Sweet Chemistry (13 page)

Her hands shook as she handed Ms. Watts her stack of papers and her notebook.

After introductions, Kate got down to business. “I want to open a bakery, and I’ll need a loan for supplies and possibly equipment.”

Ms. Watts smiled at her and looked through her notebook. “You certainly came prepared.” Her eyes scanned the monitor of her computer. “You’ve been saving for some time now, I see.”

Kate nodded and took a deep breath and fidgeted in her seat while Ms. Watts looked over her work. Words gushed out of her mouth. “This is my future. I have worked for restaurants on and off for the past four years. I know how they work, and I know exactly what I want. I have researched every detail of my plan, and every moment I spend on it, I can feel, in my heart, that this is the right thing for me.”

Ms. Watts chuckled. “I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm. Tell me about the properties.”

“They’re right there.” Kate nodded to the pile.

“Yes, I can see a stack of properties, but which one do you like the most?”

Kate shrugged and then her shoulders sagged into the chair.

“Here’s what I suggest you do. Before we go any further, go see a couple of properties. Talk to the landlords and get a feel for the neighborhoods. Then we’ll talk. If you end up leasing a property that needs new equipment, the loan is going to be substantially higher, so until you decide which one you want, there’s not much we can do.”

“But I have a good chance of qualifying for a loan, right?” Her breath caught as she waited for her answer.

“I think everything will work out just fine.” Ms. Watts stood up and offered her hand to Kate. “One step at a time, Kate.”

“Right. Thank you.” Kate shook her hand, grinning from ear to ear.

The soonest she could see properties, was Tuesday and Thursday of the next week.

When she talked to James on Sunday, she was anxious to tell him, but directed him to his new binoculars instead. She didn’t want to share her plan until she had something solid. It wasn’t real yet.

Kate was hoping to see James Monday evening, but when she texted him, he was working with his thesis student and didn’t know when he’d be free. Kate made dinner for Meg instead, and got the full scoop on Meg’s family. She hadn’t been home with Meg since the fourth of July, and when Meg brought up Thanksgiving, Kate froze.

“I have plans.” Kate played with her fork, unable to look at her friend.

“I thought you weren’t going home this time.”

“I’m not.” Their eyes met for a split second.

“What plans?”

Kate blushed. “Well, um, I got an invitation to join someone for dinner, so I’m going to do that.”

Meg’s mouth hung open. “Someone?” She stared at Kate until Kate looked away. “Is it James? Are you seeing James?”

Kate nodded slowly. “We
just
got back together and I wanted to tell you, but…”

“Kate, you don’t need to worry about me. I won’t tell anyone. I swear. I thought you were spending an awful lot of time at the
library
.”

Kate’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks Meg. So you’re not mad at me?”

“I know where you’re coming from. You can’t stay away from him. Remember me with Neil last year?”

Kate and Meg both laughed.

Kate sighed. “There’s more.”

Meg narrowed her eyes. “Well?”

Kate leaned across the table and looked her friend in the eye. “You promise not to laugh at me?”

“Promise.” Meg’s face was dead serious.

“I’m going to open a bakery.” The words spilled out, one after another.

Meg’s mouth fell open again. “Are you shitting me?”

Kate shook her head.

“Why would I laugh? I think it’s a brilliant idea. One I seemed to have heard before. I don’t know how many times Tim and I have suggested you open a restaurant. Kate!” Meg stood and pulled her friend into a hug. “How far have you gotten? I want details.”

Kate beamed. “I love you, you know that, right? Can I show you my business plan?”

Meg’s enthusiasm for her bakery took the edge off Kate’s nerves for her first day of seeing properties. Meg offered to go with her, but because Kate didn’t know what to expect, she didn’t want to drag Meg into it.

“I’ll tell you what. If I find something worth seeing, I’ll take you with me the next time.”

“Deal.”

“You can’t tell anyone about that either. Promise me.”

“If I were you, I’d be shouting from the rooftops.” Meg was still looking through her notebook of sketches and price lists.

