With a weak nod, she took a sip of the tea. “So weird. I guess I overate.”
“Isn’t there a stomach bug going around?” Hunter asked. “A couple of guys on the squad were down with it last week or something. Maybe it’s that.”
“Hopefully it’s only a twenty-four-hour thing,” she murmured, but she had a strong feeling it was anything but.
“Why don’t you sleep here tonight,” her father suggested, and she was so worn out that she agreed. And with nothing more than a small wave, she got up and went to her old room where she curled up in bed and promptly fell asleep.
“While we think a new park would be a great thing for the town, Mason, now just isn’t the time for a project like that. Not with all the rebuilding that still needs to be done,” George Ellis, his boss, explained. “I love what you’re thinking but…”
“Yeah, I get it,” he replied dejectedly. “That part of town needs help, George. It’s always been a bit of an eyesore, but with a little attention, I think we could draw more businesses down that way.” He began to fidget with the files on his desk when George stopped him.
“Okay, now…let’s think about that for a minute. So your plan isn’t just about a park,” he stated. “You’re talking about a revitalization of the north part of town.”
It wasn’t something Mason had thought about initially, but after actually going there last week and looking around, the idea had taken root. “There are already several small businesses down that way that are struggling–mainly because the majority of the area is a little…undesirable.”
George nodded.
“I think if we start with something small–like the park–it will show the town is taking an interest in the area. Maybe we can offer some incentives to new businesses willing to move that way.”
“I’m not sure we’re ready for that, but I like where you’re going.” He paused. “There’s…what…a garage, an auto parts store, a bar, and…what else?”
“Not much else, I’m afraid. There’s a gas station with a convenience store but I think that’s it. If we could find a way to get another couple of eateries down there, clean up the common areas and maybe even freshen up what’s there already, I think it would make a world of difference. We can make it a community outreach thing–get the people out to volunteer to help with painting, power washing, and even the landscaping. We’ve put so much focus here on the main strip in town that we’re forgetting it’s not the only part of Magnolia that needs help.”
George studied him hard for a moment. “I’m going to need to think on this. If you can get the community on board on the cleanup and see what kind of interest we can spark, then we’ll form a committee to start planning. How does that sound?” He stood and held out a hand to Mason.
Standing, Mason shook it and smiled. “Sounds like a great way to start. And don’t worry, George, I think you’re going to be surprised at what we can accomplish. The north end of town deserves our attention just as much as the central part right here.”
His boss was almost out the door when he turned around. “You know, Mason, I’m really impressed with you.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate the compliment.”
But George still didn’t leave. “I want you to know it’s nice to see someone young like you taking an interest in something like this.” He chuckled softly and shook his head. “When you were hired, I have to admit I figured you’d choose projects that were a little more…shall we say…easy.”
Unable to hide his frown, he asked, “Meaning?”
“Well, I’ve been friends with your parents for a long time and most of the projects and causes they get behind benefit them in one shape or form.” He paused. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he replied stiffly, mainly because he knew exactly what George meant. His parents and most of their friends put on a good show about taking care of the community, but a lot of it was on a very superficial level. They had never been ones to get their hands dirty. He, on the other hand, was more than willing to.
And not just to prove he was nothing like them.
“I particularly like your addition of making a section of the park a dog park,” George said, a little off-topic. “My wife and I have several dogs and we often wondered what it would be like to take them someplace where they could play with other dogs.” Another pause. “I really like the way you’re thinking outside of the Magnolia Sound box, Mason. And I look forward to seeing you do great things.”
“Thanks, George.”
Once his boss was gone, Mason sank down in his chair and wondered where he could possibly begin. He could put out the word on social media about a community clean up day, but he figured he should probably speak to the business owners first. Hell, he should probably put a small committee together of his own first to help coordinate everything that was going to need to be done.
Feeling energized, he sent out an email to several people in his department to gauge their interest in helping out. Once that was done, he made a plan to reach out to his family–primarily his sisters and cousins–to see if they wanted to join in and get involved. Sam had a landscaping business so maybe he wouldn’t mind bringing some of his equipment down to help clear some of the overgrown property. His cousin Mallory’s fiancé was in construction and maybe he could give a hand along the same lines with equipment and maybe even consulting on any building repairs that might need to be done on the existing businesses–or even just offer advice on what could be done to freshen up the exteriors.
As for his sisters…neither were skilled in the heavy labor part, but he knew that between the two of them, they knew a ton of people and could help get the word out.
So could a social media manager and maybe that was the kind of thing he could use to get Scarlett to talk to him. Hell, he just wanted to see her and make sure she was okay. He could handle her not wanting to date him any more–sort of–but he knew he wouldn’t be able to move on until they at least saw each other one more time and tried to talk.
