“Oh, by the way,” Sophie said with all the nonchalance she could muster, “Cameron is looking at the building this afternoon. You know, checking it out to see what repairs it needs.”
“That’s nice, dear.” Violet dunked a tea bag into a cup of steaming water.
“So I guess we should know pretty soon how much it’s going to cost to fix up.”
“He’d be the one to talk to about that.” Violet nodded. “Have you seen the box of stevia that I brought in last week? I thought I put it in this cabinet.”
“Next one over.” Sophie tried again to engage Violet, hoping she’d show some enthusiasm. “So I guess I’ll bring in Cam’s estimate as soon as I get it, so we can go over it together and you can decide what you want to invest.”
“You’ll make the decisions on what you need for the renovations and for your start-up costs, and that’s what I’ll invest. It’s as simple as that.” She looked up from her cup, glared at Sophie in the way only Violet could, and added, “Please keep in mind the silent part of ‘silent investor.’ ”
“Got it.” Sophie nodded and took her coffee into her office.
Sophie read the correspondence on the first file, then started reading through the case itself, but she was having a hard time concentrating. She was excited about the walk-through this afternoon and wished there were someone she could talk to who shared her enthusiasm. That person obviously wasn’t Violet, who had felt inclined to remind her that any interest she might have was strictly financial. And, of course, silent.
Forcing herself to focus, Sophie somehow managed to put all thoughts of her new venture aside while she read, made notes, and fielded phone calls, but by two thirty, she’d had enough. She changed into work clothes and turned off her office lights.
“Violet, I’m going to head over to River Road and get the place opened up as much as I can for Cameron.”
“I’ll close up if you’re not back by five or so,” Violet told her without looking up from her computer screen.
Sophie was almost out the door when Violet called to her.
“Good luck. I know how much this means to you. I hope the damage isn’t too terribly bad.”
“Thanks, Violet. I hope so, too.”
Sophie’s stomach churned with anxiety all the way to River Road. What if there was real structural damage? Or a roof that was totally rotted underneath? Or termites? Or … well, something else that she couldn’t think of right at that moment that would be equally disastrous? Why hadn’t she asked Cameron to go over the place before things had gone this far? Settlement was now less than a week away. Was it still possible to back out if he uncovered insurmountable problems? And even if he did, would she want to?
Even the beauty of the afternoon didn’t brighten her mood. Between leaving the office and arriving at the property, she’d thought of everything that could possibly go wrong today. But once she’d parked her car and opened the building, all the negativity had melted away. This was her place; she knew it. It was meant to be hers. When she heard Cam’s truck, she eagerly walked outside to greet him and Ellie.
“Cool building.” Ellie jumped out of the passenger side with a smile on her face. “I love that it’s stone. There aren’t too many stone buildings in St. Dennis, so this is unique. I like it.”
“Thanks. So do I.” Sophie held the door open. “Come on in and take a look at the inside.”
“The outside looks great.” Cameron stopped for a moment and studied the façade. With a penknife he took from his pocket, he poked at the wooden windowsills. “Solid, no rot. Nice. Needs paint, some new windows. These aren’t very efficient and the screens are pretty much destroyed, but the rest of the place looks solid.” He walked around the front. “The mortar between the stones looks pretty tight. That’s a real plus. There might be a few places that could use a little touch-up, but for the most part, it’s looking pretty good.”
Sophie let out a deep breath.
“Let’s see what you think of the inside.” Sophie ushered them in. “I hope you remembered flashlights.”
“Biggest ones I could find.” He held up two huge lights.
“That should do it.” Leaving the front door open, Sophie showed them around. “This is obviously the dining room …”
Without comment, Cameron began his inspection, shining the light over every inch of the room before disappearing into the kitchen.
“This is his thing,” Ellie told Sophie. “If there are problems, he’ll find them. But while he’s doing that, show me what you have in mind here …”
Sophie went over her plans for the interior and the furniture, but hesitated when it came to décor.
“I still don’t know for sure what I want it to look like in here. I want it to reflect St. Dennis, but I don’t want kitschy-beachy.” She mentioned her idea of borrowing recipes from old St. Dennis families to include on the menu. “I’m trying to get Violet to cough up her mother’s lemon meringue pie recipe.”
“Oh, I have lots of recipes from my great-aunt Lilly,” Ellie told her. “Maybe you’d like to look through them, see if there’s something that you could use in the restaurant.”
“I’d love to do that. And I did think of asking my grandfather if my grandmother was known for anything in particular—you know, a dish that she always served.”
“Pound cake,” Ellie told her.
“What about it?”
“Rose Enright was known for her pound cakes. She made several flavors. Lemon, poppy seed, coconut …”
“How would you know that?”
“Lilly wrote about it in one of her journals. She and Violet and Rose had tea together once a week on Friday afternoons, alternating houses. Rose always made pound cake and Violet made pie. Lilly made chicken salad and chocolate soufflé.”
“And you have the recipes?”
“Of course.” Ellie grinned. “Lilly made notes on just about everything. She had a little notebook where she kept recipes that she borrowed from her friends. On the front page, she wrote ‘The Blossoms Cook.’ How cute is that?”