“I’m excited, but if something goes wrong, or it doesn’t happen, I don’t want to have to explain what happened. You know?”

* * * *

The next day, when Kate was working in the back office, James poked his head in. No one was around.

“I missed you.” James was close enough she could feel his body heat.

She smiled and stared at his lips, his soft, perfect lips. When she noticed him closing the gap between them, she shook her head, reminding them both not to be careless. “Not here. It’s not safe.”

His shoulders sank. “Right. Can I see you later?”

“I’ve got stuff.” She had no idea how long it would take her to look at three properties, but she didn’t want to make plans and have to break them.

“Sounds mysterious.” He was smiling, but his shoulders were still drooping.

“Kate? You still back there?” Carrie’s voice called out as she neared the door.

Kate picked up the stapler in front of her and shoved it in James’ hand. “Feel free to borrow it, but you
have
to bring it back.”

James pulled his lips back over a tight smile. “Thanks, Miss Rhodes.” He backed out of the office.

Kate motioned to the door where he had just disappeared. “Dr. Baker’s stapler jammed. I hope it’s okay.”

Carrie nodded. “Of course.”

She sighed when Carrie seemed to believe it.

* * * *

When Kate showed up at the first property, she waited for nearly an hour for the realtor to show up. He moved in a flurry around the space, scanning the listing sheet to answer her questions. The restaurant was in a prime location and the appliances were all new. The price tag on the lease reflected both of those things and the more she walked around the empty space, the more she realized she would have to get a much bigger loan to make this one work. The realtor didn’t seem to care one way or another if she was interested in the property. After she thanked him, he locked the door and drove away without a backward glance.

Kate checked the clock in her car. Although she had planned the meetings an hour and a half apart, she didn’t have enough time to get to the second property. She had fifteen minutes to get across town. She called the other realtor and pushed their meeting back by twenty minutes.

The two properties were like night and day. This time, the realtor didn’t have to answer any questions because the rooms were empty. No tables, chairs, counters, stoves, ovens, or sinks. Gas and water lines were capped off at the wall, and as Kate looked around the kitchen, she started adding up the cost of appliances. It was even more than the other place.

As she sat in her car, she rested her head against the steering wheel. She had just wasted three hours and had nothing to show for it. She sighed as she drove to the next appointment.

If she was disappointed with the first two, the third was worse. The restaurant was part of a building that housed several other businesses, all of which were rundown to the point it looked like the whole building had been condemned. She walked through anyway, and she only had one question. “How long has it been vacant?”

Five years. This building had been sitting here longer than she’d been in California. The grimy windows had five years of dust and cobwebs. The thought of getting this place ready for customers was enough to sap the rest of her energy.

Kate drove home but couldn’t get out of her car. She didn’t want to go to her empty dorm, and she didn’t want to go crying to Meg again about how sucky her life was. She looked in her rearview mirror and glanced up at James’ apartment. The light was still on.

“Can I come over?” she texted.

“:)” he replied.

She drove to his apartment, too tired to walk. The three flights of stairs nearly wiped her out.

James greeted her with a smile, and then he was hugging her and rubbing her back. “Want a shower?”

Kate had to resist the urge to cry. It was perfect. A shower was just what she needed. She nodded and bit her lip.

James started the shower and then undressed her. “May I join you?” His eyes were soft.

Kate nodded again.

His hands were gentle as he washed her body, and then he opened his arms, and she was happy to fall into them.

She leaned her head against his chest and sighed. The disappointment and frustration from earlier washed off her with each second she spent in his arms.

“Can I stay for a while?”

“Of course.”

His bed was soft and warm, and as he caressed her wet hair, Kate fell asleep.

She woke up and her body jerked upright. The sheets and blanket fell away, inviting the cool air to steal her heat. James stirred next to her, mumbling something in his sleep. The clock next to his bed told her it was after two in the morning. As quietly as she could, she gathered her things and left.

