Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(32)

At exactly twelve thirty she parked in front of what had been the Blackberry Island Bakery. The big front window was dirty, but that was easy to fix. She liked how the space was positioned on a relatively busy street. There was plenty of parking and lots of foot traffic. There were two tasting rooms across the street and a couple of breakfast places down the block. Locationwise, it was a win for her.

A car pulled up behind her and a well-dressed woman got out. Stacey Creasey handled most of the business leasing on the island.

“I was surprised to get your call,” Stacey said. “Outgrowing the cart business?”

Kristine nodded. “I sell to the tasting rooms and the wineries already, plus the cart. It’s getting to be a little much for my kitchen to handle.”

Stacey nodded. “I can understand that. Let’s go inside and check things out.”

She unlocked the front door and pushed it open, then stepped back for Kristine to go first. Kristine’s stomach lurched, whether with excitement or terror, she couldn’t tell. She told herself she was just looking, not buying, and to keep an open mind, then she crossed the threshold and studied the café.

The big front window let in a lot of light. There was a large open area that had been filled with tables and chairs. A counter separated the eating area from the workspace the servers had used. Behind that was the kitchen.

Kristine glanced around and realized she wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for. Square footage, she supposed. Was it enough for her purposes? Also, what renovations would she have to make? She wanted a display case and maybe a couple of bistro tables and chairs, but in her business model, she wanted customers to come, make a purchase and then leave. She didn’t need all this front-of-store space. She would need a counter and it was possible the one in place could work, if it was just moved closer to the window.

She headed for the kitchen. The big industrial ovens were still in place and there were miles of counter space and lots of storage. She would have room to do her baking and to set up a shipping station. The previous tenant hadn’t modified the original bakery kitchen all that much. There was a gap where the drop-in stove had been and there was a huge refrigerator.

“Does the equipment work?” she asked Stacey.

“It’s supposed to. If you’re interested, I’ll check with the landlord to make sure he has confirmed that.”

Kristine nodded, then got out her phone and started taking pictures. She’d brought a measuring tape and paper to make detailed notes. If the ovens worked, she wouldn’t have to buy them and that would be a huge savings. She would use the existing counters and storage and the refrigerator in place. She would need a stove and knew about a couple of used ones for sale in Seattle.

She saw a small office and two bathrooms in the back and took pictures of all of them, then returned to the front of the store. This was where most of the modifications would have to be, she thought. Replacing the flooring, fresh paint, moving the counter up and putting in a display case. She’d seen a couple for sale, and would have to check them out to see if they would work. Good-quality used was her preference. She would be working on a shoestring budget.

“What does Jaxsen think about all this?” Stacey asked. “Is he excited?”

The downside of island life, Kristine thought. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. “We’re still working on the numbers.” Which was almost the truth. She was working out the numbers and he knew nothing about her plans. She’d mentioned the space being available a couple of times but doubted he’d paid enough attention to think she might be serious.

“How much is the lease?” she asked, mentally crossing her fingers that it wasn’t too much.

“There’s the three-year price and the five-year price,” Stacey said, pulling a sheet of paper out of her bag and passing it over. “You’d be responsible for your own utilities, of course. Proof of insurance is required. The list of everything that’s provided is there.”

Kristine thought about what else she should ask. “What about parking?”

“You have three designated spots in the back.”

She made a note of that, then said as casually as she could, “This would be my business. I would be the person on the lease.”

Stacey nodded. “I assumed as much. Jaxsen’s busy with his own career.”

So he wouldn’t have to sign the lease. That was a relief. Not that she would have expected that in this day and age, but still. Nice to know.

She gave the area one last look. “Thanks for showing me this. I need to run the numbers and look at my budget. I’ll get back to you.”

“No problem. I want to tell you there are six people interested in the building, but you know how it is on the island. We don’t rush into things.”

They walked outside. Kristine thanked her and retreated to her SUV where she sat for a long time as possibilities swirled in her head.

Could she do it? Was she willing to take the chance? She’d always said her dream was to have a retail store and she wasn’t going to find anything better than this on the island. The lease payment made her swallow hard, but there was no getting around that.

She decided she would do what she’d said. Run the numbers. She would contact Jerry, the contractor they’d used before, and get a bid from him. And she would do some research on how to ship cookies and brownies. There had to be YouTube videos along with information from the post office on shipping rates. Once she was armed with all the information she could make an informed decision. As for Jaxsen and his opinion on the whole thing, well, she would deal with that if and when she got that far. Maybe he would surprise her. Maybe he would be excited and want to help. Or more likely, she thought as she drove home, she was going to test her marriage in a way it had never been tested before.