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Chapter Thirteen
Ellie
I grabbed my things, taking my time. Faye threw me wide-eyed, excited looks as I went. I glared at her in return. She probably thought this was good for Ty and me, and honestly, maybe it was. But I wasn’t happy about it. Reluctantly, I followed Ty out the front door of the boutique.
We walked side by side down the street. Ty smiled at me as I hugged my arms over my chest, trying to avoid his gaze. It was a perfect spring day, not too hot and not too humid. The sky was clear and blue and other than a few people sitting outside by the ice cream shop, there weren’t a whole lot of people downtown. They were probably out at the parks or on the river, which explained why the boutique had been dead.
I halted as we passed the coffee shop, but Ty kept walking. “Um,” I said, and he glanced at me over his shoulder, brows raised.
“Yeah?”
I nodded toward the shop directly across the street. “The coffee shop is right there.” Had he really forgotten where it was? I mean, I know he hadn’t lived here in three years, butwow.
“I’m not bringing you to the coffee shop.” He turned and walked farther down the street.
I blinked, jogging to catch up. “But you invited me to get coffee.”
Ty nodded. “I did.”
I glared at him, resisting the urge to stomp my foot like a child. “If we aren’t getting coffee at the damn coffee shop, then where are we going?”
That smile curled his lips again. “You’ll see. We’re almost there.”
I thought about stopping and turning back around, but I was curious. I followed him, frowning the whole way to make a point.
He walked all the way down Main Street, stopping in front of a tall brick building that was separated from the rest of the shops, but had the same look and feel as the other tall, historic red brick buildings. There was a large window on the front next to the door. It looked dark inside. I think this place used to be an old gift shop, but it hadn’t been occupied in years.
I glanced at Ty, brows pinching. He grinned and dug a set of keys from his pocket.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Ty sighed. “Relax. I’m not going to kidnap you. I want to show you something.”
I watched in confusion as he unlocked the front door. The squeal of the hinges echoed inside as he opened it. He walked in, gesturing for me to follow. Cautiously, I stepped inside.
There wasn’t much of anything. A large, open room with concrete floors and…dust. Lots and lots of dust.
“What is this, Ty?”
He spread his arms wide, his eyes bright in the dim room. “It’s mine.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
He looked around the empty room as if it were one of the most amazing things he’d ever seen. “I bought it.”
“You bought…this?” He seemed excited, but I wasn’t sure why. The place looked like it hadn’t been taken care of. The high ceilings were cracked and crumbling in places. The exposed brick walls were dingy and covered in a layer of dirt and grime.
Ty nodded. “Come on, let me show you upstairs.”
He turned toward an old wood door on the far back wall. I was still stunned, having no idea why he’d buy a place like this. Or why he was so excited to show it to me. Ty could be impulsive, but why buy a whole building? It seemed like a lot, even for him.
Behind the door was a steep staircase. He started climbing, the old stairs creaked ominously and I hesitated at the bottom step.
“It’s fine,” Ty called over his shoulder. “I’ve been up and down these stairs multiple times. They’re sound.”
They didn’t look sound. With a short breath, I started to climb them, holding on to the splintered railing mounted to the wall.
At the top of the stairs, it was almost a different world from the dark, dusty room below. I walked into a spacious loft apartment. Tall, thin windows lined three of the four walls, trimmed in gorgeous dark hardwood. The ceilings here were high and instead of crumbling plaster, there were ornate tin tiles shining in the ample sunlight streaming in through the windows. A kitchen was set up near the stairs with new appliances and freshly painted cabinets.
