“Don’t mention coffee.” She groaned dramatically and shoved at his arm. “Asshole.”
Ducking his head, Cameron grinned at her sheepishly. “Sorry.”
While he knew things weren’t going to be easy for his sister, he was looking forward to meeting his new niece or nephew. That was going to be the most loved, most spoiled baby on the planet. Their dad had cried when Natalie had finally told him she was pregnant. Since then, he hadn’t stopped talking about teaching his grandson to fish andcamp and tie boat knots. He was, after all, sure it was going to be a boy.
Their mother had bought hundreds of dollars’ worth of baby clothes over the weekend, but at least they’d all been gender-neutral. Even Asher had broached the subject of baby furniture, wondering if Natalie would object to him outfitting the nursery.
It really was far too early in the pregnancy to be thinking about any of those things, let alone actually paying money for them, but Cameron had kept his opinion to himself. Despite his own reservations, he didn’t want to dampen their excitement.
“Oh, hey, do I need to bring anything tomorrow night?”
Cameron shook his head. “No, I think we’ve got it covered, but thanks.”
When Asher had first brought up the idea of a party, Cameron had been hesitant. There was so much going on, and with the interview looming ahead of them, he really thought they needed to remain focused on getting Asher prepared. Asher had argued that the excuses Cameron had given were exactly the reasons inviting their closest friends over for a night of fun was a great idea.
He’d been so damn excited about the idea Cameron hadn’t been able to tell him no. As the week wore on, and the stress mounted, he finally had to concede that Asherwas probably right. A night to let loose and forget their problems was exactly what they needed.
“I think that’s it up there.” Bouncing a little on her toes, Natalie pointed to a small, brick-faced storefront three buildings down from where they stood. “Oh, it’s cute!”
That was one word for it, but not the one Cameron would have chosen. Dilapidated. Rundown. An absolute shithole. Those were all much more accurate descriptions.
Years of grime coated the bricks, turning many of them nearly black. The large display window wasn’t much better. The glass was so caked in dirt he couldn’t even see his reflection in it as he neared the building. The awning hung at an angle, one corner dipping dangerously toward the sidewalk as if it might come tumbling down at any moment. Vulgar graffiti had been spray-painted across the sheet of plywood that covered the door, and a suspicious red splatter stained the concrete near the corner.
The place looked abandoned, as if it hadn’t been occupied by anything more than rats and cockroaches in years, maybe decades. It was such an eyesore next to the other beautifully maintained shops on the street he wondered why someone hadn’t torn it down and built something more suitable in its place.
“Natalie, no, not this place.”
“It’s not that bad.” She moved closer to the windows, rising up on her tiptoes to peer through the glass. “It just needs a good cleaning, a little paint—”
“A bulldozer,” Cameron muttered. “Maybe a match.”
Natalie flipped him off over her shoulder but didn’t say anything else.
With the lease up on her current place at the end of the year, he understood she didn’t have a lot of time to find a new location for her store. She could do a lot better than this, though. Sure, it was a good location, and her shop would be a perfect addition to the neighborhood. Express Yourself, with its eclectic mix of home décor and furnishings, would fit right in among the coffee houses, vegan bakeries, and New Age shops.
None of that would matter if the building literally collapsed on top of her, though.
“Look, there’s the realtor.” Smiling like she’d just found some hidden treasure, she waved enthusiastically to the silver SUV that pulled into a parking spot along the curb. “Don’t be such a killjoy. Let’s at least see the inside before you completely write it off as a dump.”
When she hurried away to greet the real estate agent without waiting for a response, Cameron sighed and dug his phone out of his pocket. He snapped a couple of pictures of the outside, then sent them to Asher.
Cameron: This is apparently “cute.”
A few seconds later, Asher sent back a picture of an enormous whiteboard that had been completely covered in photographs, diagrams, and red marker.
Asher: I’ll trade you.
Cameron: Deal. Maybe you’d have better luck talking some sense into my sister, because she’s not listening to me.
Asher: It’s not that bad. Just needs a little TLC.
Cameron rolled his eyes so hard his head hurt. He couldn’t believe Asher was actually siding with Natalie. What the hell did they see in the place anyway?
Asher: What’s the inside like?
Cameron: Haven’t seen it yet.
Asher: Then, how do you know it won’t work? Maybe it’ll surprise you.
