Page 39 of Threads of Kindness
He looked at Sam and Jeff. “I realize you’ve only been inside for a few minutes and haven’t done a thorough inspection, but, based on your professional experience, do you think this place can be restored?”
“Absolutely,” Jeff said.
“Sure,” Sam agreed. “None of this is difficult. We faced much bigger challenges at the Olsson House.”
Jeff nodded.
“Jeff and I want to make sure you know how much money you’ll need to make that happen,” Sam added.
Anita shut her eyes and inhaled a calming breath. “Thank you for that,” she said. “When I get the numbers from you, Tim and I will put together an offer. I’ll hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. If I have to find another place for my museum, so be it.”
“That’s the spirit,” Tim said, patting her on the back.
“Let’s look at that basement,” she said. “I’m not leaving without seeing it.”
They returned to the first floor and crossed to the plain door obscuring the narrow stairs. Using flashlights, they went downto the hard-packed dirt floor. Someone had whitewashed the raw planks on the walls long ago. The space was empty except for a row of wooden crates, six across and stacked two high.
Anita crossed to the crates and trained her flashlight across every inch of each one. She looked over her shoulder at Tim.
“I’m not trying to open them,” she said, “but if there’s a crack in the boards and I can see inside—well, that’s not breaking any rules.”
“I agree,” Tim said.
Tim, Jeff, and Sam added their flashlight beams to hers as they all tried to see the mysterious contents.
Anita surreptitiously brought one hand to the top of a crate and pushed it gingerly. The top remained firmly in place.
“I guess we’ll have to wait until I own this place before we find out what’s in these,” she said. “I’m so curious, I can hardly stand it.” She turned to Tim. “For heaven’s sake, don’t let me get carried away and offer too much just so I can find out what’s in these crates.”
“I promise,” Tim said. “Let’s head to my office. We can start writing the offer while Sam and Jeff work up the numbers we need.”
Jeff looked at Sam. “Judy and Joan are at book club tonight, so we’re on our own for dinner. Let’s go to Pete’s and put a pencil to all this.” He waved his hand around him.
“I was going to suggest the same thing,” Sam said.
They all stepped onto the street, and Tim locked the door.
“We’ll email you our suggestions by the end of the evening,” Sam said. “That way, you can make your offer first thing in the morning.”
Anita clasped her hands and brought them to her chest. “Thank you so much for dropping everything to help me. I know it’ll be a daunting task to whip this place into shape, but, ifanyone can do it, it’s you. I’ve got a wonderful feeling about what’s to come.”
CHAPTER 20
Josh’s cell phone pinged with two incoming texts in rapid succession. He pulled his eyes away from the application for his replacement he was reviewing, and picked up his phone. Both messages were from Sunday.
Can you step away from your desk for 30 minutes?
Now?
He checked the time and was surprised to see that it was almost eleven. He’d been reviewing applications without interruption since seven thirty. Josh raised his hands over his head and stretched. A break would be welcome. He tapped at the screen of his phone.
Sure. Want to grab lunch?
The three dots beneath his message undulated.
Won’t have time. I’ll pick you up in front of the admin building in five.
He responded with a thumbs-up emoji and rose from his desk. Maggie’s door stood ajar, and he stuck his head around the corner.
