Sweet On You

chapter Six



She'd been in some of the most luxurious houses around the world, but Daniela had never been intimidated the way she was sitting in the real estate agent's office.

Not that it was overly fancy. It was tasteful and posh without being excessive. It looked exactly the way she'd expect the office of a successful San Francisco real estate person to look.

Ken Lewis fit his office. Slacks and a dress shirt, no tie, clean cut, moderately nice watch on his wrist. If he were a recipe, he'd have been tarte tatin: simple, elegant, and universally accepted.

Daniela crossed her legs and pumped her foot, watching him squint at his computer monitor. Tony had always managed the business stuff for her. He bought the buildings and signed the contracts. She was in charge of fondant and candied violets.

A flutter of nerves made her stomach clench.

She lifted her chin. This was a good idea, and she was smart and capable. She could do this.

"Here it is," Ken said, his fingers clacking clumsily on the keyboard. "The old motel on Harrison, South of Market. The price is certainly low."

"It's a dump."

He looked around his large monitor at her. "But you want it?"

"I want to turn it into a soup kitchen."

"Soup kitchen," he repeated with skepticism.

Nodding, she sat forward on the edge of the chair. "The kitchen is big enough for large-scale production, and the location seems ideal."

"South of Market and the Financial District both have a large population of homeless, and it's central to other areas like the Mission." Ken shrugged. "It seems a little large for what you want, but maybe you could turn some of the rooms into a shelter."

Gasping, she sat up, thinking of the family that was squatting on the property. "A soup kitchen and homeless shelter. Maybe I offer restaurant prep and cooking classes to help people get back on their feet. With restaurant job placement. I certainly have connections. And the housing can be an interim place to live until they can move back into society. It's brilliant."

"If you say so yourself?" Ken grinned. "The price is right, and the building really is perfect for what you want. It's a good investment, regardless. Normally, I'd caution a client against this sort of endeavor, but even if you changed your mind, you wouldn't be in danger of losing money. The South of Market area is hot."

"I'm not going to change my mind."

"No, I don't get that impression." He flashed her a quick smile before becoming all business. "I suggest putting in a signed bid slightly lower than the asking price, to give ourselves room to negotiate. I'll draw up the papers so you can sign them before you leave."

"Excellent." She rubbed her hands together.

"I don't foresee the sale taking long, since you're willing to purchase it regardless of its state." He clicked with his mouse a couple times. "We should be able to close in as soon as a couple weeks, all things willing and barring unforeseen snags."

"How often do snags happen?"

"Not too often." He shrugged as his printer began spitting out pages. "This is all straightforward. It should be simple."

Simple was the best, Nonna always said.

Her grandmother would approve of this, Daniela thought as she signed the bid. Tony wouldn't, but she wasn't going to think about him. This was about her.

Well—her and the homeless. It'd be a win-win situation for everyone involved. She was positive about that.