Sleeping over was one of many things they hadn’t discussed. It was so personal and intimate, and since she didn’t know where she stood with him, she didn’t want to assume he would want her there.

When she woke up Wednesday morning, there was a text from James.

Where’d u go?

“Dorm,” she replied. She wanted to thank him for being so kind and understanding, but she wanted to do it in person. She tried to talk to him after class, but he told her he had a department meeting followed by another meeting.

Everything was on hold with her business plan until she found a property she liked. It all hinged on that one detail. She spent hours Wednesday night making a list of places to look at that were a bit farther away than she wanted, but after her first round of looking, she wasn’t hopeful about her second try.

Kate arranged Thursday off with Carrie, and went straight to her first listing after her morning class. It was another disappointment. Only this time, the restaurant was too big. She couldn’t imagine being able to fill twenty tables with customers. It was almost as big as the restaurant where she worked during the summer, and it wasn’t what she imagined her bakery would be like. She thanked the realtor for her time and then got in her car to see the next one on the list. One after another, she looked at properties that were too modern, too big, too small, or too scary. As she sat in her car waiting to see the last one on her list for the day, she opened her notebook to the sketches she’d made. Perhaps she had been too specific with her dream. Her expectations were so high nothing could please her.

With a heavy heart, she got out of her car and stared up at the unassuming building in front of her. The windows and door had been covered with brown paper with the words FOR LEASE printed across the door. The storefront was nestled between a used bookstore and a baby boutique.

“Are you Kate?” A woman with a blonde bob and a perky smile held out her hand.

“Yes. Are you…” she glanced down at her papers, “…Liz?”

Liz nodded. “Ready to see it?” She waited for Kate before she pulled out the key. “I talked to the landlord a few minutes ago, and he’s happy to meet us here if you have any questions I can’t answer.”

Kate took a deep breath and followed Liz inside. Her mouth hung open as she scanned the room.

The front of the restaurant had six tables, three on either side of the door, but the main focus of the room was a bar with highly polished wooden chairs. The bar was made of the same wood, and looked like it had just been wiped down. Kate couldn’t speak. She imagined glass domes spanning the length of the counter, each one holding a different dessert.

Liz was rattling off details about square footage and utilities as Kate made her way into the kitchen. The appliances were a few years old but in decent condition. “Does the lease include the appliances?”

Liz flipped through a stack of papers in the folder in her arms. “Yep, sure does.”

“How long has it been on the market?”

“Six months. It’s not big enough for most folks.”

“I think it’s perfect.” Kate smiled and continued to poke around. She walked back out into the dining area and noticed a locked door next to the restrooms. “What’s that?”

“There’s an apartment upstairs.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Is it available?” She only had her dorm reserved through the third week of December.

Liz nodded. “They come as a package, which is another reason people have turned it down. The apartment doesn’t have a street entrance, which was common when these older buildings were constructed, so when you lose the restaurant, you also lose the renter upstairs. Mr. Crane is actually offering a move-in special. Rent on the apartment and restaurant is half price for the first six months if you sign a two-year lease.”

“Do you have a key?”

Liz shrugged. “Let’s try the second one he gave me.” The key slid into the lock and clicked. “Let’s have a look.”

Kate bounded up the stairs, which were steep and went straight back. The apartment consisted of a living area, a small kitchen connected to a dining area, and a bedroom with a bathroom in it. The living room and bedroom overlooked the sidewalk below. Light spilled into the rooms, covering the worn wooden floors with the slanting rays of the setting sun. She could almost see the ocean from here. The floor squeaked under her feet as she paced the living space again.

“I want it.”

“That’s great. I’ll work with Mr. Crane, to draw up a lease agreement contract.”

“I’ll go talk to my credit union again as soon as possible.” Kate was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “Can I come see it again, on Saturday with a friend?”

Liz nodded. “Of course.”

They locked up the apartment and Kate strolled through the kitchen one more time, checking off the supply list in her notebook. She made a list of the things she would still need to buy, and was surprised by how small it was. It was as if this property was made for her.