Page 48 of Enemies in Paradise

Georgia sits up straighter, all business. “He wants to make sure the foundation is sound. Because of its age and proximity to the irrigation pond and the lake, he’s worried the shop could flood.”

“Should I be worried?” I ask.

Zach shakes his head. “Grandpa’s being extra cautious. In his words, he doesn’t want his honor questioned if anything happens to the shop after he sells. But if it had foundation issues, they would have shown up in the first 20 years after it was built. It’s been updated multiple times, aside from the plumbing—which we’ll have Bear check—and you won’t find a more solid building.”

His confidence reassures me, but if the shop has been through multiple updates, it may be even older than I thought.

“How old is the building?” I ask. “I thought it was built in the sixties or seventies.” Granted, that’s old in California time, but not in real-world time.

“Zach’s way-back grandfather built it in the early 1900s,” Georgia says, then looks adoringly at her husband, who nods.

“He was a blacksmith. When cars came along, he converted his business to the first auto shop in Paradise Valley.” Zach’s voice swells with a pride that I didn’t expect.

“Wow. That’s pretty cool.” I knew the building went back a long way in their family, but I didn’t know it went back more than a hundred years. That’s a big deal. And I don’t know if kissing Bear worked some kind of magic on me, but I’m a little more sympathetic to his wanting to hold on to it.

I take a breath and voice a new worry. “I’m surprised you’re okay selling a piece of your family’s history.”

“It’s been sitting there empty for years. I’d rather have it turned into something new than turn to dust.” Zach shrugs as though that’s all there is to it. “Buildings age much faster when they are vacant, little things—like a leak or a, um, rodent problem—get out of hand because no one is paying regular attention. In a way, you purchasing it will preserve our family history. Grandpa likes that he’s making a decision that influences its use, instead of us having to decide after he’s gone. He feels good about this and so do we.”

My eyes dart to the kitchen before returning to Zach.

“Except for Bear.”

“Except for Bear,” he agrees, then lifts his shoulders.

Everything he said makes sense on a practical level. But for someone like me who doesn’t know much about my family beyond my parents, I can’t imagine not wanting to hold on to something my great-grandparents had built. I hesitate, pointing this out to Zach or doing anything that might change his grandpa’s mind about selling, but I also don’t want any of the Thomsens or Sparks to regret their decision.

“But your dad and Bear still use it, right?” I ask carefully. “Is it possible someone else in your family might want to renovate it or do something else with it someday?”

Zach shakes his head. “Bear wants to tear it down so the city can turn it into a park that includes the irrigation pond. That’s what he’s petitioning the city to do—use eminent domain to buy it and tear it down.”

I stare at Zach. There’s no way I heard him right.

“Wait… He wants to tear it down?” I look from him to Georgia, who joins his nodding.

“Tear it down?” I repeat. “That’s why he’s trying to stop me from buying it—with mice and threats and,” I stop myself from saying,kissing. “So he can tear it down?”

My voice goes heavy and Georgia’s eyes widen.

“For his hockey team,” she says quickly. Like that makes tearing down a historic building okay. “So they’ll have a place to practice. He wants the lot the shop is on for parking and an outdoor shelter closer to the pond.”

I look back at Bear in his apron, chopping something, but all I can really see is someone who’s willing to use whatever tactics he can to get what he wants, including seduction. And now I’m even more sure that’s what happened between us. I thought we were competing for a building, but what he wants is the land. Which means—despite what he said about figuring out a solution that will work for both of us—only one of us can win.

I shake my head in disbelief at both Bear and what Georgia has said. “Giving kids a place to play hockey doesn’t make tearing down the building any better. There’s not one other place in Paradise where they could practice?”

Georgia and Zach look at each other before Zach answers, “Right now, the only place is that pond. That’s why we had the game yesterday. Depending on when you close on the building and the developers close on the land, it may be the last time we all play together.”

I look between them. “I don’t understand why I can’t have my bookstore and Bear have his hockey rink. Why is it one or the other?”

Zach leans back. “There’s not enough parking in front of the shop and the buildings on either side. Right now, the flower shop and antique store are the only businesses open. Once you havea bookstore there and the other buildings are occupied, you’ll need a parking lot. The only place for it is the alley behind them, which would fill almost all the area between the building and the pond.”

“But there’s room for both.” I still don’t see a problem with both of us getting what we want.

Georgia jumps in. “There’s not room for the shelter Bear needs for his team and the bookstore. Zoning laws won’t allow it. That parcel of land is owned by Grandpa, and it’s not big enough to split.”

“Why can’t he have his shelter on the other side of the pond?” I’m not ready to give up on a solution that doesn’t make me the bad guy.

Britta comes with our food, and Georgia gives her a quick glance before explaining, “The city has already said they don’t want a pond so near a commercial area without any green space separating them. If you get the shop, there’d be a parkinglotbetween your bookstore and the pond instead of open space.”

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