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He drove the short distance to The Drip to get his morning coffee and meet Spencer. They were set to spend a few hours checking out the possible properties Kate had found for him to buy, specifically the fixer-upper strip mall. Since Spencer would be the one helping with the renovations, Adam wanted his take.
The plan was to poke around there, make some preliminary guesstimates on what repairs would cost, and then swing by Adam’s other options to get Spencer’s input on those too.
Adam arrived a little early and went to talk to the Three Amigos while he waited. “What’s the scuttlebutt, boys?” he asked, plopping down into the empty seat at their table.
“Hey, Adam,” Archie said. “Not much going on. Heard you’re officially a New Bernian now.”
“I am. Moved in over the weekend. Definitely won’t miss that drive from Jacksonville.”
“How are things moving along with our bet?” Walter asked, raising his eyebrows in question.
“Ah, well, we decided to wait until after we’ve finished our business to start anything,” Adam said.
“You mean she said no.” Gene laughed. “But you’re going to keep trying anyway. I think that’s a win for not getting together, and you three should pay up.”
Adam already knew he’d won, but keeping his promise to Kate was more important than collecting thirty bucks from these three. She’d kill him if he told anyone. Who knew what fate would befall him if he told the three biggest gossips this side of the Mississippi. Rather than admit defeat outright though, he settled for a delaying tactic.
“She’s giving me a bit of the ol’ stiff arm, but only until our deal is done. I just need more time.”
“Uh-huh,” Gene said with an eye roll.
“Hey, now. You said there was no time limit. You gotta give me some room to lay the groundwork before I work my magic,” Adam said, lacing his fingers together and pushing out to crack his knuckles. “Wooing a woman like Kate takes time.”
“That’s probably true,” Gene said, nodding in agreement. “Kate does seem like a complicated woman.”
“What other bets you got going on?” he asked in an effort to distract them, lest they figure out he was hiding something.
“Well, we’re pretty sure Burt Myers is up to something but can’t say for sure what. Archie thinks it’s something illegal. I say something’s wrong with him, health-wise,” Walter said.
“He’s lost a lot of weight recently and doesn’t look so good. He used to come in here all the time, buying cookies and cakes and little treats for his wife, but we haven’t seen him in a while,” Gene added.
“Isn’t he the mayor’s friend?” Adam asked, remembering that Edward had asked about a man by that name over dinner.
“Yep. They’re real tight.” Gene nodded.
Could Burt be the mystery man Edward had been talking to on the phone in his office and in the hallway at the fundraiser? The man Edward was in cahoots with over some money laundering scheme? Maybe when Edward said he was sneaking around on his wife, he meant with Burt and not some other woman. What could they be doing that required the secrets and lies?
“Could be he’s losing weight because the illegal activity is causing so much stress,” Archie said.
“Now you’re just talking gibberish,” Walter said. “Burt’s a good man.”
“Can’t say you’re wrong about that,” Archie said. “Don’t feel right to bet on him, then.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“So, you do havesomestandards?” Adam said, earning him three versions of the stink-eye, which made him chuckle.
“You’re too young to understand the complications of getting old,” Walter said.
“How old are you guys, anyway?” Adam asked.
“None of your damn business, son,” Archie said.
“Ah. Old enough to be a grumpy old man, I see,” Adam said, and Gene chuckled. “Hey, my friend’s here. Gotta go. I’ll keep you posted.”
Spencer got his coffee to go, and they headed out to take a tour of the town. They stopped at the fixer-upper first and got out to look around.
Potholes littered the parking lot, along with a ton of actual litter. A plastic grocery bag skirted across the lot before getting hung up in a tuft of weeds peeking between the cracks in the pavement. Two of the windows were boarded up, presumably to either prevent or cover up damage. Colorful puffy spray-painted letters that spelled God only knew what lined the front.
