Page 43 of My Dream

I shot Fade a look, but there wasn’t much I could say. Yarder was right. This whole process was way too tedious for my liking, but I’d promised Fallon I’d be involved, so here I was, standing in yet another potential location for The Cakery with the camera crew following our every step. I had hoped that Clay wouldn’t come, but he was here.

At ten this morning, we’d met with Kate, the realtor, and had started our search for a new home for The Cakery. So far, it wasn’t going great.

The space we were in now was... well, it was fine. Not ideal, but it could work. It was small, but the location was decent. However, I knew Fallon was hoping for something more than “decent.”

Kate pushed through the swinging doors with Yarder, Poppy, Fallon, and Adalee trailing behind her, along with the camera crew. “You do have a dispensary next door, which I think will bring in a good flow of business,” Kate said, all business and glancing at the camera with a practiced smile.

“You’ll have people with the munchies in all day long,” Fade laughed.

“Maybe you guys could do a collab with the dispensary,” Poppy suggested and grinned at the thought. “Yummy cake with a bit of a surprise.”

I smirked at the idea. That would definitely bring in a crowd, but it felt a little too far out since we didn’t even have a location yet.

Adalee was the first to speak up, always the practical one. “I think having them next door would be good for business, but I’m not sure this space will work for us,” she confessed and folded her arms. “There isn’t a freezer or walk-in cooler. We’d have to put those in, and that’s going to take up a lot of space that there isn’t.”

Fallon nodded in agreement, her face a mix of concern and calculation. “Adalee’s right. We need a bigger space for what we’re planning. This just feels too cramped.” She glanced around, and her eyes darted to the walls, the countertops, and the doors. “This won’t work, not for the vision we have.”

I could see it on her face. Fallon had a clear picture of what she wanted, and she wasn’t about to settle for something that didn’t meet her standards. I admired that about her, even if it was starting to make this whole process feel like a never-ending battle.

Kate gave a nod, though she seemed less than thrilled. “I can understand that. But we’re working with limited options in this price range and area. You might have to compromise on space or price for the right location.”

I let out a quiet grunt and rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t care about the location as much as the space. We need something big enough for the whole operation. I don’t want you guys crammed into some tiny back corner while you’re trying to make this thing work.”

“Exactly,” Fallon said and stepped closer to me. She looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes. “We need to have room to grow, Compass.”

“How much more in price are you talking?” Yarder asked Kate. His tone was cautious but ready to tackle the problem.

Kate quirked her lips. “Well, in terms of owning, at least another fifty thousand will get you into the space you want. If you’re willing to rent, I have a place in mind that will run you about three to four thousand a month.”

“God damn,” Fade muttered and crossed his arms.

I was pretty shocked, too.

“Show it to us,” Yarder said, with his no-nonsense demeanor kicking in.

“Let me take a look.” Kate moved to one of the tables and opened her briefcase. She pulled out a stack of papers and a slim tablet. “I need to make a call to see when they’ll be available for us to take a look at it.” Without waiting for a reply, Kate stepped outside to make the call.

I leaned back against the counter and let out a low groan. “Does that mean we’re done today?”

Fallon slapped a hand against my chest. “You’re acting like this is torture.”

“It kind of is,” Fade muttered and earned a sharp look from Adalee.

“I’m not looking to buy a place we’re going to outgrow in a year,” Yarder drawled. “If this place for rent is right, I think we can make it work.”

We all turned as Kate walked back in and slipped her phone into her pocket. “How does Monday at ten AM sound?”

“Works for us,” Yarder said with a nod.

“Great. I’ll send over the address and meet you guys there Monday morning.” Kate’s smile widened, the kind of grin thatsuggested she was about to sell us on this place no matter what. “I think that space is going to be perfect for you.”

With that, we headed outside.

The camera crew piled into their van while the rest of us made our way to the bikes. Fallon was practically bouncing with energy as she put on her helmet.

“I wish we could take the good things from each place and put them together,” she said.

I chuckled and shook my head. “I wish too, babe, but I don’t think that’s how this works.”

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