Page 69 of The Library of Second Chances
Logan held his hand up in a sort of half wave. “Hi, Sidney.” He was hoping that would be the end of the meet and greet.
“Would you like to hold him?” Helen lifted the alligator in his direction.
“Oh, no. That’s not necessary. I can respect him from a distance. That’s what you’re supposed to do with alligators, right?”
Helen chuckled. “Yes, that’s right. Maybe next time you’ll feel a little braver. Sidney tends to grow on people.”
Logan doubted he’d ever jump at the chance to hold a live alligator, but he nodded with a nervous smile. “Yes, maybe.”
“All right, we’ll let you get going. I’ll see you at the marina in the morning.”
Helen started talking to the alligator as Logan headed to the front door. She talked to it like people talked to dogs and cats.
“You’re such a good boy, Sidney. Would you like a treat? Let’s get you a little treat.”
Walking slower once he was safely on the other side of the front door and heading to his car, Logan checked the time. He had one more stop to make.
He had just finished snapping photos of Hill House when Gladys arrived along with her realtor friend, Terri.
“Logan, I’d like you to meet my dear friend, Terri Neal.” Gladys stood back while Logan and Terri shook hands. “I just can’t tell you how delighted I was to hear from you yesterday. The foundation would love to partner with you on preserving this house.”
When Logan thought about making Heron Isle his permanent address, his mind kept drifting back to the abandoned house downtown with the hand-carved gingerbread detail. He was sure if that much care had been taken on the porch, there must be more architectural surprises inside. He and Fuller had always talked about saving historic properties, and houses here were much cheaper than those in Boston.
Even if his new plan for the waterfront wasn’t successful, and his idea of becoming the full-time manager of the city’s real estate holdings and marina fell through, this house was perfect for a preservation project. He was beginning to let himself feel optimistic about staying on Heron Isle.
Terri showed him through the first floor, which had a formal living room, dining room, and parlor, along with the kitchen. Upstairs there were three bedrooms. The house had already been cleaned out, nothing remained but dust and a few curtains hanging haphazardly. Most of the plaster walls showed damage, and the kitchen and bathrooms were all complete gut jobs. The floors had water damage in a few places, and large water stains bulged and bubbled in the ceiling. Even so, the house had great bones.
The floors were all heart pine, and handmade crown molding encircled the top of every room. Logan dragged a finger through the thick layer of dust on the hand-carved banister. It and the stairs appeared to be the same heart pine that had once grown abundantly in this area. Everything was stained a deep shade of brown. He was delighted to find more gingerbread detailing at the top of the doorways leading into the living room and dining room on each side of the front entry hall. Beautiful wooden panels had been added at the top of each doorway, then carved into the intricate pattern. He saw a few pieces that were cracked, but that was an easy fix with the right contractor.
He approached the ladies, who were waiting for him near the front door, and asked Gladys, “The family has already agreed to sell?” Gladys had been negotiating on behalf of the foundation in hopes they could raise the money needed to buy and preserve the house.
She nodded. “Yes, when the siblings heard we might have the funding sooner than anticipated, they all agreed it’s for the best. The foundation just hadn’t been able to come up with the cash to make them believe we were serious previously. That’s why I was so happy when you called.”
Logan smiled as he turned around in the front foyer, taking one last look at all the handmade details.
“It’s perfect.” He turned back to the ladies. “I need to send some photos to my business partner, but it’s exactly what we were hoping to find inside.”
“I bet Lucy is excited you plan to bring the library back.” Gladys gave him a knowing smile.
He shook his head. “No, I haven’t told her yet. Can we keep this between us for now? There’s still a lot that needs to fall into place for it to happen. I don’t want to get her hopes up just yet.”
Terri pulled an imaginary zipper across her lips while Gladys nodded her assent.
Logan had left Fuller to make some calls to an investor they knew who was always in the market for tax credits. To maximize federal and state tax credits for historic preservation, the house had to be for commercial or nonprofit use, not residential. Luckily, it was close enough to Main Street to be in an overlay district that allowed for certain nonresidential uses, a library easily fitting within the definition. As a nonprofit, the library wouldn’t need the tax credits, so they could sell them on the open market. Those funds would in turn provide the revenue the library needed to keep it solvent for at least the first few years, and during those early years they could put the infrastructure in place to apply for grants and fundraise to keep it running for years to come.
He and Fuller would split ownership of the building with the Heron Isle Historic Foundation—which was moving Gladys’s office to one of the upstairs rooms—a solid real estate investment that was meaningful to all of them. He couldn’t think of a more fitting way to get involved in historic preservation on a more personal level.
The look he imagined on Lucy’s face when she found out was just the cherry on top.
Logan texted Fuller a dozen or more pictures of the inside and outside of the house as Terri locked it back up, promising to upload an entire album when she was back at her computer.
Riding a high as he walked back to his car, he saw the town square in the distance and decided to go check the Little Free Library. He still hadn’t decided how to tell Lucy he was Gatsby’s Ghost, but he was curious to see if she’d responded to his last letter.
The town square was always bustling on weekends, and Logan became hyperaware of everyone around him as he approached the library. He searched the faces, nervous Lucy would find him there. Not recognizing anyone nearby, he pulled on the handle to open the library door. Inside, he began going through the new books on the ledge. He was only a couple books in when he saw her familiar handwriting on a sticky note attached to a volume on the history of Florida’s barrier islands. Opening the book, he found the index card she’d left inside.
Gatsby’s Ghost,
You were right to assume I’m not much of a risk taker. The book you left was exactly what I needed. I took a chance, and guess what? It paid off! I put myself out there for something I’ve wanted professionally for quite some time, and I was rewarded. I can’t believe I’m saying this to someone I don’t even know, but I felt you should be one of the first to tell. I am going to be a published author! Maybe one day it’ll be my book you find in this library.