“The Blossoms Cook,” Sophie repeated thoughtfully.
“Oh, and I have some photographs, like I promised. I left them in my bag. Be right back.” Ellie took off for the truck.
Cam came into the dining room.
“How’s it look so far?” Sophie asked anxiously.
“Better than I thought in some areas, not so great in others,” he told her. “Is there a key for the second floor? I want to check something up there, and then I’ll need to look at the attic.”
“I have the key.” Sophie handed it over.
“Thanks.” He started for the door.
“Cam, do you know anyone who does signs?” she asked.
“You mean, for here?”
She nodded.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I like the sign that’s out there. I like the size and the shape, but of course, I’ll be changing the name.”
He stepped outside and looked up. “You could reuse it. Just repaint it. What did you have in mind?”
Sophie took a piece of paper from a notebook in her bag and wrote the name she’d just decided on and handed it over to Cam.
“That’s it? That’s what you’re calling your place?”
“Yes. It just came to me.”
“I like it. Very nice.” He handed the slip back to her.
“I can do the lettering myself, but I need to have someone take the sign down for me.”
“I’ll do that before I leave today. It should only take a minute. Meanwhile,” he said, “there’s another floor to look over before we talk about what it’s going to take to make this a working restaurant again.”
Sophie heard his footsteps on the stairs, then overhead as he went from room to room. She took a deep breath and hoped the second floor didn’t need much. She planned on moving in as soon as it was livable. If she was paying the mortgage here, she didn’t want to be paying rent somewhere else for any lo
nger than necessary.
“Sophie, come out into the light,” Ellie called from the doorway. “These old photos are pretty dark, and you’re going to want to see them.”
Sophie stepped outside, the bright sunlight causing her to blink and squint.
Ellie laughed. “I did the same thing when I came into the light after being in there. I bet you’ll be happy once you have electricity.”
“That’s the first thing I want after closing next week. The second will be water.”
“Here’s a picture of my great-aunt, your grandmother, and Violet Finneran.” Ellie turned the picture over. “First Families Day, 1944. Do you love the hats? And the dresses?”
Ellie held out the photo and Sophie took it.
“Oh, God, yes. I love the dresses, and the hats … and look, they’re wearing white gloves. No one dresses like this anymore, I’m afraid.” She studied the photo for a moment, an idea forming in her mind. “Could I see the others?”
“Sure.” Ellie handed over the photos one by one, along with a running commentary including the date and the place as nearly as she could tell for each one.
“Ellie, could I have a few of these to enlarge? I think a wall of photos of old St. Dennis would be just the thing.” She stepped back inside and pointed to the wall next to the kitchen door. “Can you see it? Right there …”
“That’s perfect. And of course, take whichever pictures you’d like.”
“I promise, I’ll get them back to you.” Sophie went through the stack again, pulling out several that she thought captured the spirit of the three girls. “What’s this, here, in the background?” She held up a photo.
“That’s the carriage house at Lilly’s. My house, now. That’s the building the historic society is restoring. The one Grace recruited you to work on?”
“Oh, right. Saturday morning.”
“Cam and I are stoked to see what’s inside, as is half the town.”
“You haven’t gone inside?”
“Can’t get the lock off. Grace said she didn’t think the chain had come off the door since my uncle Ted died. Hence the raffle to guess what’s inside. I understand they’ve already sold a lot of tickets.”
“Sounds like we’ll all be surprised when the lock and chain come off that door.” Sophie held up one of the pictures. “This is a great shot of the three girls. Croquet?”
Ellie nodded. “Apparently a favorite of Lilly’s. There are several photos of the girls—well, the ladies—playing. Even a few of my mom playing with them when she was younger.”
“Your mother was from St. Dennis?”
“She stayed with my great-aunt a lot when she was younger, then from what I’ve heard, made trips back when she was ill, before she died.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Maybe we could use a few pictures of your mother, if you have any.”
Ellie laughed. “There are thousands of pictures of my mother. She was Lynley Sebastian.”
“The model? Like, one of the first-ever supermodels?”
“That was her.” Ellie nodded.
“We’ll definitely have to have some pictures of her on the wall, and maybe a recipe or two that she liked?”
“She didn’t really like to cook so much, and I don’t recall she had favorites, but I’ll see what I can come up with.”
“Great. Boy, you never know about these small towns. Lynley Sebastian. Dallas MacGregor. Berry Eberle.” Sophie handed back the photos she had not selected. “Thanks. I’ll take good care of them.”
“I bet your grandfather has some great shots of Rose,” Ellie noted. “I bet he’d love to have you use some of them.”
“First I have to tell him I bought this place.”
“You didn’t tell him?”
“I didn’t tell anyone. Well, you and Cam, and Jesse, but that’s about it.” Tonight, Sophie told herself. I’m going to have to talk to Pop tonight.
Cam came around the side of the building.
“Should I be sitting down?” Sophie said when she saw him.
“All in all, the building’s not in bad shape.” He leaned back against the fender of his truck. “I’ll have to go over my notes and figure out what it’s going to cost. I know that’s your concern.”
