Chapter 27: Evie

27

EVIE

T he next few days were filled with a whole bunch of nothing and dragged by slowly. I was itching to know what Irene was going to do with the diner, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. She was facing a big decision, and I didn't want to pressure her in any way, but I also didn't want her to think I didn't care. I cared a lot. Maybe too much.

Edge moved closer to me on the couch and placed his hand on my thigh. "What are you over here thinking about?"

I nodded at the book in my hand. "I'm reading."

"Try again. You haven't turned a page in over thirty minutes."

Sighing, I placed the book in my lap and glanced at Byte, who was resting comfortably on one of the recliners.

"Should I go?" he asked.

"No," I rushed out. He was doing well with his leg injury, but I would have been an asshole to ask him to leave. "It's nothing you can't hear. I was just thinking about the diner and wondering what Irene is going to do."

"Have you asked her?"

I shook my head. "No. I didn't want to pressure her."

Byte snorted. "You can't pressure Irene."

"That's true," I admitted.

"I haven't talked to her about it since I suggested she open the diner in Croftridge instead of Cedar Valley. I figured I'd give her a few days to think about it before I brought it up again. It's been a few days, so we'll ask her about it when she gets back from her appointment."

"Ask me about what?" Irene asked as she entered the living room.

"How was your appointment?" I asked.

"Nice try. I'll tell you about it after you tell me what y'all were talking about."

"We were wondering if you'd made any decisions regarding the diner," Byte said.

She walked to the sofa and took a seat. "I've given it a lot of thought, but I haven't made a final decision yet."

"What have you been thinking?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm definitely going to reopen. I just haven't decided where that will be yet."

I exhaled in relief. "If it was easier, I'd get up and hug you!"

She gave me a strange look. "You sound like you were worried."

"I was. I didn't want to pester you, but not knowing what you were going to do was driving me crazy."

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "You still want to work at the diner?"

Her reaction wasn't what I expected, and I suddenly felt unsure of my answer. "Yes, if that's okay."

"Oh, honey, it's perfectly fine. I assumed you'd want to go back to being a phlebotomist once you're all healed."

"I thought about it, but I really like working at the diner. Even with everything going on, I was much happier there than I ever was at the hospital."

She smiled softly. "Well, you'll have a job and a place to live when I reopen, regardless of where that is."

"Thank you," I breathed. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Just knowing she was going to reopen was enough for me. I didn't need to know all the details. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Actually, yes, there is. I need to see what commercial properties are available in Croftridge. There's no point in considering Croftridge if I can't find a good place for the diner. You can help me look for properties online if you want. I should probably look at some residential properties, too."

"There are several vacant houses on the farm. If you can't find something you like, you can always stay in one of those until you do find something," Byte said.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm happy to help you search, but I don't know what I'm looking for," I told her.

"Preferably something in town or close to it, with an existing building around the same size as the one in Cedar Valley. It doesn't matter what kind of business was previously there. Pretty much anything can be gutted and transformed into a diner."

"Couldn't a real estate agent help with this?" Edge asked.

"Yes, but I'm not ready for that yet," Irene said. "I want to see what's out there first."

With that, we started scouring the internet for commercial properties in Croftridge. It was refreshing to have something purposeful to do. By dinner time, I had a list of several properties I wanted to show Irene.

"I think this one is promising," I said and passed the laptop Byte had loaned me to her.

"You're right. And I wouldn't have to do a lot of renovating since it used to be a restaurant. But I wonder why it closed."

"Let me see," Byte said and looked at the listing on the screen. "Oh, if I remember correctly, that place closed when the owner passed away. His kids weren't interested in running it, so they closed it and put the property up for sale."

"How long was it open?"

"I'm not sure. It was open when I moved to Croftridge, so at least twenty years. Do you want me to find out when it opened?"

"No, that's not necessary. If it was around for over twenty years, that tells me location and accessibility weren't an issue."

"It's in a great location," Edge added. "It's downtown, but not in the middle, so traffic isn't an issue, and it's not far off the exit ramp, so you can catch highway traffic as well."

"Sounds like you know something about business locations," I said.

He shrugged. "Not really. I remember eating there with my family not long after it opened. The owner came over to talk to my dad, and that's what he said about the location."

"It seems like a great location, but it's been on the market for a while," Irene said. "I wonder if there's a reason why."

"Like what?" I asked.

"It could be anything from ridiculously high taxes to a problem with mold," Irene said.

"Or it could be that no one has wanted to open a restaurant in that location," Byte added.

Irene narrowed her eyes. "If it seems too good to be true, it usually is."

