“Again, I think you understand pretty well.”
“Then why not build the damn thing yourself? Cut out the middleman and go right to the suppliers and subcontractors. They won’t shut you out if you’re offering them a job.”
Ross sighed, pushing Kelsey firmly out of his mind. “I thought about it, but I don’t have the capital. I invested in two new developments in New Jersey before Jenna got the job and can’t do another big deal right now.”
“But say you did have the cash. What would you do then?”
“Why?” Ross narrowed his gaze. “What’s this all about?” He stood up and took Paddy from Brit’s arms. He smiled at his nephew, who grinned in response and grabbed Ross’s nose.
Brit picked up his beer and took a final slug. “You know Tori and I are always looking for new business opportunities. I don’t know a blessed thing about building a resort, but I’ve got money in the bank and there’s no one I would rather give it to.”
The suggestion was as heartening as it was unexpected. “You know I won’t give up control to some loudmouthed New Yorker,” Ross said, financial projections and potential return on investment analyses abruptly running through his brain.
“Spoken like a true loudmouthed New Yorker,” Brit said with an approving nod. “Don’t worry, Tori and I would be silent partners. I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to run a project like this. I’d leave that to you. And I fully expect a profit on this deal. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t invest in it.”
“It’s a hell of an offer.” Ross wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d never considered going into business with his brother. A few weeks ago, the prospect would have been impossible, almost insulting. But now, it sounded…right.
Like coming home, a thousand miles away.
“Think about it,” Brit said. “You’ve got a great concept. We just need to find a way to make it happen.” He put his arm around Ross’s neck and gave him an affectionate squeeze. “And maybe later we’ll have a few beers and you can tell me exactly where this Kelsey is headed, and why you’re letting her go without you.”
…
“So what do you think?” Marie bit her lip as she surveyed the large, schoolhouse-style structure in front of them. The building had a sharply peaked roof with a bell tower on top, crisp black shingles on the roof, and exterior walls of dark red. Twenty or so children ran around in the fenced side yard, screaming, in the way children had, at nothing. Simply for the joy of it. “They run three preschool classes and two kindergartens. There are three more rooms they aren’t using, including one that I think would be perfect for a nursery. It’s got its own bathroom and kitchen, and a small private area where mothers could nurse.”
“It looks great, but I don’t understand,” Kelsey said, frowning. “I thought Gentle Hands was doing well. You’d stop running it and work here?”
“Oh, no.” Marie spun around. She wore a long, multitiered white skirt, and the move sent it spinning around her hips like a great, frothy cloud. “I wouldn’t work here. I’d buy the business.” She clasped her hands together in a Julie Andrews-like gesture that had Kelsey laughing. “My office would be here at the school, which we’d run like a normal day care, but I would also offer nanny services for those who wanted them. I could even have temporary nannies to look after the day care kids at home when they were sick. It would be a huge help for the working parents.”
“That does sound pretty—” Kelsey broke off as her friend grabbed her hand and jerked her toward the stairs.
“They said I could come by and walk through today. Let’s go.”
Inside, the walls were covered with brightly colored paintings, painted tiles with imprints of tiny hands and feet, and a mural of sea creatures that stretched down the length of one entire hallway.
“How did you hear about this?” Kelsey asked, fingering the outline of a big toe on one of the tiles.
“The owner called me because we’ve worked together for years. I always send my girls to her when they want to try working with older kids, and she always calls me when one of her parents has an emergency. She wants to retire. She’s owned the business for twenty years and is ready to give it up and move to Florida.”
An efficient-looking woman with a head of white hair neatly coiled into a chignon met them in the hall. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Marie Fague. I called Carmen about coming by today to walk through the building.”
“Oh, of course. Do you mind waiting in the office?” The white-haired woman gestured to a sign a few doors down. “I believe she’s visiting one of the classrooms. I’ll go buzz her on her radio.”