Page 22 of Scoop Me Up
He nodded once. “No problem. On to the next.”
The next space was the opposite—far too small. There was no way I’d be able to fit a shop’s worth of ice cream equipment in it, plus space for cooler cases and a few tables. Still, I turned to Cooper for his opinion.
He frowned. “That wallpaper will be a beast to get off.”
Miles attempted unsuccessfully to suppress a sigh. “Don’t let someone else’s design choices hold you back. Things like flooring and wall coverings can be changed.”
“Yeah,” Cooper shot back. “At a cost.”
We tried several other options, making our way closer to the central part of town as we did. Some places were simply out of the budget—wayout. Others were at the right price but just didn’t feel right. Miles kept a smile plastered on his face, though, not letting my nitpicking deter him. He had a solid sales pitch for each location we looked at but Cooper countered Miles’s sales pitches with everything from decor issues to layout problems to structural concerns.
By the time we’d visited the next to last place on Miles’s list, discouragement washed over me. Maplewood was only so big and commercial storefronts didn’t come on the market very often, but so far, none of them were right for me. Miles tried to be reassuring as we headed into the final location, an older house a few blocks from the park, which had been recently rezoned into a commercial building. It was cute and roomy.
Miles seemed to be holding his breath as I made my way through the building, Cooper on my heels.
“I can see it,” I said finally. “Tearing down this wall would really open things up.”
Cooper frowned. “That sounds expensive.”
I held my hands out, palms to the ceiling. “Nothing is going to be perfect,” I pointed out. “Besides, there’s a second floor. If the owner would let me, I could convert the second floor into an apartment and live there. It would help me save money while I work on getting the shop profitable.”
With a slow exhale, Cooper nodded. “If this is what you want…”
“What choice do I have?”
“You can keep looking. You don’t have to make any decisions today.”
I thought about it for a second. It felt as if I were penned in. I needed a space, and nearly everything else we’d seen was just… not right.
“This is the one.” I tried to sound firm, but I wasn’t sure I was convincing anyone—least of all myself.
Miles came into the room then. “Did I hear you right? Is this the winner?”
Forcing a smile, I nodded at Miles. “This is the winner.”
“Great. I’ll get the lease paperwork drawn up right away. We should be able to sign everything by next week.”
“Thanks, Miles. I appreciate all your help today.”
“Not a problem,” he assured me.
We said our goodbyes and headed in different directions—Miles to his office, Cooper and I back to where we’d parked that morning. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful summer day—a perfect day for ice cream. As we walked, Cooper checked in with me.
“Are you sure you want to rent that place?”
“Coop…” My tone was a warning.
He held his hands up, palms toward me, as if he were defending himself. “I’m just asking. I want you to be sure. You’re going to be workingandliving at this place, apparently. You want to love it.”
A deep sigh escaped me. “I don’t want to look forever, and there just aren’t that many open commercial buildings in Maplewood. What if I wait for something that never comes?”
He opened his mouth to speak but before he could respond, a woman’s rich voice called my name. “Sam!”
I spun to see who’d called for me. “Mayor Axlerod.” We stopped walking and waited for her to catch up.
“Sam, I ran into Miles. Sounds like you’ve found a place to rent?” I nodded, but Cooper interjected.
“He’ssettling.”
