Free Heartsville 05 - Bloom Box (Cate Ashwood) by Heartsville Page A

back of my mind, that I would take it over, whether or not you wanted to keep the business. But if you’re willing to be my partner, that’s all I could ever want.”
    “You’re sure about this?”
    “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. We can do this, Will. Bloom Box is already successful, and I think with the right marketing and the right partnerships, we could easily expand.”
    “If you’re all in, I’m all in,” Will said with decided determination in his words.
    “I’m definitely in.”
     
     
    The phone call to Walt went better than Will could have ever hoped for. He listened patiently as Will explained their proposition, and even more patiently as Milo interjected with a rambling description of exactly what their long-term plans were.
    Walt chuckled as Milo finished up his chattering and took a deep breath before he answered. It was in that moment Will’s heart almost stopped beating, but then he spoke.
    “Your proposal couldn’t have come at a better time. The arrangement with the man who was supposed to take over your lease fell through, and because of it Victor has been urging me to sell. He wants me to give up some of the responsibility that comes with being a landlord so we would have more freedom to travel. He’s right, and I can’t think of better people to sell to. If you’re interested in buying the other half of the building in the future, please let me know.”
    “That’s amazing,” Milo said, and Will suppressed a laugh at the sight of Milo’s happy dance over the news.
    “You boys sound like you’ve got good heads on your shoulders. I think you’re going to be very successful in all your endeavors.”
    “Thank you so much, Walt,” Will said.
    “You’ve been in the neighborhood a long time,” Milo said. “Would you have any suggestions for who we should talk to?”
    “The neighborhood has changed so much in recent years, and I regret to say that I haven’t kept up with who has moved in and out. I believe there is a photographer nearby, but I couldn’t tell you his name. You should talk to Teddy Carbone. He’s a lot younger than I am, but he’s been around almost as long. He runs the Oasis Theater. He’s one of the kindest people you’d ever hope to meet. I’m sure he could steer you in the right direction.”
    “Thank you so much,” Will repeated.
    “Yes, thank you,” Milo echoed.
    “You two are most welcome. We will get together soon and draft the purchase agreement.”
    “Sounds good. Call us anytime,” Will said before hanging up the phone.
    “We’re really doing this,” Milo squealed.
    “We’re really doing this,” Will echoed.
    Milo jumped into Will’s arms, wrapping his legs tightly around Will’s waist. Automatically, Will moved his hands to Milo’s ass in a feat of multitasking to support and grope all at the same time. Tilting his head up as Milo leaned down, they sealed the start of their new venture with a kiss.
     
     
    A week later, plans were well underway to expand their upstairs apartment. The first sledgehammer hadn’t yet flown, but they were days away from beginning renovations. Will had made arrangements for them to stay at the River Pointe for two weeks while the worst of the demolition took place. It wasn’t officially a honeymoon, since they weren’t even engaged—not yet anyway—but Will felt a bit like it was. A vacation close to home in a fancy boutique hotel, just the two of them, for two weeks.
    Of course they would still need to go into the shop every day, which would hopefully be unaffected by the construction work upstairs, but Will would take what he could get. Maybe one day soon, they could have a honeymoon for real.
    In the meantime, he was more than happy with the way his life had turned out. He truly believed Milo was it for him, and he’d finally given up on the notion that Milo might one day leave him. They were good. Better than good.
    A morning of shopping for new old furniture at Vintage