At the River’s Edge Read online

  “That’s what you want, hon’.”

  “And I think they’re selling eggs from their chickens now, too …”

  “Perfect. But don’t forget your desserts. If you don’t have time to bake, find someone who can. You don’t need to have more than two or three things on hand, but everyone likes a little sweet something now and then.”

  “The woman my brother is marrying has a little bakery in town. Cupcakes …”

  “There you go, then. Pretty cupcakes would be perfect. Then maybe some fruit tarts or pies or something along that line in season. And something chocolate, like brownies, maybe. That’s all you need to have.” Shelby crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the booth. “You do those few things and your little restaurant might have a fighting chance. Not to discourage you, but you need to know that most of the new restaurants that open fail within twelve to thirty-six months.”

  “That won’t be me.” Sophie closed her notebook. “If I do this, it will not fail.”

  “Well, now, I’d bet some of my good, hard-earned money on that, Sophie Enright.” Shelby smiled. “I surely would. But while we’re on the subject of money, let’s talk about how many employees you’re going to need, and how you’re going to pay them …”

  Chapter 12

  DETERMINED to make every minute count, Sophie gave her all to the job at hand. There were a lot of files to be passed on, some of which she’d handled from day one, and as eager as she may have been to leave, she felt a real responsibility to the victims whose cases had been assigned to her. Even though work was consuming much of her time, in the back of her mind the question was always there: what was Enid Walsh going to do with the property on River Road?

  Down to less than two weeks till her last day, she was in the office early every morning and worked late every night. On her second-to-last Thursday, she was wrapping up a meeting with two other ADAs when she checked messages on her phone.

  There was one.

  “Sophie, this is Violet Finneran calling. I have some news regarding that project we talked about. If you could give me a call back before nine this evening, I’d like to chat with you.”

  It was almost six by the time the meeting ended and she was able to return the call. Hoping that Violet was still at the office, Sophie hit redial and waited impatiently for the call to be answered.

  “Violet, hello. It’s Sophie.” She went for casual, hoping to mask the fact that she was all but hyperventilating.

  “Hello, dear. I’m glad you were able to get back to me today. We may have a situation on our hands.” Violet sounded rushed, excited even.

  “What kind of situation?” Sophie frowned. She’d assumed that the call was about the vacant restaurant.

  “Well, I told you I’d speak to Enid Walsh, and I did. She called me early in the week and told me that she’d decided that selling the River Road property was the right thing for her to do.”

  Sophie silently pumped the air. Yes! “Did she say how much she would be asking for it?”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, dear. The appraiser didn’t get out there until yesterday and he didn’t drop off his report until this morning.” Violet gave Sophie the appraised value of the property.

  “Ouch.” Sophie grimaced. “That’s more than I thought it would be.”

  “But it is fair value, and they are expecting the property’s worth will increase over the next few years, what with Dallas’s studio right up the road. Of course, it’s hard to put a price on potential.”

  “True.” Sophie’s heart began to sink. There was no way she could raise that much money on her own.

  “The asking price may be somewhat negotiable, but there is another situation that might interest you.”

  That word—situation—again. “What’s that, Violet?”

  “Someone else has expressed an interest in making an offer on the property.”

  “What?” That brought Sophie out of the funk she was starting to slide into. “Who?”

  “A client of Paul Dunlap’s.” Violet went on to explain, “He’s a relatively new Realtor in St. Dennis, so I’m thinking his client isn’t local. All the locals use Hamilton Forbes for their real estate transactions.”

  Sophie felt blindsided, stunned. It had never occurred to her that someone else might be coveting that same piece of real estate.

  “Sophie? Are you still there, dear?”

  “I’m here, Violet. I’m just … surprised, I guess. I didn’t think anyone else noticed the place. It’s so overgrown and … well, that was naïve on my part, wasn’t it?”

  “I don’t know that an actual offer has been made, and I don’t know who the other interested party might be, but I wanted to give you the information so that if you wanted to make an offer, you could do so. Be first through the door, so to speak.”

  “I really appreciate the call, Violet.” Sophie sighed. There was no way this was going to happen. “But there’s no way I can make an offer right now. I won’t have any cash for a down payment until my condo settles in May, and even then, I’ll be short. I can make up the difference with my savings, but there won’t be a dime left for the repairs and renovations and some new equipment. Without all that, there isn’t going to be a restaurant.”

  “So you definitely intended to open a restaurant there,” Violet said thoughtfully.

  “Yes.”

  “With what experience, may I ask?”

  Sophie told her about her summers working as a cook, and about her conversation with Shelby. “So I haven’t owned a restaurant before, but I know what to do in the kitchen and I’ve gotten some good advice from someone who’s been in business for many years. I believe I could have done this. I believe I would have been good at it.”

  “Tell me, what sort of restaurant did you have in mind?”

  “Nothing very big, and nothing very fancy.” Not that it matters now, Sophie thought, though it was nice of Violet to ask. “More of a café, just early breakfast and lunch.”

  “Why just the two?” Violet pressed.

