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“What’s wrong?” He asks, taking my other hand and trying to read my expression.
I shake my head. “Nothing. It’s stupid.” I release one hand and turn to continue down the sidewalk, but Andrew pulls me back towards him, gently.
He digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys, jingling them in front of me. “Want to go inside?”
I raise a brow. “But… how do you have those?” I ask, following him towards the building. In one swift movement, he unlocks the door and holds it open, motioning for me to walk inside. “I don’t understand. You bought this place?” I ask, making my way through the doorway.
“I did.” He answers nonchalantly.
“But, why? Aren’t you busy enough building a house and running a business? What are you even going to do with it?” I pull out my phone flashlight and use it to look into the dark, musty building.
“Well, I have some ideas.” He turns on his own phone flashlight and leads me further inside. “I could really use a space to meet clients and do paperwork. That could be done in a small room in the back corner, of course.” He continues. “I think the rest of it could easily be retail space.” He shoots me a sideways glance. “I think this would be a great place for a bookstore, to be honest.”
“Uh….” I try to interrupt, but he goes on. “Of course, the upstairs could easily be converted into a couple of apartments, or more office space. The possibilities are endless.” He shrugs. “What do you think?”
For a second, I’m lost in thought, surveying the room before I snap back to reality. “Avery told you, didn’t she?”
He shakes his head, obviously confused. “Told me what?”
I throw my hands in the air and motion around me. “About me and this stupid building.”
“What about it?”
“That I love this place. I’ve always loved it. She had to have told you I’ve dreamed of opening my bookstore in this building ever since I was a little kid.”
He shakes his head. “No, I promise she didn’t say a word about it.” He shrugs. “They just kept dropping the price lower and lower, and it had been on the market for months. I made them a low-ball offer and crossed my fingers. They accepted it with no haggling.” He shrugs again. “The rest is history. I figure if nothing else, I’ll get it fixed up and use it for rental income for office space.” He closes the space between us and pulls me closer. “But I would be lying if I said I didn’t think of you and your store when I walked in here.”
I sigh and release myself from his grip before investigating the space. I creep through the building, taking in the overwhelming amount of work that Andrew has gotten himself into. Most of the drywall is missing, and the exposed studs are all that can be seen throughout the downstairs. Well, aside from the piles of dust, dirt, and broken sheetrock.
“This is going to be a lot of work.” I tell him, biting my bottom lip.
“Luckily, I’m pretty good at this kind of thing.” He teases, elbowing me lightly.
“So, I’d rent the storefront from you?” I ask, contemplating the crazy idea.
“Yep. I’d get everything fixed down here and then it’ll be yours to decorate and fill with books.”
“And what happens if I fail? What if I’m right and Fawn Creek isn’t big enough to support a bookstore?” I counter.
“What happens if it doesn’t fail? What if it takes off and you get to live your dream?” Andrew turns towards me and rests his hands on my shoulders, attempting to calm my nerves. “Tyler. You will never know if something is going to work out until you try. Either you can go all in and see what happens, or you sit on the sidelines and wonder what could have been.”
I think back to Hazel’s note and my drawings. I think of the money she left me that I’ve been saving. My eyes move to meet Andrews. “I’m scared.” I tell him softly.
He grins. “Good. If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” He sticks a hand out for me to shake. “What do you say? Are we doing this?”
I let out a deep breath and place my hand in his. “I guess so.”
He pulls me in for a hug against his chest before kissing the top of my head. “It’s going to be great, Tyler. You just wait and see.”
I hope you’re right.
Chapter 25
“Hold on, what? He bought you a building?” Avery sits down on my couch with a cup of coffee in her hands.
“Well, no, technically he did not. He bought himself a building. He just.. he wants me to use part of it to open my bookstore.” I stare down into my cup of coffee. “This is crazy, right?”
“Crazy romantic.” Avery says with a smirk. “You’re doing it, right? You have to.”
