Page 13 of Faking it with my Off Limits Neighbor

Charlotte Woods could not have been more different, and I liked it. She’d been friends with Milly for years, but as she got older, her real beauty started to show. Not that she could see it, of course. She was this quiet, self-conscious thing who grew up wearing modest clothes that her mother made. I know she got ridiculed for that. But what struck me about her the most was how genuine she was.

I know. It probably seems weird that I’d care, having been a young jock with a bad rep. But that reputation wasn’t wholly deserved. We were just being kids. My parents raised us well, and in many ways, Charlotte reminded me of my mother.

It’s her inability to lie that alerted me to the fact that she didn’t really want to be at Withering’s the other night. What I couldn’t understand was, if she didn’t want to be there, why had she gone? Had Milly used her Jedi powers of persuasion and cunning?

I’m tempted to ask, but at the same time, I don’t want Milly thinking I’m overly interested.

But you are overly interested.

Yes, I know that. But Milly doesn’t.

I pull the truck to a stop outside a run-down building and gaze through the windshield.

“Is this it?” Milly looks doubtful.

“Don’t judge a restaurant by its dirty windows, Titch,” I say.

“Or its broken sign,” she counters, looking up at several letters missing from a sign that, when lit, should’ve said Joey’s Diner.

“I’ve got a contractor coming tomorrow to replace that,” I say.

“Oh, you’ve chosen the name already?” Milly says, climbing out of the truck.

I get out and take a step back to look at the place fully. It’s a decent size for my new venture. It’s not so big that it will be overwhelming, but not so small that I can’t make a good go of it. I’ve already advertised locally for a sous chef.

“So, are you going to tell me?”

I look at her across the hood with the most serious face I can muster. “Sure. I’m calling it Troy’s Diner.”

Milly’s jaw drops, and she gawps at me. “You are not.”

“Sure,” I say with a shrug, trying to keep up the façade. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Are you kidding?” she blurts. “Like, really? Troy, that’s an awful name.”

“I know,” I say, and then I start chuckling.

Her face falls as she realizes I’m teasing her. “You’re a ratbag.”

I’m still chuckling when I say, “I’m calling it The Statesman.”

Her eyes fly wide open again, and she’s back to looking… not so much appalled, but certainly astonished. “The Statesman?” she balks. “Don’t you think that’s a little pretentious?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. I’m not serving burgers and tacos, Titch. In Paris, I trained in fine dining, and that’s exactly what this town needs.”

I’ve done my research, not that I didn’t already know what was available where eateries were concerned in Cherryville. But the thing we are missing is a fine dining restaurant. There are pizzerias, fast-food joints, and Withering’s, which is a family-friendly kind of place. But I want something far more elevated. What’s the point of all my training and qualifications if I’m just going to come home and flip burgers?

Once inside, I get a better gauge of the place. I’ve seen a million and one pictures that Dad took on his phone, but it’s not the same as being here. The place smells musty, and there’s dust everywhere. Nothing a good clean won’t solve. I mentally take a note to hire a professional cleaning service.

The tables are in good condition, though I’m not sure that I’m going to keep them. I might at the start and then update as I go. I’ve only got so much capital, and I want to spend it on the more important things. Linen tablecloths will cover a multitude of sins.

“It’s a bit dreary,” Milly says, looking around. “It’ll need a good decorator.”

“For sure,” I say. “There’s a lot that needs doing. You’ve got to look at the potential, Titch, not what you see right now.”

“Charlie’s a fantastic interior decorator,” Milly pipes up, looking over at me knowingly. “You should get her to come and take a look. She’s so creative. She has a million ideas a minute.”

So that’s what she does these days.

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