Free Envious by Cheryl Douglas

Elliott.”
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, and it’s Cynthia.” Her eyes glided to Chris’s car. “My youngest son would go crazy over this car. Not that he’d ever be able to afford it.” She winked. “He’s still working on paying off those student loans.”
    “I remember what that’s like,” Chris said, chuckling. As a truck driver, his father couldn’t afford to put four boys through college. They’d all paid their own way, working odd jobs and incurring debt so they could finish school.
    “Well, why don’t I show you the building?” Cynthia said, leading the way toward the front door.
    “What can you tell us about this place?” Chris settled his hand on the small of Katie’s back as she preceded him up the narrow stone path to the front doors.
    “Well, it was a real estate office. In fact, I had my office here, but my broker felt we needed something a little bigger, closer to the downtown core.”
    “Makes sense,” Chris said, keeping his eye on Katie as they passed through the two sets of doors. The smell of fresh paint assailed them. “The place has been completely renovated?”
    “It has.” Cynthia switched on lights from a panel near the front door. “It’s about twenty-five years old, so it was definitely time for a face-lift. What kind of business do you have?”
    “Katie is a pre-school teacher,” Chris supplied as Katie wandered, poking her head into each door lining the wide hallway. “She’d like to open a private pre-school.”
    “Oh, this building would be perfect for something like that,” Cynthia said, smiling. “There’s a full kitchen, two bathrooms, a rear exit, main office, and ten generous rooms that would be ideal classrooms.”
    Even in the early evening, the expansive windows let in a lot of light, bathing each room in a soft glow. With the neutral floors and walls, Katie could easily imagine the space alive with brightly colored learning aids, long tables for arts and crafts, and miniature chairs. Katie strolled to the back of the building knowing her wide-eyed expression must be conveying her feelings to Chris and Cynthia. She was in love.
    “Do you like what you see, Ms. Elliott?” Cynthia asked when Katie returned.
    “It’s lovely,” Katie said, smiling. “And it’s Katie, please.”
    “That’s my future daughter-in-law’s name,” Cynthia said, beaming. “She’s a lovely girl. She and my son have been dating for years. I can’t wait until they finally tie the knot this fall.”
    Katie smiled politely. She was sure Chris could tell her mind was somewhere else.
    “Do you have a feature sheet or any additional information we could scan over dinner?” he asked.
    “Oh, of course,” Cynthia said. “I don’t know where my mind is tonight. I should have given you this as soon as we walked in.” She reached into the black leather folder she’d been carrying and passed him a glossy brochure. Katie looked over Chris’s shoulder and spotted the asking price in the top corner. $1.7 million.
    “Do you think zoning will be an issue?” he asked Cynthia.
    “I don’t believe so. But if you choose to make an offer, you can build in a contingency for due diligence, just to make sure you won’t have any problems with licensing or bi-laws.”
    “Great.” Chris glanced at Katie. “Do you have any questions?”
    She was overwhelmed, not only by the prospect of starting a business, but by the asking price for the property. He was supposed to lend her fifty thousand dollars for a forty percent stake in her business, not buy a building to house her fantasies. “Um, no.” She turned her attention to Cynthia. “Thank you so much for showing us the space. It’s really lovely.”
    “It was my pleasure.” She offered her hand to Katie then Chris. “Please let me know if you have any additional questions or would like to set up another appointment to view the space with your own contractors. Just in case a build-out is necessary to meet your