The past weekin Golden Falls since getting back from Milwaukee had been a whirlwind. One of the first things I did was call Jules’s brother Grant to talk about the specifics of my non-compete.
When Nelson Group’s lawyers and human resources department got wind of what was happening, they quickly sent out an email to all staff letting them know about the legal changes regarding non-competes. I knew they were saving their own asses, but at least people working for my father now had a choice on if they wanted to stay or work somewhere else. Last I heard, quite a few people had submitted their resignations, myself included.
My focus was now on submitting my proposal to the city for the warehouse building, getting a new job, and…finding a place to live. Because Beans and I were moving to Golden Falls.
I still loved Milwaukee and wanted to do good work there, but I wasn’t interested in pursuing long distance with Lily. I wanted to be where she was, and right now, that was Golden Falls. With how much she enjoyed the city, though, I could definitely see us splitting our time between Milwaukee and Golden Falls one day, especially if Lily decided to open another location of Purrfect Blend.
I’d kept Liam updated throughout this whole process, and he had been a huge help during the hunt for a new job. While he didn’t work directly in development, he had a lot of connections, particularly with sustainable and community-focused developers—exactly the type of work I wanted to be doing. I already had a few interviews lined up over the next couple of weeks.
Liam was supportive and excited about my potential new job and the move, but he also made it clear he couldn’t spend too much time away from me and Beans. We already had his first visit to Golden Falls planned.
I’d reached out to my parents, too, to see if any sense of our personal relationship could be salvaged, but I was met with silence. It didn’t surprise me, but it still stung. But maybe that was the final sign I needed. I’d tried everything I could, and if my parents didn’t want a relationship with me, I had other people in my life who did, including my grandfather.
I hadn’t had a chance to tell Hal that I was staying—or what Lily and I were thinking with the building—yet. That was where the two of us were heading now.
“Do you think he’ll like the idea?” Lily asked as we walked up to Hal’s Hardware.
I hitched a shoulder. “I think so. I mean, I don’t think he’ll dislike it, but it’s always hard to tell with him about what he’s thinking. Maybe he has his own idea in mind or has decided already.” I pulled the door open, gesturing for Lily to go in first.
“That’s true. I guess we’re about to find out.”
Hal was sitting behind the counter and looked up at us when the bell over the door jingled. “Is it three o’clock already?” he asked, taking his glasses off his nose. “Time flies, doesn’t it? Well, why don’t you go ahead and flip the sign from open to closed for now, so we can have our meeting. Let’s head back to my office.”
Lily and I looked at each other and grinned. “Ready?” she asked.
“With you by my side? Always.” I reached over to give her hand a squeeze before we followed Hal through the aisle to his office.
We sat in the same chairs we were in just over a month ago, and Hal looked expectantly at us.
“So, first, we were wondering if you’d made a decision on who you wanted to sell the building to. Or would you prefer we tell you our idea first?” I asked.
Hal got comfortable in his chair, scooting closer to his wooden desk and setting his clasped hands on the surface. “Why don’t you tell me your idea and how you came up with it.”
Lily started us off. “We propose you sell the building to us both, and we’d split ownership in half. I will manage the day-to-day operations of ensuring rent is paid, seeing if any tenants need anything, and other timely issues that come up. Gabe’s priority will be filling the empty storefront, and he has a great idea for it, one that I fully support.”
Once Lily finished, I started to explain my idea that I refined with her input and feedback. “With Lily’s help and connections to the community, I’ve been able to refine an idea I had in mind from when I first came to town. For small businesses that want to have a physical location, the cost of brick and mortar can be very prohibitive, especially as rent continues to increase. Even though Golden Falls is small, it’s not immune to it. Which is why we want to pitch the empty storefront as an incubator-type space. Instead of it being a storefront for one business, we want to invite two to three small businesses to set up.”
Lily picked up the next piece of our pitch. “This would be perfect for residents who might want to test having a physical location, like Susan and her candle business. Or it could be an opportunity for someone in a neighboring town to expand to Golden Falls at less of a risk. Jules’s interior design business Campbell Creations will help us design the layout to ensureit’s optimal for both businesses and customers. This could also help increase traffic to other businesses downtown, including restaurants, my café, and other spots.”
“What do you think?” I asked Hal. I thought we nailed it, and hopefully, he agreed. He’d listened carefully the whole time, nodding along.
He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile spread across his face. “I knew you two would come up with something great. I love the idea, and I love that you two are doing it together. Makes it much easier to sell the building to the two of you, which had been my wish all along.”
“Wait, what do you mean youknewwe would come up with something?” I asked, looking over at Lily, who was just as confused.
“And what do you mean you wanted to sell to both of us? That wasn’t part of your conditions,” she said. “You made it sound like this was, well, a competition.”
While we were confused, Hal was clearly amused. He chuckled, and his smile grew. “I had hoped my conditions would lead to you two to working together, to realizing that you had more in common than you realized. I wasn’t going to force you to both own the building, I wanted you two to come to a decision together. A decision that was best for both the town and for you both,” Hal said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands over his stomach. “And it was truly delightful to watch you two fall in love.”
“How did you—so, this was your plan? The whole time?” Lily asked, eyes wide.
Hal let out a chuckle. “You could say that.”
“Even us falling in love?” I asked.
Hal hummed. “That was less of my doing, but I knew you two would bring out the best in each other once you got past yourinitial impressions. I wasn’t sure if that would be as friends or more but…I’m glad it worked out the way it did.”
“Me, too.” I looked over at Lily. “Everything happened the way it was supposed to.” I turned my attention to Hal. “I’ve also submitted my resignation to Nelson Group and…I’m moving to Golden Falls. You wouldn’t mind keeping me and my cat as your roommates until I find a place of my own?”
