Callie Endicott - Finally, A Family

“If the lease isn’t transferable,” she said, “I’m sure my grandmother will be happy to continue renting the property. I’ll work it out with her.”

“Please understand, we aren’t trying to throw you out,” Logan said hurriedly. “It’s just that we need to expand the agency.”

“The lease is for another three years.”

And Kevin McClaskey promised we could stay as long as we liked , Jessica wanted to tell him. She was quite certain that Uncle Kevin wouldn’t have had a problem with transferring the lease to a family member. He’d be horrified to learn the new landlords had even mentioned the matter.

“I know what’s in the lease,” Logan said, “but no matter whose name is on it, we’d hoped to discuss an accommodation that might work for all of us. This issue would have been raised, whether or not the ownership had changed. After remodeling we thought our space was adequate, but we’ve realized it isn’t. We planned to bring the matter up before, but given what happened with your grandfather...it seemed best to wait.”

Jessica fought a renewed stab of panic and reminded herself that Grams’s name could remain on the paperwork. She’d known the lease agreement wasn’t permanent, but in the past it had always been renewed automatically. Granted, she’d questioned whether the situation would change now that Uncle Kevin was no longer the landlord, but she’d figured she had three years to talk with the new owners and sort things out. Now, no matter what Logan claimed, it sounded as if he and his partners wanted the Crystal Connection gone much more quickly.

He said it was because they wanted to expand the agency’s space. But she had to wonder. His earlier comments had given her the impression that he had a low opinion of the shop and its customers. Perhaps he felt it wasn’t as highbrow as his talent agency and didn’t want her next door.

Some people thought it was ludicrous to be passionate about crystals, particularly when metaphysical beliefs were part of the attraction. But she knew folks who thought modeling was a skewed and ridiculous business.

“What do you mean by accommodation?” she asked warily.

“For one thing, this is a very large building. It covers the better part of a city block. There’s space down around the end, off the smaller road. The Crystal Connection could move into one of the available rentals for the same rent, with over twice the square footage.”

“Except we have easy parking here. More importantly, the street out front is a busy thoroughfare. Our visibility nets a huge amount of drop-in business.”

The expression on Logan’s face didn’t flicker. “It isn’t a big deal for someone to park and walk around the back of the building. And there are ways to minimize the impact of moving. Signs, advertising, that sort of thing. You must have a contact list for your regular customers.”

Jessica seriously doubted advertising was the solution. She’d already heard new customers saying it was the large display windows that had enticed them into visiting. The back of the building bordered on a one-way street so narrow it almost functioned as an alley. The store would come off like a hole in the wall, hiding from the world. She shook herself and remembered that Logan was waiting for an answer.

“We don’t have a contact list. Not yet. My grandparents didn’t do mailings or promote on the internet. I put out a sign-up sheet last week, but it’s just a start.”

“The move wouldn’t have to be done immediately. If you’re interested, I found rental listings for other locations, too.”

Jessica wasn’t interested; she was insulted. So he’d found a few available rentals. How very patronizing of him. Not to mention presumptuous. It was as if he expected to snap his fingers and have the whole situation resolved to his satisfaction. Moreover, with either solution, the Crystal Connection would be neatly tucked out of his tender sight. He might not even lose sleep if she went out of business altogether.

She gave him a tight smile. “It’s early to be looking at other rentals, and if needed, I can certainly find them on my own.”

His cool brown eyes were unreadable. “Yes, naturally.”

“As for a contact list,” she continued, “while I think it’s a good idea, it has no relationship to walk-in traffic. Location is everything.” Still annoyed, Jessica felt another wave of anxiety. She had three years before she had to do what Logan and Moonlight Ventures wanted, but they could make life miserable for her in the interim.

Her gaze fell to the counter by the cash register. The wood was warmly burnished from years of use and polishing, and there were various dents and grooves. Decorators would likely call it “distressed.” It was a part of her childhood. As a little girl she’d perched on it and watched her grandparents unpacking merchandise. Sitting on a stool, she’d leaned over its wooden surface and drawn pictures or strung crystal necklaces with her grandmother.

On one of her summer-long visits with her grandparents, she’d written numerous letters to her parents on that counter. Back at home, she’d found them with the junk mail, never opened. Her folks hadn’t meant to be uncaring—from their perspective, they’d been working for their family’s security, providing a large home, putting money away for college and building a diversified financial portfolio. Though hurt, she’d gathered up the letters and put them in her memory box.

A group of customers came in and Logan moved aside, appearing to study a display of books on crystals, geology and rock collecting. His expression suggested poorly concealed scorn at their enthusiasm, though she tried not to read too much into it. When it got right down to it, he might feel that way about everything. But as far as she was concerned, true sophistication included an open appreciation of the world.

Once the shoppers were busy looking at merchandise, Logan returned to the counter. “What do you say?” he asked in a low voice. “Is it all right if we discuss this further?”

She couldn’t refuse and risk antagonizing one of the building’s owners. “I suppose, provided you know I haven’t agreed to anything. I don’t want to make a decision too quickly.”

“Naturally.” He gave her a crooked grin. “My friends and I talked and planned for years before changing our careers. Of course, we hope to resolve the situation faster with you.”

“I understand,” she said in a neutral tone.

“Could I take you to dinner Thursday night? That way we can have some uninterrupted time. If you have plans for Thursday, what about the evening after?”

She didn’t have any “plans” to coordinate around, no appointments and certainly no dates. Being a single mother made socializing tricky. Now that she lived next door to her grandmother, childcare wouldn’t be a problem, but she wasn’t eager to explore love again. And she hadn’t been in the Seattle area long enough to have much else on her social calendar except for her committee work to get an urgent care medical clinic started in Regen Valley.

“Thursday should be fine,” she said, “provided Grams is available to watch Cyndi.”

“I’d suggest bringing your daughter along, but it would be better to talk business with just the two of us.”

“Right.”

Privately she wondered what Logan’s attitude might be toward single mothers. She’d met more than one guy who had personal rules about not dating a woman with “encumbrances.” That was fine with her. Even if she’d been interested in finding someone, she wouldn’t get involved with a man who saw children that way.

“By the way,” he said, “to keep things simple, I’ll be the only one at Moonlight Ventures discussing this with you. We thought it was best to have a single contact point, also to limit mix-ups in communication.”