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Chapter Seventeen
“If you’re all done with lunch, join me in the family room for a special presentation of my future plans. Royce, please bring the bowl of strawberries from the fridge. I added whipped cream and liqueur to it. Stephanie, please grab dessert plates and forks.”
“Why do you need to be so formal, Dad?” Matt shrugged. “Just tell us your news and get it over with.”
“Humor me for a few minutes, son.”
Matt nodded to his wife and led her to the sofa. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
Good idea, Matt. Keep her quiet during my presentation.
Royce and Stephanie placed the dessert, plates, forks, and napkins on the cocktail table.
Steve switched on the big screen TV and linked his phone to it.
“Now relax and watch. We’ll start with a few general photographs of the incredible scenery found on St. Thomas and St. John. When Stephanie sent me on a cruise, I discovered the beauty of the Caribbean Islands and fell in love with St. John in particular.”
“We’ve seen these places during our own cruises,” Cybil scoffed and filled a plate with strawberries.
Steve ignored her. “I returned two months later and spent a week. I befriended many people and realized they needed specialized doctors. The next pictures are of the marina and the dock area.”
Cybil scowled. “Some of the boats are gorgeous, but the docks…yuck. Not a pretty sight.”
Once more, he overlooked his daughter-in-law’s comments.
“This warehouse in particular showed a lot of potential.”
“For heaven’s sake, what potential?” Cybil’s voice reeked of disdain. “It’s falling apart.” She opened her phone and browsed through it while nibbling on her strawberries.
“Potential for what, Dad?” Matt asked. “Cybil’s right. It’s nothing but a dirty, crumbling ruin.”
“Ah, but it was cheap. I bought it six months ago and had it refurbished. It’s now a clinic with an adjoining lab. I used the plans from the Winston Clinic here in Cincinnati.”
“What a waste of money.” Cybil twitched her lips.
Disregarding her comment, Steve continued. “Here are pictures of the new clinic, its OR, and the lab.”
“Wow!” Stephanie and Royce squealed, making him smile. That was the response he’d hoped for.
“Amazing!” Matt leaned forward. “It’s fantastic.” The admiration in his eyes soothed Steve’s heart. “It looks like your clinic here, but with a brighter, more welcoming waiting area and more spacious examination rooms. Good job, Dad.”
“I followed the same basic design we have here but improved on it. Less wasted space. There’s nothing you can’t do with determination, son.”
“Too bad the rest of the building is so crummy,” Royce commented.
“The real estate agent approached me a month ago with an interesting offer. The owner decided to sell the whole building for a very tempting price.” The images on the screen changed to those of the stores, the restaurant, and the motel.
Cybil looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “I hope you didn’t waste any more money on that.”
“Think positive. It’s a fantastic investment, right across from the marina where luxury yachts anchor. The first floor of the structure consists of three rented shops, all doing well, selling souvenirs, ice cream, and coffee. The restaurant needs a facelift to be more attractive, but that’ll be a shared expense. The motel may look like a hopeless case as it is, but when I discussed the matter with my real estate agent and lawyer, they informed me that theHoliday Vacationchain is ready to lease and manage it once it’s updated and repairs are complete. I had my contractor look at it and he accepted the job. Within six months, the place will be good to go with new plumbing, wiring, and interior renovations.”
“Dad, that’s a huge amount of work, especially if you’ll be running a new clinic,” Matt said, his forehead creased.
“Exactly, which is why, while I’ll be busy with the clinic, I’ve hired experts to work on the building. I’ll show up on Sunday to inspect their progress.”
“Are you going to live in the motel?” Stephanie asked, her eyes filled with concern.
“No. My lodgings are the first thing I took care of six months ago—before I even thought of opening the clinic and moving to St. John.”