Even if it wasn’t about them.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair and raked his hands through his hair. It wasn’t a perfect plan by any means, but…it’s all he had right now. And he’d reach out to her professionally–through her website and not via text–so maybe that would work in his favor. He was just about to do that when a knock on his office door had him looking up.
And there stood Tommy Flynn–looking all kinds of intimidating.
Mason started to sweat.
“I want to talk to you, Bishop,” he said sternly.
And with little more than a nod, Mason watched as the older man stepped into his office and closed the door behind him.
Nine
Several thoughts ran through Mason’s mind at once.
First, he should call George back into his office. Second, why didn’t someone at the front desk alert him that Flynn was here? And lastly, why did the old guy have to close the door?
Doing his best to appear calm, he smiled. “Won’t you have a seat, Mr. Flynn?” With nothing more than a curt nod, he did and Mason quickly followed suit. Should he call Richard and ask him to drive over? He had no idea! But, once again, he opted to force himself to look calm. “What can I do for you today?”
The older man stared at him for so long that Mason started to squirm. And then he finally spoke. “I came here today to discuss something very specific with you,” he began. “But after hearing your conversation with your supervisor, I’ve had to reconsider.”
“Oh?”
More awkward silence.
Leaning forward slightly in his chair, his gaze narrowed at Mason. “Here’s the thing. I heard what you said about the north end of town. Was that true or were you blowing smoke up the old guy’s ass?”
“Wait, were you eavesdropping on our conversation?” he asked incredulously.
Tommy simply shrugged. “Let’s just say I was waiting my turn to see you and neither of you talk all that quietly.”
With his curiosity piqued, Mason had to ask, “What did you originally want to talk to me about?”
“We’ll get to that, but first I want to know if you were being honest about the north end. And with the door closed, no one will hear you if you admit to lying.”
Frowning, Mason didn’t appreciate the accusation, but he also wasn’t looking to fight with the guy. “I wasn’t lying,” he said confidently. “I had a plan for what I wanted to do with some of the property in that area and after visiting with you, I realized there was so much more that needed to be done.”
All Tommy did was nod and Mason realized Mr. Flynn wasn’t going to communicate in a way he understood and he had no choice but to wait.
After a minute, Tommy relaxed a bit and even offered a small smile. “Your great-grandfather was a good man,” he started. “He used to come into the bar once a week since the first week we opened.” With a small chuckle, he went on. “Zeke used to enjoy a good whiskey and some of my wife’s homemade clam chowder.”
Mason arched a brow at that.
“Yeah, back in the beginning, we were more of a tavern where you could eat. My wife passed after we had only been in business for two years.” He paused and shook his head, studying his hands which were folded in his lap. “I lost my wife and daughter young, to two different ailments. My wife to an aneurysm and my daughter to cancer.”
Unsure of what to say, he murmured “I’m sorry” and waited for whatever else he was going to share.
“The plan was always to make it more of an eatery than a bar,” he continued. “But once she was gone…I honestly didn’t know how to do it. For a lot of years, business was good. My place was where the locals could come and relax without dealing with the tourist crowd. I enjoyed offering that to them. But people move away or long to try something new…” He shrugged. “Zeke bailed me out back in 2000 with a small loan to do some updates around the place. It was more like he sent tradesmen out to the bar to do the work and he would pay them.” He looked up at Mason. “They were all guys who worked construction with Zeke–a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter, that sort of thing.”
Mason nodded and knew it was the kind of thing his great-grandfather had done for many people. It was the first time, however, that he was hearing about it firsthand like this.
After letting out a long breath, he met Mason’s gaze. “Five years ago, I got into a bit of trouble. Gambling.” After another brief pause, he went on. “I started going on weekend trips with friends to the local casinos…”
“I didn’t know there were any local.”
“Well, by local I mean here in the state.”
“Ah…okay. And…”
“And I got myself into a lot of debt and couldn’t seem to quit. Even though we weren’t close friends, Zeke noticed something was going on–I was around less and less and looked stressed. So he came in one night, sat me down and asked me flat out what was going on. By that point I was drowning in debt and at my breaking point. I was too embarrassed to tell my family, but Zeke had a way of getting you to talk. I spilled my guts to him that night and he told me he’d help me, but I had to help myself first.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had to get help–go to Gamblers Anonymous and quit going to the casinos. He told me if I did that, he’d loan me the money to get the bar back on track.”
Now he knew he could finally get some answers! “Mr. Flynn, I don’t understand how it went from him loaning you money to get you out of debt to him owning the bar and leaving it to me. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well…” he began, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was a little arrogant and said some stupid things.”
“Like…?”
“Like…how I needed our agreement to be something that would force me to stay on the straight and narrow. I had it put in our contract that if I ever gambled again, I would lose the bar to him.”
“But…that’s crazy! I can’t believe my great-grandfather would have agreed to something like that!”
