“I’m not… it’s just that I don’t know anything about owning a—”
I stop and give myself a swift mental kick in the ass. So what if I don’t know anything about owning a business? I can learn.
I don’t know anything about being a mother either, but I’ve started to believe that someday, I could be a good one. I’d certainly give it everything I have.
“Well, I could… I suppose I’d consider it,” I finally say.
Marianne looks up at the second floor of the building. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t recommend reopening the tearoom. Business was going downhill a bit, and we had a reputation for catering to senior citizens, so we weren’t popular with younger people. Would you like to come inside?”
“Okay.”
We finish rolling up the banner. Marianne unlocks the front door and pushes it open. After she flicks on the lights, I can see that the interior is more dingy and worn than I remember. All the tables and chairs are stacked against one side of the room beside a pile of chintz tablecloths. The floral wallpaper is starting to peel, and a thin layer of dust has settled over everything.
I run my hand over the high, curved back of a chair. “Has anyone asked to lease the building?”
“I’ve had a few inquiries, but no applications yet.”
“What kind of place would you like to see here?” I ask.
“I haven’t really thought about it, Liv.” Marianne looks around a bit wistfully. “My mother always just loved the fact that people enjoyed themselves here. She liked making customers happy, serving them good food. She never minded that some of them would stay for several hours, just chatting and drinking tea. In fact, she’d encourage it.”
“Your mother would have gotten along great with my friend Allie,” I remark. “Allie’s the same way. A natural hostess. She owns the Happy Booker bookstore over on Emerald.”
“Oh, yes. I saw there was a going-out-of-business sale.”
A pang of sorrow hits me. “Allie lost the lease on the building. She tried everything to bring in new customers. Children’s parties were her biggest events, but she never had much success despite all her planning and creativity…”
My voice trails off. Something flickers to life in the back of my mind.
“Do you have a business card?” I ask Marianne.
“There’s probably one still back here.” She goes behind the front counter and rummages around underneath the cash register. “I have a crew scheduled to come in next week and clear out the tables and things. Ah, here we are.”
She retrieves a card and writes something on the back. “There’s my cell phone number, if you’d like to discuss anything.”
“Thanks.” I glance around the restaurant again before Marianne and I exchange goodbyes.
I walk to Emerald Street and the bookstore. Allie is busy moving the remaining sale books to the front shelves.
“Hey, Allie, I understand why you need to let the bookstore go,” I tell her, “but would you hear me out about something else?”
“Sure.” Allie straightens and gives me her full attention.
“I was just over looking at Matilda’s Teapot when the owner stopped by,” I explain. “She seemed really nice. We started chatting, and she told me she doesn’t have any plans for the building.”
“That’s a great place, isn’t it? Like a big old dollhouse.”
I try to ignore the nerves tightening my stomach again. “Allie, what if you and I rented the building and started a new business there?”
Allie blinks. “A new business? What kind of business?”
“It’s coded for food service, so I was thinking of a café, but something unique and focused on children and families.”
Allie leans her elbows on the counter. “Mirror Lake does have a ton of families, and there’s a whole new bunch of them every summer during tourist season. A family café wouldn’t lack for patrons. But there are also a million other restaurants and cafés in town.”
“That’s why we’d have to do something different. Something that would appeal to both locals and tourists.”
“Like what?”
“Like a party place,” I say. “Your children’s book parties were always so creative and fun… what if we opened a place where kids could have themed birthday parties?”
“There are lots of kids’ party places in town, not to mention in Rainwood and Forest Grove.”
“Not like this… I don’t think.” Of course, I haven’t done any research, so I go to the computer and do a quick Internet search. “Bouncy houses, sports parties, pizza places, karate parties. They don’t offer the kind of parties that you could. Like that Alice in Wonderland birthday you had when you turned ten, with the Red Queen cake and Mad Hatter tea party.”
“I couldn’t even get kids to come to those at the bookstore when I offered them free cake and cookies.”