Byte chuckled. "Usually, but not always."

I reached over and gently squeezed Irene's hand under the table. "I have to agree with him." She was too good to be true, and we all knew it.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to send the agent a message," she said.

"If you want to go look at it first, I can drive you over after dinner," Gabby offered.

"That's not a bad idea," I said. "It might look completely different in person. And it'll give you a better idea of where it is."

"Yeah, I think I'd like to see it," Irene said. "If you're sure you don't mind."

Gabby smiled. "Of course not. We can go whenever you're ready."

"Do you mind if I tag along?" I asked. "I'd like to see it too."

"We can all go," Edge said. "Road trip!"

After dinner, Gabby, Byte, Irene, Edge, and me slowly, and somewhat painfully, piled into Gabby's SUV and rode downtown to look at the property. Gabby pulled into the parking lot and circled the building before she came to a stop near the front door.

"Do you want to get out and peek in the windows?" Byte asked.

Irene laughed. "It'd take over thirty minutes just for us to get out and get back in. I've seen enough to know that messaging the agent and making an appointment to see inside is worth it. Thank you, Gabby."

A few days later, Dice drove us to meet the real estate agent at the restaurant.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I could get used to being chauffeured around," Irene said.

"Me, too," I laughed. "I've never been a huge fan of driving. I'd happily become a passenger princess for life."

"Once I get my driving privileges back, that can be arranged," Edge said.

"Don't make promises you don't want to keep," I teased.

"I'm not," he said.

"We're here," Dice announced.

"Are we early?" Irene asked. "It doesn't look like anyone else is here."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, another car pulled into the parking lot. The woman stepped out of her vehicle and smoothed her outfit before she straightened and started walking toward us. Dice got out to greet her while the rest of us unloaded.

"You'll have to excuse us," Irene said. "We're recovering from a recent accident, so we're moving a little slower than usual. I'm Irene Dawson."

"Hi, Irene. I'm Daphne Clark," she said and extended her hand to Irene.

"These are my kids, Byte and Evie. This is Evie's boyfriend, Edge. And this is their friend, Dice."

"It's nice to meet you all," Daphne said nervously and shook hands with each one of us.

Irene gave her an appraising look. "You must be new around here."

Daphne looked surprised by her observation. "Yes, I am. What did I do to give myself away?"

"You look scared of the boys. The Blackwings are the good guys in town."

"My apologies. I hope I didn't offend you."

Irene waved her good arm dismissively. "Not at all. It's good to be cautious and aware of your surroundings. I just wanted to put your mind at ease."

"Thank you for that," Daphne said sincerely. "Would you like to go inside?"

"Yes, please."

We followed Daphne inside and trailed along behind her while she gave us a tour of the restaurant. She did a good job of moving slowly through the building so we weren't struggling to keep up with her. When she was finished, Irene gestured to one of the tables. "Can we sit for a few minutes?"

"Of course. Make yourselves comfortable."

Irene pulled out a notepad and pen and started making notes. After a few minutes, she asked the question I'd been curious about since she first brought it up. "Why has this place been on the market for so long?"

Daphne cleared her throat. "From what I've been told, the seller is picky."

"What?" Irene and I asked at the same time.

"The previous agent told me the last three offers weren't accepted because the seller didn't like the buyer. He said the seller was in no hurry and wanted to wait for the right buyer to come along."

"Well, I doubt they'd consider an old lady wanting to open a basic diner to be the right buyer," Irene said.

"Can you tell us who the seller is?" Byte asked.

I almost laughed. He'd be able to find out if Daphne couldn't or wouldn't tell us.

She nodded and tapped the screen on her phone. "Yes, the seller is Luca Peccati."

Byte chuckled. "Well, I don't think buyer approval will be a problem."

"Oh, do you know Mr. Peccati?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, we do," Edge said. "He's a family friend."

Irene made some more notes and walked around the building one more time before she was ready to go.

"Are there any other properties you're interested in seeing?" Daphne asked.

"Not at this time, but if this works out, I will need help finding a place to live. Do you show residential properties as well?"

"Yes, I do, and I'd be happy to assist you," Daphne said and handed Irene her business card.

"Great. I'll be in touch."

They shook hands, and we got back in the SUV to go home.

"Are you okay?" Edge asked.

"Yes, but I think I've reached my limit of physical activity for the day." It was a little depressing. Everyone else was getting better and moving around while the slightest bit of activity exhausted me.

"It'll get better."

"I hope so."