“He didn’t want to, but I pushed,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “Man, did I push.” He shook his head. “Needless to say, within a year I was back at the blackjack tables and Zeke found out. I had resigned myself to losing the bar.”
“So what happened?”
With a crooked smile he replied, “He gave me another chance.”
Mason sagged back against his chair, unable to believe what he was hearing. “How?”
“He let me resume making payments on the loan and once it was paid off, the bar would go back in my name.”
“But…?”
“But it had to be before he died, otherwise…”
“It would go to one of his heirs,” Mason finished for him. “Well…shit.”
“Exactly.”
They sat in silence for several minutes before Mason could even begin to speak. “You realize this isn’t my fault, right? I honestly didn’t know about this agreement you had with him.”
“I know.”
“Then why were you so pissed at me when I came to the bar?” he demanded. “If you knew this was coming and you knew I had nothing to do with it, why go off on me?”
“Honestly? Because I’m mad at myself. Things never should have gotten to this point. I should have paid Zeke what he was owed and I should have honored my word and never gambled again. It’s not you I’m mad at,” he said solemnly. “I’m mad at myself.”
Mason wanted to add that he was mad at him too but thought it would be counterproductive.
“Where does that leave us, Mr. Flynn?”
He was quiet for so long that Mason started to get uncomfortable again. “The property would be very useful to you if this revitalization of the north end happens,” he said, holding Mason’s gaze.
Why deny it? With a nod he agreed. “Yes, it would.”
“So my earlier question still stands–were you telling the truth about your plans for that part of town? Are you seriously going to see about getting some new businesses down that way and helping the existing ones?”
“I am,” he replied firmly. “I’m a man of my word, Mr. Flynn.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Certainly.”
“What are your plans now?”
“You mean since losing the bar to you?” There was no malice in his tone, but the statement still made Mason feel bad.
“Um…yes.”
“I’m not sure,” he replied. “But I’d be interested in perhaps working with you on the revitalization of the north end.”
That surprised Mason more than anything else that had been said about this entire situation. “Seriously?”
Nodding, Flynn added, “I’m not stupid, Mason. I knew it was only a matter of time before this day came. And honestly, I held on to the bar more because it was something my wife wanted. It was a connection to her. Unfortunately, I never could turn it into the kind of place she always envisioned.”
“Other than an eatery, what did she want?” he asked, mildly curious as ideas began to come to mind.
“She saw it more of a family place–you know, where you could sit in some booths with the kids, but where you could also have a bar for those who just wanted to come in for a drink.” He shrugged. “I’m certainly no chef. I’m more comfortable behind the bar. Now we do just the basics for food–burgers, a few sandwiches, and fries–and even I know they’re not very good. The only guys who eat there are older guys who can’t cook for themselves or my grandsons. And they only come around so they can eat for free,” he said with a wink.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if Scarlett ever ate there, but…he knew that would be a little suspicious and it was probably for the best that no one in her family ever knew they had dated.
“What if you could turn it into the kind of place your wife wanted,” Mason said carefully, still unsure of why he was even bringing it up.
“Son, that would mean ripping the place
down to the studs, rebuilding, rebranding, and bringing in someone who understands restaurants to handle the kitchen. I could still manage the place, but I’m getting old and the restaurant business is a young man’s game.”
Now the wheels in his mind were really spinning. “If there were someone who could do that–could run the kitchen while you were…say…the general manager, would that be something you’d be interested in?”
Tommy’s eyes narrowed at him. “Why are we even talking about this? Seems to me it would be a lot more lucrative for you to let me walk away and sell the property to someone else.”
“Let’s just say I was maybe thinking a little too inside the box up until now,” Mason said, a small grin crossing his face.
“And why the sudden change of heart?”
He shrugged. “I spent some time recently with someone who made me realize I shouldn’t let other people dictate my life to me. Taking the inheritance, selling the property…that’s the exact sort of thing my family would expect from me. Actually, as soon as the will was read, my parents immediately started making arrangements for me to speak to a realtor so I could list the property.”
“And why didn’t you?”
“For starters, I wanted to do it in my own time,” he explained. “And then…then I got the idea for the park and how it would work to my advantage to wait to sell.”
“So…this person who told you not to let other people dictate your life…what do they think you should do?”
Now it was Mason’s turn to let out a mirthless laugh. “That is a long story and one I don’t really want to get into. Suffice it to say they weren’t in agreement with my original plans.”
“Then by changing your mind, isn’t that just someone else dictating to you?”
For a moment that gave him pause. Was it? Was he only rethinking his plans because of Scarlett? He instantly pushed the thought aside. His ideas about the north end of town started after going there and seeing it for himself. Maybe she’d appreciate what he was doing or maybe she wouldn’t. At this rate, it didn’t matter. They were done. She’d made her feelings very clear.
In Case You Didn’t Know Page 13
