LITMIR.BIZ

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pay.”

      “I know you’re right,” Regina said, “but we have to try.”

      “I’ll bring you the information tomorrow.”

      “When do we have to be out?” Amelie asked.

      “Six weeks from the first of next month. I wanted to give you some time to find someplace new to sell your things.”

      “Six weeks for upstairs, as well?” Regina asked.

      “Yes, ma’am, the whole building’s gone. He worked for some kind of investment firm. He’ll probably turn it into another restaurant or something. Said he had someone come check it out just a couple of weeks ago.”

      Regina went to the cash register and returned with the rent check.

      “Here is this month’s rent. We wouldn’t think of not paying it.”

      Amelie gave her a wry look but went along.

      Mr. Lundstrum crumpled the check in his hand and left it on the table.

      “No, dear, no. You’ll need that to find another place to live in, another shop. I know I’m going back on my word to you. I told you I would wait and sell this place to you, didn’t I? Give you time to fix it up a bit and get her going. Didn’t I?”

      Tears filled Regina’s eyes and spilled down her face. Her dream for the shop was being ripped away. “Yes.”

      Amelie’s arms went around her shoulders and the two women hugged one another.

      “Don’t cry,” Amelie said. “You never cry. Now you’ll start me crying.”

      But Amelie was already crying, as well.

      “I gave my word,” said Mr. Lundstrum. “And here I am going back on it. It’s the last thing I wanted to do. And you’ve got only two months to figure things out and move. I’m so sorry, girls. We just had to take it. Else I don’t know what we’d do for tuition next fall. But that means the least I can do is cut you some slack on the last two months of rent. I won’t take it, no matter what you do.”

      “We appreciate it. We really do,” Amelie said.

      Regina pulled herself together and let out a deep sigh.

      “Thank you, Mr. Lundstrum. Thank you. We understand that you would have waited for us if you could have. And we appreciate you giving us a break on the rent to help us move.”

      “Y’all start looking for a place right away. Won’t be easy to find one in this neighborhood.”

      “It’ll be impossible to find one here,” Amelie said, but Regina gave her a look that stopped her from going on.

      “We’ll start looking,” Regina said. “I’ll let you know what we find.”

      After walking Mr. Lundstrum to the door, Amelie flipped the store sign to Closed and locked the door and leaned against it.

      “What are we going to do?”

      Regina heard the devastation in Amelie’s voice.

      “I don’t know. I don’t know. This changes our whole business plan—everything. We’ll need to find a new space—”

      “And it sure won’t be in the art district,” Amelie said. “There isn’t a vacancy anywhere around here, and if there is, we can’t afford it.”

      “We can check, but I know you’re right. That’s how we ended up here.”

      Regina was on the verge of tears again. She looked around the shop, at all they had done already, all the money they’d invested in fixing things up. But she didn’t want to give in to those tears. It wasn’t hopeless; it was just overwhelming.

      “We can’t figure it all out right now,” she said. “Let’s finish the day as usual and then start to create some kind of plan tonight—when to go looking for other places, how to move things, where things can go in the meantime.”

      “You’re right. I have to get these pieces to the consignment store and then get to my sister’s shower with a present. It’s too early to panic,” Amelie said, but Regina could read the disappointment in her voice. “Let’s talk tonight.”

      After Amelie left, Regina tried to carry on with her regular tasks, but her mind kept churning. If they couldn’t find a place in the art district, maybe they should try to get a space downtown. But that would be way out of their price range. Their business proposal wouldn’t float without a location. They even needed an address for their website.

      She worked as efficiently as she could on the mosaic for the installation. All of a sudden, that project took on a whole new significance. A couple thousand dollars could make a big difference right now for her apartment search.

      Of course she had some money in her savings, and she had her morning job, which could always pay rent. And her parents would always let her come back home temporarily, but she had no intention of asking them for assistance. She had to figure this out.

      A man had come in offering more than the asking price for the place. He probably knew it was worth more than Mr. Lundstrum was asking, too.

      Regina’s mind suddenly flew to Nigel—flashing five-thousand-dollar checks around and wearing his fancy suits. He had had a case for his business cards, and if she remembered correctly, his card said he worked at an investing firm. He was also the only one she could think of who hadn’t come in shopping. Could he have been the one to make an offer on the place? Did he know that she was planning to buy it? He could see that they were trying to fix it up; he might have assumed that they were trying to get it. If it was him, she was going to be angry as a wet cat.

      In fact, the more she thought about the possibility, the angrier she got. Maybe he wanted it as leverage to try to get her back. There he was thinking he could buy her again. Or it could be that he was trying to get back at her for not seeing him. Or... What else, she didn’t know, but she sure as hell was going to find out.

      It was three o’clock, and no customers were there. She could close the store for a couple of hours and probably not miss a sale. She called Amelie to let her know, ran upstairs for Nigel’s business card and got in her car.

      Chapter 5

      She could tell from the outside of the building that she would feel out of place entering the investment and accounting firm of Hoffman, Johnson and Dowd, and when the elevators opened on their floor, she knew she hadn’t been mistaken. They had plush beige carpets, mahogany furniture and expensive art in the lobby, and she was greeted simultaneously by two receptionists. Everything about the place was swank.

      “How may I help you?” one of the receptionists asked.

      “I’m here to see Nigel Johns, and no, I do not have an appointment.”

      “Who may I say is here?”

      “Regina Gibson.”

      “Does he know what you’re here about?”

      “I believe he does.”

      “He has someone in his office right now, but as soon as he’s free, I’ll let him know. Please have a seat.”

      The receptionist gestured toward the waiting area, but Regina didn’t feel like sitting down.

      “Can I get you coffee, a soda?”

      “No, thank you.”

      She remained standing but moved off to the side.

      She spotted the door marked Nigel Johns from her spot in front of the receptionist’s desk, and though she didn’t have an appointment, she moved right for it when she saw it swing open. Her orange capris, African-print chemise tank and flat gold sandals may not fit in with the decor, but her anger made her more than assertive.

      Конец

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