"It will," he insisted. "Your injuries were much more substantial than everyone else's, so it's going to take you a little longer to bounce back."

"I know. It's just frustrating. I probably shouldn't have gone to tour the restaurant, but I really wanted to get out of the house." Since being released from the hospital, I'd been to the bunker, Patch's office for an appointment, and the restaurant.

"Did Patch give you a timeline of what to expect?" Irene asked.

I hadn't realized she was listening to our conversation and felt slightly embarrassed about complaining. She noticed my discomfort and shook her finger at me. "We'll have none of that. Answer the question."

"Yes, Mom," I said and stuck out my tongue. "He said most people feel tired and are easily exhausted after having part of their lung removed for six to eight weeks, but it would probably be a little while longer since I also lost a kidney."

"What else did he say?"

"He said I should take it easy and listen to my body, meaning I should rest when I felt tired."

"You went out and walked around a little. You got tired, and now you're going home to rest. Sounds like you're right on track to me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I admitted.

"If it's any consolation, I'm tired, too."

"Me, too," Byte said.

"Same," Edge added.

"I could go for a nap," Dice said, causing the rest of us to laugh.

Back at the house, I had a quick snack and took something for pain before Irene and I got comfortable on the couch and started looking at floor samples and diner furniture online. We'd moved on to industrial kitchen appliances when Phoenix arrived at the house.

"Mind if I interrupt?" he asked.

"Of course not," I said cheerfully. "What can we do for you?" My pain medicine had kicked in and I didn't have a care in the world.

Phoenix chuckled. "I spoke with Luca Peccati. The restaurant is yours if you want it."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. I wanted to jump up and dance around the room, but Irene had a different reaction. She crossed her arms as best as she could with one in a sling and cocked her head to the side. "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. He knows who you are and was familiar with your diner in Cedar Valley. I told him you were thinking about relocating to Croftridge after the fire. He mentioned his available property before I had a chance to tell him you were interested," Phoenix explained. "He also said he would come down on the price. He listed it high to ‘weed out the undesirables.'"

"I have to wait for the insurance payout before I can do anything."

"He knows. He said to take your time and think it over. If you decide you want to buy the property, he won't sell it out from under you while you're waiting for the insurance company."

Irene leaned forward and lowered her voice. "By doing this, I won't be getting in bed with the Mafia, will I?"

Phoenix leaned back and laughed. "Luca's association with the Mafia has never been confirmed."

Irene rolled her eyes. "That just means he hasn't been caught. And it doesn't answer my question."

"No, you wouldn't be agreeing to anything with the Mafia. This would be a business transaction, just like any other."

I raised my hand and wiggled my fingers. "I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Does that ‘no ties to the Mafia' thing apply to me, too?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Luca's the one who helped me that morning," I whispered. "Do I owe a Mafia boss for getting rid of a body for me?"

Phoenix continued to laugh. "Technically, that was a favor for me, so you're good."

"You used a Mafia favor for me? That's sweet, and kind of scary."

"How much have they given her?" Phoenix asked Irene.

"Just one. She's a lightweight." Irene gently patted my thigh. "Evie, baby, stop talking."

"Oh, sorry. The pain pills make me yappy. I don't like it either."

"Shhh," Irene reminded me.

"Right. Zipping the lips. Carry on," I said and used my fingers to zip my lips.

"If I decide I want to buy the property, how should I proceed?" Irene asked.

"Give me a call, and I'll give Luca a heads-up. Then call the agent and let her know," Phoenix said.

"Thanks. I need some time to think about it, but I'll let you know as soon as I decide."

"Oh, I almost forgot. We have a few vacant houses here on the farm. If there's one you like, you're welcome to it."

"Thank you. I might take you up on that while I'm looking for a new place."

"That's fine, too. But I meant that you're welcome to live here for as long as you like."

"Like a rental?"

Phoenix chuckled. "No, not a rental. I have more houses than I know what to do with. They sit here unoccupied. Just like this one. So, if you find one you like, you're welcome to occupy it, free of charge, no strings attached."

"You're serious?"

"I am."

"Well, that's definitely something to think about."

"She's wondering what she'll do with the people she rescues," I stage whispered.

Irene gave me the same look mothers give to their children when they want them to shut up, but Phoenix didn't miss a beat. "The same thing she's always done—give them a job and a place to stay. Like I said, we have plenty of room around here."

"I think you should say yes," I told Irene.

"I think you need to take a nap," Irene retorted.

"Right. Re-zipping the lips," I said, leaning back against the couch and closing my eyes. Irene knew what she was talking about because I was asleep in a matter of moments.