  “Early breakfast because the bait shop next door opens at five, so I figured there’d be fishermen coming out that way to pick up bait, so why not a quick stop for breakfast? I heard there’s going to be a marina there next year as well, so that’s additional traffic. Then figure in everyone on their way to and from Dallas’s studio. There’s nothing else in the neighborhood for a quick lunch, and we could deliver.”

  “And why not serve dinner?”

  “One, because there won’t be much traffic out there by five or six in the afternoon. The fishermen are in by then and if there are still people in the studio, chances are they’ll be in the mood for fine dining rather than the casual fair I’ll offer. They’ll want Captain Walt’s, or Lola’s, or one of the other fancier places closer to the center of town and the B and Bs where they’ll be staying. And two,” Sophie continued, “I’ll be working at the office for at least six hours or so every day after I leave the café. I can’t help Jesse and serve dinner, too.”

  “I see you’ve given this a great deal of thought. I suppose you had the renovations and the décor all planned as well.”

  “I did.” Sophie blinked back tears. “I was going to use as much of what’s there as I could. The tables and chairs can be painted, and the walls … oh, it doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll just have to be a full-time lawyer for a while longer, until something else comes up.”

  “Unless, of course, you obtain financing.”

  “I don’t know that the bank down there would be interested in loaning money for a restaurant when the borrower has no restaurant experience.”

  “Perhaps we could arrange private financing.”

  “Who would loan me money?”

  “I would.”

  “Violet, that’s very kind of you, but I couldn’t ask you to …”

  “You’re not asking. I’m offering.”

  “It’s speculative.”

  “Oh, so’s the stock ma
rket, and that’s not near as interesting.”

  “I think you should think this over, maybe talk to someone, ask your banker or advisor if they think this is a good move for you. You could end up losing your investment, and then I’d feel …”

  “Really, Sophie, I’m not a babe in the woods and I don’t appreciate being treated like one. I have been making my own investment decisions for years.” Violet’s indignation was frosty and just a little bit this side of scary. “I don’t need someone else to tell me that it’s a highly speculative venture.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sophie apologized. “But I would feel terrible if you invested in me—in the restaurant—and it flopped.”

  “It isn’t going to be a flop. I have total confidence in you. You’re an Enright. You will make this work.” Violet’s voice softened. “Besides, it’s nice to invest in something I can see. I’m excited about the prospect, actually. I think it will be … well, fun.”

  “Violet, I don’t know what to say. What if …”

  “Stop right there,” Violet said sternly. “If you’re going to do this, you’re going to do it in a positive fashion. No negativity. No doubts.”

  When Sophie didn’t respond, Violet said, “Sophie?”

  “I heard you. I’m trying to think. This is so unexpected. When I heard the price, I started to shut it down in my head—the plans for the restaurant, that is—because it was out of reach for me. And now it might not be.”

  “Would you like to think it over and call me back?”

  “I don’t even know exactly how much money I need to borrow, Violet. I don’t know how much it will take to renovate the place, and I don’t know if I’ll have to replace all the equipment or if some of it can be repaired. What’s there is old, but it’s good quality—and then there are dishes and oh, my God, Violet, we’ll need an exterminator. There are bugs and … vermin. And then after all that’s done, I’ll have to hire people—waitstaff and another cook and a dishwasher.” She paused. “I mean, we’d have to hire people.”

  “No, no. You were right the first time. I’m a silent partner here. No one is going to know I’m involved in this.” Violet hesitated before adding firmly, “I would appreciate that you not tell anyone that I’m your investor.”

  “Really? I’d think you’d want …”

  “No. I do not want.” There was that stern voice again. “That’s a condition of the deal, Sophie. I will loan you the money that you need, but no one’s name is on the deed but yours. No one will know I’ve backed this venture. It’s going to have to be our secret.”

  “All right. Let me think this through. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer. Oh, my God, it’s unexpected and beyond anything I ever would have thought possible …” Sophie took a deep breath. “But it’s a huge step for both of us, and I want to do the right thing.”

  “I understand, dear. Just don’t take too long to make up your mind. Don’t forget there’s still another party out there, and we don’t know how badly they want to buy that property.”

  “Good point.” Sophie nodded to herself. “I’ll call you first thing in the morning.”

  “See that you do, dear.”

  “And Violet … I don’t even know how to adequately thank you for making such a kind and generous offer.”

  “You can thank me when the keys are put into your hand as the new owner of Walsh’s. Wait, you can’t keep calling it that. What will you call your restaurant?”

  “I have no idea. I never got that far,” Sophie told her. “I’m sure the right name will come to me.”

  The next week was a blur, but in the end, Sophie’s offer to purchase the old Walsh’s restaurant property had been accepted, and Violet had papers drawn up for the terms of the loan to finance the renovations.

  “This was a tad tricky,” Violet told her on the phone. “Normally, I’d have had my attorney take care of the paperwork, but that’s out of the question for the obvious reason.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask Jesse to do it?” Sophie asked.

  “Did we not agree that no one would know that I was your investor?”

  “Yes, but …”

  “If Jesse knows, sooner or later, Curtis will find out. And if Curtis finds out that I went behind his back to help you do something we both know he wouldn’t approve of … well, it smacks of disloyalty.”

