Love After All Read online

  It was a beautiful redbrick building, two stories. It was old and worn, but she couldn't imagine some fast-food joint or one of those fancy new drugstores replacing it.

  "I didn't know you even cared about what went on in downtown Hope."

  She really wanted to ignore Bash today. Or like ... forever. "I care about a lot of things. This place is my home. Of course I love the old mercantile building. I'd hate to see it torn down." She turned to face him. "And what about you? I wouldn't think you'd care."

  "Of course I care. What's good for the town is good for my business. It's not like I tore down the old bar and replaced it with a franchise. I like the history of our town. The mercantile is one of the oldest buildings still standing. Why they want to tear it down makes no sense to me."

  At least they were in agreement on something.

  "I love downtown," Colt said. "It's one of my favorite places to visit. I wish everyone was open today so we could shop."

  "I could open the bakery for you, Colt," Megan said. "But it might take me a few hours to fix you some croissants."

  "Please," Colt said, rubbing his stomach. "I'm already going to have to do some brutal gym time next week after all the food I've eaten the past few days."

  Megan laughed. "Then no croissants for you."

  When Sam arrived with the keys, she headed to the front door, and they all followed. She unlocked the door, then turned the knob to open it.

  It stuck.

  "Okay, that didn't work," she said.

  Reid stepped beside her. "Let me try."

  He turned the knob and gave the door a gentle shove with his shoulder. The door gave with a high-pitched squeal that made Chelsea wince.

  Reid turned to them and shrugged. "Obviously it's been a while since anyone's been in here. I assume there's power."

  Sam nodded. "Yes. I asked the mayor to have the city turn the electricity on here for the day."

  Reid looked impressed. "You do have some stroke."

  Sam laughed. "My grandmother does. She can be formidable."

  "Let me find the light switch." Reid disappeared inside for a few minutes, and then Chelsea saw the lights come on through the door. He returned.

  "It's pretty dusty inside, and since the windows are boarded up, if anyone has asthma issues, you might want to sit this one out."

  Reid moved into the building, and Sam was the first one in after him, so Chelsea followed her.

  The building was filled with old boxes and junk. Reid was right. It smelled musty, and a layer of dust coated everything.

  It was a mess.

  "Wow, this is amazing," Sam said as they made their way through the piles of junk.

  "You think so?"

  Sam nodded. "Look at the wood posts. And the staircase over there. Those handrails are stunning."

  "Besides the dust and clutter, the place has a beautiful old antique feel to it," Tony said. "Do you have any original photos of it?"

  "My grandmother does," Sam said. "She has photos of the original facade--a picture of her as a little girl standing outside the store. Her parents were visiting with the owners at the time."

  "I'll bet that's an awesome photo," Colt said.

  "It is. There used to be a soda shop inside here," Sam explained. "Grandma said she used to come in here all the time for ice cream and sodas."

  "I'd like to see what's under these ceiling panels," Reid said, then grabbed a ladder that was leaning against the wall. He climbed up and popped one of the drop panels out. "Huh. There's a tin tile ceiling under here. Needs some refurbishing, but I'm sure it's the original ceiling."

  "Amazing," Sam said. "Can I see?"

  He climbed down and held his hand out to help her climb up. "Sure. Be careful."

  "I think Reid's checking out her butt," Megan whispered as they watched Sam examine the ceiling.

  Chelsea stifled a giggle. "You might be right about that."

  The two of them certainly made a striking pair. Reid was tanned and incredibly masculine, and Samantha was petite and blond and so peaches and cream. Plus she was incredibly passionate about the mercantile. As Reid made his way through the building, the two of them stuck together like glue, talking about each piece of wood or what new treasure they might locate behind what old wall.

  Chelsea found the old business fascinating, but it wasn't like her life depended on whether it was refurbished or not. She knew Samantha loved old buildings--her flower shop was located in one of Hope's older buildings, and she knew Sam adored her shop. It appeared she and Reid had a lot in common.

