hair-do will self-destruct."

"I wouldn't want that to happen."

"Thank you, kind sir."

"This is going to be a wonderful evening," he said. "But
it is dangerously close to being classified as a real date.
What will people say?"

"I'm not worried about that anymore," she said. "The
class is finished, and my loan application it sitting on Mrs.
Jefferson's desk, remember?"

"So it is," he said, starting the engine. He had a wicked
grin on his face as he winked at her. "So it is."

Once at the church, she sighed contentedly as he parked
the car in the parking lot of the church. It had been a hectic
week, what with all the paperwork, meetings with accountants and lawyers, and the endless contract negotiations. It
was liberating to finally be able to slow down and relax, even if it was for just a short time. Leedy planned to enjoy
watching Brittany and Mark take their wedding vows. And
she planned to enjoy the company of Terry Foster even
more.

The small church was charming. The gathering was just
the right number of people-not too many, not too few, as
Brittany had told her wistfully. It was shaping up to be a
perfect day. In fact, Leedy couldn't remember the last time
she had felt so certain and happy about her life. She looked
up at Terry and smiled.

"Have I mentioned lately that you're gorgeous?" he said
and slipped her hand into his.

The pews had been decorated with sprays of beautiful
flowers, and she inhaled the intoxicating aroma as she was
escorted to her seat. It was just as lovely inside the church
as it had been outside. So much so, she could already feel
her eyes start to smart.

The organ music was playing, but not the wedding march
as yet. She could feel the sense of anticipation in the air as
an elegantly dressed woman was being led to her seat by
one of the handsome young ushers.

"I think that's Mark's mother," Leedy whispered. "She
has the same red hair as Mark and Brittany told me she
was wearing an ivory-colored satin and lace gown."

"She looks pleased to be here," Terry noted. "That's always a good sign."

Leedy elbowed him in the ribs. "Behave yourself," she
warned. Another woman was being led down the aisle by
a handsome young man. She was a tall, attractive woman
with an elegant gown. "I think this woman is Brittany's
mother, but I'm not sure. The usher is Chris. He's Brittany's brother. He's stopped by Mr. Hobo's a few times to visit her. He's a student at the University ... a mechanical
engineering major, I think. I know he's there on a tennis
scholarship."

"What year is he in?" Terry asked, eyeing Chris suspiciously.

"Freshman, I believe," she replied. Then, suddenly,
something clicked in Leedy's head. The blond hair, the tennis scholarship, the name! "Terry," she gasped. "I think
Brittany's brother is a, um, friend of Deanna's!"

"Really?" Terry asked. "She has mentioned some boy
named Chris once or twice, usually with this glazed look
in her eye. Are you sure?"

"Maybe. I wonder if he's an astronomy buff."

"I can see the family resemblance," Terry said. "If this
is the Chris I think it is, he's the boy she's dating. I wonder
why he didn't invite Deanna to the wedding." Leedy was
wondering the same thing herself, but she said nothing.