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“It is.” Ginny gave Cate a searching look. “I get the feeling these aren’t idle questions.”
“Busted.” Cate smiled. “Seeing your cute shop has suddenly made me wonder about starting my own store here.” She swallowed, forcing a light tone. “I was supposed to open a gallery in Atlanta with a friend, but the project fell through. I have some savings. What would you think about the kind of place where someone could buy a baby gift or a graduation present? Maybe a small piece of art for a bedroom or bathroom. That kind of thing.” Cate realized this idea had been percolating in her subconscious ever since she decided to come to Blossom Branch.
Ginny’s face lit up. “That sounds amazing. And honestly, we don’t have anything exactly like that. You should call a Realtor. There’s a place across the park that just came on the market.”
“Seriously?”
“Only yesterday, I think. Someone will snap it up. You’ll have to move fast.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Cate said. A gaggle of customers entered, so Cate headed for the door.
“Keep me posted,” Ginny called out as she started dipping cones.
Thirty minutes later, Cate found herself hovering impatiently in front of a vacant shop front, waiting for the listing agent. Making this appointment was probably too impulsive, too spontaneous. But hadn’t fate plopped this possibility in her lap? It wouldn’t hurt to test it out.
So far, she’d been able to ascertain that an older couple had operated a furniture store at this address for three decades. Now they were both retired. No one wanted to take over the existing business, so the assets had been sold.
She looked up the tax records online and studied the price.
Everything seemed in order.
When the agent arrived, he introduced himself and unlocked the double front doors. “It’s a large space,” he said. “The previous owners used the second floor for inventory storage. But you could easily add a wall or two and have an apartment up there.”
The more Cate explored, the more her veins fizzed with excitement. She had the strongest urge to call Harry and have him come look, too. But she stopped herself. She was a grown woman. She could make decisions without her rescuer overseeing every detail.
Still, doubts threatened. What did she know about starting a business on her own? She and Jason had planned to tackle a project together. Was that another dream Cate had to give up, or could she trust her instincts? Maybe this situation was easier and less messy than relationships. Besides, she had the significant cash wedding gift from her parents. They had insisted she keep it. That was the biggest hurdle.
When the tour was complete, Cate didn’t let herself dither. She had to learn to follow her instincts. “I’d like to put down earnest money,” she said, “and then consider my options for forty-eight hours and come up with an offer. Would that work?”
The man nodded. “I’m sure that will be fine but let me check with my clients.”
Cate stood amidst the dusty, cluttered space and tried to imagine what itcouldlook like. Wasn’t this what she needed? A goal? A project? A place to pour her energies and her talents?
She wasn’t part of a couple anymore. She was a single woman with her whole life ahead of her. Starting over after what happened last weekend might be hard, but it would also help prove to herself that she wasn’t a failure.
When the agent returned, he was smiling. “They agreed to your suggestion. But they said seventy-two hours is acceptable.” Then he named a figure for the earnest money.
Cate winced. It wasn’t a ridiculously huge amount, but it wasn’t inconsequential either. If she was letting her imagination run away with her and this idea was a bust, she would be losing a significant sum of cash.
For a moment, she stared out the plate glass windows at the front of the store. On a busy Saturday, Blossom Branch hummed with activity. Cate tried to imagine herself in this very spot, interacting with customers, placing merchandise, tracking sales.
She’d been wrong about Jason. She’d been wrong about the wedding. But this was different. She had to learn to trust herself. This wasn’t something shethoughtshe should want. Sheknew.It was a place she could see herself growing and thriving.
Certainty settled into a warm glow. The knot in her stomach was excitement, not fear or concern. Shewantedthis opportunity. But she was giving herself three days to be sure.
She faced the agent and smiled. “Where do I sign?”
Cate spent another hour exploring town before she returned to her grandparents’ home. Her earlier text to Harry had mentioned an indefinite amount of time calledafter lunch. It was now almost five.
Had he been expecting her sooner? Was her absence of any concern to him? Did his habit of losing himself in work mean he hadn’t even noticed she still wasn’t back?
After the disturbing moments in the upstairs hallway last night, she was unsure about seeing him again. The fact that she never knew what he was thinking made their situation fraught with tension.
Was he bored? Did he want to be back in Atlanta? Had a promise to Jason tied him to Cate’s side?
The thought of beinganyone’sobligation frustrated her.
When she let herself into the house, two things struck her at once. Something smelled amazing. And she heard Harry singing. That couldn’t be right. It was a pop song. One that had been all over the radio for weeks now.