Sophie nodded.
“The wiring needs some updating. The electrical box in the kitchen notes that the last updates were in 1982, so while we’re not talking about knob and tube here, there are some new requirements that will have to be met to bring the system up to code. The plumbing looks good—no sign of old leaks that I could see—but we’ll need the water turned on to know for sure, so that’s a question mark for now. The fixtures in the two restrooms should be updated, by the way. Now, I found no evidence of roof leaks, so I’d leave it alone.”
“I’m not hearing anything that I didn’t expect,” Sophie said.
“Well, structurally, you’re okay, and that’s a good thing. But you will need an exterminator before you do anything in there. Insects and rodents—you probably already know that. And it looks like something … raccoon or squirrel … made a nest under the eaves at one time. You want to get rid of that mess. We’ll take care of that for you when we start working.”
“How did it get in, and is it out?”
“Looks like there was some loose clapboard at one time, but someone nailed it back down. So whatever was in there is gone, but it left a mess.”
“But nothing really bad so far,” Ellie noted. “That’s good, Sophie.”
“There’s a lot of cosmetic work that needs to be done, and you are going to have to find someone who can test and repair those old appliances should they need it,” Cam told her. “Once the place has been cleaned out, you’re going to have a lot of work on your hands. Some of it, I’m guessing, you’re going to want to do yourself.”
“The painting, yes. But the refinishing—the floors, the counter—and of course, the wiring and the plumbing, I’ll want you to do all that.”
“I’ll call my subs and get some prices worked up for you. I can get whatever permits you’re going to need, but you’re going to have to call the electric company, have the service put in your name, and tell them you’ll want service to begin on Tuesday. Someone from the water company is going to have to come out, locate the connection, and turn the water back on. You let me know when that’s scheduled and I’ll run the system and check the pipes the next day.”
“Okay.”
“As far as the apartment is concerned, same thing. We’ll check it out once you have water here and see if there’s any problem we need to address. Otherwise, you’ll probably want new fixtures in the bathroom and you’ll need appliances in the kitchen, and there’s a lot of peeling paper in the bedroom and the living area. That’s cosmetic, though, too. And we talked about needing the windows replaced. That goes for upstairs, too.”
“Could be worse,” she reminded herself.
“I’ll get back to you by the end of the week with some prices on what we’ve talked about so far. I’ll stop back later with a ladder and take that sign down for you.” Cam walked around the cab to the driver’s side and opened the door. “In the meantime, if you think of anything else, give me a call.”
“I will. Thanks, Cam.” Sophie walked Ellie to the pickup. “And thanks, Ellie, for the photos and for the information. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“You’re welcome. I’m really intrigued now—can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with the place.”
Sophie stood in front of what would soon be her business and watched the pickup pull away, then went back inside. She stared at the big blank wall and tried to envision the photos, enlarged and framed, telling the story of friendships that had lasted for so many years, and still did, if you considered that Violet was still alive and still cherished Rose’s memory.
There were other stories in St. Dennis, she thought as she locked up. Maybe she could beg a few other photos for her walls. Grace Sinclair must have some early pictures of the
inn, and wouldn’t photos of a young Berry Eberle—Beryl Townsend to movie buffs—be fabulous? Maybe pictures of Dallas as a teenager, and Lynley Sebastian as a schoolgirl.
She tucked the photos Ellie had given her into her bag and started the drive home, but somehow she found herself making the turn at Old St. Mary’s Church Road. Time to talk to Pop, she told herself. Time to let him know what’s going on.
She parked out front and rang the doorbell, then waited patiently for her grandfather to arrive at the door and open it.
“Hi, Pop. Can I come in?”
“What kind of a question is that? Of course you can come in.” He held the door for her, then closed it behind her once she was inside. “Can we give you some dinner? Mrs. Anderson reheated some of the leftovers from Sunday before she left. There’s plenty of ham, and …”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. I can stop back.”
“Don’t be silly.” He took her arm. “Come in and tell me what’s on your mind.”
He led her into the kitchen and, always the gentleman, held a chair out for her at the old square table.
“Let me fix you something.” He tottered to the cabinets and took down a plate.
“No, Pop, really. I’m not hungry.” The thought of putting food into her stomach made her feel even more queasy than she already was. “I just need to talk to you about something.”
He turned and looked at her for a long moment, then returned the plate to the cupboard.
“Some tea, then, perhaps. Or coffee. Jesse had Clay drop off some beer after the reception. You know, the bottles with Jesse and Brooke’s picture on them?”
“Nothing, Pop. Really. Just … I just want to talk.”
“All right, then.” He took the seat next to hers. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I know how happy you are that I’m here in St. Dennis, and that I’m going to be working with Jesse at the office,” she began. “I know how important it is to you that the firm remains in the family.”
“Of course.” He nodded. “Of course, it’s important. Enright and Enright is a tradition in this town, and in this family. It matters. And yes, I’m delighted that you’re part of it. Makes up for other disappointments I’ve had over the years, if you follow.”
At the River’s Edge Page 21
