“Well then.” Oakley beamed. “It’s settled.”
“Noah flips houses all the time. He could help us estimate the cost of a remodel.”
“Hopefully it won’t need much.” She turned the screen back towards her again. “But he can come with us to check it out, make sure it’s not hollowed out by termites or anything… You know, it looks like there’s room for a Pilates studio on the first floor.”
“Multiple streams of income.”
“Always a good idea.”
“Can you really do thisandthe coffee shop?”
“You’ll be managing the day to day. It’s not very big, so the work load will be about the same as Mom’s place was when your bed and breakfast gig was at full swing. Are you up for that?”
“Definitely.”
“Good. Then let’s do this.”
Anne pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes to hold back her tears.
“What?” Oakley put a hand on her arm. “You okay?”
“This would be a dream come true,” she said thickly. “Staying in Pualena. Working with you.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“It feels too good to be true.”
“We’ll make it happen. One way or another.”
“What if itisjust a pile of termite damage?”
“Then we’ll figure something else out. Another place, or another business. But I have a good feeling about this one.”
Anne nodded, but she wasn’t ready to let herself believe until everything was in place.
“Okay. I guess we’ll see.”
26
Oakley
Oakley paced the front lawn that Saturday, her whole body buzzing with nerves.
Every spare moment that week had been dedicated to research: local laws, permits, the cost of equipment. Now they were just waiting for Noah to declare the building safe and sound.
It looked perfect to Oakley: a big old house with a welcoming lanai. She couldn’t see anything wrong with it. But termites were a plague in Pualena, and there was no knowing what sort of damage might be hiding deep within the walls.
Minor remodels they could handle, and it was a safe investment because they could always sell at a profit down the road.
Major structural damage, on the other hand, might push the entire project out of reach – and in a small town like Pualena, there was no guarantee that another house like this one would come on the market anytime soon.
She had hovered at Noah’s shoulder through every step of the inspection before he finally snapped and told her to go outside.
And so she paced.
The yard was already gorgeous. Established hibiscus bushes grew all around the house, glowing vivid red and sunset orange. At the edges of the property, bordering the lush green grass, more hibiscus bushes bloomed with white flowers the size of her face. It was an ideal property for family vacations, a quiet street and a lawn where kids could run and play.
The location was perfect for a boutique hotel, less than a five-minute walk from Pualena’s tiny downtown.
