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But on my way, I pass something that I hadn’t noticed before. There, in one of the buildings lining the street and sitting nestled between a beautiful little gallery and a dried herb and crystals shop, is avacantshell of what used to be another gallery. There is a “for sale” sign on the window and when I press my face up against the glass, I can see that the entire space is completely empty. For a moment, I stand there looking inside and marveling at the stone floor and the trinity of curved windows that let in plenty of natural light.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” someone asks from behind me.
I turn to see the man who runs the gallery next door.
“Yeah, what happened to the place that was here before?”
“Eh, that was Earl’s old gallery, but he and Penny decided that they wanted to do less selling and more creating. They closed up shop and work mostly from home now.”
“So, this gallery space is for sale?”
“That’s what the sign says,” he laughs. “The owner is looking to sell it pretty quickly to the right buyer. I should know becauseIam the one who owns this whole building.”
“You’re the owner?”
“Yeah,” he chuckles again. “And I can’t afford to let the space sit empty for long so spread the word.”
He looks me over as if realizing that I likely havenofriends or acquaintances that would be interested in an art gallery. But suddenly an idea hits me—agreatidea.
I know that I am in ahugerush, but I can’t help feeling that this is too important to let lie here.
“Can you show me the inside real quick?” I ask. “What’s the asking price?”
He nods, unlocks the door, and we step inside. The asking price is minimal, although I am sure he would take less if I were to have the time and energy to barter with him.
The inside of the gallery space is gorgeous—empty but stunning, with vaulted ceilings, arched windows, and a slate gray stone floor that looks way to trendy to be here in this little town. I take all of about three seconds to look it over before making my decision.
“I’ll take it.”
The guy looks at me as if I’m joking.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, I’ll give you what you’re asking, plus a few thousand extra if you can expedite the whole process and toss me the keys.”
“Deal!” he says eagerly as he thrusts his hand out toward me.
I reach into my pocket to pull out another check, this time, writing a generous amount in the blank and handing it to him along with my business card.
“Just call this number. Tori will take care of whatever logistics you need done. Drop by any paperwork at my office and I will sign as soon as I get back into work.”
He grins when he looks at the amount on the check.
“I know you’re that fancy billionaire,” he says as he pulls out the keys to the gallery and drops them in the palm of my hand. “So, I know your check is good.”
“Thanks!” I say as I spin around on my heels to leave. “Sorry to cut this short but I need to leave.”
“No problem, I’ll lock up for you!”
I nod in appreciation and just as I am about to walk out the door, Lorna rushes in.
“I saw you through the window,” she says sounding winded and upset. “What are you—never mind. Chad, Seraphine is introuble!”
“What? What do you mean, what kind of trouble?”
“She went into laborduringher drive!”
“What?”
