Page 58 of Bear Creek Valentine
“Wonderful! Tell them I’m offering competitive wages, regular hours and breaks, and an employee discount. They’ll be on their feet a lot, so a pair of comfortable shoes is a must. I’ll need them here for some training the week of Thanksgiving, and then from Black Friday through Christmas Eve.”
The door jangled just then, and they looked up to see a teary-eyed Loretta Goodwin from next door step inside. Blanche shooed him out to speak with her, as it was unlikely she’d come in for a purchase. Aiden approached with a gentle smile, surprised to see his neighbor without a hat and clutching a wrinkled hankie. Something wasn’t right.
“May I help you, Loretta?”
The woman appeared flustered and uncertain.
“Oh, Aiden! I have some difficult news and wanted to tell you first. I’m closing the store and moving to Pittsburg to help my daughter and her family. Marcy found a job, but there’s no one to watch my grandchildren or keep the house. I’ll just have to retire a little earlier than I expected, because they need me, and, well, I just couldn’t say no!”
Aiden wasn’t terribly surprised, and he knew this must be a wrenching change for Loretta.
“I’ll be sorry to see you go, but I’m sure things will be easier for Marcy and the kids with your help. Is there anything I can do?”
Loretta dabbed both eyes and nodded.
“I’ve already arranged to sell my stock to a competitor in Scranton, but that leaves the building. I hate to ask this, but could you keep an eye on it for me? My realtor will do the showings and such, but heaven only knows how long it will take to find a buyer. And with all the vandalism atDelicious, I’m afraid they’ll target my building if they know it’s empty.”
A jolt of realization washed over Aiden and he forcibly calmed himself. If things worked out as he hoped, they could both benefit from this situation.
“Would you mind showing me the building before it goes on the market? As it turns out, I know someone who may be interested.”
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Loretta set up an appointment with her surprised realtor at three o’clock to view the property. Aiden had been inside before, but her shop only used a small portion of what was formerly a downtown grocery. If it was large enough for the production facility, he could combine it with the shop, have everything under one roof, and keep his choice downtown location. Aiden needed Dash for an important decision like this, but he was supposed to be in meetings all afternoon at the resort. Instead of calling, he sent a text.
>Can you meet me atDeliciousat three?
>Trouble? Should I come now?
>No. Building next door is available. May be perfect for expansion.
>I’ll be there. Ryder too.
>Thanks, love!
Time dragged for the rest of the day, Aiden’s head full of hopes, plans, and what-ifs. At the moment, his hopes werewinning out, though any number of things could derail them. He’d even called DeeDee Tillman to ask if there were any local laws that would quash the deal.
Her answer was definitive, if not robust.
“Not to my knowledge, but if any of our local ordinances get in the way, I’ll smooth it over with the council. I advise you to buy it for the asking price. You may never see another opportunity like this again.”
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Dash and Ryder showed up in time for Aiden to share DeeDee’s comments about the potential purchase. Dash was inclined to agree with her, though Ryder refused to comment until he’d looked the place over. Next door, they found Loretta and her realtor, Ellen King, waiting for them. She began the viewing with a bit of history.
“For decades, this was Bear Creek’s only grocery store—built in 1937 and expanded twice over the years. The portion you see here is the most up-to-date, formerly the main entrance and check-out lanes. The rest of the structure remains much as it did when the grocery store closed. Before I take you back, please understand there hasn’t been time to clean and stage the building. The lighting is also very poor in places, so watch your step.”
Ms. King led them through an unmarked door in the wall that partitioned off the space, flipping on the old ceiling lights. Many of them no longer worked or flickered badly, making it hard to see the sizeable area which once housed the grocery aisles. The cracked and discolored tile floor held nothing but dust, some rusty display racks, and boxes full of old records. The musty air bothered Dash and Ryder’s sensitive noses, and theygrowled with disapproval. Loretta gave King a worried look, but as there was nothing they could do, the showing continued.
At the opposite end of the building, they inspected several offices, a restroom, and a stock room filled with empty steel shelving. In the back corner, they found a large overhead door designed for freight deliveries, and a single employee entrance near the center—both leading to the alley which ran behindDeliciousand all the other businesses on the block.
The place certainly showed its age but seemed sturdily built. Aiden watched Dash and Ryder as they poked into corners, opened doors, and examined the walls. They knew what to look for and he trusted them to tell him if there were any red flags. He could easily see where the original buildings had been combined and connected to create the present structure, matching the realtor’s earlier description.
Aiden did his best to guess the dimensions, assuming they would gut the building and start from scratch. By his estimates, it measured at least three times the square footage of the old restaurant presently housing D2. Plenty of space, then, to set up an efficient production facility, with room to spare for future expansion. As far as cost, Aiden didn’t know what a building like this would sell for, though Dash and Ryder certainly did. Hopefully, the asking price took the age and condition into account, though they were willing to buy it for any reasonable sum—without revealing said fact to the seller or her agent.
The showing concluded up front where the air quality and lighting made it more comfortable. Loretta left the building to give Ms. King and the men an opportunity to ask and answer questions. It took only a few minutes before Dash announced he was prepared to make an offer. The happy realtor invited them to her nearby office to write it up, confident that Loretta would happily accept it.
Thirty minutes later she did, and the deal was done before the building officially went on the market. Loretta was ecstatic, hugging all three menandher realtor. Dash, however, wasn’t finished doing business, presenting another proposal for Loretta to consider.
