Page 144 of Hope & Harmony

“I didn’t know that,” Cora said, setting her guitar to the side and rising to stand. They weren’t exactly eye to eye—he was much taller than her five-foot-four frame—but she could look into his better while standing. They were dark blue and stormy like the water in the Gulf this time of year.

“You should probably find another place, then,” he said without feeling, even though his eyes wandered over her the way hers did him.

Cora tucked her hands into her jacket pockets to warm them. “I’ve been here all day, though. No one’s given me any trouble about it. Just singing a few songs.”

The man sighed and glanced down the mostly empty street. “It’s off-season. You’re not likely to get many people passing through until the weekend anyway.”

Cora’s smile faded a little. “I’m just trying to get enough for gas, and then I’ll be on my way.”

His frown deepened. He seemed more worried than annoyed now. “Where are you headed?”

“California. If my car gets me there.”

The man paused, then pulled his wallet out and handed her a hundred-dollar bill. “Here. This ought to do it.”

CHAPTER 2

BARON

The girl was young and far too pretty to be traveling across the country on her own. Baron didn’t know where she’d come from, but he was surprised by the trust in her eyes and the easiness of her smile. Maybe the world hadn’t hardened her yet. But it would…

He left her behind as he pushed through the double doors of the theater and called for Sam. He was on the stage, rearranging a series of paint buckets that were presumably collecting rainwater. Baron cussed aloud and assessed the wet towels strewn around the floor.

“What the hell, Sam? How long have you known we needed a new roof?”

Sam threw his hands up. “Since this morning, Baron. Not like it’s been a big secret. It’s an old building. Old buildings need new roofs. Especially anyone within a mile of this coast. It holds on until it can’t anymore.”

Baron sighed and scraped his fingers over his scalp. “How much is it going to cost?”

Sam shrugged. “Buddy of mine says he’ll do it for fifty.”

“Fifty thousand? That’s not friendship. That’s robbery.”

“It’s a commercial property, and there’s no shortage of jobs for them around here. He doesn’t need our business, but we need a roof.”

Baron paced in front of the stage. “Ineed a roof. This falls on me now, remember?”

Sam stopped fussing with the buckets to look Baron in the eye. “I’m aware of that. Not much I can do about it, can I?”

A year ago, who knows how Sam would have taken the same news, with the financial burden of it solely on him. The theater didn’t belong to him anymore, though. Sam was tasked with operations and whatever maintenance he could manage on his own. But the rest was on Baron’s shoulders now.

“What about the shows this weekend? We can’t lose the revenue.”

Sam sighed. “Hoping things dry up a little by then. Should be all right.”

Baron held his stare, hoping his “employee” who had lately become more of a friend could understand the increasing gravity of the situation. “We had to deal with the plumbing fiasco last month. The insulation needs to be redone come summer. The energy bill on this place is giving me a heart attack. What’s next, Sam?”

Sam wiped his hand over his face. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “I don’t know.”

“I agreed to help you save this place, but it’s like keeping the Titanic above water here. I appreciate that it’s important to you, but at what cost? You know this isn’t anywhere close to a profitable venture for me?—”

“You bought up half the downtown, Baron. You own like a quarter of the town’s waterfront at this point. You’re going to make your money back, believe me.”

“Doesn’t mean this makes any damn sense. Throwing money down the drain that I could spend on literally anything else to help this town.”

Sam stabbed his finger through the air. “This is a historicaltreasure?—”

“This is a dilapidated building with dwindling promise at best. Even without the repairs, we’re in the red.”

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