Bonnie Winn - Family by Design

Again no reaction from J.C. Had they somehow irritated him? “Everything all right?”

“Hmm.” Distracted, he glanced up from the chart. “I’m sorry, what?”

She frowned. “I said, is everything all right?”

He shrugged, then exhaled. “Not really.”

She searched his expression. “Chrissy?”

J.C. explained the emergency call and his neighbor’s heart attack.

“That’s dreadful!”

“Chrissy’s inconsolable.”

“Of course,” Lillian spoke up, surprising both of them. “A child must always feel safe. It’s the parents’ job to make sure of that.”

Maddie wanted to wince for him. Still … “It’s hard to hear, but true. J.C., you need help. And frankly, Mom and I could use the babysitting money.”

“In the middle of the night?” he responded.

“Middle of the night, morning, after school, whenever we’re needed. We don’t exactly have a schedule carved in stone. You can drop Chrissy by if you get a call in the night. It’s not ideal, but it’s far better than leaving her alone.”

He glanced at Lillian. “You have more to consider than just Chrissy.”

“Do you have any tea, young man?” Lillian questioned, apparently now off the subject at hand.

J.C. sharpened his gaze. “No, Mrs. Carter, but I’m pretty sure your daughter does.” He pushed the office intercom. “Didi? Could you bring in a cup of coffee for Mrs. Carter?”

“Sure, boss.”

There was a soft knock on the exam room door, then Didi pushed it open. As she brought the coffee and tray with creamer and sugar, J.C. took Maddie’s elbow, steering her to the other side of the room.

“Have you thought any more about your tea shop?”

Puzzled, she shook her head. “You know I can’t—”

“You want a shop. I have a building that needs a tenant. More important, I have a niece who needs someone besides me in her life. She looks at every housekeeper and nanny I’ve hired as a threat, someone set up to take her mother’s place. But she likes you. She likes Lillian.” He glanced over at the older woman. “You have to admit your mother couldn’t threaten a bug.”

“But—”

“Chrissy wants to live in the building on Main Street.”

Maddie blinked.

J.C. told her about the two apartments above the business level. “They haven’t been lived in for a while. Jay’s parents lived in one until they passed away. Then Jay used them mostly for storage the past few years, but both could be made livable without a lot of work.”

“Even if that was a viable option, Mom can’t handle stairs.”

“Jay had an elevator put in for his parents.”

Maddie glanced over at her mother who was busily chatting with Didi about African violets. “Even so …”

“It would be an enormous help to me. You and your mother are right. Chrissy should feel safe. With you directly across the hall, she would.”

“We have our house …” Maddie tried to think of all the considerations.

“You mentioned needing money. Renting it out would give you a nice income. Not to mention what you make in the shop.”

“I’ve told you, I don’t have the money to start a business.”

“Let me be your silent partner. Wagner Hill House has been a worry. I don’t want it rented by some cheesy tourist outfit or chain restaurant. And if the building sits empty too long, it won’t be good for the town.”

Overwhelmed, Maddie stared at him. “Just like that? Up and move? Start a business with no money?”

“Just like that,” he replied calmly. “What are your concerns?”

“Endless. My mother—”

“Would benefit from more interaction with people. That’s a medical opinion.”

She waved her hands in the air. “Fixing up the apartments.”

“I have friends in the contracting business. Next.”

“Renting out our house.”

“I have a friend in real estate.”

She plopped her hands on both hips. “Don’t tell me, you have a friend in tearooms, as well?”

His eyes softened a fraction. “I hope so.”

Her heart did a little two-step that dried her throat. “It’s so much to take in.”

“It’s trite, but every journey begins with a step. Think Sam might stand in for you while we take a look at the apartments?”

“I suppose, but—”

“Good. How about tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow?” she couldn’t keep the shock from her voice.

The smile she remembered was back on his face. “Unless you want to see them tonight?”

By morning, Maddie decided she was out of her mind. A sleepless night only confirmed the diagnosis. Now, a few hours later, Sam was perched on one of the kitchen chairs while Maddie turned on the electric kettle.

“I think it’s a great idea!” Sam nibbled on a cookie. “I hope you plan to stock these. I could eat a dozen by myself.”

Maddie rubbed her forehead, wondering why she’d given in to J.C.’s suggestion to phone Sam and set up the late-morning meeting. “You’ve just put at least a dozen carts before the horse. The more I think about J.C.’s idea—”

“Then stop thinking. Maddie, he’s right. It’s a good solution for all of you. J.C. needs help. Chrissy needs some stability in her life. Your mother will blossom—you know how she loves company. And you …”

“Can’t finish that one, can you?”

“Actually I can, but you’re too prickly right now to lis ten.”

“Prickly?”

“You’re not a martyr. I know that. But you’re refusing to think beyond today. You’re cutting corners now. How many are left? Do you see the cost of living shrinking in the next decade? And even though we don’t want to think about it, Lillian’s medical expenses could rise significantly. A business could give you the means to make sure you can take care of her. And, stubborn friend, what’s wrong with you having some happiness? Pursuing your dream?”

Maddie swallowed. She’d purposely pushed their financial future to the corners of her thoughts, hoping that somehow it would work out. “And if the business is a big flop?”

Sam shook her head gently. “I doubt that’s possible. But if it did, we’d be here for you—your friends, your neighbors.”

Sighing Maddie plunked down into a chair across from her friend. “This is all going too fast. I barely know J.C.”

“That could change,” Sam suggested hopefully.

Maddie swallowed. That was about the scariest part of the whole venture.

J.C. was highly aware of Maddie’s reluctance. He’d all but dragged her from her house. Feeling like a used car salesman, he’d talked up the place during the short drive to Main Street. Now, he inserted the key in the lock. Unused since Jay’s death, the building seemed to echo with the loss. Jay’s employees had scattered. Some were old enough to retire, the rest had found other jobs when the company closed. Without Jay’s networking, the place would have crawled to a halt, so J.C. had chosen the only practical option.

Still, their footsteps rang in the emptiness.

“What happened to the equipment?” Maddie whispered.

“Sold it.” His voice seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet. Finding a multiple light switch, he flipped all the levers. Fluorescent lights glared overhead. Seeing Maddie wince, he turned all but one off. “You’d have to imagine it without the commercial additions.” He pointed toward the walls on the east side. “The original moldings are still in place. Jay updated the lighting and wiring for his business. But Wagner Hill House was built in the 1890s.”

Maddie glanced around uncertainly. “The wood floors are still good.” She stared upward at the ugly drop ceiling.

“The original’s still under those panels. Be easy to restore. Of course you have to look past the dust.”