  Interesting.

  But, she had to admit after they made their way upstairs and looked at the potential of the old mercantile, the building had a lot to offer. She could already envision the possibilities, and as they left and made their way back outside--and thankfully, to fresh air--everyone was chattering about it. Especially the McCormack brothers.

  "What's the verdict, Reid?" Logan asked. "Do you think it's possible to refurbish it?"

  Reid tilted his head back to study the outside of the structure. "It would take a lot of work to restore, but it's definitely doable. The question is, what do we do with it?"

  "You could do a retail establishment downstairs, and maybe office space upstairs," Samantha suggested. "Or office space downstairs, and condos upstairs. You have so much space, I think the possibilities are limitless."

  "Sam has a point," Luke said. "I think there are a lot of possibilities for this place. It sure as hell shouldn't be torn down."

  "Yeah, I can't see something new here in place of what's sitting here now." Logan grimaced. "I can still remember Dad bringing us here when we were kids. Remember?"

  "I remember," Luke said.

  "So what do you want to do?" Reid asked, turning to Logan and Luke. "Make an offer on it and buy it back from the city?"

  Logan nodded. "I like the idea. And I think we could get the people of Hope invested in the idea. They might take to restoring it much more than some new drugstore or commercial building or whatever the mayor and city council have in mind."

  "Agreed," Luke said. "It's a good investment."

  "It's an amazing old building," Tony said. "It would be a shame to lose it."

  Colt nodded. "Old buildings like this need a second chance."

  "I think if you make a case for having it named a historical building, the city would have no choice but to sell it to you," Bash said. "Then they wouldn't be able to tear it down. I know someone at the historical society who'd get right to work on it."

  Chelsea loved that idea. "And there are a lot of people who work in downtown Hope who don't want the mercantile torn down. Once word gets out that the McCormack brothers are going to make an offer to buy the building, they'll start putting pressure on the city council."

  "Agreed," Megan said. "If you're serious, I'll start making some calls."

  "All I have to do is let my mom know about this," Molly said. "I can guarantee you that within hours the entire town will know."

  Emma laughed. "This is true. Mom will get the word out fast."

  "But what about your job in Boston, Reid?" Samantha asked. "How would that work for you doing both?"

  Reid frowned. "I don't understand what you're asking."

  "You'd design and spearhead the refurbishment of this building, right?"

  He shook his head. "I can't do that. It's a great building, but I don't live here anymore. I'm sure there are some great architects who could handle the redesign."

  Sam crossed her arms. "Seriously? So you'd just walk away and abandon her?"

  "Samantha, I have a job."

  "So?" She pointed at the building. "This could be a job. A moneymaking endeavor."

  "Look, I'm willing to pitch in with my brothers and make an offer on the building. I'd even be willing to draw up preliminary plans or make suggestions. But I can't oversee this project. I have too many other things going on."

  "You own the company, Reid," Luke said. "Surely you could shift some p
rojects off to other people while you spent some time here. Might be nice having you around again for a while."

  "This is a great old building. And while we don't really like you, we could maybe stomach having you around--as long as it isn't permanent." Logan shot a smirk in his brother's direction.

  Reid studied both his brothers, then turned to everyone else, who were all giving him expectant looks. "It's not as easy as you all think. I have responsibilities."

  "It's not like this is happening tomorrow. But we need you, Reid. The town needs you." Sam sent him an imploring look.

  He focused his attention on Samantha, then sighed. "I'll think about it."

  Sam grinned. "Awesome. So now we have an action plan in place. And all of you McCormack brothers rock for doing this."

  She gave Logan and Luke hugs, then Reid, who she clung to a little bit tighter.

  "Thanks. You won't regret this."

  "I already regret it. But it is a great old building. I might enjoy sinking my teeth into this."

  "Well. Now that that's settled, I'm going home," Chelsea said. "Des and Logan's big party last night exhausted me."

  Des came over and gave her a hug. "Thank you for everything."