  “How is helping me being disloyal to him?” Sophie sat in the nearest chair.

  “Have you told him what you’re doing yet?”

  “Well, no …”

  “Why not?” When Sophie didn’t immediately respond, Violet added, “Because it isn’t what he wants you to do, and he’ll be a pain in the butt about it. You don’t want to have that conversation with him.”

  “Not really.” Sophie sighed.

  “So what do you think your grandfather would do if he knew that I was the one who backed this business venture of yours? It’s no secret that he wants you here, in this office.”

  “Would he be angry with you?”

  “Probably. For a while, anyway. Mostly he’d think that I betrayed him.”

  “Why don’t we both go talk to him, together?” Sophie suggested.

  “Because he’ll try to talk both of us out of it.”

  “You really think he would?”

  Violet snorted. “This is Curtis Enright we’re talking about here. He’s used to getting his way. Some might even call him manipulative.”

  As much as she’d have liked to deny it, Sophie knew Violet was right. She certainly knew Curtis far better than Sophie did.

  “So what did you do? Did you go to another firm?”

  “Certainly not!” Violet bristled. Clearly the very thought was out of the question. “I wrote the documents myself and took them to Ballard to have them notarized. You’ll receive your copy to sign via overnight mail in the morning. You’ll have your signature notarized and return the copies to me. I’ll sign them and send you back your copy.”

  “Not too late to change your mind, Violet. I’ll understand if you do.” Sophie wanted to give the woman an out if she felt she needed one.

  “No second thoughts here. You?”

  “None.”

  “Well, then.” Violet sounded pleased. “I suppose we’re partners. Silent partners, but partners nonetheless. Your grandmother would have approved of your initiative.”

  “Nice to think that someone in my family would have.”

  Sophie’s time at the DA’s office had eaten up an additional week she hadn’t planned on, and it took another three for her to sort through her belongings—clothes, books, kitchen items—and pack for her move. As soon as Sophie had shared her plans, Gwen had made a bid to buy her condo and the sofa, which was proving too large to move, and, at the last minute, decided she’d take the kitchen table and chairs as well. Sophie sold her bedroom furniture to one of the secretaries in the office, which left her with mostly clothes and boxes.

  By the time the condo was cleaned out and everything that didn’t fit in her SUV was stashed in a spare room at her mother’s house in Pittsburgh, it was the first week of April. Sophie would make it to St. Dennis with but a few days to spare before Jesse’s wedding.

  Once the SUV was packed—with Gwen’s help—Sophie was finally ready to leave Ohio behind.

  “Are you sure you can see out your windows?” Gwen poked her head inside to see if the mirrors were blocked by boxes.

  “I’m good. The mirrors adjust,” Sophie assured her.

  “They adjust that much?” Gwen was skeptical. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, hell.” Gwen hugged Sophie. “I really will miss you. I wasn’t kidding about not having anyone else to mouth off to. No one else in the office appreciates snark and sarcasm the way you do.”

  “I’ll see you when we go to settlement for the condo. And there’s the phone, Skype, text …”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “No, but it’ll be fine. And we’ve already agreed that you’ll come and vis
it.”

  “And you won’t.”

  Sophie looked beyond her SUV to the building where she’d lived for the past four years.

  “No, I probably won’t.” Sophie turned back to the SUV and opened the driver’s-side door. “Not for a while, anyway. Except for you, there’s not much for me here.”

  “So it looks like my vacation will be in St. Dennis this fall.” Gwen nodded.

  “Good. I’ll look forward to that.” Sophie slammed the car door. “Maybe I’ll put you to work waiting tables, make you earn your keep.”

  “Maybe you’ll introduce me to the hunky …” She paused. “What does the hunky guy do?”

  “He’s a landscaper.”

  “Nice.” Gwen nodded. “I’ll bet he’s got some muscles.”

  “And some to spare.” Sophie grinned and backed out of her parking spot, waved to Gwen one more time, then headed out of the lot, out of town, out of her old life, and into her future.

  Chapter 13

  SOPHIE had always thought that the drive to someplace seemed so unnecessarily longer than the drive from, but for some reason, the return trip to St. Dennis felt endless. Maybe, she reasoned, because she was so eager to get there, so stoked to get to work. Violet had assured her that the closing on the property would go through without a hitch, but it wasn’t going to happen for another ten days. Of course, there was plenty to do between now and then. Jesse would be leaving on his honeymoon right after the reception on Saturday, so Sophie had only until Friday to acclimate herself to the workings of the office. There were files that needed to be reviewed and several situations he said he wanted to fill her in on, but there were no trials scheduled and nothing that had to be filed with the court in his absence, so she figured she’d be mostly fielding phone calls and researching case law for the few appeals he was leaving for her to write.

  All of which was fine. She wanted to keep busy. It kept her mind off the many things that she feared could go wrong before the property went to closing.

  It would be tough to keep the real estate deal under wraps, Violet had told her, but she’d do what she could to keep both Curtis and Jesse from finding out until Sophie could tell them herself, which she planned to do as soon as she hit town.