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“Thanks.” Tori got to her feet, and when Tino joined her, she couldn’t resist giving him a hug. When she let go of him, he stepped back with a bashful smile.
“I’m glad you’re here, Tori. I know that your mom’s thrilled to have you living close by. If there’s ever any way that I can help you guys out, you just let me know.”
She gave him another hug. He was awesome! “Thank you so much. I’m really looking forward to working with you. It’s going to be great; I know it.”
“Have you named the place yet?”
She made a face. “We haven’t. It’s crazy. At first, it felt like we had all the time in the world to come up with the right name, but now it’s coming down to the wire.”
“It’ll come,” said Tino.
Tori looked around. “How did you name this place?”
“I didn’t. It’s named after my father – it was his restaurant for years.”
Tori nodded. “My friend has a restaurant back in Napa. It was her father’s restaurant, too, but he named it after her.” She thought about it for a moment. “Do you think Xander’s is a good name for a sports bar?”
Tino shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think. The two of you will come up with the right name; I know you will.”
She checked her watch again. “We will. And I need to run. We’re meeting with our realtor this afternoon.”
“Good luck and get going. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks, Tino. See you soon.”
She felt bad as she climbed into the truck. She’d told Xander that if she was done in time, she’d pick him up from the gym. If not, he’d have to meet her at the realtor’s office. They needed to get a second vehicle already. They’d thought they’d be fine to get by with one, but with all the running around they were both doing, it wasn’t working too well.
When she pulled up in front of the realtor’s office, she decided that their second vehicle needed to be something smaller. She liked this truck, but she sucked at parallel parking.
She got as close to the curb as she could and then gave up. She could see Xander inside, talking to Dallas.
“Hi,” said Crystal, who manned the front desk. “Xander’s already here with Dallas. Would you like a drink or anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.” She followed Crystal over to Dallas’s desk, where Xander greeted her with a peck on the cheek.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not,” said Xander. “I was here a few minutes early.”
Dallas smiled. “You’re right on time, and I’m happy to tell you that the inspection came back fine, and the sellers are eager to move forward.”
She grinned at Xander. “Are we?”
He nodded happily. “I believe we are, unless you’ve changed your mind?”
She laughed. “You know better than that.”
“There’s just one thing I wanted to talk to you guys about,” said Dallas. “If you’re okay with it, I want to ask Austin, my brother, to handle things for you from now on.”
Tori exchanged a look with Xander before asking, “Why?”
“Because the sellers are friends of mine – that’s why I was helping them to list it. I just think it’s better for you if he represents you.” He smiled. “And besides, he is the broker. He has years of experience over me.”
Tori nodded. “I’m okay with that, if you are?” she asked Xander.
“It’s fine by me.” He looked at Dallas. “I don’t want you missing out, though.”
“It’s fine. It’s all good.”