  Chelsea gave Des a tight squeeze. "I did nothing except enjoy being part of your happy day. Thank you for including me. I wish you and Logan a hundred years of happiness."

  Des laughed. "I'm looking forward to that hundred years. And to our honeymoon, which I need to run home and get packed for. That long movie shoot is hanging over my head, so I can't wait for some alone time with my new husband before we're separated for a bit."

  Chelsea hugged Logan, then said her goodbyes to Colt and Tony and their friends.

  "I'll call you later tonight," Emma said.

  "Sure."

  "I'll walk you to your car. I think we're all parked pretty tightly together," Bash said.

  She hadn't paid any attention to that when they'd arrived. "Okay."

  "So what do you think?" he asked.

  "About?"

  "The whole building thing."

  "I think it's a great idea. I hope Reid decides to come back to Hope to work on it. Mainly because I think Logan and Luke would like to have him around more often."

  Bash nodded. "Agreed. Would be nice to see him more."

  She stopped at her car. "Okay, so, I'll see you later."

  He barely paused long enough to give her a half wave. "Sure. See you later, Chelsea."

  She didn't know what she was expecting, but she knew it wasn't this wave of disappointment as Bash headed toward his truck and climbed in. Did she think he was going to sweep her into his arms and plant a passionate kiss on her like he had last night at the wedding? She'd been the one who'd put a stop to that and made it clear she was hesitant to enter into a--whatever it was they had been about to enter into together.

  So why did she care that they were now going their separate ways, that he hadn't lingered or said more than a few sentences to her this morning?

  She got into her car and started it up, then waited for Bash to back up and pull away so she could do the same.

  Obviously she was tired and in need of a nap. She'd had very little sleep last night, and it was clouding her normally clear judgment. Thinking about him all the time, and being around him even more, wasn't helping.

  It was time to start focusing more on her list and less on Bash. Then these feelings she was having for him would go away.

  Chapter 16

  Since Reid was in town for a few extra days, Bash sat down with him over a few beers at the bar and went over his plans to add in a kitchen.

  Lou enjoyed the run of the place while it was empty. After playing with her ball, which Reid had thrown for her what seemed about a hundred times, she ended up passed out by Bash's feet.

  Bash supplied the free beer while Reid looked over the blueprints. It was still early and the bar wasn't open yet, so the two of them sat at a table to talk and go over Bash's plans.

  "It looks solid to me," Reid said, taking a long swallow of the ale Bash had poured for him. "The only thing you might want to consider is the space out back. You could open a terrace area for the summer and serve outside as well." He put a piece of white paper over the existing blueprint and drew it out in such a hurry Bash had a hard time keeping up. "It might cost a little on the front end, but it gives you room for expansion."

  Bash studied the blueprints. "I do own the land next to and behind the bar."

  Reid nodded. "Exactly. And you might not want to do anything with it right away, but something to consider in stages."

  "One of my ideas ... for down the road, anyway, is to open a restaurant."

  Reid grabbed his beer and leaned back in the chair. "Attached to the bar or somewhere else?"

  "Somewhere else. Still in Hope, but yeah, someplace new."

  Reid's brows rose. "Expanding your empire. I like it. Do you have blueprints for that?"

  "Not yet."

  "Hmm." He sipped his ale, then grabbed his sketchbook from his bag. "Do you have ideas?"

  "Yeah."

  "Let's get to work."

  An hour later, he and Reid had roughed out a sketch of Bash's restaurant idea, which up to this point had mostly been in his head. To see it on paper was very cool, and he was glad to have Reid there to sketch out his vision. He could already picture the tables, the booths, the way the kitchen would look, and how many people the restaurant would seat.

  "I think if you start by expanding here at the bar and serving meals--and it's a success--"

  "Which it will be."

  Reid grinned. "Of course it will be, because you're getting a great chef. Anyway, once you've planted the seed that you serve food as well as drinks, it's a natural progression to opening a restaurant."

