Page 56 of A Childhood Crush

Leo shook his head. “Well, you’re a grown man now. You have to make your own decisions.”

“I know,” I said. “But it’s hard to go against him. He’s my dad.”

“I get it,” Leo agreed, nodding. “But you can’t let him control your relationship. That’s not fair to Emmy.”

“I won’t,” I said, determined. “I’ll talk to him if I have to. But right now, I just need to focus on my relationship with Emmy. I need to figure out what the hell is bothering her.”

“You will. She’s probably upset about her dad.”

I was disappointed she hadn’t texted yet. I ordered another round.

“Did you look at that listing?” he asked.

I cringed. “Leo, you know there’ll be a few things we’ll have to iron out with that building,” I said. “As your attorney, I feel like I should try and convince you not to go through with the deal. Things don’t look all that promising. The building and the location are sketchy as hell.”

Leo looked at me with a furrowed brow, his eyes burning with determination. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ve thought long and hard about this. That building is the key to my future success. It’s got a lot of potential.”

“Potential to blow up,” I muttered.

“All it takes is one guy to make the first move,” he said. “If I don’t take the plunge and start with the neighborhood cleanup, no one will. I think I’ve proven myself to be somewhat of a trendsetter.”

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “Okay, I understand that, but there are some serious issues with the property that you need to be aware of. The electrical wiring is outdated, the roof needs to be repaired, and the foundation is unstable. It’s going to cost you a fortune to fix all of those problems.”

Leo leaned forward, his eyes locked onto mine. “I know, Luke. But I’m willing to take that risk. I have a feeling this building is going to be worth the investment. It’s like dominoes in a good way. I’ll renovate one building and then another developer is going to think he’s onto something. That guy will buy a building and renovate it. Then another, and another. The neighborhood gets cleaned up and my property value is going to skyrocket.”

I couldn’t argue with Leo’s passion, but my job as his attorney was to advise him of the potential risks and pitfalls of his decisions. “All right, Leo. I’ll draw up the necessary paperwork, but I want you to be aware of the consequences if things go wrong. You could be sitting on a money pit. If the area stays depressed, you lose your ass.”

Leo nodded, a determined look on his face. “I understand. But I have a feeling about this building. It’s like it’s calling out to me, telling me that it’s meant to be mine.”

I couldn’t deny the spark in Leo’s eyes as he spoke about the building. It was clear that he was passionate about it, and that passion might just be enough to turn the property into a good investment. He did have a pretty good eye for spotting a property that would turn out to be a huge success. He wasn’t afraid of risk. In fact, that was what he thrived on. He loved putting it all on the line. I didn’t quite share that daring business sense.

“The last time you were passionate about a building, you nearly got me killed,” I reminded him. “If you want me to go look at it with you, I want security.”

He grinned. “The building is condemned and empty. There are no tenants.”

“Ha. That’s what you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure there are plenty of squatters,” I said. “You’re going to have to go to court to get them out. That might take months.”

“Why in the hell would I have to go to court to get squatters out of my building?” He frowned. “It’smybuilding and they’re not supposed to be living there.”

“I don’t make the laws.” I shrugged. “I’m just the guy who follows them.”

“That’s dumb,” he said. “There better not be anyone living in there. There’s no electricity or running water.”

“And you think that’s going to stop someone?” I sipped my beer. “You know better than that.”

“We’ll deal with it,” he said. “I won’t be starting anything until after I get back from the honeymoon anyway.”

We leaned back and drank our beers. I noticed him checking his watch. “You don’t need to hang out with me,” I said. “Go home.”

“It’s cool,” he murmured.

“No, go. I’m going to go home. Thanks for hanging out with me.”

“It’s going to be fine,” he assured me. “You and Emmy were meant to be. Just give her some space and let her know you’re ready to listen when she’s ready to talk.”

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