  "I've already talked to Jason about that. It's the reason he's willing to come aboard and cook for me at the bar."

  Reid smiled and nodded. "My man. You've got a business plan."

  "I do. Hard to believe when I was cutting high school classes with your brother all those years ago that I'd end up employed, let alone maybe a little successful."

  Reid grinned. "Yeah. Hard to believe. I thought I was the only one who'd end up without a jail record."

  Bash laughed. "You were always the smart one. Stayed in school, head down and focused. Look at you now."

  "Look at all of us now. We're doing okay."

  "We are." He poured another ale for Reid and grabbed a bottle for himself, since he had plenty of time before the bar opened this afternoon.

  "One of the things I'm thinking about when all this starts is to open for lunch."

  Reid propped his feet up on a nearby chair. "Don't you already work enough hours?"

  "I'd have someone else work the lunch shift and I'd come in later in the day, like I do now."

  "Must make it hard on your dating life to work late at night."

  Bash took a sip of his beer. "I do all right."

  "I don't know, man. You're getting up there in years, like Logan, and I don't see a wedding ring on your finger yet."

  "Hey, I've been down that road before and don't intend to do it again. The single life is fine for me, and believe me, I'm not hurting for dates."

  "Yeah? Who've you been dating?"

  "Uh ... the last one was a girl named Gerri. She dumped her Chihuahua on me." Bash looked down at Lou. "That's how I ended up with Lou."

  Reid arched a brow. "Lou was her dog?"

  Bash recounted the story of how he'd ended up with Lou, and Reid shook his head. "I don't understand women. It's all good in the beginning, and then after three dates they're planning your wedding. That's some scary shit."

  "Sounds like you've had some experience."

  "Let's just say I don't know how to pick 'em and leave it at that." Reid took a long swallow of his beer.

  "Well, join the club."

  Reid laughed. "So how's it working out with Lou so far?"

  "Actually, I like her.
She chewed my shoe, but otherwise, we're getting along fine."

  "At least you got a great dog out of the deal. Women-wise, anyone else on the horizon?"

  Bash's thoughts immediately strayed to Chelsea, but that was obviously going nowhere. "Not right now."

  "You've got your hands full with the bar, anyway."

  "True. And what about you?"

  "I see plenty of women. After a couple relationships I can only classify as disasters, I'm content to keep things low-key. I have a heavy travel schedule anyway, and a lot of women don't have patience for that. So I tend to get dumped a lot."

  "Too bad."

  Reid shrugged. "I'm okay with that. I like my work."

  "Speaking of work, what do you think about the mercantile?"

  "It's ... intriguing."

  "Just intriguing?"

  "Yeah. Under all those layers of dust, old walls, and shit ceilings, she's a beauty just waiting to be rediscovered. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like to dig in and make her shine again." Reid studied his glass of ale, as if he might be considering the idea. "I don't know. I've kind of gotten used to living in Boston."

  Bash noticed he didn't say he loved living there, though. "But you are the boss. If you had to shuffle some things around and work here for a while, you could do that, right?"

  "Maybe. I'll leave the politics and making an offer on the building to Luke and Logan. We'll see what happens after that." He left it there and finished his beer, then took off.

  Bash cleaned up and readied the bar for opening, thinking a lot about his conversation with Reid as he did so. He wondered if Reid missed home, and if maybe the mercantile was his opportunity to spend more time in Hope--and with his family.

  Bash didn't have family anymore. His mom had died several years back, and his father--they didn't talk anymore. His mother had been the glue holding the family together. He and his father had had a rocky relationship at best when his mom had been alive. Once she had passed, there was no reason for him and his dad to maintain contact. When his dad moved to Arizona, that had pretty much ended things between them. Bash was fine with that.

  He had his friends, and they were enough family for him. He sure as hell didn't know what he'd do without them. Some weaved in and out of his life and he didn't see them a lot. Like Reid. But when he needed them, they were there for him.